The Statement of Faith of Good News Chapel

Regarding Scripture:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only inerrant, perfect rule of faith and deed in its originally penned documents which are long since lost. We therefore, also believe, that the copied manuscripts are infallible and are able to fully and truthfully communicate the revealed will of God from the originally penned writings and are available to us in various translations and languages today.

Regarding God:
There is only one true God, and man shall worship Him alone; God is Spirit, self-existent, and omnipresent, distinguishing Himself from all other gods and created things: God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and love.

There are three Persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each who are equal in power, authority, divinity, and glory. He is the triune God, one in essence three in persons.

Regarding Creation:
God created all things visible and invisible by the power of His Word, and preserves and governs them, but God in His nature causes no sin. He works all things by his plan according to his own will and governs all things to fulfill his purpose which is good, wise and holy.

There are three Persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each who are equal in power, authority, divinity, and glory. He is the triune God, one in essence three in persons.

God created man, after his own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness with dominion over every living thing. All men of the world are of sole source; that is same in origin and children of Adam and Eve.

Our first parents, being left to the freedom to choose between good and evil, through the temptation, transgressed the commandment of God. All mankind, descending from Adam by ordinary generation sinned in him and fell with him in his transgression. The man, having the possibility to commit all sins except the original sin and corrupted nature of mankind, has intentionally committed sin on his own according to his inherited sin nature so that we are justly liable to God's judgment and punishments in this world and that which is to come.

Regarding Jesus Christ:
God sent his eternal, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to the world to save mankind from sin, the corruption and the punishment that is deserved, to give eternal life in his infinite grace and love. In Jesus Christ God became flesh and through Him man can be saved. The eternal Son became true man and possessed two distinctive natures in his personhood, eternally as true God and true man, in two distinct natures, and one person forever. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of her substance, born of her, yet without sin. He obeyed perfectly the law of God, offered His body, become a true and perfect sacrifice and satisfied God's divine justice. For the purpose of reconciliation between God and man, He was crucified on the cross, dead and buried. On the third day He arose again from the dead in bodily form. He is sitting on the right hand of God making intercession for His people today. From there He shall come for the resurrection of the dead, the living Church, and to judge the world.

Regarding the Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit being sent from God the Father and God the Son, works salvation in man, convicts man of his sin and condition of his fallen nature, enlightens man's heart to know Christ, renews man's will, exhorts him, empowers him that he is able to accept Jesus Christ who offers man the Gospel in grace/freely, and also works in those who believe in Christ to bear the fruit of God's righteousness.

Regarding Election of the Saints:
Before God created the world, He elected in His love, His own people to make them holy and blameless, predestined and adopted as His children through Jesus Christ our Lord, according to His pleasure and will, to the praise and glory of His grace bestowed freely in the One He loves. However, the perfect salvation offered freely is so ordered to all mankind that they may repent of their sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, rest upon Him and follow Him, obey the revealed will of God, be humble and conduct themselves in holiness, to the extent that whoever believes in Christ shall be saved. The particular benefits that are accompanied with justification, adoption as God's children, sanctification and glorification are for the believers who are assured with God's salvation and joy in this world. The means of God's grace in salvation given by the Holy Spirit are the Bible, the Holy Sacraments and Prayer in particular.

Regarding the Holy Sacraments:
The sacraments instituted by Christ are baptism and holy communion; baptism of washing with water to be administered in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is the sign and seal of joining us in union with Christ, and the promise for our regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit and God's possession of us. Baptism shall be administered to those who make confession of faith in Christ, and to their children; Holy Communion as partaking of the bread and the cup shall be served in remembrance of Christ's death, and in the witness of the seal for the benefit derived from Christ's death with which the believers are in union. Holy communion shall be observed by God's people until the day of the Lord's coming, and is a sign of a promise of more faithful service unto the Lord and a sign of communion with the Lord and His people, who believe in Him, and rest upon His atonement from which God's benefit flows to us. The benefits of the sacraments are not found in the sacraments themselves or any virtue of him by whom the sacraments are being administered, but only in the blessing by Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in those who by faith receive the sacraments.

Regarding the Church:
All believers shall dutifully join in church membership with instruction, have fellowship with one another among the believers, observe the sacraments and other ordinances, obey all the commands of the Lord, pray always, observe the Lord's Day, assemble with believers to worship the Lord and listen attentively to the preaching of the Word God, render offerings as God provides us abundantly, share with one another the mind and heart of Christ, share also the same mind and heart with all other people outside the church, endeavor to promote the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ upon the whole world, and wait expectantly for the appearance of the Lord in his glory.

Regarding the Resurrection:
The dead shall receive the reward according to the good and evil done in this world before the judgment seat of Christ when they will be resurrected in the last day. Those who believe in Christ, and are obedient to Him shall truly receive the fullness of the promise of salvation and be accepted by Him in glory.