What We Believe
THE REMNANT BIBLE ACADEMY
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Effective Date: July 3, 2026
Last Updated: July 3, 2026
“Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
— Jude 3 (NKJV)
Preface
This Statement of Faith represents the doctrinal convictions taught and upheld by The Remnant Bible Academy (“RBA”, “the Academy”). It governs the content of every course, every instructor, and every discussion held within RBA’s classrooms and community spaces. These convictions were not assembled as an academic exercise; they were forged through years of serious immersion in Scripture, sober engagement with church history and theology, and pastoral experience in real ministry.
RBA welcomes students from across the Body of Christ and values multi-denominational fellowship. At the same time, RBA does not hold itself out as theologically neutral. Instruction offered through the Academy reflects the doctrinal convictions set forth below, and students should understand this Statement as the lens through which all course content is taught.
This Statement is organized into two parts. Part One sets forth the specific doctrinal distinctives that most clearly define RBA’s theological position relative to the wider landscape of Christian tradition. Part Two presents the full, article-by-article Statement of Faith that governs the Academy’s teaching in every area of Christian doctrine.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — II Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV)
David B. Fore, D.D.
Founder & Lead Instructor, The Remnant Bible Academy
PART ONE | DOCTRINAL DISTINCTIVES
The following distinctives identify the specific doctrinal positions that shape RBA’s teaching. Each is stated plainly, with its biblical grounding and its relationship to the wider landscape of Christian tradition, so that prospective students understand clearly what they will be taught.
1. Holy Boldness (Parrēsia) as the Initial Evidence of Spirit Baptism — Not Tongues
RBA affirms that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a real, definite, post-conversion experience — but explicitly and consciously departs from the position, formulated by Charles F. Parham in 1901, that speaking in tongues (glossolalia) is its required initial evidence. The biblical evidence points elsewhere: the second filling of the Spirit recorded in Acts 4:31 produced boldness (Greek: parrēsia), not tongues; Acts 4:13 identifies this boldness as the observable evidence that Peter and John ‘had been with Jesus’; and Paul explicitly teaches that not all believers speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30), since tongues is one gift among nine, distributed as the Spirit wills.
RBA holds that the initial, outward, observable evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a supernatural enduement of holy boldness — a transformed courage, freedom of witness, and willingness to suffer for Christ if called upon, even unto martyrdom.
2. Progressive Sanctification Beginning at Conversion
RBA holds that sanctification is an ongoing, progressive, cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the believer, beginning at the moment of regeneration and continuing throughout the believer’s life until glorification. This position affirms the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition’s passionate commitment to holy living while explicitly rejecting the specific doctrine of Entire Sanctification as a separate, instantaneous second work of grace that eradicates the inward bent toward sin. Sanctification begins at conversion, not in a subsequent crisis.
3. Sovereign Divine Healing — Available, Not Automatic
RBA believes unequivocally that divine healing is provided for in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and that prayer for healing, anointing with oil, and the laying on of hands are standard, expected practices of Spirit-filled ministry. At the same time, RBA holds the Sovereignty of God as an essential governing principle: healing is real and available, but it is administered according to God’s sovereign will and timing, not guaranteed automatically upon sufficient faith. Medicine is not spiritually inferior, and receiving medical treatment is not an expression of unbelief. RBA explicitly rejects the Word of Faith / Health-and-Wealth doctrine that frames healing as a right God is obligated to grant.
4. Three Ordinances: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Foot Washing
RBA recognizes three ordinances of the Gospel, drawn directly from the New Testament pattern: Christian Baptism by full immersion of believers, the Lord’s Supper, and Foot Washing. This three-ordinance position, drawn from the Free Will Baptist heritage, sets RBA apart from the majority of Protestant bodies that recognize only two. Foot Washing, instituted by Christ in John 13:1–17, is understood as a binding ordinance of humility, not a cultural relic. All three ordinances are symbolic rather than sacramental — they do not impart saving grace.
5. Neither Fully Calvinist nor Fully Arminian — A Biblical Middle Ground
RBA holds that neither the Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) nor classical Arminianism in its fullest form gives a complete account of the biblical data on salvation, election, and free will. RBA affirms total depravity, prevenient grace (God’s grace working in all people prior to conversion, enabling a genuine response), genuine human free will alongside God’s sovereignty, universal atonement (Christ died for all, not merely an elect subset), and conditioned perseverance (believers have strong grounds to persevere, but willful apostasy is genuinely possible). This position, historically held by the Free Will Baptist tradition, represents a serious third way between Calvinist determinism and Arminian synergism.
RBA fully affirms the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation — Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria — as permanently binding, while holding them without the deterministic Calvinist framework that has sometimes been bundled with them. See Article 30 for the full treatment.
6. Explicit Trinitarian Orthodoxy — Oneness Doctrine Rejected
RBA is unambiguously, explicitly, and without qualification Trinitarian, affirming the classical formulation of one God existing eternally in three co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. RBA identifies Oneness (‘Jesus Only’ or ‘Apostolic’) Pentecostal theology as a heretical departure from biblical and orthodox Christianity, and does not recognize Oneness credentials, ordinations, or baptism as valid.
7. An Ongoing Season of Spiritual Outpouring
RBA holds that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit described in Joel 2:28–32 and inaugurated at Pentecost (Acts 2) is not a single, completed historical event, but a continuous season of the Spirit’s work that began at Pentecost, has continued through every genuine Spirit-empowered revival across church history, and will culminate in a final, worldwide outpouring before the Rapture of the Church — marked above all by holiness and holy boldness in witness, drawing together believers from every nation, tribe, tongue, and denominational tradition.
8. Premillennial and Pre-Tribulational Eschatology
RBA holds to an imminent, personal, bodily, premillennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ, with a pre-tribulational Rapture of the Church preceding a seven-year Great Tribulation, followed by Christ’s literal millennial reign on earth, and culminating in the final judgment and the eternal state.
9. The Pentecost of Acts 2 Distinguished from Classical Pentecostal Doctrine
RBA distinguishes between the Pentecost of Acts 2 as a historical, scriptural event and the specific ‘initial evidence’ doctrine formulated by the Classical Pentecostal movement beginning in 1901. RBA affirms the full New Testament pattern of Spirit-filling recorded across the book of Acts, without adopting the retroactive doctrinal framework that Classical Pentecostalism imposed on that narrative.
10. Full Continuationism — All Gifts of the Spirit Operational Today
RBA is fully and without reservation continuationist. All nine gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 are affirmed to be resident in the Holy Spirit and operative in the Body of Christ today, distributed sovereignly as the Spirit wills. Cessationism — the doctrine that miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles or the completion of the New Testament canon — is explicitly rejected as without scriptural basis.
11. A Separatist Lifestyle Without Pacifism or Political Withdrawal
RBA maintains a clear commitment to holy, visibly distinct Christian living, including positions on temperance, worldly amusements, the sanctity of biblical marriage, and observance of the Lord’s Day. RBA is not pacifist — the defense of life, family, community, and nation by legitimate means is consistent with Christian responsibility. RBA is also not apolitical — Christians are called to bring biblical values to bear in the public square, though RBA does not align with any single political party or platform.
12. New Testament Giving — Not Mandatory Tithing
RBA holds that the Old Testament tithe is not binding upon New Testament believers as a legal standard. New Testament giving is Spirit-led, freewill, cheerful, proportional, and responsive to the needs of the Body of Christ — not defined by a mandatory percentage.
13. The Ministry of Deliverance as Standard Practice
RBA affirms that the casting out of demons in the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ is a standard, ongoing ministry of the Spirit-baptized believer — not an exceptional or specially-qualified practice. This ministry is understood as the gateway to inner healing and the wholeness of the whole person: spirit, soul, and body.
14. The Five-Fold Ministry — Non-Hierarchical, Non-Exclusive, and Fully Active
RBA holds that Ephesians 4:11 describes five distinct, non-hierarchical ministry offices — Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher — given by Christ to equip the saints for the work of ministry, not to perform all of that ministry on the congregation’s behalf. RBA explicitly rejects any model that ranks these offices in a descending ladder of authority, and holds that every genuine, God-called Pastor and Teacher already fully occupies that Five-Fold office — there is no elite tier operating above the ordinary church. Soul-winning is understood as the calling of the whole equipped congregation, not the exclusive responsibility of the clergy.
15. Women in Ministry — Broadly Affirmed, with the Pastoral Exception
RBA fully affirms women in ministry across a wide range of functions and offices, including the Five-Fold offices of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, and Teacher, as well as roles as deaconesses, teachers, prophets, evangelists, church planters, and ministry leaders. RBA maintains one restriction, grounded in the gender-specific apostolic qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6: women are not to hold the office of Pastor. This restriction is not a statement about spiritual capacity, anointing, or calling, but a specific apostolic instruction regarding one governing office.
PART TWO | THE STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following articles constitute the full, governing Statement of Faith of The Remnant Bible Academy.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — II Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV)
We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Bible. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God, free from any error, and is the final authority in all matters pertaining to the Faith and Life of the Believer — the Old and New Testaments, written by men divinely inspired, and God’s revealed will to man. They are the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, religious experience, and theological opinion shall be tried. No spiritual experience, prophetic utterance, vision, or claim of the Holy Spirit’s leading may contradict the clear teaching of Scripture. Where spiritual experience and Scripture appear to conflict, Scripture governs — always and without exception.
RBA affirms the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura — Scripture Alone as the supreme, final, and sufficient authority over all matters of faith, doctrine, and practice. All theological claims, spiritual experiences, prophetic utterances, and ecclesiastical teachings must be measured by and submitted to the clear teaching of Scripture. This is held in distinction from a cessationist application of the principle: Sola Scriptura does not mean the Spirit has ceased to work miraculously — it means His miraculous work must be tested by and grounded in the Scripture He Himself inspired.
II Timothy 3:16–17; I Peter 1:20–21; II Peter 1:19–21; Psalm 119:105, 130
The Scriptures teach that there is only one true and living God — Spirit, self-existent, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, good, wise, holy, just, and merciful; the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of the universe; the Redeemer, Savior, Sanctifier, and Judge of men. He is the only proper object of divine worship.
This one God exists eternally in three co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit — distinct from one another, yet one God in essence, substance, and being. This is the Trinitarian faith delivered once for all to the saints, confirmed at Nicaea (325 A.D.) and affirmed without qualification. We explicitly reject as heresy every form of Oneness theology, ‘Jesus Only’ doctrine, and Modalism, which deny the personal distinctions within the Godhead.
Jeremiah 10:10; I John 5:20; John 4:24; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 48:16; John 1:1–3; Acts 5:3–4; I Peter 1:2
God exercises providential care and superintendence over all His creatures and governs the world in wisdom and mercy according to His Word. God has endowed man with powers of free choice and governs him by moral laws and motives; the power of free choice is the exact measure of man’s responsibility. All events are present with God from everlasting to everlasting, but His knowledge of them does not in any sense cause them, nor does He decree all events that He knows will occur. We reject both the deterministic Calvinist position that human choices are ultimately caused by God, and any position that so elevates human freedom as to leave God’s governance of history to chance.
Psalm 97:1–2; Isaiah 33:22; Deuteronomy 30:19; Isaiah 1:18–20; John 5:40; Ezekiel 33:11; Acts 15:18; Ezekiel 18:20, 25, 31
A. Creation
We believe in the literal account of creation as recorded in the first eleven chapters of Genesis — that man was created by God in His own image and is in no way the product of any process of evolution. God created the world for His own pleasure and glory and for the enjoyment of His creatures. We believe in the existence of a personal devil — once holy and honored in heaven — who through pride fell from his lofty estate and is now utterly evil, anti-God, and the adversary of all believers.
B. The Primitive State of Man and His Fall
Our first parents, in their original state, were upright, until influenced by the tempter to disobey. In consequence of the first transgression, the posterity of Adam came into the world lacking the righteousness and purity that Adam possessed before the fall, inclined to evil rather than to God. None, by virtue of any natural goodness or mere human effort, can become the children of God; all are dependent for salvation upon the redemption effected through the blood of Christ and upon being created anew unto obedience through the operation of the Holy Spirit — both freely provided for every descendant of Adam.
Genesis 1–11; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:24; Psalm 51:5; Genesis 8:21; John 3:6; John 6:44; I Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 1:14; Titus 3:5; Revelation 4:11
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, possesses all divine perfections — eternal, unchangeable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and holy, entitled to divine worship. He created the world, preserves and governs it, and will be the final judge of all mankind. He is simultaneously fully God and fully man — the Word made flesh — who as the subject of the law was tempted as we are, yet without sin, rendering perfect obedience to every divine requirement. He died for our sins, was buried, and rose bodily on the third day for our justification. He ascended to heaven where He now makes intercession for us as our great High Priest, and He will come again in glory. He is the only Savior of mankind, and salvation is found in no other name under heaven.
Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1–3, 14; 3:16; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:21–22; Romans 4:25; I Corinthians 15:3–4; Hebrews 7:25; Acts 4:12
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune God — fully divine, fully personal, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He guides, moves, commands, sends forth, strives, reproves, can be grieved, and can be sinned against. He is the divine Agent of regeneration, sanctification, and spiritual empowerment in the believer’s life. He inspires Scripture, gives life, distributes spiritual gifts, empowers for witness, intercedes, and leads the believer into all truth. We hold that the full ministry of the Holy Spirit as described in both Old and New Testaments remains active, available, and normative for the church in every age until the Rapture.
John 14:16–17, 26; 16:8–13; Acts 5:3–4; Romans 8:11, 26–27; I Corinthians 2:10–11; II Corinthians 3:17–18; Ephesians 4:30; I Thessalonians 5:19; Hebrews 9:14
As sin cannot be pardoned without a sacrifice, Christ gave Himself as the perfect, sufficient, and complete sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, thus making salvation possible for all men. He died for us, satisfying the justice of God, that He might be just in justifying the sinner who believes. Our Lord not only died for our sins but arose for our justification and ascended to heaven, where as Mediator between God and man He makes intercession until the final judgment.
We stand with the Reformation’s declaration of Solus Christus — Christ Alone as the exclusive, sufficient, and final Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer of the human race. Salvation is found in no one else, by no other name, through no other means. His finished work is complete and sufficient; nothing may be added to it.
Isaiah 53:5–6; I Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:26; Romans 3:25–26; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 2:24; Romans 4:25; Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:5–6
The call of the Gospel is coextensive with the Atonement — extended to all men, both by the Word and the striving of the Spirit. The means of salvation are rendered genuinely possible to all. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If any fail, it is the fault of the individual and not of God. There is no scriptural basis for limiting the genuine offer of salvation to a predetermined elect.
Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17; Ezekiel 33:11; I Timothy 2:4; II Peter 3:9; John 5:40; Hosea 13:9
A. Repentance
The repentance that the Gospel requires includes deep conviction, penitential sorrow, open confession, decided hatred of sin, and an entire forsaking of all known sin. This repentance God has commanded of all men; without it, the sinner must perish eternally.
B. Faith
Saving faith is the mind’s assent to the fundamental truths of revelation, acceptance of the Gospel through the influence of the Holy Spirit, and a firm confidence and trust in Christ and His finished work of atonement. The power to believe is the gift of God; but believing is an act of the individual, required as a condition for pardon.
C. Justification
Personal justification implies that the person justified has been guilty before God; and in consideration of the Atonement of Christ accepted by faith, the sinner is pardoned, absolved from the guilt of sin, and restored to the divine favor.
We stand with the Protestant Reformation’s twin declaration of Sola Gratia and Sola Fide — Grace Alone and Faith Alone. Salvation is exclusively the work of God’s unmerited favor; justification is received through faith alone, not through works of any kind. God’s grace is universally and genuinely available — reaching all people through the Spirit’s prevenient work — enabling a real and freely chosen response of faith without coercing it; neither Sola Gratia nor Sola Fide is held in a way that makes God the author of human damnation through sovereign by-passing.
D. Regeneration and Adoption
As man is a fallen and sinful being, he must be regenerated in order to obtain salvation. Regeneration is an instantaneous renewal of the heart by the Holy Spirit whereby the penitent sinner receives new life, becomes a child of God, and is disposed to serve Him — being born again, born of the Spirit, passing from death unto life. Adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a Son of God and a Joint-Heir with Jesus Christ. Regeneration is the beginning of the believer’s personal sanctification.
Psalm 51:3–4, 17; Romans 10:9–10; Isaiah 53:11; John 3:3–8; Titus 3:5; Romans 8:15–16; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:5; and related passages
We believe that sanctification is the ongoing, progressive, cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the believer in Christ — a lifelong process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ that begins at the moment of regeneration and continues until the believer’s glorification. Sanctification is not a secondary crisis experience separate from regeneration, but the continuous unfolding of what God begins in the new birth. It begins at regeneration, is progressive, involves genuine crisis moments of consecration, and is the conscious goal of the Christian life — to be ‘holy as He is holy.’ We affirm deeply the Holiness tradition’s passionate insistence on holy living, while holding that the mechanism of that holiness is progressive sanctification rather than a single instantaneous eradication of the sin nature.
II Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:12–14; I Thessalonians 5:23–24; Hebrews 12:14; I Peter 1:15–16; Romans 6:1–14; 8:3–4; I John 1:7–9; II Peter 3:18
We believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a real, definite, subsequent, and identifiable experience — distinct from and following the experience of the new birth — available to every believer in Christ as an enduement of power for service and witness.
The Initial Evidence
We believe that the first, outward, observable evidence of the reception of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the enduement of holy boldness (Greek: parrēsia), manifested as a new and unmistakable courage in speaking and living out the Christian faith, a transformed willingness to bear witness to Christ without fear of consequence, a Spirit-given freedom to speak the words of this life openly, and, in its ultimate expression, dedication to becoming a fearless martyr if called upon to suffer or die for the cause of Christ — as exemplified by Stephen (Acts 7), Paul (Philippians 1:20), and the church of Acts 4.
This understanding is based upon the full New Testament pattern of Spirit-filling in Acts: the second filling of the Spirit (Acts 4:31) produced holy boldness, not tongues; the observers of the Spirit-filled Peter and John identified this boldness as the observable mark of having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13); and the church’s prayer for the Spirit’s empowerment (Acts 4:29) was explicitly a prayer for boldness.
We explicitly reject the doctrine that speaking in tongues is the necessary, universal, initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Tongues is a valid and valued gift of the Spirit — one of nine gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 — but it is distributed by the Spirit as He wills, and not all believers speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30); it cannot therefore serve as the universal initial evidence of Spirit baptism.
Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8; 2:1–4; 4:8, 13, 29–31; 6:5; 7:55–60; 9:17–22; Ephesians 5:18; 6:19–20; Philippians 1:20; I Thessalonians 2:2; I Corinthians 12:11, 30
A. Gifts Resident in the Holy Spirit — Sign Gifts
God has bestowed a diversity of gifts upon His church for the building up and furtherance of His Kingdom. It is the privilege of Spirit-baptized believers to enjoy the benefits of all spiritual gifts — wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues — resident in the Holy Spirit and distributed as He wills.
Three Gifts of Revelation: the Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, and Discerning of Spirits. Three Gifts of Inspiration: Prophecy, Diverse Kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues. Three Gifts of Power: Faith, Healing, and Miracles.
B. Continuationism
RBA is fully, completely, and without qualification continuationist. Cessationism in any form is explicitly rejected. The gifts of the Spirit have not ceased, were not limited to the apostolic age, and are not absent from the contemporary church.
C. Gifts Resident in the Believer
In addition to the sign gifts, spiritual gifts are given to individual believers as needs arise in the Body of Christ — Ministry Gifts, Motivational Gifts, and Miscellaneous Gifts. Spiritual gifts are to be distinguished from natural talents, the fruit of the Spirit, and Christian roles.
I Corinthians 12:1–11, 28–31; Romans 12:6–8; Ephesians 4:11–12; I Peter 4:10–11; I Corinthians 14:1–5, 39–40
We believe that the Bible teaches that healing — both spiritual and physical — is provided in the Atonement of Christ. The same Savior who can deliver from sin can, if it pleases Him, deliver from sickness. The prayer of faith, the anointing with oil, and the laying on of hands for healing are affirmed as normative practices of Spirit-filled ministry.
The Sovereignty of God is an essential and governing factor in divine healing. Medicine is not spiritually inferior; not all sickness is the direct result of personal sin; sometimes the believer’s complete healing does not manifest in this lifetime but is a surety of the resurrection. The Word of Faith doctrine that frames healing as a guaranteed right is rejected as a misrepresentation of Scripture and pastorally harmful to the sick and suffering.
Isaiah 53:4–5; Matthew 8:16–17; I Peter 2:24; James 5:14–15; Mark 16:17–18; I Corinthians 15:53–54; Romans 8:18–23
We believe that the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32, quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17–21, describes not a single past event but an ongoing season of the Spirit’s outpouring that began on the Day of Pentecost and continues until the Rapture of the Church — the entire New Testament age understood as the ‘last days’ season of the Spirit.
This outpouring began at Pentecost, has continued across the centuries in every genuine Spirit-empowered revival within the Body of Christ, and will culminate before the Rapture in one last, worldwide outpouring characterized above all by holiness and holy boldness unto martyrdom if necessary, drawing together believers from every nation, tribe, tongue, and denominational tradition.
Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:17–21; Romans 11:5; Revelation 12:17; Joel 2:32; Micah 4:7; Isaiah 10:20–22; Zechariah 8:11–12
We believe in the imminent, personal, bodily, pre-tribulational, premillennial Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. The saints of past ages will be raised, those still alive will be changed, and the whole Church will rise in joyful welcome to the returning Savior. This is the Rapture of the Church.
Immediately following the Rapture, great tribulation shall prevail upon the earth for seven years, culminating in the personal return of Christ in glory with His saints to establish His millennial Kingdom. We believe the Rapture is imminent — it may occur at any moment — and that this conviction should produce in every believer a posture of constant watchfulness, faithfulness, and holy living.
Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13–18; I Corinthians 15:51–54; Matthew 24:21, 36, 42–44; Luke 21:27; Revelation 19:11–16; 20:1–6
There are strong and reasonable grounds to hope that the truly regenerate will persevere unto the end and be saved through the power of divine grace pledged for their support. However, final salvation is neither mechanically determined nor unconditionally guaranteed apart from continued faith. Believers are in genuine danger of falling from grace and ought to watch and pray lest they make shipwreck of their faith and be lost through apostasy. We reject the doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security (‘once saved always saved’), which holds that a regenerated person cannot lose salvation under any circumstances.
Romans 8:38–39; I Corinthians 10:13; II Corinthians 12:9; Job 17:9; II Chronicles 15:2; Ezekiel 33:18; John 15:6; II Peter 2:20; Hebrews 10:26–31; Galatians 5:4
As a result of sin, all mankind are subject to the death of the body — a universal consequence of the Fall, ultimately defeated by the resurrection. The soul does not die with the body. Immediately after death, the soul enters into a conscious state of happiness or misery according to the moral character of the deceased — the saved immediately entering into the conscious presence of the Lord, and the unsaved into a state of conscious separation from God, awaiting the final judgment.
Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Matthew 17:3; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Luke 16:22–26; Revelation 6:9–10
We believe in the literal, bodily resurrection from the dead of both the just and the unjust. The resurrection body of the believer will be glorified — freed from all mortality, corruption, and sin. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. The saved shall receive their eternal reward; the lost shall receive eternal condemnation.
Acts 24:15; II Corinthians 5:10; Acts 17:31; Romans 14:12; I Corinthians 15:50–54; Luke 20:36; Matthew 25:31–46; Revelation 20:11–15
One day in seven, which from the creation of the world God set apart for sacred rest and holy service. Under the Gospel, the first day of the week — in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ — is observed as the Christian Sabbath (the Lord’s Day). RBA takes a stand against the unnecessary desecration of the Lord’s Day through secular commerce and entertainment, affirming it as proper only to perform deeds of mercy and acts of genuine necessity.
Genesis 2:3; Mark 2:27–28; Luke 24:1–7; John 20:19, 26; Acts 20:7; Psalm 118:22–24; Isaiah 58:13–14
We believe it is decidedly against the Christian character to engage in unwholesome, degrading, or morally compromising amusements. The individual must choose only such activities as are in accord with Christian and biblical principles. When honest Christian conscience raises doubts about a particular activity, that activity should be avoided.
Romans 12:2; I John 2:15–17; Ephesians 5:11; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17; I Thessalonians 5:22; James 4:4; I Corinthians 10:31; Titus 2:11–12; II Corinthians 6:14–17; I Peter 1:15–16
RBA maintains a strong and unapologetic testimony against the use of intoxicating liquors and drug abuse, legal or illegal. Christians and especially ministers should neither participate in nor encourage the use or trafficking of alcohol or drugs in any form. Believers should practice moderation in all things, abstaining from all appearance of evil.
I Corinthians 6:19–20; Romans 13:13–14; Ephesians 5:18; I Thessalonians 5:22; I Peter 1:15–16
RBA does not believe that the tithe, as prescribed in the Mosaic Law, is incumbent upon New Testament believers as a binding legal standard. New Testament giving is characterized by freewill generosity, cheerfulness, proportionality, and faithfulness — responsive to the needs of the Kingdom and the Body of Christ, not defined by mandatory percentage.
Matthew 6:1–4; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6–8; Philippians 4:10–20; I Corinthians 16:1–2; Acts 4:32–37
God ordained marriage as a sacred, covenantal, life-long relationship between one man and one woman. This is God’s design from creation and is not subject to redefinition by any human government, court, or religious body. RBA recognizes, performs, blesses, counsels, and ordains only marriages that conform to this biblical standard.
We are decidedly opposed to all sexual immoralities and perversions, including homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and perverse sexuality of every kind. The only biblically approved expression of human sexuality is within the confines of a monogamous, heterosexual, covenantal marital relationship. We approach all persons who have experienced divorce and remarriage with a ministry of grace, love, and understanding, while maintaining the clear biblical standard regarding marriage itself.
Genesis 1:27; 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–9; Malachi 2:14–16; I Corinthians 7:10–16; Hebrews 13:4; Romans 1:26–27; I Corinthians 6:18–20
The Church is an organized body of believers in Christ who assemble to worship God and sustain the ordinances of the Gospel according to His Word. In its universal sense, it is the whole body of regenerate Christians throughout the world across all ages — the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head. RBA affirms congregational polity — the autonomy of the local church under Christ as its Head — while welcoming voluntary fellowship and cooperation with other like-minded bodies.
I Corinthians 1:2; Acts 2:41–47; Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18; I Corinthians 12:27; Matthew 18:20
A. Christian Baptism
We believe in Christian Baptism by full, complete immersion of believers in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism represents the burial and resurrection of Christ and the rising to newness of life. Water Baptism is symbolic only — non-regenerative — an outward sign of an inward grace already received. Baptism is administered exclusively in the Trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19; ‘Jesus Name Only’ (Oneness) baptism is not recognized.
B. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of the death of Christ for our sins, in the use of bread and the cup. It is the privilege and duty of all who have spiritual union with Christ to regularly commemorate His death.
C. Foot Washing
Foot Washing is a sacred ordinance of humility, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ (John 13:1–17) and enjoined upon His disciples as a duty. RBA practices Foot Washing as a binding ordinance of the Lord — a sacred act of humility and love commanded by Christ Himself.
Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36–39; I Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:26–28; John 13:1–17
We believe in the Ministry of Deliverance — the casting out of demons in the authority and Name of Jesus Christ — as an ongoing, normative ministry binding upon believers, disciples, and ministers today. This command was given to the disciples and extends to all future disciples through the Great Commission. We hold that the Ministry of Deliverance is the gateway to inner healing — the beginning of the process that culminates in the wholeness of the whole person: spirit, soul, and body.
Mark 16:17–18; Luke 10:17–20; Acts 4:30; Romans 8:11; Matthew 15:21–28; Acts 19:11–12; James 4:7
We believe that Spiritual Warfare is a real, ongoing, daily battle in which all saints of God are engaged — against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Every believer is engaged in this warfare every moment of every day, armored in the whole armor of God, and called to active, intelligent, scripture-grounded spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 6:10–20; I Peter 5:8–9; James 4:7; II Corinthians 10:3–5; Romans 8:37; I John 4:4; Revelation 12:11
A. The Scriptural Foundation
The Five-Fold Ministry finds its definitive scriptural expression in Ephesians 4:8–16, where Paul describes how the ascended and glorified Christ gave five ministry offices to equip and mature the Body of Christ. The stated purpose is plain: these offices are given ‘for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:12).
B. Five Distinct Offices
RBA holds that Ephesians 4:11 describes five distinct ministry offices — Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher — not four. We specifically reject the position that ‘pastor’ and ‘teacher’ constitute a single combined office; the Greek text uses two distinct words (poimēn and didaskalos) for two distinct callings.
C. Non-Hierarchical Character
RBA explicitly rejects any model that presents the five offices as a descending ladder of spiritual authority. The order in which the offices appear in Ephesians 4:11 is a list, not a ranking. Christ Himself condemned hierarchy-seeking among His ministers: ‘whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant’ (Matthew 20:26). Every office serves the one Head — Christ.
D. Every Legitimate Ministry Is Five-Fold Ministry
Every genuine, God-called, Spirit-appointed Pastor is already and fully the Five-Fold gift of Pastor; every genuine Teacher is already the Five-Fold office of Teacher, and so with the other offices. The Five-Fold is not an exclusive elite tier operating above the existing church; it describes what all authentic, Spirit-ordained ministry already is.
E. The True Purpose — Equipping the Saints
The purpose of the Five-Fold is not to perform all the ministry of the church, but to equip the ordinary members of the Body of Christ to perform it (Ephesians 4:12). Soul-winning is the calling of the whole equipped congregation — not the exclusive or even primary responsibility of the clergy, as demonstrated by the scattered laypeople of Acts 8:1–4 and the believers of Acts 11:19–21 who first carried the Gospel to Antioch.
F. In Full Operation Today
Consistent with RBA’s continuationist position, all five offices of the Five-Fold Ministry are held to be in full operation in the Body of Christ today, and will continue until Christ brings this age to its close.
Ephesians 4:8–16; Psalm 68:18; John 10:11–16; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:6–8; Matthew 20:26–28; Matthew 23:11; Luke 22:25–27; 2 Timothy 2:2
A. Broad Affirmation
RBA fully, joyfully, and without hesitation affirms the role of women in the ministry of the church of Jesus Christ. The New Testament presents women as Spirit-anointed, Christ-commissioned, and apostolically recognized active workers in every dimension of the Kingdom’s advance — as prophets (Acts 2:17; 21:9), deaconesses (Romans 16:1–2), fellow laborers in the Gospel (Philippians 4:2–3; Romans 16:3, 12), teachers and correctors of male ministers (Acts 18:24–26), and the first heralds of the resurrection (Luke 24:9–10). RBA affirms women in the Five-Fold offices of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, and Teacher.
B. The One Pastoral Exception
With this broad and scripturally grounded affirmation, RBA maintains one carefully considered restriction: women are not to hold the office of Pastor in the local church. This position is not rooted in any belief that women are spiritually inferior, less anointed, less called, or less gifted. It is rooted in Paul’s specific instruction regarding authoritative doctrinal headship teaching over the congregation (1 Timothy 2:12) and the gender-specific pastoral qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6.
C. Summary
RBA fully affirms women as recipients of the Spirit’s outpouring and gifting equally with men; fully affirms women in four of the five Five-Fold offices; and maintains one apostolic restriction regarding the office of Pastor — a restriction on office, not on worth, calling, or capacity.
1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; Galatians 3:28; Acts 2:17–18; Romans 16:1–3; 1 Corinthians 11:5; Joel 2:28–29
RBA stands fully within the stream of the Protestant Reformation. The five foundational principles recovered by the Reformers — the Five Solas — are affirmed as true, necessary, and permanently binding, and are held within a theological framework that does not bundle them with deterministic Calvinist soteriology.
A. Sola Scriptura — Scripture Alone
Scripture alone is the supreme, final, and sufficient authority for all matters of faith, doctrine, and practice. This is held without implying cessationism — Scripture’s sufficiency in no way implies that the Spirit has ceased to work supernaturally in the church.
B. Sola Fide — Faith Alone
Justification is received through faith alone, apart from works of the law. Faith is a genuine, voluntary, personally exercised act of the human will, enabled by the Spirit’s prevenient grace — not an irresistible implant given only to an unconditionally elected few.
C. Sola Gratia — Grace Alone
Salvation is entirely and exclusively the work of God’s unmerited favor, genuinely and universally extended to all — not particular or limited grace restricted to a predetermined elect.
D. Solus Christus — Christ Alone
Jesus Christ is the exclusive and all-sufficient Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer of the human race. No pastor, teacher, or minister stands as mediator between God and the people; every office exists to lead people to the one Mediator, Christ.
E. Soli Deo Gloria — To God’s Glory Alone
God alone receives the glory for the whole of salvation. This is held in the full biblical sense, not the hyper-Calvinist sense that God’s glory is maximized through the predestination of the majority of humanity to damnation — God’s glory is displayed supremely in the genuine love, grace, and mercy He extends to all of humanity through Christ.
II Timothy 3:16–17; Romans 1:17; 3:28; Ephesians 2:8–10; 1 Timothy 2:4; II Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31
Closing Declaration
“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” — Acts 4:31 (NKJV)
This is the Statement of Faith of The Remnant Bible Academy. We hold these doctrines not because they are popular, nor because they are comfortable, but because we believe them to be true — biblically accurate, historically defensible, theologically coherent, and spiritually necessary for those who would rightly divide the Word of Truth.
Every course taught, every discussion held, and every student mentored within this Academy proceeds from these convictions. We invite each student to test them, as the Bereans tested Paul’s teaching, against Scripture itself — and to study, grow, and serve with the boldness that comes from having been with Jesus.
Maranatha — Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)
David B. Fore, D.D.
Founder & Lead Instructor, The Remnant Bible Academy