Greater Than Life Ministries
OUR BELIEFS
THE BIBLE
The Bible is the Word of God and contains one harmonious and sufficiently complete system of doctrine. Greater Than Life Ministries believes in the full inspiration of the Word of God, and holds the Word of God to be the only authority in all matters and assert that no doctrine can be true or essential, if it does not find a place in this Word.
THE TRIUNE GOD
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11). Christ taught a distinction of persons in the Triune godhead which He expressed in specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but that this distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable, incomprehensible, and as such cannot be explained (Matthew 11:25-27; 28:19; Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 1:3, 4).
A. THE FATHER
God is the Almighty Father, the Author and Creator of all things. The Old Testament reveals God in diverse manners, by manifesting his nature, character, and dominions. The Gospels in the New Testament give us knowledge of God the “Father” or “My Father”, showing the relationship of God to Jesus as Father, or representing Him as the Father in the Godhead, and Jesus himself that Son (John 15:8, 14:20). Jesus also gives God the distinction of “Fatherhood” to all believers when he explains God in the light of “Your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 6:8).
B. THE SON
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Second person in the Godhead of the Triune Godhead. Jesus was and is eternal in his person and nature as the Son of God who was with God in the beginning of creation (John 1:1). We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin called Mary according to the scripture (Matthew 1:18), thus giving rise to our fundamental belief in the Virgin Birth and to all of the miraculous events surrounding the phenomenon (Matthew 1:18-25). We believe that Jesus Christ became the “suffering servant” to man; this suffering servant came seeking to redeem man from sin and to reconcile him back to God, his Father (Romans 5:10). We believe that Jesus Christ is standing now as mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5)
C. THE HOLY GHOST
The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and He proceeds from the Father and the Son, is of the same substance, equal to power and glory, and is together with the Father and the Son, to be believed in, obeyed, and worshipped. The Holy Ghost is a gift bestowed upon the believer for the purpose of equipping and empowering the believer, making him a more effective witness for service in the world. He teaches and guides one into all truth (John 16:13; Acts 1:8, 8:39).
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST
The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an experience subsequent to conversion and sanctification. Although the presence and power of the Holy spirit is required for the enactment of Salvation, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not required in order to be saved (Acts 19:1-6; John 3:5). As with the early church, when one receives a baptismal Holy Ghost experience, signs of the Baptism include Speaking in Tongues and the manifestation of the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 10:46, 19:1-6) in the believer’s life.
The term Spirit-Filled or Filled with the Spirit refers to the believer’s inward condition after being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Being Spirit filled also means to allow oneself to be controlled by the Holy Ghost as expressed by Paul in Ephesians 5:18-19. Since the charismatic demonstrations were necessary to help the early church to be successful in implementing the commands of Christ, it is therefore believed that the same Holy Ghost experience is mandatory for our continued success as a church today.
MAN
Man was created by God, he was formed in the image and likeness of God’s Will (Genesis 1:27). Man’s nature was pure and godly, but after the fall in the Garden of Eden through his disobedience, man’s nature became sinful and unholy. Thus, all men are born with a sinful nature (Romans 3:23), are separated from the life of God, and can only be saved through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20–23). Being born in sin, he needs to be born again, sanctified and cleansed from all sins by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
We believe that man’s salvation is received through confessing and forsaking his sins, repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By which the Holy Spirit does the work of washing, regeneration, and renewal; justifying man by grace through faith, so that man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7). That he may, and should, claim the inheritance of the sons of God, namely the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
SIN
Sin, the Bible teaches, began in the angelic world (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-20), and is transmitted into the blood of the human race through disobedience and deception motivated by unbelief (I Timothy 2:14). Adam’s sin, committed by eating of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, carried with it a permanent pollution and depraved nature for all his descendants. This is called “original sin.” Sin can now be defined as a volitional transgression against God and a lack of conformity to His Will. We, therefore, conclude that man by nature is sinful, and that he has fallen from the glorious and righteous state in which he was originally created, becoming unrighteous and unholy. Man, therefore, must be restored to a new state of holiness in Christ, by being born again (John 3:7).
SALVATION
Salvation deals with the application of the work of redemption to the sinner with his restoration to divine favor, communion, and relationship with God. This redemptive operation of the Holy Ghost upon sinners is brought about by repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ which brings conversion, faith, justification regeneration, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is the work of God, which results in a change of mind in respect to man’s relationship to God. (Matthew 3:1-2, 4:17; Acts 20:21).
Faith is a certain conviction wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the Gospel and creates a heartfelt trust in the promises of God in Christ (Romans 1:17, 3:28; Matthew 9:22; Acts 26:18). Conversion is that act of God whereby He causes the regenerated sinner, in his conscious life, to turn to Him in repentance and faith
(II Kings 5:15; II Chronicles 33:12-13; Luke 19:8, 9; Acts 8:30).
Regeneration is that act of God by which the seed of the new life is implanted in man, and the governing disposition of soul is made holy and the first holy exercise of this new disposition is secured. Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Ghost, by which He delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God and enables him to perform good works (Romans 6:4;5:6; Colossians 2:12; 3:1).
ANGELS
We believe in the reality and personality of angels. We believe that God created the angels to be His servants and messengers (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:2; Hebrews 1:14). The word angel translates to messenger or ambassador, and is used to primarily denote a higher order of creation than man. Angels are spiritual beings which were created to praise, serve, worship, and do God’s Will (Matthew 18:10; Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:6-7; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:10; 22:9). The Bible indicates that as they accompanied God in the Creation, that they will also accompany Christ in His return in Glory.
DEMONS
Demons denote unclean or evil spirits; they are sometimes called devils or demonic beings. They are evil spirits, belonging to the unseen or spiritual realm, embodied in human forms. The Old Testament refers to the prince of demons, sometimes called Satan (Adversary) or Devil, as having power and wisdom, taking the habitation of other forms such as the serpent (Genesis 3:1). The New Testament speaks of the Devil as Tempter (Matthew 4:3) and it goes on to tell the works of Satan, the Devil, and demons as combating righteousness and good in any form, proving to be an adversary to the saints.
Their chief power is exercised to destroy the mission of Jesus Christ. Although it can be said that the Christian Church believes in the reality of demons and devils, and that they have limited power and purpose; we also know and believe that they can be subdued and conquered by the believer in the name/authority of Jesus Christ. For He stated, “In my name they shall cast out Satan and the work of the Devil and to resist him and then he will flee (withdraw) from you.” (Mark 16:17 and James 4:7).
THE CHURCH
The Church is a spiritual body composed of born-again believers (saints), of which Christ is the divine head (Ephesians 1:22–23). It is animated by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit; It professes one faith and hope, Christ Jesus; and has one focus to honour and serve, GOD the Father. The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, are born again of the Holy Spirit, and are committed to relationship and service to GOD. It is the citadel of the Truth and God’s primary agency for communicating spiritual blessings to this world. Especially as it operates as God’s Hands in hospitality, charity, loving-kindness, and correction so that the truth of God may be known by all. For the Church was commissioned by Christ to go into all the world as a witness, preaching and teaching the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the second coming of Christ; that He shall come from heaven to earth, personally, bodily, visibly (Acts 1:11;
Titus 2:11-13; Matthew 16:27; 24:30; 25:30; Luke 21:27; John 1:14, 17; Titus 2:11) and that the Church, the bride, will be caught up to meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians, 4:16-17).
DIVINE HEALING
GTLM believes in and practices Divine Healing. It is a commandment of Jesus to the Apostles (Mark 16:18). Jesus affirms his teachings on healing by explaining to His Disciples, who were to be Apostles, that healing the afflicted is by faith (Luke 9:40-41). Therefore, we believe that healing by faith in God has scriptural support and ordained authority. James’ writings in his epistle encourage Elders to pray for the sick, lay hands upon them and to anoint them with oil, and that prayers with faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise them up. Healing is still practiced widely and frequently in the Church, and testimonies of divine/miraculous healings testify to the validity of this fact.
MIRACLES
GTLM believes that miracles occur to convince men that the Bible is God’s Word. A miracle can be defined as an extraordinary visible act of Divine power, wrought by the efficient agency of the will of God, which has as its final cause the vindication of the righteousness of God’s word. We believe that the works of God, which were performed during the beginnings of Christianity, still occur today where God’s Word is believed, Faith in Christ is exercised, and the Holy Spirit is present (Acts 5:15; 6:8; 9:40; Luke 4:36, 7:14-15; 5:5-6; Mark 14:15).