doctrinal statement
Scriptural citations in support of doctrinal statements are not exhaustive or limiting.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration by God of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, the inerrancy of the original texts, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life (2 Timothy 3.16, 2 Peter 1.20-21).
GOD
We believe that there is but one living and true God, an infinite, all knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6.4, John 4.24, and Matthew 28.19).
-God the Father-
We believe that God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. As the only self-existent, absolute, and omnipotent ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, judgment, and redemption. He has decreed, for His own glory, all things that come to pass. He continually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and events. He has graciously chosen, that is, elected from eternity past, those whom He would have as His own. He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ: He adopts as His own all those who come to Him (Psalm 145.8-9, Romans 11.36, Ephesians 1.4, 1.6, and John 1.12).
-God the Son-
We believe that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal and co-eternal with the Father (John 10.30, 14.9).
We believe all things were created by Him. All things continue in existence and in operation through Him. (John 1.3, Colossians 1.15-17, Hebrews 1.2).
We believe that, in the incarnation, Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2.5-8).
We believe that our Lord was virgin born, that He was God incarnate, and that the purpose of the incarnation was to reveal God, redeem men, and rule over God’s kingdom (John 1.14, Matthew 1.23, 25, 1 Peter 1.18).
We believe that the Christ is the mediator between God and Man, the Head of His body (the Church) and the coming universal King, who will reign on the throne of David. He is the final Judge of all men (1 Timothy 2.5, Colossians 1.18, Luke 1.31-33, Matthew 25.14, 25.46, 1 Corinthians 3.13-15, Revelation 20.11-15).
-God the Holy Spirit-
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person possessing all the attributes of personality and deity. In all the divine attributes, He is co-equal with the Father and the Son (1 Corinthians 12.11, Hebrews 9.14, Romans 15.13, Matthew 28.19, Hebrews 10.15-17).
We believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the Divine Will with relation to all mankind, and that the work of the Holy Spirit, in this age, began at Pentecost. The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; glorifying the Lord; teaching believers; and transforming them into the image of Christ (John 16.7-9, Acts 2.4, Romans 8:.9).
We believe that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The sign gifts were given during the apostolic period to validate the church. Use of these gifts in the church has not been normative after the first century. God in His sovereignty still manifests these gifts through men as the occasion allows. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith (John 16.13, Acts 1.8, 1 Corinthians 12.4-11, Ephesians 4.7-12).
MAN
We believe that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God (Genesis 2.7, James 3.9).
We believe that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed Will and Word of God, man lost his innocence and thereby sin entered the world; consequently both physical and spiritual death has passed to all men (John 3.36, Romans 5.12, 6.23, Ephesians 2.1-3).
We believe that there is no righteousness in man himself. He is spiritually dead. He cannot of himself generate righteousness, or otherwise remedy his separation from God (Romans 3.23; Isaiah 64.6-7).
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ and the merit of His shed blood (Ephesians 1.7, 1 Peter 1.18-19).
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross, and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, and redemptive (John 10.15, Romans 3.24-25).
We believe that our justification is made sure by Jesus’ literal, physical death and resurrection from the dead, and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father as our High Priest (Hebrews 7.25, 9.24, Romans 4.25).
We believe that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is also the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers (John 5.26-29, 1 Corinthians 15.20-23).
We believe that God chose those who would be saved, the Son provided the way, the Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of man, and man responds through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He, being God, died for their sin, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15.1-5, John 16.8-11, Ephesians 1.4).
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and promise and are thus secure in Christ forever (Romans 8.38-39, 1 John 5.11-13).
We believe that all the redeemed are sanctified (set apart) unto God. The process of practical sanctification is worked out daily in their lives. The conflict with the flesh, the world and the devil is a daily battle in every believer’s life, but victory is gained through our Lord Jesus Christ as we walk daily in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Hebrews 13.2, 1 Peter 1.2, Galatians 5.17-25).
THE CHURCH
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united universal spiritual body, the church of which Christ is the Head (1 Corinthians 12.12-13, Ephesians 1.22, 2.8, 5.23, 32, Colossians 1.18).
We believe that the establishment of local churches is clearly taught in the New Testament and that the members of the universal church are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (Philippians 1.1, 1 Thessalonians 1.1-2, Hebrews 10.25).
We believe that God gives the local church the necessary spiritual gifts, talents and bodily function to operate as a complete body, serving to His glory as a light in the community (1 Corinthians 12.7-27).
We believe Jesus ordained two ordinances for the church: first, the Lord’s Supper (Communion), and second, baptism. These have no saving merit, but show the believer’s obedience to Christ (Luke 22.15-20, Matthew 28.19-20).
ANGELS
We believe angels are created by God for His purpose and therefore not to be worshiped.
We believe that Satan is a created being and the author of sin. He is the declared enemy of God and man. He is the prince of this world who has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Isaiah 14.12, Ezekiel 28.11-19, Matthew 4.1, 11, Revelation 12.9-10, 20:10).
LAST THINGS
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (John 6.39; Daniel 12.2; Revelation 20.13-15).
We believe in the premillennial bodily return of Christ to the earth to set up His kingdom. We believe this is a literal kingdom where Israel receives all the Old Testament prophecies promised her (Matthew 25.31, Ezekiel 37.21, 28, Daniel 7.17-27, 1 Thessalonians 4.16, 1 Corinthians 15.51-53).
GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND MARRIAGE
We believe that God infallibly made us male and female, and declared such appointments to be good (Genesis 1.31). We affirm that men and women have been designed by God to complement each other as husband and wife.
We believe that God’s purposes for such distinction include procreation of the human race and literal fulfillment of the cultural mandate to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1.28).
Moreover, we believe that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman. Accordingly, only heterosexual marriages will be performed and recognized at ICC. No other marital union is recognized as holy other than that which is ordained, established, and approved by God, according to His Word, the Bible.