GOD IS ONE IN THREE PERSONS:
While the Bible affirms that God is one (Mark 12:29; 1 Cor. 8:4-6), it also affirms that God exists as three Persons—Father, Son, and Spirit. Each Person of the Trinity is fully divine—the Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (Phil. 2), the Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4)—and each Person is distinct from the others (Matt. 11:27; John 10:30; 14:16). This perfect unity within the three Persons of the Trinity is a first-order doctrine; departing from it is to abandon orthodox Christianity.
GOD IS GRACIOUS:
God’s nature is to delight in giving unmerited favor to those who are undeserving (Eph. 2:8-9). His grace toward sinners is found most clearly in the salvation He has provided through Christ. Because of sin, humanity is undeserving of salvation—all of us have turned our backs on God, and as a result, we deserve death (Rom. 6:23). However, instead of leaving people in their sins, God has demonstrated His graciousness by providing atonement and forgiveness for our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21).
CREATION OUT OF NOTHING:
God created the universe—everything both visible and invisible—out of nothing “creation ex nihilo”. This means that before God created anything, nothing else existed except God Himself. God alone is eternal; every created thing has a beginning. Because God created out of nothing, creation has meaning and purpose and points us to the Creator.
INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE:
Scripture (The Bible) is completely truthful, without any error, in all its teachings, no matter what subject it addresses. Believing the Scriptures to be inerrant does not preclude the biblical authors’ inclusion of observations from a human observer, the use of round numbers, unusual grammatical constructions, or varying perspectives on a particular event. It does mean, however, that Scripture is an infallible guide to salvation and that it is truthful in all that it affirms (Matt. 5:18; John 10:35; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).
AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE:
The Bible is the ultimate standard of authority for the Christian. Because it is truthful in everything that it teaches, Scripture is humanity’s source for wisdom, instructing us on how to live life well to the glory of God. Submitting to the authority of Scripture means that we are to believe and obey God by believing and obeying His Word. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” – 2 Timothy 3:16
ILLUMINATION OF SCRIPTURE:
In order to grasp spiritual truth, we must be aided by the Holy Spirit through the process of illumination. When it comes to understanding the meaning of God’s Word, Christians do not rely ultimately upon human reason in the process of interpretation, nor do we rely solely upon an institution or body of scholars. Instead, a Christian’s ultimate reliance is upon the work of the Spirit of God, who illuminates the Scriptures in the heart and mind (John 14:15-18; 16:7-15).
MIRACLES:
A miracle is an event in which God makes an exception to the natural order of things, or supersedes natural laws, for the purpose of demonstrating His glory and/or validating His message. Miracles are recorded throughout Scripture; miraculous signs and wonders were oftentimes evident when a prophet or an apostle was speaking God’s message to the people. Because we believe God to be all-powerful and personally involved in this world, we believe He can and does perform miracles today.
SIN:
Through Adam’s sin, all humans inherit a sin nature that is ultimately opposed to God and His ways (Rom. 3:9-20, 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22). Additionally, all humans freely and deliberately commit sin, making them co-operators with Adam in sin’s nature and co-receivers with Adam in sin’s consequences (2 Chr. 6:36; Rom 3:23; Jas. 4:17). As a result of both inherited and committed sin, all humans are broken and utterly depraved in that they cannot make themselves right with God without the enabling grace of God (Romans 1:18, 3:9-26, 5:18; 1 Cor. 12:3).
THE GOSPEL:
The Gospel is both an event and a story. First, it is an event that took place at a specific point in history, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the redemption of sinners (1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:21). Second, the gospel is also the story of redemption that God has planned since “before the foundations of the earth” (Eph. 1:4), which runs through Scripture, and which culminates in a restored and redeemed creation—a new heaven and new earth where sin, death, and suffering will never again plague humanity, and God’s people will live with Him forever (Isa. 25:8; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21). The event and story do not exist apart from or in conflict with one another, but together inspire us to a life of devotion and mission.
VIRGIN BIRTH:
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). The virgin birth affirms the historicity of the incarnation, where the eternal Son of God took on human flesh. The virgin birth is significant in that it serves as a reminder of Old Testament prophecies (Isa. 7) while also affirming both the deity and humanity of Christ.
CHRIST AS SUBSTITUTE:
At the heart of the atonement is Jesus Christ substituting Himself for sinners as He died on the cross. This truth is seen against the backdrop of the Old Testament sacrificial system, which provided a picture of humanity’s need for sin to be covered and guilt to be removed by an innocent sacrifice. Jesus perfectly revealed and accomplished the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with humankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of humanity from sin.
THE HOLY SPIRIT:
As the third person within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is fully coequal and coeternal with the Father and Son (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:13 2 Cor 13:14). He was present within the Godhead before Creation, participating in the act of Creation (Gen. 1:2, 26; Job 26:13; 33:4; Ps. 104: 29-30; Isa. 42:5). The Bible not only affirms the full divinity of the Holy Spirit but also His personhood. Many people have mistakenly believed that the Spirit is a force or power, not a person. However, Scripture affirms His personhood by acknowledging that He is treated as a person (Acts 5:3; 7:51; Heb. 10:29), acts like a person (John 14:26, 15:26; Rom. 8:14), has attributes of a person (1 Cor. 2:10-11; Eph. 4:30), and acts in personal ways (Isa. 63:10; Acts 13:2). In addition to these, the Bible also affirms that Christians relate to Him personally (Acts 5:3-4; 7:51).
WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN:
The Spirit’s work in the life of a Christian begins in the work of salvation in bringing a person to faith in Christ and is continued through the work of sanctification in helping the Christian to become more like Christ throughout the course of their life. He also empowers and indwells believers, intercedes on their behalf, and equips them with special gifts for the service of God’s kingdom. He is the Comforter to the believer and aids us in properly interpreting the Bible. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are still active within the life of believers and the church. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last apostle (1 Cor. 12:1-11).
FAITH:
Biblical faith is the resting, or trusting, in Christ alone for salvation (John 3:16-21). More than being simply a mental agreement of historical facts, genuine faith begins with a recognition and confession of the truth of the Gospel (1 John 4:13-16), followed by a receiving of Christ as Lord and Savior of one’s life (John 1:10-13). Biblical faith is not blind faith, for it rests on the historical life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
ALCOHOL & OTHER SUBSTANCES:
The Bible is clear that getting drunk with alcohol or any other legal or illegal substance is sinful and unhealthy. "Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18 We also read that Jesus' primary method of ministry was eating and drinking with people. Luke 7:34 Jesus says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” Jesus came to eat and drink with us, but the use of alcohol should be done with great wisdom, moderation, and in considering others needs before yourself. Aloha has a substance recovery ministry if you are recovering from any sort of substance abuse. We are here to support, encourage and promote freedom and abstinence.
WATER BAPTISM:
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
COMMUNION:
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming (1 Cor. 11:26).
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH:
Justification refers to the moment when a person is objectively declared righteous before God based on the righteousness of Christ’s atoning death (Rom. 8:33-34). This act of declaration takes place through faith in Christ and not as a result of human works or effort (Eph. 2:8-9). Through justification, a person is made to be in right standing before God, changing what was once an estranged and hostile relationship to one of adoption into the family of God.
ADOPTION:
Adoption into God’s family is one of the benefits of justification. Not only are we pardoned from the judgment against us through justification, but we also experience a change of identity—we become children of God (John 1:12; Gal. 4:5). Through adoption, our relationship with God, which was once lost through the fall, is now restored.
PEOPLE OF GOD:
Scripture describes the church as “the people of God” (2 Cor. 6:16). Comprised of both Jew and Gentile, the church is created by God through the atoning death of Christ. The term “church” is used in two senses—of individual local churches composed of people who have covenanted together under the lordship of Christ and of the universal church composed of all believers in Christ in all times. As the people of God, the church seeks to live under God’s ruling care while we are protected and cared for by Him.
NEW IDENTITY OF THE BELIEVER:
When a person places faith in Christ, that person undergoes a fundamental change of identity. He or she goes from being an enemy under God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-3) to being welcomed into God’s family as a beloved child (Eph. 2:19). The believer in Christ is declared righteous on account of Christ’s perfect life and substitutionary death and resurrection. No longer is the person a slave to sin, defined by past failures or present struggles. The person has been delivered from the realm of darkness and now belongs to the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). Anyone who is in Christ is a “new creation” in whom the old, sinful self is passed away and the new, redeemed self is alive and progressing, becoming more and more like Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
DISCIPLESHIP:
Discipleship is a process that takes place both formally and informally to effect spiritual maturity as people follow Jesus. Informal discipleship, as passages like Deuteronomy 6:4-9 suggest, happens everywhere, in every arena of life. Growing in our faith and deepening our walk with Christ is something that requires our whole life, not just the mind. Formal discipleship refers to periods of instruction. We make disciples through our words and actions, providing verbal instruction from God’s Word and non-verbal examples through our lives (Acts 20:17-24).
EVANGELISM:
It is the duty and privilege of every Christian and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all thus rests upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle.
STEWARDSHIP:
God’s intention for mankind is that we serve Him as faithful stewards of His creation (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 4:1-2). We are to invest the time, talents, and material possessions God has given us for His kingdom work (Matt. 25:14-29), knowing that God is the true owner of all we have, and that our true treasure is found not on earth but in heaven (Matt. 6:19,21; Luke 12:16-21). Motivated by God’s generosity to us, made most clear in the gospel, we are to give God the best of what we have (Prov. 3:9), regularly (1 Cor. 16:2), sacrificially (Matt. 12:41-44), humbly (Matt. 6:1-4), and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:6-7), praying that God may be glorified in our stewardship of His provisions.
WORSHIP:
While many reduce worship to an event or the singing of worship songs, worship is first and foremost something of the heart and extends to all areas of life. The aim and focus of worship is God, giving Him the exact amount of praise and adoration that He deserves. Worship should be carried out not only at a personal level within a Christian’s life but also in joining with other Christians in the corporate act of worship and stewarding our gifts for the glory of God. Corporate worship serves to edify and strengthen other Christians, but it also serves as a witness to non-believers of the greatness of God.
MARRIAGE & FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS:
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards (Heb. 13:4), and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God- given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband. (Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Pet. 3:1-7). Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage.
Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth (Deut. 6:4-9). Children are to honor and obey their parents (Eph. 6.1-3).
SEXUALITY:
The Bible is an identity book; It tells us who God is, who we are, and what our purpose is. God made us sexual beings "man and woman" and called us “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Throughout the Bible God has given us boundaries about how to express ourselves sexually. Just as any other pleasure in life: rest, work, eating, or alcohol - sex can be both wonderful or destructive. God taught Israel that sex with one’s parents or children wasn’t acceptable, nor was sex with someone else’s spouse, sex with the same gender, sex for sale, sex outside of marriage, sex with animals, sex in a group, and forcing sex on another (Leviticus 18) —all were unacceptable to God, no matter how desirable. We are all called to steward the gift of sex to create healthy people and societies. Jesus teaches His followers a sexual ethic that is fundamentally different from modern society—that we are more than our desires or attractions: sex is a beautiful part of life but not the meaning or the center of it. Said another way, sex is not our identity. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love has to be at the center of all of our actions. And therefore, we listen. We ask questions. We share our stories. We put others first. No matter one’s sexual practices or beliefs, we seek to treat every unique individual in the same way Christ would: with love, respect, and open arms.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
Spiritual gifts are given for the edification of the body. We can also minister to other believers, whether through healing, or prophecy, or tongues and interpretations. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Ephesians 4:11
They are not given to make one person a star but to help to help the body of Christ shine brightly as it becomes unified and matured, learning how to express these gifts.
HEARING GOD’S VOICE:
He speaks to us most clearly and accurately in His word. God also speaks to us through circumstance, other people, prophecy, dreams, in a “still small voice,” and on rare occasions - burning bushes. Proverbs 3:6 MSG "Listen for God’s voice in everything you do."
WOMEN PASTORS:
Aloha Church recognizes and aligns with the belief that the gifts and call to the role of Pastor (shepherd) is for men and women. We have licensed women Pastors who preach and teach as part of their ministry roles. These gifts are not gender specific. “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11
