At Oakland Mills Community Church, we believe in the full sufficiency of Scripture to answer all life’s questions, we affirm the fact that Jesus is Lord over every aspect of life, and we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ which alone has the power to bring sinners to repentance and true salvation.

For more information what we teach, please click on the links below; 

The Holy Scriptures

The Godhead

The Total Depravity of Mankind

Salvation

The Church

Ordinances

Dispensationalism

The Personality of Satan

The Second Advent of Christ

The Eternal State

Creation

Biblical Separation and Unity

1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

We believe in the verbal and complete inspiration of the Scriptures, consisting of 66 books which constitute the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete and unalterable special revelation of God, infallible and sufficient for life and godliness and our final authority. We believe that when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, we seek no other sense, therefore we take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context indicate otherwise.(Matthew 5:18: John 16:12,13: II Timothy 3:16,17: II Peter 1:3, 20,21).

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2. THE GODHEAD

We believe there is but one living and true God who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. He is absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the upholder of all things. We further believe that God is one in essence, but eternally existent in three persons; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections and each worthy of precisely the same confidence and obedience (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 139:8; Isaiah 45:5-7; Matthew 28:19; Mark 10:18; John 4:24; Acts 17:24-29; II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6).

A. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE FATHER

We believe that God the Father, as the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose, grace and will. As the absolute and highest Ruler in the universe He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. The Father created the universe through the agency of Jesus, the Christ (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16) apart from preexisting materials and by the power of His Word. He has decreed for His own glory all things that occur, and continually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and events. In so doing in no way is He the author or approver of sin, nor does He remove the accountability of morally intelligent creatures. He has graciously chosen from all eternity those whom He would have as His own by adoption as sons (Galatians 4:5).  He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ: and He relates Himself to His own as their Father (Psalm103:19 and 145:8, 9; I Chronicles 29:11; John 1:18; Romans 11:33; I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 4:13; I Peter 1:17) 

B. THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, second Person of the Trinity, of one substance, equal with the Father; became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life. He came that He might reveal God and redeem sinful people (Luke 1:35; John 1:1,2,14).  We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice and that our justification is verified by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24,25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9; I Peter 1:3-5 and 2:24; I John 2:2).  We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate (Acts 1:9,10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25 and 9:24; I John 2:1,2).

C. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is an eternal, divine Person and proceeds from the Father and the Son, being of the same essence, majesty and glory with the Father and the Son. We believe therefore, that the Holy Spirit is truly God.  We believe the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead who in this present age bears witness of Christ, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; who regenerates and baptizes into the body of Christ those who believe; and who indwells and seals them until the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:19 and 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13,14; John 15:26,27). We believe the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers through the Scriptures only into all truth. It is the obligation of believers to be filled with (controlled by), and their duty to walk in, the Holy Spirit (John 16:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18; I John 2:20,27; I Corinthians 2:9-16).

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3. THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MANKIND

We believe mankind was created in the image and likeness of God. But through Adam's sin the man fell, and thereby inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God.  Sin is anything that defies the character and law of God.  Whether sin is viewed as the individual’s share in Adam’s sin, the sin-nature, the estate under sin, or personal sin with all its varied features, it still draws its essential character of sinfulness from the fact that it is unlike God.  Humanity is totally depraved and unable to remedy its lost condition. People in their lost condition are unable to do anything that pleases God. (Genesis 1:26,27; Romans 3:22,23 and 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:10-18 and 8:8)

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4. SALVATION

We believe that due to the total depravity of mankind, it is necessary for God to take the initiative in salvation. Therefore, God has called out for Himself a people from before the foundation of the earth. God chooses those who will be saved, based upon His grace and mercy alone; not on the merits (or potential merits) of the individual. If the Father does not draw an individual to Christ, then that individual would never come to Him. However, all that the Father draws (or elects) will inevitably come to Him (John 6:37,44; Romans 8:28-30; Romans 9;1-33 Ephesians 1:4-6).  And yet, the sovereign choosing of the Father in no way negates the free will of the individual (Romans 10:13). We believe salvation is a gift of God, brought to the world by grace and received by the repentant sinner through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18, 19).  We believe that when an unsaved person exercises faith in Christ in this way, that person passes from spiritual death into spiritual life and from the old creation into the new. Immediately upon being saved that one is justified from all sin and is accepted, loved by the Father as Christ is loved, having his/her portion and place as linked to the Father and one with Him forever. And though the saved one may have occasion to grow in the realization of personal blessings and to know a fuller measure of divine power through yielding of his/her life more fully to God, that one is, as soon as he/she is saved, in possession of every spiritual blessing and absolutely complete in Christ (John 5:24 and 17:23: Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1; I Corinthians 3:21; Colossians 2:10; I John 4:17 and 5:11, 12).  We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40 and 10:27-30; Romans 5:11 and 8:1-39 I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:3-5).  We believe that all true saints will ultimately persevere, that is, though they may sin grievously thus incurring the displeasure of God resulting in His discipline upon their lives, they will not lose their salvation, but will be kept through faith by the power of God (Hebrews 12:5-11).

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5. THE CHURCH

We believe the church body is a spiritual entity composed of all born-again persons of whom Christ is the head. The church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) -- when the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell the believer -- and is thus distinct from the nation of Israel. We believe the local church consists of a body of believers in Jesus Christ; associated for worship, work, and fellowship (Ephesians 1:22,23; and 5:25,27; Acts 14:27 and 20:17; Romans 16:1-4).  We teach the autonomy of the local church; free from any external authority or control with the right of self-government, and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations or associations (Titus 1:5).  It is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the Faith. However, each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation as well as on all matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government under the authority of Christ and the Scriptures (Acts 15;19-31, and 20:28; I Corinthians 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4). We believe that to fulfill its God-ordained mission, the church has been given spiritual gifts through its members. Each believer, at the time of their conversion (according to God's Sovereign will) is given at least one such gift for the edification of the body. Each member should strive to develop and use their spiritual gift(s) in a way that will glorify God (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:8-13; II Timothy 1:6; I Peter 4:10-11). Since these gifts are bestowed by the Lord in order to fulfill specific purposes in God's program, we believe that when the purpose of any gift is fulfilled, that particular gift is terminated. Thus, we believe, that biblical speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, healing, gradually ceased with the ending of the Apostolic age (I Corinthians 12:11, 13:8-10 and 14-21,22: II Timothy 4:20; Acts 19:11-12; Hebrews 2:3,4; II Corinthians 12:12).  We believe that God heals and works miracles today, but that He does so through the prayers of His saints and not through gifted individuals. We believe that leadership in the local church is given to the elders (overseers, pastors, shepherds) under the authority of Christ. The duties of the elders are to guide, instruct, protect and equip the Church. Deacons (servants) are to assist the elders in the ministry of the church. The deacon's position is to serve in such a capacity as to enable the elders to devote their attention to the ministry of the Word, prayer and guidance to the body. (Acts 6:1-7; I Timothy 3:1-13; Ephesians 4:11-16; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:1-5). Teaching duties are given to the men of the Church, except as prescribed in Titus 2:3-5.  Though completely and entirely men’s spiritual equal (Galatians 3:28), God has specific essential roles and functions for women that are distinct and different from men’s (1 Timothy 3:14,15; 2:11-15; 5:9,10,14; 1Corinthians 11:3-10; 14:33b-35; 1 Peter 3:1-6).

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6. ORDINANCES

A. BAPTISM

We believe that water baptism is a scriptural ordinance of the church during this age. Baptism, while not a requirement for salvation, is a public testimony of the recipient that they have personally trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, and therefore we reject infant baptism. Baptism is the outward symbol the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is the inward work whereby each believer is identified with and inseparably joined to the body of Christ, which is His church.  We believe that immersion in water, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is the only method which adequately typifies the relationship between baptism by the Spirit and by water Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41, 8:36-39, 9:18 and 18:8; Ephesians 4:5; I Peter 3:21; I Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3,4).

B. LORD'S SUPPER

We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial testimony of the church, instituted by our Lord just before His betrayal, and to be observed by His children until His return as a sacred, symbolic, and scriptural means of remembering His death for our sins. We observe open communion to all born again believers (I Corinthians 11:23,24)

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7. DISPENSATIONALISM

We believe the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations which define man's responsibility in successive ages. A dispensation is not a way of salvation, but a divinely ordered stewardship by which God directs man according to His purpose. These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God's method of dealing with mankind, or a portion of mankind, in respect of the two questions of sin and of man's responsibility. Each dispensation may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment -- marking mankind's utter failure (John 1:17; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10 & 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24,25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6),  We believe salvation is always by grace through faith regardless of the dispensation in which the believer may have lived. God's purpose of salvation by grace through faith alone has always been based upon the substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross (Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:6; I Peter 1:10-12),  We believe that the nation Israel and the Church are separate distinct entities.  We recognize the dispensation of Law that God used to lead us to Christ the Messiah. Today we live in the dispensation of Grace.  God has set Israel as a nation aside temporarily and is working through the church but in the future He will, through the Messiah, set Israel over all the nations. (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:11; Jeremiah 31) 

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8. THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN

We believe Satan is a created being, the author of sin, the tempter in the fall, the declared enemy of God and His people, and the god of this age. He shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Job 1:6,7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11 & 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Satan is assisted, in his attempts to disrupt the will of God, by demons (fallen angels). Demonic power is present in our world today and thus the believer will need to stand firm against the spiritual forces of wickedness. However, the Christian cannot be possessed by demons, nor is the believer to do offensive battle against them. God's children are called to resist and to put on the full armor of God, as their means of protection against the devil and his demons (Ephesians 6:10-19; James 4:7; I Peter 5:8,9; I John 4:4 & 5:18).

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9. THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST

We believe in the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones. We believe that at the end of the seven year tribulation He will return to earth with the saints in power and glory to reign for a thousand years (Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10 & 4:13-18 & 5:9; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10 & 19:11-16 & 20:1-6).

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10. THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28,29 & 11:25,26; Revelation 20:5,6,12,13). We believe 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 soul and body are reunited and glorified to be forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23 & 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 20:4-6). We believe the souls of unbelievers are, at death, absent from the body and in conscious misery in Hades, until the second resurrection; when with the soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the lake of fire; not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15).

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11. CREATION

We believe the triune God, by a free act and for His own glory, without the use of existing materials or secondary causes, brought into being -- immediately and instantaneously in six literal days by the power of the word of His mouth -- the whole visible and invisible universe (Genesis 1:1-27; Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 104:25,26; Isaiah 40:21-31; John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:16,17).

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12. BIBLICAL SEPARATION AND UNITY

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1,2 & 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).

We seek to cooperate wherever possible with other missions, organizations and churches whose doctrine and policy are homogeneous with ours. It is the believer's responsibility to endeavor to maintain the unity of the faith while separating from apostasy and those who have deviated from biblical doctrine and behavior. Every proposed alliance must be considered in the light of our commitment to biblical separation. We will not cooperate with or endorse any movement, organization or program which is contrary to the faith whether in doctrine or practice (Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17; I Corinthians 5:7-11; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; II Thessalonians 3:11-14; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10; II John 9-11).  

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