The LaRue Family

We believe God to be one eternal and omnipotent Being, represented by three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three operate in different ways, but they are all one and the same. The theological term for our belief is “trinity”; the biblical (correct) term is “godhead” (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9).

We believe the local New Testament church was established in its nascent form during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and given its initial procedural regulations (Matthew 18:15-20). Upon the Holy Spirit’s descending and empowering of the members of the body at Pentecost (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:2-4), the subsequent chapters reveal God’s plan for His body (Acts 2-4) to act as a unanimous collective body under the direction of Jesus Christ by the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (The fact that the murmuring and individualism of Acts 6 signaled the end to the earthly fulfillment of this plan changes nothing; the LORD will complete His plan for His body, though it will be in eternity after He cleanses her and she is presented to Him {2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:26-27}.) The local church is the only God-ordained organism on this earth, established to carry out the last standing orders given by Christ Himself (Acts 1:8), and is made up of individuals with a profession of faith that have been baptized by immersion in water in obedience to the pattern left by our Saviour, and to observe the LORD’s Table, which is a memorial of Christ’s death, looking forward to His return. Its two offices, bishop and deacon, are the only biblical positions of leadership in the New Testament church.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, making the way for sinners to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, according to Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), received by him from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). This is the Death, the Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: nothing more and nothing less is involved in the Salvation of the unbeliever. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10, 13; Titus 3:5)

Every individual has a free will (Luke 13:34; Jonah 3:10; Exodus 32:12-14; 1 Samuel 15:1; Jeremiah 18:8; 26:19, etc.) that is separate from his depraved, fallen nature, born in the image of Adam. The Bible tells us that God has dealt to all men the measure of faith (Romans 12:3), and that while the work of Salvation is solely that of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 2:10-15), the work is “begun” in the believer (Philippians 1:6) at the moment of Salvation, and is continued solely by the power of God until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Thus, while God’s sovereignty is involved, it is His desire that all men should repent and that none should perish, and this applies to all mankind, not simply to an “elect” that was somehow predetermined to be saved.

The election of God is upon the body of Christ, the Church, and not individuals. It is a collective thing, and not an individual one. Out of the 27 uses of the word “elect” and its derivatives, the first is a reference to Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1) as is 2 Peter 2:6, the next 10 references concern Israel (plus Romans 9:11; 11:28; 2 Timothy 2:10 {cf. Romans 9:3-4; 10:1}), and the majority of the remainder apply either to individuals (1 Peter 1:2; 2 John 1, 13), one reference to angels, and the rest to the Church as a group. So, no, I do not believe in the “predestination” of individuals as is generally taught by those who teach what they call “the doctrines of ‘grace.’” I reject all five tenets of “Calvinism” (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints) as unbiblical and completely contrary to sound doctrine.

That being said, I do believe that while Salvation is a free gift offered to all, the Holy Spirit will work in an individual’s life at certain times to convict them. This is why Paul warned the Corinthians that “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). A man is always able to be saved, but without the drawing of the Holy Spirit, he won’t.

Finally, the argument is always made by “grace” believers (I believe in the Grace of God too, thank you) that only those that are drawn to Christ by the Spirit will be saved. To that I always point out that Christ said “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). He was lifted up (John 3:14), and He does draw all men unto Himself. Some just refuse to come – they “would not” (Matthew 23:37).

The Bible clearly states that once a person receives Jesus Christ’s finished atoning work, he is eternally secure through Christ, having nothing to do with his own spiritual standing (Ephesians 4:30). However, the spiritual state, or relationship with God, on a day to day basis, is contingent upon that individual’s obedience to the Scriptures, in such things as personal walk with Christ, good works (Ephesians 2:10), and the carrying out of the ministry of reconciliation given to us by God (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

We believe that Jesus Christ will appear in like manner as He left the earth, returning in Glory to catch away all those who have trusted on His name. This occurrence precedes what is commonly referred to as “the Tribulation,” a seven year* time period where hell will literally be unleashed on earth, and the Man of Sin (Satan incarnate) himself will reign. At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints and conquer all the armies that oppose God’s chosen people, the Jews, and will cast into Hell Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet. Jesus Christ will then set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth, reigning and ruling from Jerusalem for a thousand years. After one thousand years are completed, Satan will be loosed for a little season, and will one last time lead a rebellion against the LORD. One final time, all of the enemies of God will be completely consumed, along with the earth and the very fabric of reality itself, and all of lost humanity will stand before the Righteous Judge at the Great White Throne Judgement. Those not written in the Book of Life will be cast into a literal, eternal, burning lake of fire, along with the unholy trinity, and at the end of this judgement, Jesus Christ, the Creator, will recreate the universe again, ex nihilo, in the way that it was originally intended to be, and the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of Christ’s Bride (Ephesians 2:22), will descend to the earth, to be inhabited for the Ages by those who were washed in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.

Even so come, LORD Jesus!

*Nowhere in the book of Revelation is the “Tribulation” referenced as being seven years. This common teaching is based on placing the death of Jesus Christ at the end of the 69th Week of Daniel. While I teach this position, I cannot ignore the fact that the theory that the tribulation is only 3.5 years long (42 months, 1,260 days, “a time, times, and half a time,” etc.) based on the wording of Daniel 9:25-26, has merit and should be considered. Regardless, the rapture of the church is a pre-tribulation rapture, as the church will NOT be present for “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” Whether the time be 7 years or 3.5 years doesn’t truly affect our doctrine today; it is mostly speculation on prophecy that we likely won’t fully understand until after it all takes place.