Core Beliefs

“Let this be written for a future generation…” Psalm 102:18

Our doctrinal beliefs are our foundation. All who are a part of RHMA — staff, missionaries, and members of the Board of Directors — are united around these core Biblical beliefs. They provide guidance for prospective staff and churches who are thinking about partnering with us. They help us lay a good foundation for our church plants. They help people decide if RHMA is an organization they want to support. They provide accountability — annually all who are a part of RHMA must sign a statement saying they are in agreement with them.

The Bible

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible, inerrant in the original writings. We further believe that the Scriptures are the written revelation of God’s will and the supreme and final authority for all faith and practice. Psalm 19:7-11; Isa. 55:11; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Godhead

We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each having precisely the same essence, attributes, and perfections. Deut. 6:1; Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that Christ is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, perfect substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of the whole world, bodily resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father where He is the High Priest and Advocate for His people. Isa. 7:14; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:26-35, 24:6,51; John 1:1-2; Rom. 3:24-26; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 8:1; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18; 1 John 2:1

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. He is the agent in regeneration, at which moment He baptizes and seals the believer into the Body of Christ and immediately indwells him. We believe that the Holy Spirit fills the obedient believer with power so that he is able to live a life that is pleasing to God and gives illumination and guidance to the believer so that he can maintain a proper Christian walk. We believe that the ascended Christ gives gifts through the sovereign will of the Holy Spirit for the edification and unity of the Body of Christ. We believe that such things as apostolic signs, prophetic utterances, and tongues are not normative for the Church in this present age. John 3:5-8, 16:7-8,13; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19, 12:4,13, 13:8-10; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:11-12

Man

We believe that man, in Adam, was created by God, in the image of God, but that he fell through sin and as a consequence is guilty before God — resulting in physical and spiritual death (spiritual death being separation from God). This sinful condition and resultant death has been transmitted to the entire human race (Christ being the only exception). Gen. 1:26, 2:7,17; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23, 5:12,18, 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:22

Salvation

Since all of mankind is separated from God, it follows that all need to be reconciled to God. We believe this comes only by trusting in Christ alone, His substitutionary death, and His bodily resurrection on our behalf. John 1:12, 20:31; Rom. 3:23-24, 10:9; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Peter 1:18-19

Assurance

We believe that all who are reconciled to God are saved from spiritual death and are, from that time forward, kept by God’s power. It is the privilege of the believer to rejoice in the assurance of his eternal salvation. John 6:37-40; Rom. 8:1,16-17,38-39; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 5:13

Sanctification

The believer’s assurance does not give him the license to sin. To the contrary, we believe that all who are saved are called to a Spirit-filled life that strives to be separated from sin and is maturing in godliness. Rom. 6:15; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 4:24; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 10:10; 1 Peter 1:16

The Church

We believe in the universal church — all believers of this age baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body — and are thus under solemn duty to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Its mission includes fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:3; Col. 1:18

The Ordinances

We believe in the local church — the universal church congregated in local assemblies — the distinctives of which include the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism. The Lord’s Supper should be faithfully observed in RHMA churches as a means of remembering the death of Christ. We believe that all who place their faith in Christ ought to give public testimony to that reality by means of water baptism. The mode, as practiced by RHMA churches, will be immersion. Matt. 26:26-28, 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:41, 16:32-33, 18:7-8; 1 Cor. 11:26

The Return of Christ

We believe that Christ will return in the air to call believers, living and dead, to be with Him forever. We believe that there will be a coming time of Tribulation. We believe that Christ will return and establish a millennial age where Israel will be restored as a worshiping nation in the Promised Land and where Christ will rule from the throne of David for 1000 years. 2 Sam. 7:16; Eze. 34:28; Dan. 12:1; Amos 9:15; Zech. 14:9; Matt. 24:21; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 3:13, 4:14-17; Rev. 19:6-21, 20:1-6

The Eternal State

We believe that Satan and his forces of evil will be defeated, judged, and cast eternally into hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The dead will be raised and Christ will judge all mankind in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell. The righteous in Christ, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will dwell forever in joy and glory with the Lord. Psalm 16:11; Matt. 25:41; 1 Cor. 15:53-54; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 20:7-15, 21:1-7, 22:1-5