Our Beliefs
Disclaimer: These are the basic truths of the Word of God that we adhere to. However there are dozens of Bible truths that we can add.
THE BIBLE. We believe it to be the literal Word of God from start to finish. We believe it to be inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative in everything it says. We believe that the God who inspired it is the God who has preserved it for each generation and will until the end of time. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God and are the only infallible, inerrant rule of faith (what we believe) and practice (how we live). We believe it to be authoritative in every matter it addresses. It is the eternal message of God to man. We use without apology the King James version. (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:89; II Timothy 3:16,17; Isaiah 8:20; I Thessalonians 5:21)
GOD. There is one living and true God revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous Governor of the universe, and in Scripture we see that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make up the Godhead, yet as one God infinitely wise and good, who alone is worthy of our supreme lives and worship. (Deuteronomy 6:4; I John 5:17; John 4:24; Psalm 83:18; Exodus 15:11; Mark 12:30; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 2:18)
JESUS CHRIST. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God; in His human nature, truly man; 100% both. The mediator between God and man, once crucified, He is now risen and glorified and is our ever present Savior and Lord. He is the virgin-born, sinless, eternally, begotten Son of God. (John 1:1-4, 14; Philippians 2:5-11; John 3:16)
THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all of the attributes of God. He is personal and indwells every believer. He is the Reprover, Comforter, Guide, Sanctifier, and the Seal of our Redemption. (John 16:7-14; John 14:16,17, 26; Matthew 3:16,17; Ephesians 1:13,14)
THE SINFULNESS OF MAN. Man was created innocent, but by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. His posterity, as a result of the Fall, inherit a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to the age of accountability sin and become guilty before God. (Genesis 3:1-7, Romans 3:10-23, Romans 5:12)
TERMS OF SALVATION. The conditions of Salvation are found in two inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, those graces being repentance and faith. Repentance being the sorrow for sin and its renunciation, and Faith being the unreserved committal of one's self to Christ as Savior. Salvation is provided by the grace of God and appropriated by faith, without any works performed by man. (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16, 36; Luke 13:5; Acts 16:31)
RESURRECTION, JUDGMENT, AND FINAL RETRIBUTION. The Scriptures teach us the resurrection of all men. The saved to Heaven as soon as they die, but do not receive their resurrected bodies until all Christians do at the return of Jesus Christ for His Church at the Rapture. They will then stand before The Judgment Seat of Christ to receive the rewards that Christ promised for those who labor with Him. After ruling and reigning with Christ for 1,000 years, they will enjoy eternity with Christ in the literal new heaven and new earth. Those who die without Christ will go straight to hell to await the final White Throne Judgment where they will be sentenced to spend eternity in the literal Lake of Fire and Brimstone. (John 14:1-3; I Thess. 4:13-18; Revelation 5:10; I Cor. 15:51-57; I Cor. 3:11-15; II Cor. 5:10; Matthew 25:41,46; Revelation 20:11-15)
HEAVEN. The Scriptures declare that Heaven is a definite place reserved for the saved. It is indescribably beautiful and the eternal reward that God has for all who have been born again. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10,11; Revelation 21:1,2)
HELL. The Scriptures tell us that Hell is a terrible, eternal reality for all who die in their sin. As Heaven is indescribable beauty, Hell is indescribable horror. The Bible states the fire and torment of Hell to be an inescapable, eternal reality. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 19:20 & 20:10; Luke 16:23, 28; Luke 13; 27, 28)
GOSPEL ORDINANCES. Baptism is the immersion of believers in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; also expressing to the world the Christian's death to sin and being raised in newness of life. It is an outward symbol of what takes place on the inside as one trusts Christ as his Savior. Baptism takes place only after conversion. (Romans 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 2: 12; Titus 3 :5) We further believe that the Lord's Supper is a memorial dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. It reminds us of His suffering and death even as we look forward to His return. This ordinance is only for true believers and should be preceded by a time of reflection and self-examination. (I Corinthians 11: 23-32) With this in mind, Skyline holds to the term Close Communion in our time of the Lord's supper.
Plus, we partake of the Lord's supper on a quarterly basis.
SALVATION. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; I John 1:9)
THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS.
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1 :4-5)
THE CHURCH.
1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Pet. 5:1-4)
THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST. We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
We hold the belief of the Pre-Trip and Pre-Mil rapture position.
THE ETERNAL STATE.
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thes. 4:16-17;
Rev. 20:46
3. We believe that the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when the soul and body reunited, they shall appear in the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN. We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
CREATION. We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods.
MISC.. BELIEFS:
We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20: 11)
We don't believe in Calvinism, or any of the 5-points it teaches, and don't adhere to the Reformation beliefs or doctrines.
THE BIBLE. We believe it to be the literal Word of God from start to finish. We believe it to be inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative in everything it says. We believe that the God who inspired it is the God who has preserved it for each generation and will until the end of time. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God and are the only infallible, inerrant rule of faith (what we believe) and practice (how we live). We believe it to be authoritative in every matter it addresses. It is the eternal message of God to man. We use without apology the King James version. (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:89; II Timothy 3:16,17; Isaiah 8:20; I Thessalonians 5:21)
GOD. There is one living and true God revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous Governor of the universe, and in Scripture we see that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make up the Godhead, yet as one God infinitely wise and good, who alone is worthy of our supreme lives and worship. (Deuteronomy 6:4; I John 5:17; John 4:24; Psalm 83:18; Exodus 15:11; Mark 12:30; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 2:18)
JESUS CHRIST. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God; in His human nature, truly man; 100% both. The mediator between God and man, once crucified, He is now risen and glorified and is our ever present Savior and Lord. He is the virgin-born, sinless, eternally, begotten Son of God. (John 1:1-4, 14; Philippians 2:5-11; John 3:16)
THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all of the attributes of God. He is personal and indwells every believer. He is the Reprover, Comforter, Guide, Sanctifier, and the Seal of our Redemption. (John 16:7-14; John 14:16,17, 26; Matthew 3:16,17; Ephesians 1:13,14)
THE SINFULNESS OF MAN. Man was created innocent, but by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. His posterity, as a result of the Fall, inherit a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to the age of accountability sin and become guilty before God. (Genesis 3:1-7, Romans 3:10-23, Romans 5:12)
TERMS OF SALVATION. The conditions of Salvation are found in two inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, those graces being repentance and faith. Repentance being the sorrow for sin and its renunciation, and Faith being the unreserved committal of one's self to Christ as Savior. Salvation is provided by the grace of God and appropriated by faith, without any works performed by man. (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16, 36; Luke 13:5; Acts 16:31)
RESURRECTION, JUDGMENT, AND FINAL RETRIBUTION. The Scriptures teach us the resurrection of all men. The saved to Heaven as soon as they die, but do not receive their resurrected bodies until all Christians do at the return of Jesus Christ for His Church at the Rapture. They will then stand before The Judgment Seat of Christ to receive the rewards that Christ promised for those who labor with Him. After ruling and reigning with Christ for 1,000 years, they will enjoy eternity with Christ in the literal new heaven and new earth. Those who die without Christ will go straight to hell to await the final White Throne Judgment where they will be sentenced to spend eternity in the literal Lake of Fire and Brimstone. (John 14:1-3; I Thess. 4:13-18; Revelation 5:10; I Cor. 15:51-57; I Cor. 3:11-15; II Cor. 5:10; Matthew 25:41,46; Revelation 20:11-15)
HEAVEN. The Scriptures declare that Heaven is a definite place reserved for the saved. It is indescribably beautiful and the eternal reward that God has for all who have been born again. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10,11; Revelation 21:1,2)
HELL. The Scriptures tell us that Hell is a terrible, eternal reality for all who die in their sin. As Heaven is indescribable beauty, Hell is indescribable horror. The Bible states the fire and torment of Hell to be an inescapable, eternal reality. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 19:20 & 20:10; Luke 16:23, 28; Luke 13; 27, 28)
GOSPEL ORDINANCES. Baptism is the immersion of believers in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; also expressing to the world the Christian's death to sin and being raised in newness of life. It is an outward symbol of what takes place on the inside as one trusts Christ as his Savior. Baptism takes place only after conversion. (Romans 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 2: 12; Titus 3 :5) We further believe that the Lord's Supper is a memorial dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. It reminds us of His suffering and death even as we look forward to His return. This ordinance is only for true believers and should be preceded by a time of reflection and self-examination. (I Corinthians 11: 23-32) With this in mind, Skyline holds to the term Close Communion in our time of the Lord's supper.
Plus, we partake of the Lord's supper on a quarterly basis.
SALVATION. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; I John 1:9)
THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS.
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1 :4-5)
THE CHURCH.
1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Pet. 5:1-4)
THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST. We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
We hold the belief of the Pre-Trip and Pre-Mil rapture position.
THE ETERNAL STATE.
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thes. 4:16-17;
Rev. 20:46
3. We believe that the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when the soul and body reunited, they shall appear in the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN. We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
CREATION. We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods.
MISC.. BELIEFS:
We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20: 11)
We don't believe in Calvinism, or any of the 5-points it teaches, and don't adhere to the Reformation beliefs or doctrines.