Setting Captives Free 2.0 Doctrinal Statement
We believe in God the Father, Creator of all, Who created the entire universe out of nothing by His powerful Word¹. God the Father so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross, to purchase forgiveness and eternal life for all who believe².
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God³, born of a virgin, co-equal with the Father⁴, Who came to this earth as God in the Flesh⁵, lived a perfect and holy life⁶, then died substitutionally⁷ to pay for the sins of His people⁸, according to the Scriptures.⁹ Three days later, He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures¹⁰ and ascended to the Father¹¹, where He now intercedes for all He died to save¹² and will return to take us to be with Him forever¹³.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third Member of the Trinity¹⁴, whose role it is to draw sinners to Jesus Christ¹⁵; He does this by showing them the gospel, reminding them of everything Jesus said and did¹⁶, convicting them of sin (which is what we have), righteousness (which is what we need) and judgment (which is what we deserve)¹⁷, making Christ precious to all believers¹⁸. The Holy Spirit comes to live in all who receive Christ by faith¹⁹, as an earnest or down payment of the fullness of intimacy all believers will have with Christ through eternity²⁰, and the Holy Spirit seals all believers forever²¹.
We believe the Holy Spirit gives gifts to all believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ²². These gifts are to be used in humility, never pointing to ourselves or to the Spirit but always used for the glory of God, always pointing to Christ, and always used for the benefit of others²³.
We believe the Scriptures are God’s infallible Word²⁴, inerrant in their original languages²⁵, and are used by the Spirit of God to make us wise to salvation²⁶ through their constant portrayal of the good news of Christ crucified, buried and risen²⁷ and calls for us to repent and believe the good news²⁸.
We believe the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe²⁹, is the primary means the Holy Spirit uses in sanctification³⁰ and is the primary subject of the Bible³¹. The gospel is to be preached in the power of the Spirit³² to reach the hearts of men and women³³ and to transform them into the image of Jesus Christ³⁴. This happens as we see Christ crucified and buried for our sins, risen from the dead, and we are cut to the heart and healed by the wounds of Jesus (Acts 2:37, 7:54 and Isaiah 53:5).
We believe the gospel is to be heard, believed, received, and confessed by men and women, who then confess their sins to God and receive eternal life as a gift of God’s grace and love³⁵. Through believing the gospel, the entire Trinity comes to live in each believer.³⁶
We believe the universal church is God’s invisible building on earth³⁷, Christ’s body,³⁸ and bride,³⁹ and is made up of people from all nations, tribes, and tongues, and will include people from all denominations⁴⁰. The church’s role is to proclaim the gospel to evangelize and teach all people⁴¹.
We believe the church was prepared beforehand to do good works⁴², spread the gospel⁴³, love people⁴⁴, care for the sick and dying, visit prisoners⁴⁵, care for orphans and widows⁴⁶, and fulfill the great commission of Jesus Christ⁴⁷.
We believe in the ordinances of baptism and communion (the Lord’s Supper)⁴⁸.
Written by Mike Cleveland
[1] Hebrews 11:3 and Colossians 1:16
[4] John 1:1, John 10:30,
[5] 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:1-2,14
[6] Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5
[7] 1 Peter 2:23-25, Mark 10:45, Romans 5:6, John 10:11
[8] 1 Corinthians 6:20, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, 1 Peter 3:18
[9] 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53
[10] 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, Psalm 16:10-11, Jonah 1:17 with Matthew 12:40
[12] Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34, 1 Timothy 2:5-6
[13] Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
[14] Genesis 1:2,26, Matthew 28:19, John 15:26
[15] John 6:44, John 16:7-15
[20] 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
[21] Ephesians 1:13-14, Revelation 7:3-4
[23] 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, John 16:13-14
[24] Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5-6, Matthew 5:18
[25] 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Corinthians 2:13
[26] 2 Timothy 3:15, Psalm 19:6-11
[27] Luke 24:25-27, John 5:39
[31] 1 Corinthians 15:1-6
[34] Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18
[38] 1 Corinthians 12:27, Revelation 21:9
[48] Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25