Statement of Faith for the Gospel Association of India

1. The Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God; fully inspired, without error, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that is has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:16).

2. The God head

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John1:1,2). These three are equal in every divine perfection and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation and redemption (John 15:2).

3. The Father

We believe in God the Father, Creator of Heaven and earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of people, that He hears and answers prayer (Matthew 6:6), and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 1:12).

4. The Son, Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sin of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, His present high priestly intercession for His people (Hebrews 9:24), and His personal, visible, and imminent (Hebrews 9:28) return to this earth according to His promise.

5. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ (John 16:7,8).

6. The Salvation of Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), that he sinned in Adam, and that every person by nature and by choice are sinners, and have incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God (Romans 3:23). We also believe that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Therefore, those who by faith, apart from human merit, works, or ceremonies, accept Christ as Lord and savior are justified on the ground of His shed blood and become children of God. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust (I Corinthians 15:22, Acts 18:31). The saved will rejoice forever in God’s presence and the lost will be forever separated from God in everlasting conscious punishment. We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith (Jude 2:4).

7. The Church

We believe the church is a living, spiritual body of 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 and raised with Him in baptism and associated for worship, work, and fellowship (Ephesians 1:22,23). We believe that to these visible churches were committed, for observance “till He com,” the ordinances of baptism (Matthew 3:13-15) and the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:23-26); and that God has laid upon these churches the task of persuading a lost world to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and to enthrone Him as Lord and Master. We believe that human betterment and social improvement are essential products of the Gospel. We believe that church and state must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.

8. Christian Responsibility

We believe that we are divinely obligated to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our faith compels us to bring the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to a lost world. (Luke 10:27, Matthew 28:18-20).