My understanding of the Alliance teachings

The numbered statements below comprise according to the Statement of Faith of The Alliance followed with my biblical and theological understanding. 

1.

There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God is infinitely perfect in self-revealing, self-authenticating, and self-justifying in the creation and salvation history (Deu. 6:4, Mat. 5:48, Mat. 28:19). Doxological, God is perfect and holy, infinite, eternal, and unchanging, our mind can’t comprehend the glories of our God and King, Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and Glory forever and ever. (1 Tim. 1:17)

In the creation account, Gen. 1:1-2, 26, God exists and makes reference to himself in the plural, “Let us make man in our image." In Mat. 3:15-17 when Jesus baptised, all three persons of the Trinity were involved when the Son went up from the water, "the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” In Mat. 28:18-20 Jesus commanded us to go make disciples in the name (singular) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (three persons). In the rest of the N.T. and church history, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Pet. 1:2, each person of the Godhead is referred to as being equal in authority and in divine relationship to those who are chosen.

2.

Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutional sacrifice; and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace.

Jesus is truly God and truly man as his incarnation and the whole N.T. revealed to us, espcially in Phil. 2:6-7 says, "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

The salvific work of Christ was a substitutional sacrifice because he who knew no sins died in our place and for our sins (1 Pet. 3:18, 2Cor. 5:21) so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (Heb. 2:9, Rom 3:23-25). His atonement for our sins was done by his shed blood (Rom 5:8-9).  

The resurrection proved that Jesus has died for our sins, buried, and raised on the third day according to the Scripture (Acts 2:23–24, 1Cor. 15:3-6). And now we have hope in the enthroned Christ, who sits at God’s right hand (Heb 8:1), reigning and praying for the Church and preparing them for his second coming (Mat 26:64).

3.

The Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

I affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, sent by the Son from the Father (Joh 14:15–18). The scripture testifies that the Spirit grieves, gives spiritual gifts to the people of God as he wills (Joh 16:13; Acts 1:8). The Spirit has power and personality, bearing witness of Christ in the life of believers.  (Eph 4:11, Joh 14:26)

The Holy Spirit convicts both the believer and unbeliever of sins, of righteousness, and of judgment (Joh 16:7–11). But he also fills, renews, and gives gifts to the believer, of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), of visions, direction, assurance of salvation, unity, and various spiritual gifts. (1 Cor 12-13, Eph 4)

4.

The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.

Inerrant means that the original text of the scripture is true, and it is without error in all that it affirms. The Scripture is God’s written Word, and it is self-justifying (2 Pet 1:20–21;  2 Tim 3:15–16). Jesus has said in a prayer to the Father that “Your Word is truth” (Joh 17:17).

Inspiration means that the words of the Bible were “God-breathed”, the chosen writers were “moved by the Holy Spirit”, to an extent of their words “the mouth of the Lord has spoken it”. The Lausanne Covenant asserts, “the Scripture is “the Word of God” because God “spoke” it (Heb. 1:1,2; I Thess. 2:13). It is his “written Word” for he then caused it to be recorded for the instruction of later generations (Rom. 15:4; I Cor. 10:6,11; I Tim. 3:14,15).

The Bible in its Old and New Testaments is the “only” written Word of God, for we cannot accept the so-called sacred scriptures other than the 66 books of the Bible or of other religions as having come out of the mind and mouth of God (Rev 22:18, Deut. 4:2). 

The Bible is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44). The Bible is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. When a given text is correctly interpreted, it can be fully trusted as a sure, dependable, and trustworthy authority for Christian living in faith and practice (2 Pet 1:20–21, 2 Tim 3:15–16). 

5.

Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God. He fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The prospect of the impenitent and unbelieving person is existence forever in conscious torment, and that of the believer in Christ is everlasting joy and bliss.

 Men, including women, are created in God’s own image and likeness. Being image-bearers of God, they are blessed to multiple or be fruitful, have dominion over the rest of God’s creation, and engage in work. God created all humans with a conscience that reflects the requirement of the moral law written in their hearts.  (Gen. 1:26-7, Gen. 2:15, Rom. 2:12-15)

Sin entered the world through Adam and brought death to the world. Sin did not originate from God. Sin not only corrupted humans but every aspect of creation. The term original sin is applied to the entire human race. (Rom. 3:23, 1 Jn. 1:8)

The most devastating effect of the Fall was the spiritual blindness and insensitivity to God’s truth, and those controlled by sinful nature cannot please God.  (I Cor. 2:14, Eph 4:17-8, Rom. 8:7-8)

After death, the bodies of human beings decompose and return to dust, but their souls, which do not die or sleep, have an immortal existence and return to God who created them. The souls of the wicked are thrown into hell, where they remain in torment and complete darkness, set apart for the great day of judgment (Rev 21:8).

The souls of the righteous are then perfected in holiness and are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory and wait for the full redemption of their bodies (Rev 21:1–4).

No, "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And because mankind has no ability to seek after God, nor can he come to saving faith without the supernatural work of saving grace alone, through Christ alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:20, 28, 32). 

God is faithful and just to forgive, and those who have not heard the gospel will be judged according to their conscience revealed to them (Rom. 2:14–15). But the answer needs also to include the Christians’ response to evangelism, "How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?" (Rom 10:14). 

6.

Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men, and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become children of God.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our salvation (Heb 12), the righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Rom 3:22) and salvation is a gift of God (Eph 2:8–9). 

Salvation is the work of the triune God to those who believe, as the following passage illustrates, “4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4–7). 

The Holy Spirit works in an effective way enabling the elect to respond in repentance and faith (Acts 2:38). True repentance of an unbeliever is twofold: turning away from sin (2 Chron. 7:14), and turning toward Christ for salvation (John 1:12, 13).  

It means to turn one’s eyes on Jesus by faith for what He has done to redeem us. “True saving faith involves the commitment of the whole person to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in response to the free offer of salvation in the gospel.”  So, salvation requires more than just orthodoxy- right belief, but also orthopraxy- right conduct, both ethical and liturgical built upon faith and grace for Christian living.  

It is the work of God which he effectually calls all those and only those whom he has predestined to life. He calls them by his word and Spirit out of their natural state of sin and death into grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.” (Eph 2:1-5)  The Holy Spirit implants a new nature in the sinners’ hearts spiritually with a saving understanding of the things of God and takes away their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26, Joh 3:5-7).

Genuine repentance is followed by justification which is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins (Rom. 3:24-25; 4:6-8), and accepts us as righteous in his sight (2 Cor. 5:19, 21), only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us (Rom. 5:17-19), and received by faith alone (Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9)”. And justification is immediately followed by adoption whereby we become the children of God and receive the privileges of sonship (1 Joh 3:1, Joh 1:12, Rom. 8:17). 

Paul taught extensively about justification, “for all have sinned, now justified by his grace through the redemption in Christ, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom 3:21-25).  

We were told that for God so love the world that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (Joh 3:16). Salvation is sufficient for all (Jon 1:29, 3:16-17, 2Pet. 3:9) and salvation is effective to those who repent and believe in Jesus are born again of the Holy Spirit (Joh 1:12-13, 3:3).

God calls and regenerates, people repent and believe in Jesus. The first act is part of the divine aspects, and the second act is on the human aspects. Salvation is a reconciled relationship between God and human, vertically God has given the believer a new life from above, and horizontally those who are dead in the flesh are now alive in the spirit in Christ. (2Cor 5:17, Gal 5:24, 25, Eph. 2:1-10)

7.

It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.

Sanctification is the will of God for all believers to be sanctified wholly (1 The 5:23). It is both a crisis and a progressive experience of the believer subsequent to conversion, receiving power for holy living (Acts 1:8), and effective service (2 Tim 1:7)

It is the will of God to give freely the Holy Spirit to those who believe, he has sent the Spirit upon the early church and commanded them to be filled with Holy Spirit through repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38, Eph 5:18). 

To be sanctified wholly is the work of God in Christ to all believers. The experience of Christ as the sanctifier is a relationship, a blessing, and an already-but-not-yet reality. 1Th. 5:23 "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Sinless perfection is first a relational matter and then a functional matter. When a sinner saved by grace, experienced Christ's vicarious atonement, he no longer lives but Christ lives in him. Thus the person can obey Christ's commands and overcome sins progressively (Rom 12:1-2, Heb 12:1-2). 

Fully dedicated to the will of God by loving him and others is the result and desire after being filled with the Spirit. This is what the term consecration properly means. It is the voluntary surrender or self-offering of the heart, by the constraint of love to be the Lord's (Rom. 6:2-6, 13). 

To designate sanctification as a crisis is to emphasize that it is not just a gradual reality in the life of the believer, but is also an instantaneous work of God received by faith. (1 The 5:23,  Eph 2:1-5)

“Crisis” is used as a theological term, referring to a `point in time' experience, not in the common sense of emergency or disaster. 

To designate sanctification as progressive because the old sinful nature is gradually subdued in this life and will be completely abolished when Christ returns. It is the process of a Christian’s growth that will lead to a holy relationship with God (2 Pet 1:5-9, Heb. 5:12-14).

We are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and have died to sin in Christ, and live unto righteousness in faith and obedience in witness and ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:23-24, Rom. 6:2-6). 

8.

Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.

In Isaiah 53, the promise of "He bore our sicknesses", as well as our sins, have been fulfilled in the vicarious atonement of Christ. Jesus also promised his disciples that they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mar 16:18).

Yes, as promised and fulfilled in and through Christ’s present ministry. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the scriptures and are privileges for the church. The anointing oil symbolizes the direct and immediate work of the Holy Spirit. With regard to the sick person initiating the request matters of obedience, faith, preparation of the heart, humility, and dependence upon God, are key ingredients (Jam 5:13-18; Mar 6:13).

Yes, a 80 years old man was rescued from heart failure when his daughter and I were praying in the ICU waiting room. Another sister was healed from her suddenly sensual distress when a group of people were praying together at her home. Those are the recent experiences of the Lord’s healing power.

Divine healing is God’s special way of intervening the physical body and physical realm beyond medical explanation. It is God’s supernatural grace to supplement his natural grace revealed in modern science in order to fulfill his word, testify the Gospel, and further His kingdom through one to many. 

9.

The Church consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.

The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

The local church belongs to the larger body of Christ, the universal church, witnessing and serving the people of the local community as a visible church (Acts 2:38, 41- 47).

There were four essential marks that the early church devoted to-- the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers (Acts 2:42). The body of believers has faithfully taught and observed throughout the church history so that they remember the Lord's teaching and proclaim the gospel till His returns.  

The church gathers to hear the word of God preached and to equip and send them to the world to live as witnesses of the gospel (Acts 6:2, 11:19). 

The church also gathers to participate in the ordinances (sacraments) of baptism and the Lord's supper, and to fulfill the great commission by making disciples who make disciples (Mat 28:19-20).  

I believe in believers' baptism and immersion as the preferred way. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him (Mat 3:11, Acts 2:38, Rom 6:4) 

The Lord's Supper is a sacrament according to Christ's appointment and is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance,  love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves (1 Cor. 11:23–29).

Notes: 1. Although water baptism is not essential to salvation (see Lk 23:43, the thief on the cross), when the situation allows true believers should be baptized and received the Holy Spirit as an act of obedience to Christ and the teaching of the apostles (Mat. 28:19, Acts 2:38-19, Rom. 6:3-5, Gal. 3:27-28, Eph. 4:4-6, Tit. 3:5). 2. Believer's baptism texts (Acts 2:38, 16:14-15, 16:31-33, 18:8 they all expressed personal faith prior to baptism).

10.

There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgement.

The physical body will be redeemed when Christ returns and entered into eternity. On that day not only will the apostate angels are judged, but all the people who have lived on earth will appear before the court of Christ to give an account of their thoughts, words, and actions, and be judged according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil (1Cor. 3:13, 15:51-57). 

11.

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer's hope and is a vital truth that is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.

Christ’s coming is imminent (Hebr 10:37, Mat 24-25), in a sense that it is soon and sudden (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20),  his return is personal (Acts 1:11), visible (Rev. 1:7), and premillennial (Rev 20:1-10). It is the believer's hope and motivation to pray watchful with holy living and faithful service (Titus 2:11-14, Mat 25).