Prison Ministries Transition Assistance Initiative

What we believe about the Bible

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are the supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Acts 17:11; and Isaiah 8:20)

What we believe about God

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT.

GOD THE FATHER - We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Matthew 5:48; Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3; Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:2-3; Psalm 103:19; Ephesians 1:11; 1 Kings 8:27; and Psalm 90:2)

THE SON - We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in His life, and making atonement for the sin of the world by His shed blood and death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, and His high priestly intercession for His people. We believe in His personal, visible and triumphant return to the world according to His promise. (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:14; Hebrews 10:9; John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; and Acts 1:11)

THE HOLY SPIRIT - We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from God to convict the world of sin, to convince the world of righteousness, and of judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ. (John 15:26; John 16:8-11; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; and 1 Peter 1:1-3)

What we believe about People

MAN - We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:15-17; and Romans 3:10-12, 23)

SALVATION - We believe that, God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV) We believe that all who receive, by faith, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are born again of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, become children of God. We believe that justification means that a person is declared righteous in the sight of God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. (John 1:12; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8-10)

STATUS IN ETERNITY - We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost. (Matthew 25:46)

HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY - We believe that every human being has responsibility to God alone in all matters of faith. (Romans 14:11-12)

What we believe about the Church

THE CHURCH - We believe in the Church -- a living, spiritual body in which Christ is the Head and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that a visible church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, buried with Him in baptism and associated for the purpose of leading believers toward maturity through worship, instruction, fellowship and evangelism. We believe that Christ has committed to the local church, the ordinances of Baptism and Communion to be observed until He comes, and that Christ has committed to the church the responsibility to proclaim to a lost world their need to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and to recognize Him has Lord. We believe that human betterment and social improvement are essential products of the Gospel. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; and John 8:31-32)


We Take the Bible Seriously?

The Bible is unlike any other book. It is basically taken five ways in our society.

People either ignore it altogether and dismiss it as being irrelevant to today’s lifestyle,

or they attack it with books and lectures disputing its Divine origin.

Then there are those who try to alter the Bible with new versions that are gender neutral or where God is portrayed as being female.

The majority of Christians are what Evangelicals call “nominal Christians.” They fit into the fourth category. Nominal Christians, and even some who are Born Again, choose, and even quote from, selected verses which are generally taken out of context, and which back up their own doctrinal ideas about religion. Scripture to the contrary is either ignored, assumed as allegorical, or its meaning is twisted around to convey the opposite of what is really being said.

We fall into the last category. This final group take the Bible literally. The only exceptions to this would be certain dreams (Genesis 40:1-22), visions (Acts 11:5-10), parables (Matthew 13:3-8), or special revelation (Revelation 13:11-15). For here the message is not meant for the general public, but only for those who have been given the understanding by God (Matthew 13:13-18 and Luke 8:10).