Along with thousands of Assemblies of God churches worldwide, we hold the following truths to be absolutely foundational. You can read more at www.ag.org, but they can be summarized these 16 Fundamental Truths.
The Bible
It all starts here. The Bible is God’s revelation about Himself to humanity. Although humans wrote the words down, all the information was inspired by God, and as such, we can trust everything written in it.
2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21
The One True God
There is only one true God, the Creator of all things. He exists in three distinct persons - the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son, Jesus Christ.
Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; Matthew 28:19
The Deity of the Lord Jesus
Jesus isn’t just a good man or just a prophet. Jesus is God, a part of the trinity.
Matt. 1:23; Heb. 7:26; Acts 2:22; Acts 1:9
The Fall of Man
Through Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden sin entered the world. Because of this, the door to sin was opened and all mankind now have a nature that is less than how God created us. No one escapes having this sinful nature.
Gen. 1:26,27; Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12-19
The Salvation of Man
Pain, tragedy, and death in this world are a result of humankind’s sin. Jesus lived a perfect life, died as a payment for our crimes, and rose to life again so we could be reunited with God.
Luke 24:47; Rom. 10:13-15; Eph. 2:8
The Ordinances of the Church
In the Bible, God commands us to repeat two vital processes: communion and baptism in water. We don’t practice infant baptism; we believe this should happen after someone has made a decision to accept Jesus as their savior and follow Him with their life.
Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:47,48; 1 Corin. 11:26
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
After salvation, God has provided for every Christian an additional work of empowerment, where the Holy Spirit emboldens them to share their faith. We refer to this as being “baptized” in the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8; Acts 8:12-17; Mark 16:20
Initial Physical Evidence
We believe the evidence of that baptism is speaking in an unknown language (sometimes referred to as “speaking in tongues”).
Acts 2:4; 1 Corin. 12:4-10; 1 Corin. 12:28
Sanctification
In salvation believers are sanctified unto salvation and then throughout the rest of their lives they continue growing into the image of Christ.
Rom. 12:1,2; 1 Peter 1:15,16; Philip. 2:12,13
The Church and Its Mission
“Church” is this gathering of Christians, where we encourage one another, worship God, and work together to tell others about His offer of salvation.
Eph. 2:22; Matt. 28:19,20; Eph. 4:11-16
The Ministry
To help lead, inspire, equip, and deploy the church, God has called some to be pastors.
John 4:23,24; Gal. 2:10; 6:10; James 1:27
Divine Healing
God has the same power and desire to heal people today as He had in the times recorded in the Bible. When we pray in faith, we believe God is still willing and able to heal.
Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; James 5:14-16
The Blessed Hope
One day Jesus will take believers to heaven in mass, an event referred to as the “rapture”. This will happen in a surprise moment both to believers and to unbelievers.
1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rom. 8:23; 1 Corin. 15:51,52
The Millennial Reign
After Jesus returns to the earth at the end of the Great Tribulation He will establish a literal kingdom over which He will reign for a thousand years.
Matt. 24:27; Rev. 19:11-14; Micah 4:3,4
The Final Judgment
At the end of the millennial reign, Satan will be finally judged and cast into eternal punishment. All those who have rejected God will also be judged.
Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8
The New Heaven & Earth
After the judgment, God will make everything new - both Heaven and Earth, and those who have accepted Jesus as their savior will live with God forever.
2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21; Rev. 22