OUR FAITH

Core Beliefs

The following are the core beliefs of Rivers of Life Church Toronto based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
The Holy Bible
We believe it is given by inspiration of God and is infallible. It is written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in 66 books. We believe it is the living and powerful word of God. It is God’s perfect revelation to man, and we believe it is entirely sufficient for man’s knowledge of the truth pertaining to his salvation, behavior, knowledge of God, and his relationship with Him.
References: 2 Tim. 3:16-17 | 2 Pet. 1:21 | Heb. 4:12 | Luk. 16:29 
GOD
We believe in one God, eternal, everlasting, self-being, and Omnipotent. We believe that God is three persons (hypostases): the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that the three hypostases are equal in all divine attributes. We believe that the three hypostases (persons) are distinct yet not separated; as each hypostasis has some of His own works that cannot be attributed to the other two hypostases, for example, the incarnation of the Son. We also believe that the three hypostases are united without mixing, thus, the hypostasis of the Father is not the hypostasis of the Son.
References: Deut. 6:4 | Psa. 90:2 | Psa. 119:68 | Matt. 28:19 | 1 Tim. 2:5 | 1 Jhn. 4 :4 
Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the hypostasis of the Son united in essence, from everlasting to everlasting, with the two hypostases of the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is equal to them in all divine attributes. We believe in His divinity, that He is eternal, everlasting, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and all things were made through Him. We believe in His humanity, that since His incarnation, He became both God and Man at the same time. When the fullness of the time had come, He took for Himself a real body, free from sin, formed in the womb of the Virgin by the Holy Spirit coming upon her; and that as a Man, He knew no sin. We believe that His divinity has never parted from His humanity, and that He is One hypothesis. We believe that He died in the flesh on the cross for our sins, He rose again from the dead on the third day with a glorified body, He ascended to the heavens, and sat down at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for the believers constantly. We also believe that there is no salvation in any other than Him and that He is the head of the church, who are the true believers everywhere in all eras.
References: Jhn. 1:3 & 14 | Phil. 2:6 | Matt. 1:18-23 | Luk. 1:35 | 1 Jhn. 3:5 | 1 Cor. 15:3-5 | Heb. 5:8, 9:24 | 1 Jhn. 2:1, Acts 4:12
The Holy Spirit
We believe that He is equal hypostasis to the Father and the Son and is united with them in one essence. We believe it is He who convicts the sinner and leads him to repentance, it is He who gives birth to him as a child of God with a new nature, and we believe that He dwells in every believer. We also believe in the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, to be filled with power to have victory over sin, and for the fruitful witness of the Lord Jesus. We believe in the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given to the believer for the edification of the church, and that the Holy Spirit works in the believers for the glory of the Lord Jesus.
References: Acts 5:3- 4 | Jhn. 16:8 | Jhn. 3:7 | 1 Cor. 3:16 | Acts 2:4 | Gal. 5:22 | 1 Cor. 12 | Jhn. 16:14
Man
We believe that every human is born with a fallen nature which he inherited from Adam after his fall; this is why every human committed sins causing him to deserve the second death, which is eternal destruction. We also believe that man cannot save himself from this punishment by his own works.
References: Gen. 3 | Psa. 51:5 | Rom. 3:10-12 | Rom. 5:12 | Rev. 20:11-15 | Tit. 3:5
Salvation
We believe that salvation from eternal punishment is through grace, which is a free gift from God given only on account of Christ’s perfect propitiation (atonement). We believe that the sinner receives salvation through his heartfelt faith in the Lord Jesus, when he turns away from his sins and accepts the Lord, his sins are forgiven and is born again, so he becomes a child of God and a temple of the Holy Spirit.
References: Eph. 2:8 | Jhn. 3:16-18 | Rom. 3:24-25 | Jhn. 1:12-13 
The Invisible World
We believe in the existence of angels. We also believe in the existence of Satan and his kingdom. We believe that angels are God’s ministers, and they come to our earth to uphold the believers and protect them. We believe that the forces of Satan’s kingdom fight against the believer and their goal is to take away his privileges, to bind him by sin and weakness, and to hinder his success. What gives them the opportunity is the believer who continues to welcome sin or does not resist it. We believe that the believer has authority over Satan and his kingdom, considering that the believer’s position is higher, as he sits in Christ in the heavenly places, so he has the right to cast out the evil spirits in the name of Christ. He must also resist Satan by putting on the (whole) armour of God, so he flees from him. The believer must use his authority to conquer.
References: Heb. 1:14 | Eph. 4:17 | Deut. 28:48 | 1 Thess. 2:18 | Luk. 10:19 | Eph. 1:20-22 | Eph. 2:6 | Mrk. 16:17 | Eph. 6:11 | Jas. 4:7

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