Our Beliefs

OUR BELIEFS

ARTICLES OF FAITH

1. We believe there is but one living and true God, everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom and goodness; Maker and Preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in the unity of this Godhead, there are three Persons of one substance of eternal being, and equal in holiness, justice, wisdom, power, and dignity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that the Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and the manhood were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and perfect man, who actually suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile the Father to us, and to make atonement, not only for our actual guilt, but also for original sin.

3. We believe that Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again His body, with all things appertaining to the perfections of man’s nature, and ascended into heaven and there sits until He shall return to judge all men at the last day.

4. We believe the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

5. We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, known as the Bible, composed of sixty-six books and divided into two departments, Old and New Testaments. We believe the Bible is the Word of God, the full and complete revelation of the plan and history of redemption.

6. We believe that eternal life with God in heaven is a portion of the reward of the finally righteous; and that everlasting banishment from the presence of the Lord and unending torture in hell are the wages of the persistently wicked (Matthew 25:46; Psalm 9:17; Revelation 21:7, 8).

7. We believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood for the remission of sins that are past, for the regeneration of penitent sinners, and for salvation from sin and from sinning (Romans 3:25; 1 John 3:5-10; Ephesians 2:1-10).

8. We believe, teach and firmly maintain the scriptural doctrine of justification by faith alone (Romans 5:1).

9. We believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood for the complete cleansing of the justified believer from all indwelling sin and from its pollution, subsequent to regeneration (1 John 1:7-9).

10. We believe in sanctification. While sanctification is initiated in regeneration and consummated in glorification, we believe it includes a definite, instantaneous work of grace achieved by faith subsequent to regeneration (Acts 26:18; 1 John 1:9). Sanctification delivers from the power and dominion of sin. It is followed by lifelong growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Peter 3:18).

11. We believe that the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire is obtainable by a definite act of appropriating faith on the part of the fully cleansed believer, and the initial evidence of the reception of this experience is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 8:17; 10:44-46; 19:6).

12. We believe in divine healing as in the atonement (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17; Mark 16:14-18; James 5:14-16; Exodus 15:26).

13. We believe in the imminent, personal, premillennial second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Matthew 24:29-44), and love and wait for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).

14. We believe it is the responsibility of every believer to dedicate his life to carrying out the work of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8).

FAMILY VALUES

At Tree of Life Ministries, we affirm the family values clearly defined and outlined in the Word of God. We refer to the scripture for God’s guidance and standard in all areas of life, which you can refer to at the end of this outline. Concerning the family, we see in scripture that God decided and created both male and female. Separate and not interchangeable in life and gender. God designed and defined both male and female gender roles. The origin of family is clearly and decisively found in the beginning of creation when God created man and woman. It was man and woman that God designed to bring about the institution of marriage between the two. It was God that designed the biological makeup of man and woman to join in the procreation of the family unit. Therefore, God’s Word clearly defines all forms of sexual practices other than that of a man and woman in marriage as sin.

Throughout God’s Word, He clearly expresses the desire for culture and His people to remain monogamous in relationship to one another in holy matrimony. Therefore, it is sin when people explore relationship/s outside the confines of marriage. It is also a sin to engage in any sexual activity before marriage.

It’s because of TOLM’s love and respect for everyone, if someone is active in a lifestyle contrary to Biblical standards, TOLM will lovingly help and assist any individual, in any way possible to work through the process of Biblical and spiritual understanding. We will assist in leading the individual into a clear understanding of God’s desire and design for their life through internal or external Biblically-based ministry counseling.

In light of this, TOLM does not acknowledge, condone, nor does it participate in, the union of same-sex marriage or relationships of the like. TOLM also does not endorse the practices that alter the original genetic creation of God to accommodate any such lifestyle. Nor do we support any organization that promotes anything contrary to our Biblical stance concerning the subject of family values.

References: Gender, and Sexuality: Gen. 1:27-28, Gen. 2:24, Gen. 9:20-27, Gen. 19:1-11, Deut. 22:5, Prov. 31:10, Matt.5:28, Matt.19:4-6, 1Cor. 6:9-10, 1Cor. 6:18, 1Cor. 7:2, Rom. 1:26-27, Eph.5:25, Col.3:20-21, Heb.13:4

RIGHT TO LIFE

Tree of Life is a place of healing and hope for the born and the unborn. We affirm that life begins at conception, and that life should be guarded and guaranteed the same rights inside the womb, as well as life outside the womb. The only allowance for the possibility of the terminating of the life of the unborn would be in the case of saving the life of the mother. The command of God concerning the sanctity of life has been clear from the beginning, and throughout scripture.

When Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill the babies while they were being birthed, midwives feared God and protected the life to be born. Clearly, the Ten Commands to His people express the sanctity of life. We also see the evils of aborting children at the birth of Christ. Tree of Life opposes abortion, but it is also committed to healing anyone who has experienced it as well. We are committed to helping heal both spiritually and emotionally.

In light of our right to life stance, TOLM will not support any organization that is involved or participates in the taking of an unborn or living life.

References: Isa. 49:1, Gen. 1:27, Ex. 20:13, Deut. 5:17, 2 Kings 17:17-18 Jer. 1:4-5, Ps. 127:3, Ps. 139:13 & 15, Matt. 2:16, Matt. 19:18, Gal. 1:15

RACE

Tree of Life is a ministry that is committed to accepting all races of people into fellowship and relationship with Christs’ church. We celebrate God’s diversity of human creation. We believe the church should be like heaven, filled with different tribes of people from all over the world. TOLM is committed to, in no way favoring or elevating, one race over another. In God’s eyes, all men and women are to be free. We believe that all men and women are loved and created equal by God, and for the Kingdom of God. We acknowledge the historical sin of subjugation, which created deep racial division in the world, our country, and our culture.

TOLM firmly and unequivocally denounces and condemns all forms of racism, and we celebrate God’s desire to use His church to bring unity among all races through an atmosphere of love and acceptance. We are committed to inviting and utilizing the gifts of all races to be involved in relationships and services here at TOLM. TOLM is also committed to treating every person of every race, with the Godly love, dignity, and respect they deserve. The desire for unity in Christ for the Kingdom is paramount; so, we will strive to make sure every person from every race, knows they are valued by God and TOLM. TOLM also condemns all forms of modern slavery, such as the sex trafficking trade and forced labor upon another human being.

In light of our stance on race, TOLM will not support any organization that is involved in or participates in any type of racial inequality.

References: Gen. 1:27, Lev. 19:33-34, Gal. 3:28, Gal. 5:1, 1 Peter 2:16, Phil. 1:16, Rev. 7:9-17

GOVERNMENT

Tree of Life is a non-profit organization. Therefore, it does not endorse a political party or candidate. We take the stance of God’s Word concerning that of government in the statement of Christ, “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s.” As well as the command to “pray for all of those in authority and governance over us.” The only opposition TOLM will ever engage in concerning government, will be in the case that we are ordered by the government, to clearly defy God’s Word; as in the case of the Apostles in Acts when told not to express any teaching or ministry based on the Savior, Jesus Christ. TOLM presently works with and will continue to work diligently to assist and aid any government agency to help enrich and build a healthy community. We will also work to keep a healthy order and unity in the community.

TOLM is committed to doing all we can, to help anyone we can, to advance the Kingdom of God the best that we can. We recognize that we have been given great freedom of expression in our country, but we don’t believe that the freedom of expression should be used to create or promote a divisive culture in our nation. We recognize that our religious liberties have come at a great price of those who have served our country, therefore we will always put God and His Word first in all that we do, and we are committed to seeing that religious Biblical liberties are kept intact constitutionally, as to enjoy the blessing of God on our nation. With the ability to come and freely worship Christ our Savior and King.

In light of our stance on government, TOLM will not support any organization that is involved in or participates in the destruction of our freedom to worship our Savior.

References: Deut. 16:18-20, Ps. 22:28, Is. 9:6, Dan. 2:21, Matt. 22:21, John 19:11, Acts 5:29, Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Tim. 2:1-3, 1 Peter 2:13-17, Titus 3:1-2, Phil. 3:20

Tree of Life realizes that these, as well as other cultural topics, can be very controversial. We realize the gravity and weight these topics bring into the modern church. We realize that every person is loved by God, and He has called His church to that love as well. Considering this, we diligently strive to be Biblically consistent in our approach as to how we minister to everyone who walks through the doors of TOLM. We have prayerfully taken great strides to maintain a loving, but holy, Biblical stance on these topics. If at any point anyone wishes to further discuss anything on these topics, we welcome you to set an appointment with one of our staff pastors.

Sincerely,
The Pastors and Board of Directors at Tree of Life Ministries