Statement of the Biblical Institute G.H.T.I.
Our statement of faith is based on the 2000 Baptist Message and Article of Faith. It has been expanded to cover a few more things we felt necessary to express.
The Holy Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. This divine revelation has been preserved by God and is the supreme and final authority for all conduct and doctrine. It is the source of God's knowledge and faith. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21: Matthew 5:18 Hebrews 4:12-13. For the Spanish language, we consider the Reina Valera 1960 version to be appropriate, but we do not disapprove of the use of other versions.
God: He is the creator of everything visible and invisible, he knows everything (what we know and what we do not know), he is perfect in holiness, infinite wisdom with immeasurable power. Great in mercy. He cares about the affairs of the world. man, hear and answer their prayers and save from sin and hell those who come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one God, and only one, living and true. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and in all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all-knowing; and the perfect knowledge of him extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of creatures free from him. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. We believe in the existence of the divine trinity.
The eternal and triune God reveals himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with different personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being, as we will explain below:
A. God the Father: God as Father reigns with providential care over his entire universe, his creatures, and the flowing stream of human history according to the purposes of his grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. God is the Father indeed of all those who become his children through faith in Christ Jesus. He is fatherly in his attitude towards all men. Genesis 1.1; 2.7; Exodus 3.14; 6.2-3; 11.15 ff.; 20.l et seq.; Leviticus 22.2; Deuteronomy 6.4; 32.6; 1 Chronicles 29.10; Psalms 19.1-3; Isaiah 43.3,15; 64.8; Jeremiah 10.10; 17.13; Matthew 6.9 et seq.; 7.11; 23.9; 28.19; Mark 1.9-11; John 4.24; 5.26; 14.6-13; 17.1-8; Acts 1.7; Romans 8.14-15; 1 Corinthians 8.6; Galatians 4.6; Ephesians 4.6; Colossians 1.15; 1 Timothy 1.17; Hebrews 11.6; 12.9; 1 2Peter 1.17; 1 John 5.7.
B. God the Son: Christ is the eternal Son of God. In his incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and fulfilled the will of God, taking upon himself human nature with its demands and needs and identifying himself completely with humanity, yet without sin. He honored divine law by his personal obedience, and in his substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead in a glorified body and appeared to his disciples as the person who was with them before his crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the Only Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person the reconciliation between God and man has been effected. He will return with power and glory to judge the world and accomplish his redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and all-knowing Lord.
Genesis 18.1 et seq.; Psalms 2.7 et seq.; 110.1 et seq.; Isaiah 7.14; 53; Matthew 1.18-23; 3.17; 8.29; 11.27; 14.33; 16.16,27; 17.5; 27; 28.1-6,19; Mark 1.1; 3.11, Luke 1.35; 4.41; 22.70; 24.46; John 1.1-18,29; 10.30,38; 11.25-27; 12.44-50; 14.7-11; 16.15-16.28; 17.1-5,21-22; 20.1-20,28; Acts 1.9; 2.22-24; 7.55-56; 9.4-5.20; Romans 1.3-4; 3.23-26; 5.6-21; 8.1-3.34; 10.4; 1 Corinthians 1.30; 2.2; 8.6; 15.1-8, 24-28; 2 Corinthians 5.19-21; 8.9; Galatians 4.4-5; Ephesians 1.20; 3.11; 4.7-10; Philippians 2.5-11; Colossians 1.13-22; 2.9; 1 Thessalonians 4.14-18; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; 3.16; Titus 2.13-14; Hebrews 1.1-3; 4.14-15; 7.14-28; 9.12-15, 24-28; 12.2; 13.8; 1 Peter 2.21-25; 3.22; 1 John 1.7-9; 3.2; 4.14-15; 5.9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1.13-16; 5.9-14; 12.10-11; 13.8; 19.16.
C. God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand the truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes each believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and gives them the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through his church. He seals the believer for the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will lead the believer to reach the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1.2; Judges 14.6; Job 26.13; Psalms 51.11; 139.7 et seq. Isaiah 61.1-3; Joel 2.28-32; Matthew 1.18; 3.16; 4.1; 12.28-32; 28.19; Mark 1.10,12; Luke 1.35; 4.1, 18-19; 11.13; 12.12; 24.49; John 4.24; 14.16-17.26; 15.26; 16.7-14; Acts 1.8; 32.1-4,38; 4.31; 5.3; 6.3; 7.55; 8.17.39; 10.44; 13.2; 15.28; 16.6; 19.1-6; Romans 9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2.10-14; 3.16; 12.3-11,13; Galatians 4.6; Ephesians 1.13-14; 4.30; 5.18; 1 Thessalonians 5.19; 1 Timothy 3.16; 4.1; 2 Timothy 1.14; 3.16; Hebrews 9.8,14; 2 Peter 1.21; 1 John 4.13; 5.6-7; Revelation 1.10: 22.17.
The Devil: He is the father of lies and confusion, his job is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). He was defeated on the cross of Calvary and will finally be thrown into the lake of fire where he will be eternally tormented John 8:44, 10:10, Revelation 20:10 ,15. The Devil is always trying to push man to sin.
Sin: is rebellion and disobedience to God. Sin includes both actions and thoughts against the holiness of God. Sin is the cause of the condemnation of Man. The sin of the person deserves a payment: "death" , and every man on earth with the use of reason has sinned and therefore is deserving of condemnation and therefore every man on earth needs salvation, which is only provided in Jesus Christ through his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. 1 John 5:17: 1 John 3:4, Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 1:29-32, 6:23,3:23, 3:10, Revelation 21:8, 1:5, Matthew 5:21 -30.
Man: Man is God's special creation, made in his own image. He created them male and female as the crown of his creation. The gift of gender is therefore part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent and was endowed by God with the freedom to choose. By his own decision man sinned against God and brought sin to the human race. Through Satan's temptation man transgressed God's commandment, and fell from his original state of innocence, whereby his posterity inherited a nature and environment prone to sin. Therefore, as soon as they can perform a moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only God's grace can bring man into his holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill God's creative purpose. The holiness of the human personality is evident in that God created man in his own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, each person of each race possesses absolute dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
A man is considered to be born with genetic characteristics and male genitalia and a woman is considered to be born with genetic characteristics and female genitalia. We do not consider that sex is dictated by emotions, feelings, the psyche, surgical aesthetics, or a social group. We believe conclusive the genetic, biological evidence and the biblical argument. We respect freedom and promote respect for other opinions, we expect the same respect and freedom.
Genesis 1.26-30; 2.5, 7.18-22; 3; 9.6; Psalms 1; 8.3-6; 32.1-5; 51.5; Isaiah 6.5; Jeremiah 17.5; Matthew 16.26; Acts 17.26-31; Romans 1.19-32; 3.10-18.23; 5.6,12,19; 6.6; 7.14-25; 8.14-18.29; 1 Corinthians 1.21-31; 15.19,21-22; Ephesians 2.1-22; Colossians 1.21-22; 3.9-11
Salvation: it is offered for all men, without respecting persons or condition. Salvation is solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it is not due to personal or other human works, it is a gift that is received through faith in Jesus Christ. It is necessary for those who accept Jesus to have a genuine repentance for their sins. Man can reject or accepting said gift, so the responsibility lies with each individual.
Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16-18, Galatians 2:16, Romans 6:23, Acts 20:21, Mark 1:15, Romans 10:9 (*Repentance: repentance is understood as manifested inner change in an outward change, a desire to abandon sin followed by consistent action; the conviction of sin that leads to repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit, outward change will never occur if you lack genuine faith in Jesus Christ and surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit )
God's Purpose of Grace: Election is God's purpose of grace, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with man's free will, and includes all means related to the end. It is the glorious expression of God's sovereign goodness, and it is infinitely wise, holy, and unchanging. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by his Spirit will never fall from the state of grace but will endure to the end. Believers can fall into sin through negligence and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their virtues and well-being, and bring reproach to the cause of Christ and temporary judgments upon themselves; however, they will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12.1-3; Exodus 19.5-8; 1 Samuel 8.4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5.1-7; Jeremiah 31.31 et seq.; Matthew 16.18-19; 21.28-45; 24.22,31; 25.34; Luke 1.68-79; 2.29-32; 19.41-44: 24.44-48; John 1.12-14; 3.16; 5.24; 6.44-45.65; 10.27-29; 15.16; 17.6,12.17-18: Acts 20.32; Romans 5.9-10; 8.28-29; 10.12-15; 11.5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1.1-2; 15.24-28; Ephesians 1.4-23; 2.1-10; 3.1-11; Colossians 1.12-14;
Church. it is the local body of regenerated believers, an assembly. A true New Testament Church is an organized, visible local church of redeemed believers and scripturally baptized by immersion, associated under the same order, faith and purpose of evangelism, worship, and fellowship. The Bible is its definitive basis of authority, truth, and practice. Each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference from an external
Evangelism and Missions: The preaching of the gospel is an obligation of every Christian (1 Corinthians 9:16, Mark 16:14-15) must be conducted as a main work in every Christian. Every message must include the basis for salvation, that is, repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior. Mark 16:15, 1 Corinthians 1:21, Luke 24:45-47, Matthew 28:19-20 Acts 20:20-21, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to strive to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of the spirit of man by the Holy Spirit of God means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all, therefore, depends on a spiritual need for regenerate life, and is repeatedly expressed and commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded that the gospel be preached to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to constantly seek to win the lost to Christ through personal testimony supported by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods that are in harmony with the gospel of Christ.
Genesis 12.1-3; Exodus 19.5-6; Isaiah 6.1-8; Matthew 9.37-38; 10.5-15; 13.18-30,37-43; 16.19; 22.9-10; 24.14; 28.18-20; Luke 10.1-18; 24.46-53; John 14.11-12; 15.7-8,16; 17.15; 20.21; Acts 1.8; 2.; 8.26-40; 10.42-48; 13.2-3; Romans 10.13-15; Ephesians 3.1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1.8; 2 Timothy 4.5; Hebrews 2.1-3;
Baptism and the Lord's Supper: Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience that symbolizes the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Because it is an ordinance of the church, it is a requirement that precedes the privilege of church membership and partaking of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience by which the members of the church, by partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorate the death of the Redeemer and announce his second coming.
Matthew 3.13-17; 26.26-30; 28.19-20; Mark 1.9-11; 14.22-26; Luke 3.21-22; 22.19-20; John 3.23; acts 2.41-42; 8.35-39; 16.30.33; 20.7; Romans 6.3-5; 1 Corinthians 10.16,21; 11.23-29; Colossians 2.12
Education: In Christian education there must be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, the authoritative nature of Scripture, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.
Deuteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:1-8; Job 28:28; Psalms 19:7;. 119:11, Proverbs 3:13 &. ; 4:1-10; 8:1-7,11; 15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:19, Matthew 5:2; 7:24;. 28:19-20, Luke 2:40, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 2:3,8-9, 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 5:12-6:3; James 1:5; 03:17.
The end of the ages:
God, in his own time and in his own way, will bring the world to its proper end. According to his promise, Jesus Christ will return to earth in glory in a personal and visible way; the dead will rise again; and Christ will judge all men in justice The unjust will be consigned to Hell, the place of eternal punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.Isaiah 2.4; Matthew 16.27; 18.8.9; 19.28; 24.27,30,36,44; 25.31-46; 26.64; Mark 8.38; 9.43-48: Luke 12.40,48; 16.19-26; 17.22-37; 21.27-28; John 14.1-3; Acts 1.11; 17.31; Romans 14.10; 1 Corinthians 4.5; 15.24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5.10; Philippians 3.20-21; Colossians 1.5; 3.4; 1 Thessalonians 4.14-18; 5.1 et seq. 2 Thessalonians 1.7 et seq.; 2; 1 Timothy 6.14; 2 Timothy 4.1,8; Titus 2.13; Hebrews 9.27-28; James 5.8; 2 Peter 3.7 et seq. 1 John 2.28; 3.2; Jude 14; Revelation 1.18; 3.11; 20:1-22.13
Stewardship: God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians are spiritually indebted to the whole world, a holy trust in the gospel, and an obligatory stewardship in their possessions. Therefore, they are under divine obligation to serve God with his time, talents, and material possessions; and they must recognize that all this has been entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and to help others. According to the Scriptures, Christians are to contribute of what they have, cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. Genesis 14.20; Leviticus 27.30-32; Deuteronomy 8.18; Malachi 3.8-12; Matthew 6.1-4,19-21; 19.21; 23.23; 25.14-29; Luke 12.16-21,42; 16.1-13; Acts 2.44-47; 5.1-11; 17.24; 25.20-35; Romans 6.6-22; 12.1-2; 1 Corinthians 4.1-2; 6.19-20; 12; 16.1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12.15; Philippians 4.10-19; 1 Peter 1.18-19
The Family: God has ordained the family as the fundamental institution of human society. It is made up of people related to each other by marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, who were born biologically as such, in a lifelong commitment pact. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and woman in marriage a means for intimate companionship, the channel for sexual expression according to biblical patterns, and the means for the procreation of the human race.
Husband and wife have equal value before God, since both were created in the image of God. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to his people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has a God-given responsibility to provide, protect, and lead his family. A wife should graciously submit to leadership as her husband's servant, just as the church willingly submits to Christ's leadership. She, being created in the image of God as is her husband, and therefore equal to him, has a God-given responsibility to respect her husband and assist him in managing the home and educating the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and inheritance from the Lord. Parents must demonstrate to their children God's model for marriage. Parents should teach their children spiritual and moral values and direct them, through the example of a consistent lifestyle and loving discipline, to make decisions based on Bible truth. Children must honor and obey their parents.
We consider that children, from the moment of conception, are persons from the day of fertilization, therefore we disapprove of abortion and we believe that children are a blessing and inheritance from the Lord (Psalm 139:16). Parents must demonstrate to their children God's model for marriage.
Genesis 1.26-28; 2.15-25; 3.1-20; Exodus 20.12; Deuteronomy 6.4-9; Joshua 24.15; 1 Samuel 1.26-28; Psalms 51.5; 78.1-8; 127; 128; 139.13-16; Proverbs 1.8; 5.15-20; 6.20-22; 12.4; 13.24; 14.1; 17.6; 18.22; 22.6,15; 23.13-14; 24.3: 29.15,17;31.10-31; Ecclesiastes 4.9-12; 9.9; Malachi 2.14-16; Matthew 5.31-32; 18.2-5; 19.3-9; Mark 10.6-12; Romans 1.18-32; 1 Corinthians 7.1-16; Ephesians 5.21-33; 6.1-4; Colossians 3.18-21; 1 Timothy 5.8,14; 2 Timothy 1.3-5; Titus 2.3-5
Cooperation: The people of Christ should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure the cooperation necessary to accomplish the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary organizations to advise, to discover, combine and direct the energies of our people in the most effective way. Members of New Testament churches are to cooperate with one another in carrying out missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation between Christian denominations is desirable when the purpose to be achieved is self-justifying, and when such cooperation does not include any violation of conscience or compromise loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Will.
Exodus 17.12; 18.17 et seq.; Judges 7.21; Ezra 1.3-4; 2.68-69; 5.14-15; Nehemiah 4; 8.1-5; Matthew 10.5-15; 20.1-16; 22.1-10; 28.19-20; Mark 2.3; Luke 10.1 et seq.; Acts 1.13-14; 2.1 et seq.; 4.31-37; 13.2-3; 15.1-35; 1 Corinthians 1.10-17; 3.5-15; 12;2 Corinthians 8 and 9; Galatians 1.6-10; Ephesians 4.1-16; Philippians 1.15-18.
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