Our Beliefs

Teaching To Transform and Harlan Betz are guided by the following truths:

BIBLE We believe that every word in the original writings of the Holy Scriptures is inspired by God and without error. The Word of God is our final authority for what we believe and for how we behave.

GOD – We believe that there is only one true God; but in the unity of the Godhead there are three co-equal and co-eternal persons… the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are the same in essence and attributes, but they are distinct in existence and identity.

MAN - Man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam all mankind fell into sin with the result that all men are sinners, hopelessly sinful in themselves apart from the grace of God.

JESUS CHRIST - The eternal Son of God was born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.  He voluntarily laid down his life, bearing the sins of the world, and he was bodily raised from the dead, providing hope for all who would believe in Him.

SALVATION - Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again.  Our redemption is accomplished solely by His blood.  Eternal life is a free gift, and comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  No other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, walking an aisle, or faithful service, are to be added to believing as a condition for salvation.

ASSURANCE - All who are born of the Spirit through faith in Christ can have assurance of salvation based solely on the Word of God. Their assurance of eternal life is based on the facts of God’s Word, not on the feelings of their heart, nor on the actions of their life.

THE HOLY SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit is a divine eternal person.  He is not just an influence; He has intellect, emotions, and will of His own.  The present ministry of the Holy Spirit is in restraining sin in the world and convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement.  He also regenerates believers in Christ, baptizes them into the church (the body of Christ), indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills those yielded to Him.

CHURCH – The church is composed of all those who trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection as the full and final payment for their sins between Pentecost and the Rapture. The church is the body and bride of Christ.

The universal church is composed of all believers that are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ.  The church is to love God, love one another, and love the lost. Her mission is to serve her Head, Jesus Christ, making disciples of all nations. The church’s blessed hope is to be raptured up to meet the Lord and forever to be with the Lord.

The local church is a group of believers who physically join together to worship God, teach the Word, fellowship with the saints, observe the ordinances, and reach out to the lost in the hopes of seeing them place their faith in Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior.

Future Things - The blessed hope of the imminent return of the Lord for His Church (the rapture) is to be followed in order by:  the tribulation; the second coming of Christ to the earth; the establishment of the reign of Christ on earth for one thousand years; then both the eternal state of punishment for the unsaved and the eternal state of blessing for the saved.