Who We Are
Who We Are
Cherith Home Bible Institute is a correspondence Bible training program offered throughout the world through the internet and mail. The Program is Baptistic in nature and reflects the doctrine and distinctives of the Independent Baptist beliefs. The course of study is a thirty unit Diploma of Biblical Studies program designed to help local church pastors, workers, missionaries, church planters, and Bible teachers. The course of study advances from basic Bible survey courses to selected subjects concerning personal and local church development. Cherith Home Bible Institute provides a wealth of both theological and practical information contributed by a group of sound Bible preachers, teachers, and writers.
What We Believe
THE INSPIRATION and Authority OF THE BIBLE: We believe the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God and the final authority in all belief and practice. The Old Testament is comprised of the 39 Books from Genesis to Malachi and the New Testament is comprised of the 27 Books from Matthew to Revelation. The King James Version is used in all reading, memorization, assignments, and quotes. (John 5:24, II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21).
THE PERSON OF GOD: We believe God is supreme in His person, eternal in His being, absolute in His attributes, glorious in His perfection. We believe in the Trinity. This is to say that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19, John 14:16, II Cor. 13:14).
THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST: We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, His deity and sinless life, His vicarious death, His bodily resurrection and ascension, and in His personal, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return for His church (John 1:1-14, 8:58, Matt. 28:18, I Cor. 15:4, Acts 2:24, I Tim. 4:14-18).
THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the executive of the Godhead. We believe that He executes the plan of God for our conviction and salvation. All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and empowered for service by Him (John 14:26, Ephesians 4:30, Acts 5:3-4, Gal. 4:6, Eph. 5:18, John 16:12-15, Rom. 8:14).
THE FALL OF MAN: We believe that man was created in the image of God and by choice fell into sin and death. Hence, every person is sinful and under the condemnation of eternal judgment (Gen. 3, Rom. 5:12, 2:9-20, 3:22-23, 6:23).
THE FREENESS OF SALVATION: We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free by the Gospel, that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 10:13, John 1:12).
THE SALVATION OF SINNERS: We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace, and that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation (Acts 4:12, Rom. 4:1-5, John 3:16, Eph. 2:8-9).
THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER: We believe that those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior are eternally secure. Our security rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ: as a result, we have assurance (John 10:28-30, Rom. 8:38-39, I John 13).
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH: We believe that the visible church is a congregation of baptized believers, practicing New Testament principles, believing its doctrines, observing its ordinances and exercising its autonomy. The local church is an indigenous group of believers which finds within itself the ability to govern itself, support itself, and reproduce itself, and willing to include the word “church” in its title. The local church is independent of any external denominational or hierarchical control. Its officers are the pastor and deacons who are to be men. (Eph. 1:22-23, I Cor. 5:4-5, 6:1-5, Matt. 8:15-17, Eph. 4:1-16; I Tim. 3:1-13).
CHURCH ORDINANCES: We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of the Local Church. We believe that baptism by immersion should be administered to believers only as a symbol of their belief in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and as a testimony to the world of their personal faith in and their identification with the work of Christ for salvation. We believe that the Lord’s Supper should be partaken of by believers only to show forth their association with His death, till He comes (Matt. 28:19, Rom. 6:1-8, I Cor. 11:23-26).
THE DOCTRINE OF HEAVEN AND HELL: We believe in the eternal blessedness of the saved in heaven and the eternal punishment of the lost in hell and the lake of fire (Philip. 1:23, I Thes. 4:13-18, Luke 16:19-26, Rev. 20:13).
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST: We believe that Jesus Christ is risen, seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the saints and is coming again. This second coming will take place in two phases: (1) The Rapture of the Church, which could occur at any time, where the saints are caught up to meet Christ in the clouds. Then, following the seven year Tribulation Period, the (2) Revelation of Christ will occur when Christ returns to the earth to judge the nations and set up His Millennial Kingdom.
SEPARATE JUDGMENTS FOR BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS: We believe that the believer has had his sins eternally judged in Christ on the cross, but will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, after the rapture of the church, and give account for his stewardship and service to Christ. At this judgment, the believer will either receive a reward or suffer the loss of reward (I Cor. 3:9-15, II Cor. 5:1-10, Rev. 4:1-11). We believe that the unbelievers of the ages will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ. They will be judged for their sins and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).
THE DEVIL: We believe that Satan is an actual, personal angelic being, who through pride, ambition and self-will, attempted to rise above the authority of God. He lost his position of purity to become the arch enemy of God and God’s people. In this age, he is the “god of this world” and the “prince of the power of the air.” He is the “father of all lies,” the tempter and accuser of the saints. He will be put into the bottomless pit during the thousand year reign of Christ, released to lead a rebellion at the close of that reign, and cast into the lake of fire after the thousand year reign of Christ (Job 1-2, Ezek. 28:12-19, Isa. 14:12-27, John 8:44, Rev. 12:10, Eph. 2:2, 6:12, John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, II Cor. 4:4, Rev. 20:1-10).
THE GREAT COMMISSION: We believe that all believers are responsible and accountable to the Great Commission given to the Church. We believe that this commission was given to the apostles as representative of all believers during the Church Age. The agency through which this commission is to be organized is the Local Church. (Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8)
History of Cherith Ministries
Missionary Evangelism/ James and Sharon Jones
Cherith Home Bible Institute was organized in 1986 by James L. Jones. Jones, a graduate of Bob Jones University, was licensed and commissioned by the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Greenville, South Carolina in 1979. He surrendered to full-time service in the field of Missionary Evangelism that same year and began conducting revival meetings and evangelistic campaigns throughout the Eastern states. In 1983, the Lord led Him to concentrate on reaching souls in the coalfield area of Southern West Virginia. It was during this phase of his ministry that God began to burden his heart with the need for Bible study material. The Lord used the Biblical account in I Kings Chapter 17 where Elijah was fed by the ravens at the Brook Cherith during a time of great drought. If God used ravens to deliver bread, He can use a teaching ministry to deliver the Bread of Life. In 1986, he shared the burden with his wife Sharon, and they both dedicated their lives to the production and distribution of practical Bible study material. They named the ministry after the brook, and Cherith Ministries was born.
Compiling, Producing , and Distributing Early Studies
Their first Bible studies consisted of recorded lectures and student work sheets distributed through the mail. Soon, the ministry grew, and several pastors began to recognize and support Cherith. The home Bible study program finally grew to the point where the cassette tape format was no longer affordable, and the decision was made to convert the studies over to a printed format. James continued to build a library of sound, Bible based books and began to seek the help of pastors, authors, teachers and missionaries to give the studies a broader degree of practical value. The contributors to this program are too numerous to mention.
Course Testing in Local Churches and at the Cherith Center
As courses were developed, classes were offered in local churches to test the material. The program was tested in local churches until 1995, when property was donated at Lindside, West Virginia. A course testing building was built and classes were offered to local church members in West Virginia and Virginia. For seven more years, the Bible study material was further tested in actual classes conducted at the Cherith Center using guest professors and local church pastors as instructors. When the thirty unit program was compiled and tested in 2003, the classroom building was converted into a print shop and offices in preparation for worldwide promotion and distribution.
James and Sharon Jones Operating the Cherith Home Bible Institute
With the testing complete and the program launched Cherith Bible Institute was turned over to James and Sharon Jones to operate, maintain, promote, and continually upgrade. The goal was to keep personnel and facilities to a minimum so the program could be offered at no cost or donation basis. An advisory Board comprised of local church pastors was organized to help the Joneses make the right decisions as the ministry continues to grow. Through pulpit supply, revivals, mission conferences, Bible conferences, and personal contact with pastors and missionaries throughout the world, James seeks to keep abreast concerning local church educational needs. The courses are continually being updated and revised to provide a more thorough and richer content. The goal of the Cherith program is to offer a Biblical and practical course of study that will enhance the student’s ministry, local church service, and personal growth.
Cherith Facilities (l to r) Cherith Office, Jones House, Mission House
Cherith Programs
Access to the Cherith plan of study comes through two programs: Cherith Bible Institute Online and Cherith Home Bible Institute.
1) Cherith Bible Institute Online- An online Bible institute campus was constructed where people could attend classes and receive training who would be otherwise geographically and economically hindered. Hundreds, including students, missionaries, and pastors from Mindanao, Nigeria, India, Italy, The Philippines, Africa,Greece, Canada, South America, throughout Europe, Japan, Australia, and many other areas are able to attend classes weekly at the Cherith site. At present 46 states in the U.S. are represented by students online. 2) Cherith Home Bible Institute- Students receive courses through the mail. Students in the United States receive printed courses while students abroad receive their studies on a CD in the PDF format.
Cherith is a Missionary Outreach
Because Cherith Ministries is a local church supported missionary outreach, we are blessed to be able to offer these quality Bible study programs at no cost to the student. However, with the ever growing number of students, the cost to maintain this ministry also continues to grow. The Joneses seek opportunities to present this missionary ministry in independent local churches. Cherith welcomes the support of doctrinally sound churches or individuals who can share the vision of this work.
Bible and Mission Conferences, Baptist Distinctive Conferences, Missionary Helps
Since the beginning of Cherith Ministries, many pastors, missionaries, and church workers have been helped through this teaching ministry. We pray that Cherith Bible Institute will be both a blessing and challenge resulting in the salvation of souls and more dedicated service for Christ. Please pray for us here at Cherith.
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