Bethany International holds to the inerrancy of Holy Scripture and the widely accepted declarations of evangelical faith, including the Apostle's Creed.
Because the founding of Bethany was related to a particular understanding of the truth regarding holiness and global missions, we desire to articulate in just a few words our beliefs about these themes.
We believe that God, in His great love, has called us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be saved from the power of sin and to live our lives for Him in holiness and obedient service. When we received salvation, we entered into a personal relationship with His Son, marked by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Holiness begins in us when we receive His gift of salvation and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. At that same time, we receive the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit which releases us from sin's control and awakens in us a desire to live righteously. As we seek to live a truly holy life, the Holy Spirit makes us aware that even our strongest efforts fail and that we need to be fully delivered by God from our selfishness and sinfulness. We discover that only the Holy Spirit can enable us to be in practice what God has declared us to be in Scripture - His holy people.
This understanding is more than a mental awareness; it is a revelation from God accompanied by a divine call to actively take hold of all that God has provided for us in Christ to make us holy. We believe that, through the Cross of Christ, we can be freed from sin's control and from selfish desires. We can enter into a living, vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit who then fills us and works Christ's character into us and reveals it through us. This experience, which we call sanctification, is initiated by an act of faith and full surrender to God and is not the result of human effort, self-initiated works, acts of willpower, or modified behavior. It continues as a process in which we mature in grace, truth, faith, love, understanding, and power.
Sanctification does not eliminate our distinct personality, nor does it exempt us from being tempted or from the need for cleansing if we sin. As believers we must live our lives trusting daily in His cleansing and in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. As members of His body, Christ wants us to live this life of holiness in relationships of mutual accountability and encouragement.
