Church Principles

We Need Salvation

There is a need for salvation because of sin and guilt, and we are estranged from God, as foreigners. A choice is made to be saved.

Genesis 3:6

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit there of, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.”

Romans 5:12

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Our Guilt

Guilt is liability to punishment on the account of sin. We are liable to punishment because of sin. Guilt is present when we disobey God.

Romans 3:12

‘They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Romans 3:19-23

“Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Our Estrangement

We are estranged from God, because we are guilty of sin.

Ephesians 2:11-15

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who Sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Our Redemption

Redemption is deliverance from the power of sin. Redeem to recover; pay off, exchange for premiums, deliver from sin, fulfill as a promise.

I Peter 1:17-18

“And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.”

Matthew 20:28

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Galatians 1:3-5

“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever Amen.”

Deuteronomy 12:5-7

“But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks. And there ye shall eat before: the Lord Your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.”

Deuteronomy 12:12-14

“And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.”

Wherever you receive your spiritual growth and wherever you fellowship, there you should give of your substance tithes and offerings. In the time of need and distress we look to our General Overseer and officials for support. There again we should constantly give our financial support.

The Promises of God

Let us Live to Give, as we Give to Live.

The practice of tithing should become habit forming–so much until it becomes such a regular part of the scheme of things for you, that you naturally think of your own money as amounting to ninety percent of whatever your net income happens to be. Automatically you should set aside the ten percent that belongs to God. This should be done for the same reason–that you have perceived it to be right and proper. The unfailing result from this is that you will always be free from financial difficulties. Though you may encounter other problems, you will never be in want, or lacking in material prosperity. By fulfilling the law you will inevitably see the results.

The practice of tithing is prescribed in numerous places in the Bible, and in all ages there have been many believers in the true God who have made this habit the cornerstone of their lives–and have built upon that cornerstone an edifice of prosperity which insured them the freedom from material cares that is so essential to the development of the soul.

The truth about tithing is that those who set aside ten percent of their net incomes to the service of God–not with the primary motive of getting, but simply because they feel that it is right to do it – do find that their prosperity increases by leaps and bounds until all fear of poverty disappears; whereas those who tithe because in their hearts they look upon it as a good investment, expecting or hoping to get back much more than they give, are certain to be disappointed, and are, from their point of view, wasting their money.

Proverbs 3:9-10

“Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst with new wine.”

The secret of demonstrating prosperity in the spiritual way (and on no other basis can your prosperity ever be secure) is to understand–that is, to know to the point of realization–that the one and only source of your supply is God, and that your business or employment, your investments, and your clients or customers are but the particular channel through which that supply is at the moment coming to you from God. Now the practice of tithing with the right–that is, the spiritual–motive is really the concrete proof that you have accepted this position, and the consequence of accepting this is prosperity.

Although the purpose In paying tithes is very important! Needless to say, there is not the least obligation upon anyone to tithe at all until I you reach the state of consciousness when you will prefer to do so. In fact, it is better that you not attempt to do so until you are spiritually motivated. To give grudgingly or with misgivings, from a supposed sense of duty, is really to give from a sense of fear–and no prosperity ever came out of fear. On the other hand, the paying of tithes is an act of faith. You may not be able to feel a sense of stabilized conviction, and because you don’t experience this feeling immediately, you may be apt to think that you are lacking in faith–when in reality you are not. But if you continue to practice tithing as a result of an honest conviction that it is the right thing to do, that will be the proof of your faith.

Some think that, because they are in pressing difficulties, it is impossible for them to tithe at the present time–but they propose to do so as soon as circumstances improve. These people are missing the whole point. The greater the present necessity, the greater the need for tithing.

Malachi 3:10

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

According to Hebrew Law, “tithes” means “tenths” and refers to a form of taxation which, under the Levitical Law, required Hebrews to render a certain proportion (one-tenth) of the produce of the earth, herds, etc., to the service of God. And it is noteworthy that, as long as this system prevailed, the Hebrew Nation prospered collectively and individually. And wherever it has been tried honestly and faithfully, it has never failed. If a farmer should refuse to give back to the soil a certain percentage of the corn and potatoes which the soil had given to him, he would have no crops. Why, then, should we expect to receive Abundance from God, and give back so stingily to His holy cause? Those who tithe are always certain that they have God for a partner.

That connection between tithing and prosperity whether it be generously or stingily–that shall we receive back; whatsoever we sow, that shall we also reap.

Every Christian should pay tithes because it is a way of honoring God. The Lord endorses tithing. Through tithing you will be blessed.

Qualifications and Duties of Church Leaders

Deacons and Deaconesses

Qualifications

Deacons/Deaconesses must:

be Members in good standing in The Church of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of The Truth, Which He Purchased With His Own Blood, Inc.
be reverent and self-disciplined;
- I Timothy 3:8 “Likewise must the Deacons be grave, not double-tounged, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre,”
be faithful.
- I Timothy 3:9 “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
have good reputations.
I Timothy 3:10 “And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a Deacon; being found blameless.
be careful in choice of spouse.
- I Timothy 3:11 “Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things”
be family-oriented.
- 1 Timothy 3:12 “Let the Deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.”
have strength of conviction.
- I Timothy 3:13 “For they that have used the office of a Deacon will purchase to themselves great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Duties

Deacons/Deaconess shall:

refrain from insurrections and confusions, from schisms of the body, from being double-tongued, busybodies, backbiters.
be full of the Holy Ghost and of a good report.
serve tables and insist on all things of the Church so far as the duty of Deacon or Deaconess specified in the Word of God, and of our decree: Refer to 1st Timothy.

Ministers

Ministers must:

be Members in good standing in The Church of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of The Truth, Which He Purchased With His Own Blood, Inc.
be devoted to the study and delivery of God’s word.
- II Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
- II Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
- I Timothy 4:11-13 “These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
be impartial.
- I Timothy 5:21 “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
- James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”
be meek in reference to God and Church protocol
- II Timothy 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
- Acts 16:9-10 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately, we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.”
be prayerful.
- Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
be spirit-filled.
- Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
be temperate.
- I Corinthians 9:25-27 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; be we an incorruptible. 1 therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
be willing.
- I Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that 1 might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ that I might gain them that are without law; To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”
be confident in our Leader.
- II Thessalonians 3:1-5 “Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.”
be love-filled.
- John 15:12 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
- Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Duties

Ministers shall:

preach Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, and that He was born of the Virgin Mary, being spiritually conceived, thus taking upon himself the likeness of sinful flesh-and for sin condemned in the flesh: Refer to Romans 8:3 and to Luke 1 :26- 38.
preach the baptism of the Holy Ghost: Refer to St. Matthew 3: 11 and Acts 2:1-4.
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ on basis of unity and in harmony with the true faith of this Church in the holy word of God by rightly dividing the word of truth, and to assure the accuracy and certainty of a true and rightly divided gospel of the Holy Bible and of Jesus Christ, preached on the basis of unity in the true faith of The Church of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of The Truth, Which He Purchased With His Own Blood, Inc.
refrain from preaching or teaching any strange doctrine of any sect or denomination, or that of any imagination or thought about the word of God, the Prophets or I the Apostles, that they may be able to harmonize in the true faith of this Church in the word of God: Refer to the second Epistle of John 10:11 and Galatians 2: 1 – 2, and to the Apostle Peter in the second chapter, verses 3-18.

A member who has been called to the Ministry to preach or teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ may serve as a Reverend of the Church. Following three (3) years service, a Reverend is eligible to apply to the License and Ordination Committee to become a Licensed and Ordained Minister.