Mt. Zion Church Doctrine

God
The Existence of One True and Living God in Three Persons Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit 
God is perfect and is the ultimate authority and exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three have distinct personalities and yet are of the same person, one God. (Gen. 1:1, Gen. 1:26, Jer. 10:10, John 10:30; John 4:24; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14)

Scripture
Inspiration, Infalliability, and Authority of the Scriptures: Making God's Word the highest Authority and guide for the Believer

The original writings are inspired by God and is without error. It is accurate in all matters to which it speaks, spiritual, historical, and scientific and in context. The Scriptures are one book of the Old and New Testaments and are the foundation of  the faith. They teach us about God, what is right, what is good, what is wrong, what is evil, and how we can be forgiven and have a relationship with God. (Ps. 19:7 II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21).

People
God created the human race and all things in the Six Literal twenty-four hour days of Creation and rested (within Himself) on the Seventh Day. The Fall of Man from God's Grace and Resultant Human Depravity

 Man is created in the image and likeness of God. In Adam, all mankind fell into sin with the result that all men are sinners. Men are justly condemned to eternal judgment under the wrath or anger of God and can do nothing to merit salvation. Without Christ, a person will suffer the wrath of God. (Gen. 1, Gen. 2 & 3, Rom. 2:2,3,5; Eph.  2:8,9; Gen. 1:27, 9:6; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1)

Jesus Christ
The Deity of Christ, His Incarnation, substitutionary atoning death, burial, and Resurrection

The eternal Son of God became incarnate in the Lord Jesus Christ, being born of  the virgin Mary, and is perfectly God and perfectly man. He died physically on the cross and was bodily resurrected three days later, and thereafter bodily ascended to heaven. (Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1: 18-25, John 1:1, 14, 18; 5:18; 1 Cor. 15: 3-4, Heb. 1:1-9; 4:15 5:8; I John 5:20; I Tim. 2:5)

Salvation
Salvation by the Grace of God through faith, totally apart from human merit, by the power of the Holy Spirit 

Salvation is given to those men whom God reveals Himself to and are drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit. The only means to their salvation is belief in Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection. If a person is in Christ they will have life and life eternal through the salvation that Christ has accomplished.  People that are believers in Christ are saved by Grace through faith in Christ alone, by the Word of God alone, for God's glory alone. (Acts 4:12; 13:38,39; I Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:4,5; 5:1; John  3:16; Eph. 2:8-10; Acts 16:31; Eph. 1:4,5; Rom. 8:29-30)

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers in Christ at the point of faith in Christ, and empowers those yielded to God.  (Matt. 28:19; John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; I Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 2:12; 12:13;  Eph. 4:30; Col. 3:14)

How God Reveals Himself to a Person
Salvation is given to those men and women whom God has revealed Himself to them and drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit.  God reveals Himself to those that will be saved was made without thought to any merit of the individual and was made prior to the creation of the world.  We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again; and that no degree of reformation however great, no attainments in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven; but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word is absolutely essential to salvation.  Thus it can be said that our justification is wrought solely by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as He died in our place (John 6:44; Rom. 5:6-9, 9:10-29; Eph. 1:4-8; Phil. 3:4-9; Col. 1:13-14; Titus 3:5; James 1:18, 1 Pet. 1:18-21).

Sanctification
Every believer is promised positional, progressive, and ultimate sanctification. (Heb. 10:10,14; John 17:15-17; Eph. 5:26-27; I Thess. 4:3,4; I John 3:2; I Cor.  6:11)

Assurance and Perseverence of the Saints
All who are born of the Spirit through faith in Christ can have assurance of salvation in Christ and if they are in Christ will persevere in their faith. (Rom. 5:1; I John 5:13; John  10:27-29; 17:12; II Tim. 1:12; Eph. 4:30; John 6:37)

Church
The church is composed of believers in Christ. It is the body and bride of Christ, formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and existing in two aspects, universal  and local. The universal church is an elect company of believers, baptized by  the Holy Spirit into one body. Its mission is to witness to its Head, Jesus Christ, preaching the gospel among all nations.  It will be caught up to meet the Lord, after which He will return to set up His Kingdom. The local church is a group of believers voluntarily joined together in love to worship God with praise and thanksgiving, and to glorify Jesus Christ through an aggressive effort to disciple others by the preaching of the gospel, and the exercise of spiritual gifts.

Mt. Zion Church is a Fundamental, Evangelical, and Non-Charismatic body of believers. (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:24-30; I Cor. 12:4-13,27)

Gifts
Spiritual gifts are aspects of God's character that are God-given abilities for service, i.e., “for the equipping of  the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ.”  (Eph. 4:1-16; I Cor. 12:7,11; I Pet. 4:10; Rom. 12:1-6)

Christian Life
Christians are called to a holy life of service and testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit, which service includes the propagation of the gospel message to the whole world for the purpose of making disciples of all nations and baptizing them in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are also called to love God, one another in the church as Christ loved us, and to love our neighbors as much as we care for ourselves. We will be held accountable for loving our neighbors. There is promised reward in heaven for their faithfulness in such service. (I Pet. 1:15, 16; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 3:12-17; John 14:1-3)

Ordinances
The Bible sets forth two ordinances, the Lord’s Supper and water baptism. The Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated regularly in remembrance of Christ’s death on the cross, and in expectation of His return. Water baptism is an outward testimony of a person’s belief in Christ. Immersion is the ideal means set forth in Scripture. (Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 8:12,36-38; 9:18; 10:47; I Cor. 11:23-26)

Angels
Angels were originally created holy, but now because of Satan’s rebellion, there is also an unholy angelic demonic kingdom. (Col. 1:16; Job 38:6,7; Ps. 148:2-5; Jude 6;  Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6:11,12; I Tim. 5:21; Rev. 12:9)

Dispensations and Time Periods
God has revealed different dispensations or stewardships with corresponding rules of life, of which the present dispensation is the stewardship of grace. (Eph. 3:2-6,9-11; Col. 1:25-27; Rom. 6:14; Heb. 7:18,19)

Second Coming of Christ 
The literal, visible, personal return of Jesus Christ for His Church and the Consummation of all things 

The blessed and only hope of the church is the imminent return of Christ. Christ will return to restore all things. The events of the return of Christ take place in the following order: the rapture of the church, the tribulation, the second advent, the establishment of the reign of Christ on earth for one thousand years, and finally the eternal state of punishment for the unsaved and the eternal state of blessing for the saved.  (Acts 1:11, Titus 2:13; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:4-10; John 14:1-3; Matt. 24:21, 29, 30;  25:31-46; Rev. 3:10, 20:1-6; 11-15)


Mt. Zion Church is a member of the Original Free Will Baptist Church (OFWB) of North Carolina

Our Mission: Loving God sincerely, caring for people genuinely, proclaiming His love and grace, standing for Biblical Truth, providing hope to a broken world, making followers of Christ, reaching and serving our community with the good news of Jesus Christ!

Our Vision: Changed by Christ to awaken, care for, reach, influence, and impact our community and world with His Grace and Faith.