This statement of faith shall form part of the rules and regulations of Grace Community Virtual Bible College. Every professor or aspiring professor who is accepted to become an instructor in this Institution shall be considered to have accepted to teach in accordance with, and never contrary to the provisions of this statement of faith laid out below. A departure from or teaching contrary to this statement of faith shall constitute grounds for the professor involved to resign or be removed by the governing council of this Institution.
- The Holy Bible
We believe the Holy Bible to be the inspired Word of God in the original languages of Scripture. God inhaled to the writers all that He wanted humankind to know (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This means that God inhaled the Scriptures through the agency of the Holy Spirit to the original writers, who without inserting their own ideas (2 Peter 1:20-21), accurately recorded or exhaled all that God inhaled into them.
- The Trinity
We believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We also believe the attributes of God to include the following: Sovereignty, absolute righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immutability, veracity, infinite, Holy, merciful and faithful. The trinity shares these attributes but has distinct personalities and functions. God the father designed the eternal plan. God the Son fulfilled it, and God the Holy Spirit revealed it (John 6:38; Hebrews 10:7; John 16:13; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19)
- The Total Depravity of Humankind.
We believe that in the original creation Adam was not only created in the likeness and image of God, but he was also created perfect. Adam rebelled against God through an act of disobedience, and through him Adam, sin entered the entire human race thus causing the entire human race to be separated from God (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 3:6-15; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12).
- God the Father
We believe that God the father is the father; He initiated a plan for the redemption and reconciliation of humans through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (John 6:38; Hebrews 10:7; Ephesians 1:11; 1 Corinthians 8:6).
- God the Son-Jesus Christ
We believe that the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, became a true man through His virgin birth and without the deposition of His attributes as God. Christ humbled Himself even to the point of going to the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice so that He might provide eternal Salvation to everyone who comes to the Father through Him (John 3:16, 36, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:5-7).
- God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity indwells and teaches every believer in Christ, the Anointed One (John 14:17, 26). We believe in the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, convicting the world of sin (John 16:18), Baptism into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), sealing of the believer until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30), guiding of the believer through God’s word (John 16:13) and comforting of all the Saints (John 14:16, 26, 15:26).
- Eternal Salvation
We believe that eternal Salvation is a grace gift from God. Humankind receives this gift of eternal Salvation my faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ at which time God the Father credits His perfect righteousness to the individual who believes in Christ resulting in the acquittal of all condemnation; causing justification and reconciliation forever based on grace (Genesis 15:6; John 1:12, 3:16-18, 5:24 Acts 16:31; Romans 3:22, 24, 28, Romans 3:22, 24-28; Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Eternal Security of the Believer
We believe that all believers are eternally secure, meaning that eternal Salvation cannot be lost once received (John 6: 37-40, 44-47; 10:27-30; Romans 8:31-39; 1Corinthians 1:4-9; 1Peter 1:5; Jude 24).
- Divine Discipline
We believe that God ministers divine discipline to every believer who misuses or insults His grace gift. Even though the believer is permanently secured and loved by God the believer becomes the object of discipline in three categories. Warning Discipline: This type of discipline is not severe (1Corinthians 11:30a). God ministers a warning type of discipline to alert the believer of his carnal state-backslidden state (Revelation 3:19-20). Intense Discipline: When the believer does not heed to the warning discipline, God will intensify the suffering (1Corinthians 11:30b; Hebrews 12:6-11. Dying discipline: God in His master’s grace removes this believer from the face of the earth (2 Corinthians 5:8) without the person fulfilling the eternal plan of God (Proverbs 29:1; 1 Corinthians 11:30c; 1John 5:16).
- The Church
We believe that all believers regardless of race, colour or affiliation constitute the body of Christ, which is the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27).
- The Local Church
We believe in the existence of the local churches in which members in the body of Christ do assemble for purpose of assimilation of Bible teaching so that the body of Christ may be edified (Acts 14:17; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). We believe in the administration of the Holy Communion to the members of the body of Christ as a permanent meaningful ritual instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-20; John 6:43-59; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-31). We believe in free-will offering as a part of worship for the support of a local church and missionary activities (2 Corinthians 9:6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:13-14; Galatians 6:6; 3 John 1:1-8). We believe that Tithe was a system of taxation under the Mosaic Law, which is not part of how the church is supported in the grace dispensation (John 1:17; Romans 6:14, 10:4; Hebrews 7:12-18).
- Satan
We believe that Satan is a real created being, the fallen angel, and a general in command of all other fallen angels. His main objective is to distract humankind from obeying and following the plan of God. Satan wants to disprove God as a faithful, truthful, and just God. He is described as crafty (Genesis 3:1) and cunning (2 Corinthians 14). He masquerades himself and attacks the truth in every conceivable form. False teachings are his craftsmanship. Salvation by works is Satan’s masterpiece (Ezekiel 28:14-18; Job 1:6-7; Acts 15:1-17; Galatians 1:3).
- Free Will of Humankind
We believe that Adam was created to function with a will (Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Numbers 22; John 3:16-18; 2 Peter 3:9)
- The Destiny of Believers in Christ
We believe that the Rapture, which is imminent, will occur and the Lord Jesus Christ will gather all New Testament believers dead or alive, to meet Him in the air prior to the Tribulation (1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-15.
- The Tribulation
We believe that the Tribulation will be a time that follows immediately after the Rapture. Satan will unleash and inflict the greatest suffering humankind ever has ever experienced and there will be an outpouring of God’s wrath on sin (Zechariah 14:4-11; Matthew 24:27-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:6).
- The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that the Tribulation will be climaxed by the pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth to set up His Kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 20:6; Matthew 24:27-31; 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:6)
- The Eternal State
We believe that the Souls of those who have trusted in Christ for eternal Salvation do at death immediately pass into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23: 43; Philippians 1:23) and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Christ’s coming at which time the body and the soul reunited and shall be associate with him forever (1Thessalonians 4:17. But the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery (Luke 16:19-26), until the final judgment at the great white throne at the close of the Millennium, when soul and body reunited, will be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated but to be punished with everlasting destruction away from the presence of God and the glory of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
- The Believer’s Duty
We affirm that all believers should seek to walk in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the name of our Lord and Saviour which includes biblical separation though not isolation (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; Romans 12:1; 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17); that it is the obligation and privilege of every believer to witness by their life style and by their word to the truths of the holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the gospel to all the world (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20); that it is the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the Lord in prayer and support t with their means as the Lord has prospered them (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7).
Core Values of GMEI
Excellent service
Academic honesty
Genuine Love
Integrity of heart
Innovation