What We Believe
What do the Assemblies of God believe? What makes them different from other Bible-based churches? The difference is in our interpretation and understanding of certain biblical truths. We believe those basic facts are essential elements of a Christian’s value system and are non-negotiable. They can be summed up in the following explanation.
1. Who is God? I’ve heard Him referred to as God, Jehovah, Allah, Jesus, and others. Are they the same?
There is only one true God. (Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.) He is sometimes called Jehovah or the Hebrew word for God, Yahweh. He is revealed in three persons: God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and Holy Spirit. The three are commonly referred to as The Trinity. (Matthew 28:19 – Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.)
We believe God knows everything and all knowledge is from Him. We also believe He can do anything except what is contrary to His nature. We believe He never changes, but is the same today as He was thousands of years ago. (Isaiah 43:10-11 - Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.)
2. Why do Christians ask if I know Jesus? He died over 2,000 years ago. How can a person today know a person who lived so long ago?
Jesus is God’s Son. He, like God, has always existed. God created man—Adam and Eve—to have a relationship with Him. He intended for them to live forever. However, He also created them with minds to think and make choices. So, when they chose to disobey God, sin was introduced into humanity. The punishment for sin is death. (Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death.) From the time of Adam and Eve until Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby, men had to offer animal sacrifices as restitution for their sins. The animals were substitute compensation, but they were only temporary and had to be repeated. The only way to have men’s sins completely eradicated was to have a perfect, sinless person die for the sins of all men. There was no such human being. So, Jesus, God’s Son, allowed Himself to be born as a baby of a virgin. He grew up as any other human baby, developing into a man, without ever sinning. Then He willingly gave His life to pay for our sins. (John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.) Three days later God brought Him back to life and forty days later Jesus went back to heaven where He sits at the right side of His Father. So He is alive today.
We can know Him personally by believing in Him and asking Him to forgive our sins. While He died to pay the penalty for which we had been sentenced, it is not automatic. We must accept His gift. (Acts 3:19 – Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be forgiven.) We believe every person can be forgiven of his sins, and refer to this experience as salvation. (Acts 4:12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.)
3. Who wrote the Bible?
While some 40 men actually wrote the 66 books in the Bible over a period of about 1500 years in three languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) without contradiction, the words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. To accomplish this, there could be only one Architect to put it all together. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, each man was inspired to contribute his part until we were given the completed work we call the Bible. (2 Timothy 3:15-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.) (2 Peter 1:21 - For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.)
4. I’ve heard of some churches speaking in other languages. Do you believe in that?
What you’re referring to is called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Yes, we believe each Christian can have this experience separate from salvation, in which the Holy Spirit gives him a “new” language that is unknown to that person. That language may be one spoken by people of another nationality or it may be a heavenly language. That experience is called the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in another language is proof (evidence) of that experience. The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to help believers live Christian lives and to help them tell (witness) others about Jesus. (Acts 2:38-39 – Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.)
5. Do the Assemblies of God believe people today can really be healed of broken bones, cancer, and other illnesses?
Most definitely. We know God heals today because we are eye-witnesses of His healing power. Healing is promised to us because of the beating Jesus suffered before His death. (Isaiah 53:5 – But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. James 5:14 -16 – Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.)
6. What do you believe about the world coming to an end?
This question concerns many people today with the increase in strange phenomena (weather, earthquakes, etc.), war, and terrorism. We believe in what is referred to as the rapture, which simply means Jesus is coming to take all believers (dead and alive) to heaven to live forever with Him. This will happen quickly (in the twinkling of an eye); and, therefore, will not be witnessed by unbelievers. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.) After that event, the world will experience seven years of intense “tribulation” like has never been known. After the seven-year period, the world as we know it will be destroyed with fire. All unbelievers will stand before God to be judged for their sins and will then be sentenced to hell with Satan for eternity. (Revelation 20:11-15 - Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.)
This has been a concise explanation. For more detailed information, may we recommend a book written by several members of our congregation, What’s Next? We would like to mail it to you free of charge—just e-mail your request. Another book that explains our beliefs more fully is This I Believe, by Charles T. Crabtree. We also invite you to call our offices or e-mail us with your questions.
