We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments in their entirety, to be the verbally inspired Word of God.  They are the final authority for faith and practice. The Scriptures are inerrant in the original manuscripts, infallible and God-breathed. (I Corinthians 2:12-13; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
 
THE GODHEAD
 
We believe that God is Triune; that there are three eternal, co-equal, divine persons in the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and these three are one God.  They are identical in nature and attributes and are worthy of our worship and obedience. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:18; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14
 
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
 
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14, 18; Philippians 2:5-9 ; Hebrews 1:3,  8)
 
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; that His shed blood is the only atonement for sin; and that all who by personal faith trust Him as Savior are freely justified and stand before God accepted in Christ.  This justification is made sure by the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; I Peter 1:3-5, 18-19, 2:24)
 
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24)
 
We believe in that “Blessed Hope,” the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom. (John 14:1-2; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:7)
 
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
 
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14)
 
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth and that it is the privilege of all believers to be controlled by the Spirit. He is the believer’s abiding Comforter, ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to occupy us with our Lord instead of with ourselves or our experiences. (John 16:13; I Corinthians 13; Ephesians 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
 
We believe that God created Adam directly from the dust of the earth and Eve from Adam’s rib. (Genesis 1:27, 2:21-22 ; Psalm 139:14; Mark  10:6)
 
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:112)

 

We believe that God created male and female 
 
SALVATION
 
We believe that salvation is the gift of God; that in grace He bestows eternal life upon any person who by faith trusts the Lord Jesus Christ as his own Savior from sin; that such a person passes immediately out of spiritual death into spiritual life, becoming a child of God. (John 1:12, 3:16, 5:24; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9)
 
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever.  It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 10:2730; Romans 8:38-39, 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 3:1-4; I John 5:13)
 
THE TWO NATURES OF THE BELIEVER
 
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:13, 8:1213; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24 ; I Peter  1:14-116)
 
SEPARATION
 
We believe that all the saved are called to live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded by God. (Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Ephesians 5:11; II Timothy 2:19, 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17)
 
MISSIONS
 
We believe that it is incumbent upon all believers to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all men everywhere. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8 ; II Corinthians  5:18-20)
 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
 
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of His gifts; and that each believer is engifted by the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that speaking in tongues and working of sign miracles, which were evident in the apostolic age, gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (I Corinthians 12:411, 13:8-10; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:3-4)
 
We believe that when it is God’s will and when it is accomplished for His eternal glory, He will perform physical healing in answer to the prayer of faith. ( John 14:12-14, 15:7; I John  5:14-15)
 
THE CHURCH
 
We believe the Church had its beginning on the day of Pentecost and will continue on this earth till the Rapture; and that this beginning was a new entity in God’s program and is not to be confused with Israel in the Old Testament. (Acts 2:1-4, 41-47, 4:32-37; Ephesians 2:1422)
 
We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age; and that Jesus Christ is the Head of the body; and that the entire body is to be subservient to Him. (I Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:22-27; Colossians 1:15-19)
 
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament; and that fellowship in such churches is based upon a common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior; and that no unregenerate person should ever be received into membership of a local church. (Acts 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13 ; Titus  1:5-11)
 
We believe that the Lord has committed two ordinances to the local church, namely, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
 
Water baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  This is distinctly a believer’s baptism that pictures the identification of the believer with the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.  It does not in any way grant the forgiveness of sins or confer grace to the individual. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41-42, 8:36-38)
 
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ to commemorate His death for us.  The elements used are symbolic of our Lord’s body and blood and do not grant life or convey grace to the participant.  Believers are to practice this ordinance until Christ comes again. (Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians  11:23-34)
 
We believe that the local church is autonomous and, consequently, free of any external authority or control. We also believe in the separation of church and state. (Acts 4: 17-20, 5:28-32, 13:1-4, 20:28; I Peter  5:1-4)

 
MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND HUMAN SEXUALITY
 
We affirm that the Bible clearly declares God’s expectations for the lifestyle of His redeemed people and reject the notion that Biblical standards for family life and sexual behavior are archaic and irrelevant. The Word of God is eternal and reflects the unchanging character of a holy God, Who created both sexes in His image, each having separate and distinct characteristics and functions in His eternal plan. (Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:6, 7; Gen. 1:26, 27)
 
We affirm that lifelong, church recognized, monogamous marriage between one man and one woman reflects God’s unalterable standard for the family, which is the most basic social unit. While we recognize that some elements in society have sought to redefine the family and that social realities militate against this standard, we nonetheless will uphold it in practice and in public ministry. (Genesis 2:24, 25; Proverbs 12:2; 18:22; I Timothy 3:2 , 12; Ephesians  5:22-23)
 
We affirm that human sexuality is a good gift from God and that sexual intimacy is intended by the Creator to be expressed and enjoyed without shame by a man and a woman in the context of the marriage relationship. (Genesis 2:25; Proverbs 5:15-20; Song of Solomon; I Corinthians 7:1-9; Hebrews 13:4)
 
We affirm that celibate single-ness is an honorable state in keeping with God’s will for some people. (I Corinthians 7:1 , 2, 7-9, 32; I Timothy  5:3-16)
 
We deny that sexual activity outside the marriage relationship is necessary for the full development of human personhood. The Bible clearly defines any such activity as sin. (Deuteronomy 22:1330; Proverbs 7:6-27; Romans 7:1-3; I Corinthians 5:1-5; 6:18-20; Hebrews 13:4) While the Scriptures are more explicit regarding sexual acts between people, we understand it is possible to commit sexual sin in the mind (Matthew 5:27, 28) and to misuse sexuality in marriage. (I Corinthians 7:1-5)
 
We deny that same-sex relationships constitute Biblical marriage. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:3-9; Romans 1:1832) We further deny that homosexuality, lesbianism, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, adultery, fornication, pre-marital sex, or pornography are in any way pleasing to God or consistent with His design for the family. (Exodus 20:14, 17; Leviticus 18; Matthew 5:27-30; Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 5:1-2, 9-13; 6:9-10, 13-20; 7:3-5, 7-9; Ephesians 5:3-5; I Thessalonians 4:1-8) While we recognize that the factors which contribute to such sinful practices may be many and complex, we affirm that the above are behaviors - not diseases or congenital conditions - resulting from conscious choices. (James 1:13-16) Like any other forms of sin, they can be forgiven and repudiated, though their consequences may be lifelong and far-reaching. (Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 2:1-10 ; I John  1:8-10)
 
We affirm that these lifestyle guidelines are firmly rooted in Scripture and, therefore, constitute the will of God. We further affirm that these guidelines shall serve as a basis for pastoral care and any necessary discipline in TCOR Bible Institute. We recognize that we too are sinners saved solely by the grace of God, and we, therefore, seek to exercise understanding and compassion in our ministry to those whose lives may be dominated by sexual sin. We deny that the use of these guidelines is motivated by anything other than a reverent fear of Almighty God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Judge, and our sincere desire to obey His commandments revealed in the Holy Bible. All students, faculty, staff, or anyone associated with TCOR Bible Institute must be in complete and full agreement with this statement in order to be accepted as a student or to serve at TCOR Bible Institute.
 
SATAN
 
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 4:1-13; II Corinthians 4:3-4; I Peter 5:8; Jude 6; Revelation 12:10, 20:10)
 
FUTURE EVENTS
 
We believe the order of future events will be as follows:
 
The Rapture of the Church: This event is imminent and involves the catching away of the true church, the body and bride of Christ. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
 
The Tribulation: This is a period of approximately seven years following the rapture of the Church when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the world. During this period of time the Anti-Christ will be revealed.  Great persecution and purging will come to Israel.  This period is referred to in Scripture as the time of Jacob’s trouble. (Jeremiah 30:4-7; Daniel 12:1; II Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 3:10)
 
The Second Advent and the Millennium: Jesus Christ will return with His Church, bring an end to the tribulation and rescue Israel from the Gentile world powers.  Satan will be bound, and Christ shall reign for a period of one thousand years.  It will be a reign of absolute righteousness and peace. (Isaiah 11:1-9, 65:18-25; Zechariah 14:1-4, 12-15; Revelation 19:11-15, 20:1-7)
 
The Great White Throne: Unsaved from all ages will be resurrected bodily, judged for their sins, and cast into the lake of fire to be in conscious torment forever. (Revelation 20:11-15)
 
The New Heavens and the New Earth: All who have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation will enjoy eternal bliss with God. (John 14:1-3; II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)
 
THE ETERNAL STATE
 
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
 
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are at death absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:1-9; Philippians 1:23, 3:20-21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious torment. (Luke 16:19-26; John 3:18, 36; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15)
 
THE SUPREMACY OF SCRIPTURE
 
The preceding doctrinal statement is meant to be a summary “of those things which are most surely believed among us.” It is only that—a summary.  It is neither intended to be a definitive statement of all revealed truth, nor to exhaust all that the Scriptures say concerning those doctrines listed.  Final authority, therefore, must rest not in this summary, but in the whole body of revealed truth, the Holy Scriptures, commonly known as the Bible. (Isaiah 8:19-20, 55:8-11; II Timothy 2:15)