At Furukawa Evangelical Free Church, the following 12 Articles of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of Japan are the foundation of our understanding of the faith. The Articles of Faith are a list of the central doctrines (summaries of teachings) taught in the Bible, and are the clearest expression of our position on how we understand the Bible. It is a technical text, so if you would like to know briefly what the creed says, we recommend this page.
Articles of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of Japan
- Believing the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible and inspired Word of God in the original, the complete revelation of God’s will for man’s salvation, and the divine and ultimate authority for the faith and life of all Christians.
- Believing in one God, the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe that Jesus Christ is the true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and that He died as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross, as the Bible says. And we believe that He is the Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead in the flesh, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Almighty on high, as our Lord and Helper.
- Believing that the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, to cause people to acknowledge their sins in the present age, to renew believing sinners, to indwell believers for pious living and service, and to guide, teach, and empower them.
- Believing that man is created in the image of God and lost because of his fall into sin, and that man is given salvation and spiritual life only through the new birth by the Holy Spirit.
- Believing that the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the sole basis for the justification and salvation of all who believe, and that only those who accept Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and become children of God.
- Believing that water baptism and the sacrament of the Lord are sacraments to be observed by the Church in our time. But they are not to be regarded as means of salvation.
- Believing that the true Church is composed of all who are born again of the Holy Spirit through saving faith in Jesus Christ and are united to His body, of which He is the head.
- Believing that only those who are members of the true Church are eligible for local church membership.
- Believing that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church, and that all local churches have the right to determine and administer their own affairs under Him.
- Believing in the imminent, pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This “blessed hope” is of great significance in the personal life and faith of the believer.
- Believing in the bodily resurrection of the dead. Believers will resurrect to eternal blessedness and joy in union with the Lord, and unbelievers resurrect to judgment and eternally conscious punishment.
*Notice
The articles stated above is originally the translation of older version of “Statement of Faith – Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)“. It is not the same as the EFCA’s original statement, but a machine translation from Japanese text. So please understand there may be the difference from the original English one.