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7.0 The New Birth
We believe that every man and woman must experience a personal rebirth of their human spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of God and be saved (John 3:3). This means that to be a Christian is to be born again, and only those who have been born again are true Christians. We further believe that the new birth powerfully and permanently changes the essential nature of man’s spiritual being, giving him an eternal right-standing before God and genuine inner holiness. Eternal life is the present possession of all who are born again and they shall never perish. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17, John 3:3-6, John 10:28).
8.0 The Believer’s Security and Apostasy
We believe that those who are saved by the grace of God through faith will be kept by His Divine Power until the Day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). Our confidence rests not in the ability of the redeemed to keep themselves, but rather in the Promise of Jesus to His Father; "of all that the Father has given to me I shall lose nothing, but raise them up at the Last Day" (John 6:35-40). The assurance of ones’ salvation, however, is primarily manifested in a progressively sanctified life. Those who bear no fruit towards God may have no assurance of their salvation, for ones’ assurance flows from ones’ obedience. Perpetual unrepentant sinful behavior may be a sign that one has not experienced the new birth and therefore is among the unredeemed. John warned of such "false professors" in his epistle (1 John 2:19).
While we acknowledge that the Bible warns the mature believer to guard against apostasy (Heb. 6:9), we believe that God has provided "things that accompany salvation" in order to prevent such from occurring in nearly all circumstances. The disciplinary hand of God will correct the fallen believer either by bringing upon him the harvest of his ways, or by "delivering such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh (premature death), that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). If God were to permit a fallen believer to commit apostasy, it would be impossible for him to be renewed again to repentance, thus being permanently and eternally separated from God. The scripture warns that such apostasy is a rare but real possibility for those who reject the person and work of Jesus Christ after having grown in grace to a state of spiritual maturity (Heb. 6:1-12). Like Judas, these apostates were marked "from the beginning" and not included among those whom the Father has given to Jesus to be raised up at the last day (John 6:39).
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