Statement of Faith
What We Believe
Wellsprings of Freedom International is a registered Christian (501c3) non-profit organization based in Rock Island, IL. We are an evangelical inner-healing and deliverance ministry that exists to help wounded, tormented, and spiritually oppressed individuals find freedom, hope, and restoration through the power of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Trinity
We believe in the one Living and True God, both holy and loving, eternal, unlimited in power, the source of all wisdom and goodness, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Within the unity of the Godhead, there exists three persons of one essential nature, power, and eternity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 14, 16).
God the Father
We believe that the Father is the Source of all that exists in heaven or earth, whether material or spiritual. Together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, He created humankind, male and female, in His image (Genesis 1-2). Out of love, He relates to people as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward them. In love, He seeks, receives, and restores repentant sinners (Genesis 3:9, Luke 15, 19:10).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father (John 1:1-18). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, fully God and fully man. He died on the cross and was buried to be a sacrifice both for original sin and for all human transgressions and to reconcile us to God. Christ rose bodily from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven, and there intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand until He returns to judge the living and the dead at the last day (I Corinthians 15:1-8, Romans 8:31-34).
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is of the same essential nature, majesty, and glory as the Father and the Son. He is the Counselor, Comforter, and Administrator of grace to all and is the effective Agent in conviction for sin, in regeneration, in sanctification, and in glorification. He is ever-present and indwelling the believer – assuring, preserving, guiding, and empowering the believer (John 14:16-18, 26-27, 15:26, 16:7-15). He is the Giver of all spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:7).
The Authority of the Word of God
We believe that the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments constitute the Holy Scriptures. We believe that they are the inspired and infallibly written Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts and superior to all human authority, and have been transmitted to the present without corruption of any essential doctrine. We believe that they contain all things necessary to salvation (II Timothy 3:16-17). Both in the Old and New Testaments, life is offered ultimately through Jesus Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and humanity (I Timothy 2:5). The New Testament teaches Christians how to fulfill the moral principles of the Old Testament, calling for loving obedience to God and others made possible by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit (Mark 12:29-31).
God’s Purpose for Humanity
We believe that the two greatest commandments, which require us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and our neighbors as ourselves, summarize the divine law as it is revealed in the Scriptures (Mark 12:29-31). They are the perfect standard for human beings, whom God created for intimate relationship and fellowship with Him. God’s commands were given for our good and for our protection. They were given for the ordering and directing of our families, societies, and nations and for individual acts by which we are required to acknowledge God as our Supreme Lord and Ruler. All persons are created by Him and equal in all natural rights.
The Existence of Evil
We believe in the reality of Satan and evil (Genesis 3:1-15, Job 1-2, Zechariah 3:1-6, Ephesians 6:10-18), that Satan is at war with God, and that Scripture paints a clear picture of two kingdoms in conflict – the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:12-14). We believe that Satan is a fallen angel who leads an army of fallen angels called demons. Satan and his demonic forces are real, personal, supernatural beings who seek to steal, kill, and destroy God’s children and oppose the mission of Christ’s Church on Earth (John 10:10, Revelation 12:17). We believe that demonic forces can attack, influence, and oppress believers in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-4, 6:10-18).
Human Free Will
We believe that humanity’s creation in the image of God included the ability to choose between right and wrong (Genesis 3). Thus, individuals were made morally responsible for their own choices. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, people are unable, in their own strength, to do what is right. This is due to original sin, which is not simply the following of Adam’s example, but rather the corruption of the nature of each human being, and is reproduced naturally in Adam’s descendants (Romans 5:12-14). Because of this, human beings have been marred and by nature, are continually inclined to do evil. Through Jesus Christ, the grace of God makes it possible for humans to do what they cannot do on their own. God’s grace is bestowed freely upon all, enabling them to do what is right and good in God’s eyes.
The Atonement
We believe that Christ’s offering of Himself, once and for all, through His sufferings and death on the cross, provides the perfect redemption and atonement for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual (Hebrews 9-10). There are no other grounds for salvation from sin but that alone. And there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). The atonement of Christ is sufficient for every individual in the human race. It is effective in the salvation of those mentally incompetent from birth, of converted persons who have become mentally incompetent, and of children under the age of accountability. It is effective for the salvation of those who reach the age of accountability only when they repent and exercise faith in Christ.
The Church
We believe that the Christian Church is the entire body of believers in Jesus Christ, who is the Cornerstone and Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). The Church includes both those believers who have gone to be with the Lord and those who remain on earth, having renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil, and having dedicated themselves to the work which Christ committed to His church until He returns (Matthew 28:18-20). A local church is a body of believers formally organized around Gospel principles, meeting regularly for the purposes of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, worship, and service (Acts 2:42-27).
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that the Gift of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit Himself, and He is to be desired more than any of the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit, in His wise counsel, bestows spiritual gifts upon individual believers to empower them to serve and fulfill their function as members of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:1-31, Romans 12:4-8). The gifts of the Spirit are given for the purpose of building up, strengthening, and edifying the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). These gifts are to be exercised in love, under the administration of the Lord of the Church, not through human volition. The relative value of the gifts of the Spirit is to be tested by their usefulness to the Church and not by the ecstasy experienced by the ones receiving them.
Divine Healing
We believe that Jesus Christ has full authority and power to heal today. In the New Testament, physical healings were clear signs of God’s Kingdom coming to earth (Matthew 11:1-6, Luke 4:17-18). No individual or prayer team has the power to heal anyone. Only God can answer prayer and bring healing. We believe in the gift of healing mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. But even those bestowed with gift of healing can only be a pipeline through which the power of God can flow through at His discretion. We believe that all healing comes from the Lord and it is in His timing, whether it be instantaneous or progressive over time. God does answer prayer and brings miraculous healing to many, but there are times when it isn’t always God’s will to heal (II Corinthians 12:7-10, II Timothy 4:20).
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the certainty of the personal and imminent return of Jesus Christ, which should inspire holy living and zeal to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Upon His return, He will fulfill all prophecies made concerning His final and complete triumph over evil (Revelation 20).
The Judgement of All Persons
We believe that the Scriptures reveal God to be the Judge of all humankind and the acts of His judgment are based on His holiness, love, and justice. His administration of judgment will culminate in the final meeting of all persons before His throne of majesty and power, where personal records will be examined and final rewards and punishments will be administered.
The Resurrection of the Dead
We believe in the bodily resurrection from the dead of all people—of the just unto the resurrection of life, and of the unjust into eternal punishment. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foretaste and guarantee of the resurrection which will occur at Christ’s Second Coming. The raised body will be a spiritual body, but the person will be whole and identifiable (I Corinthians 15:35-58).