Statement of Faith
This section is not intended to be an exhaustive Bible study on each of these subjects but a summary in plain language of what will be taught in these vital areas. The Primary Doctrines are ones that all members in good standing must affirm and uphold while the Secondary Doctrines are ones that, while we will gladly hold fellowship with members of differing traditions, we will teach faithfully. All members in good standing agree not to teach contrary to any of our doctrines in their disciple-making efforts but to defer to the pastors in areas of disagreement.
PRIMARY DOCTRINES
*The following doctrines are either necessary for salvation or of such good and necessary consequence from the text of Scripture that, while one may be saved without understanding these doctrines, one cannot be saved while denying them.
Eternal Life
God desires to spend eternity with us in heaven. The problem is that heaven is a perfect place, and we are not perfect people. So, if He were to let us in, He would be compromising His perfection. But God offered a solution. The solution God instituted was to give sinners a gracious gift too great to earn with their polluted works. This gift of grace was His own Son who took on humanity while maintaining His deity, entering into our life of suffering and temptation, and carving a path of godliness through it, something no one had ever been able to perfectly do before. We believe in Jesus’ active obedience (meaning that He lived a life of perfect submission to God the Father with absolutely no sin) and in His passive obedience (meaning He accepted all the suffering and death that the Father assigned to Him). Having accomplished the perfect human life, He then took that life and offered it to God the Father on behalf of those who could not do so for themselves. Jesus Christ stepped forward as the representative for a new humanity which would be seen as righteous under the covering of perfection that He presented to the Father. The sinless perfection of Christ has a natural result which is eternal life since death no longer applies as there is no sin to which it must be applied. So, all who are under the covering of Christ inherit eternal life through the work of Christ, who is the gracious gift of God for us.
This righteousness and eternal life is applied to the account of sinners when we simply trust in Christ to provide it for us. Through faith, we are saved.
Eternal life begins at the moment we receive this salvation from the Lord. Jesus tells us that eternal life is to know the Father. If we know Him now, we have already entered into eternal life even though we have not yet entered heaven, and we can rest secure in our status of being saved without adding any of our own works to Christ’s to ensure our salvation. We can also rest assured that we will live after our earthly bodies die, and we are assured of this by the resurrection of Christ who led the way by example when He rose from the dead.
Eph 2:3; Matt 18:11; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor 3:5-7; Acts 15:11; John 3:16; John 1:1-14; Heb 4:14; Heb 12:24; Phil 2:9, 14; 2 Cor 5:21; Isa 42:21; Phil 2:8; Gal 4:4-5; Rom 3:21; Isa 53:4-5; Matt 20:28; John 17:3; Rom 4:25; Rom 3:21-26; 1 John 2:3; 1 Cor 15:1-3; Heb 9:13-15; Heb 1:8; Heb 1:3; Col 3:1-4; Heb 7:25; Col 2:18; Heb 7:26; Ps 89:19; Ps 34:1-22
Scripture
The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. It has been graciously given to us by God to tell us about who He is and what He wants. The Bible is God’s chosen method of communication with His children and so when we read it, we are listening to God. This means that everything in the Bible was put there by God, through men whom He directed to write the words that are there. We are not allowed to ignore parts of the Bible or to emphasize one part at the expense of another. We must study God’s word line upon line, precept upon precept, in order to hear what God is telling us through it.
We hold to the doctrine of verbal inerrancy which simply holds that God’s Word as it was originally written is perfect and without blemish and that all Scripture is true in all that it states. Men’s translations have yielded errors over time and so it is possible to find a typo in your Bible or differences from one Bible to another.
The message of the Bible is salvation. It reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.
Nm 23:19; Deut 4:1-2; Ps 19:7-10; 119:89; Prov 30:5-6; Is 28:10; 40:8; Mt 5:17-18; Lk 21:33; 24:44-46; Jn 5:39; 17:17; Rom 2:12; 15:4; 2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Pt 1:25; 2 Pt 1:19-21; 1 John 4:1; Isa 8:20; Isa 28:13
Trinity
God is a singular being with a triune nature. When these three aspects of God’s nature are spoken about, we refer to the “the Godhead.” This is a phrase which encompasses the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and refers to them as one God. The Son eternally proceeds from the Father while being equal to Him and being one with Him. The Holy Spirit eternally spirates from the Father and the Son while being one with and equal to both.
Scripture points to general patterns of work for each Person of the Godhead, although as we discuss the “jobs” of each, we must keep in mind that all three Persons are one God and so in a very real sense, what one does, all 3 do. There is no separation, and yet there is distinction.
God the Father is generally (but not unanimously) spoken of in Scripture as the decision-maker of the Godhead. For example, He told Jesus what to say and do during the earthly ministry of Christ, He grants or denies requests made in prayer, and He orchestrates events of history.
God the Son is often shown as the “boots on the ground” who carries out the Father’s orders and is the primary executor of the Father’s plans. He is the one who created everything. He is the one who came to earth and became a man (Jesus) for the sake of God revealing Himself in the flesh, and He was the one who shed His blood to pay the just penalty for our sin. When God the Father ordains that something must happen for His purposes, we observe that it is generally God the Son who goes and does it. Jesus is the way to the Father, which is to say that if we are to know the Father (and thus have eternal life), we must have relational unity with God the Son, Jesus Christ. Also, when we pray, we do so in Jesus’ Name because it is by Him that we come to the Father. Jesus is our usher into the throne room of God. It is also true that Jesus has all the authority of God in Himself, so He is able to command creation at His will.
The Holy Spirit generally plays a more “behind-the-scenes” role from our perspective. The Spirit does many things. At the moment God saves us, the Spirit “seals” us so that we can never be outside of the family of God even if we try. He indwells the believer and gives guidance to him/her from within. The primary way he does this is by allowing us to understand the Bible when we read it or hear it preached. The Bible is full of spiritual truth that we cannot understand without Spiritual help. Furthermore, our prayers are spiritual utterances which cannot reach God without Spiritual intercession. So the Holy Spirit essentially translates our prayers and carries them to the Father for us, in the Name of the Son. The Spirit also does many miraculous and visible works in the world and when people observe these works, His intention is to testify to Christ.
John 4:24; Ps 83:18; Heb 3:4; Rom 1:20; Jer 10:10; Ex 15:11; Ps 147:5; Isa 6:3; 1 Pet 1:15-16; Rev 4:6-8; Mark 12:30; Rev 4:11; Matt 10:37; Jer 2:12-13; Matt 28:19; John 15:26; 1 Cor 12:4-6; 1 John 5:7; John 10:30-38; John 5:17; John 14:23; John 17:5, 10; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:10-11; Phil 2:5-6; Eph 2:18; 2 Cor 13:14; Rev 1:4-5; Matt 6:8; Acts 1:7; Col 1:13-18; Heb 1:1-8; John 17:3; John 14:6; Matt 28:18
Sin
Sin is any deviation from God’s perfection. This may include actions He has prohibited, inaction where He has commanded action, or even an internal desire or orientation contrary to God’s character. Sin is generally rooted in pride because we think we know better than God. Sin is also generally rooted in idolatry because we count our desires as more important than God. Sin is also a result of unbelief in that we trust ourselves to accomplish things rather than believing that God is powerful to do them. Mankind was created in the image of God and, therefore, we are supposed to look like Him. When we sin, we fail to look and be like God and we misrepresent His nature, polluting His image. Therefore death, the destroying of this defiled image, is warranted. Imagine there were many portraits that were painted of you. If someone took a brush and painted a thick, black stripe directly over your face, that painting would be ruined. It may have once been a beautiful painting, and you may even be able to tell that the beauty is still under the black somewhere, but now it has been permanently corrupted. You are a painting of God, and sin is that black stripe. Similarly, when an American flag touches the ground, it is to be burned because it has been brought lower that its rightful place and is no longer an acceptable image of that which it represents. That is why sin leads to death; if God does not destroy the vessel of sin (our minds, bodies, and souls), He would be accepting an attack on His own holiness and would no longer be Holy.
Gen 1:27; Gen 1:31; Eccl 7:29; Acts 17:26-29; Gen 2:16-17; Gen 3:6-24; Rom 5:12; Rom 5:15-19; Ps 51:5; Rom 8:7; Isa 53:6; Gen 6:12; Rom 3:9-18; Eph 2:1-3; Rom 1:18, 32; Rom 2:1-16; Gal 3:10; Matt 20:15; Eze 18:19-20; Rom 1:20; Rom 3:19; Gal 3:2; Rom 1:26-32; Isa 1:18; Matt 11:27-30; Isa 55:1-3
Hell
Hell is real, and we do not want to go there. Hell was created as a place for Satan and his fallen angels to be bound in prison. If we do not follow God, we are by default choosing to go the way of Satan. Whoever we choose to follow is who we will spend eternity with.
Deut 32:22; Ps 9:17; Ps 55:15; Prov 5:5; Prov 7:27; Prov 9:18; Prov 15:11, 24; Prov 23:14; Prov 27:20; Isa 14:9; Ezek 31:16; Matt 5:22, 29, 30; Matt 10:28; Matt 18:9; Jas 3:6; 2 Pet 2:4
Repentance
We have a duty from God to turn away from sin and toward His good commands. This turning away is known as repentance. Obedience to these commands is only able to be carried out in a relationship with Him, so repentance involves a change of action as well as a change of heart. At any given time, the Christian may feel that his repentance is motivated by a love of God, fear of wrath, desire for increased Christ-likeness, or the need to solve a practical problem created by sin. But behind the scenes, all repentance is empowered by the kindness of God, and it is a gift granted to the believer by God Himself who has the power to draw people or to harden their hearts.
Rom 2:4; Rom 9:18; 2 Tim 2:25; Acts 17:30; Mark 1:15; Acts 11:18; Eph 2:8; 1 John 5:1; John 16:8; Acts 2:37-38; Acts 16:30-31; Luke 18:13; Luke 15:18-21; Jas 4:7-10; 2 Cor 7:11; 1 Cor 10:12-13; Ps 51:1-19; Rom 10:9-11; Acts 3:22-23; Heb 4:14; Ps 2:6; Heb 1:8; Heb 7:25; 2 Tim 1:12
Faith
When the Bible speaks of faith, it means the belief and trust in God that a born-again believer has for his or her Creator. God has designed the relationship between Himself and us to be based on faith and nothing else. Without faith, we cannot be saved from our sins. In fact, God has made it so that faith is the only requirement for salvation. No work, merit, or material goods can be added to faith to accomplish our salvation. Faith is not a work, instead it is the ceasing of work on our end and trusting fully in the work of Christ. Without this faith, nothing we do can be pleasing to God and whatever we do apart from an underlying motivation to trust and serve Him ends up being a sinful act.
We are to continue in faith throughout the entire Christian life. This is a struggle as obstacles to our faith come from every angle in a sin-filled world. But God is so trustworthy that, if we look to Him, we are able to keep the faith until we finish the race of this life.
Mark 1:15; Acts 11:18; Eph 2:8-9; 1 John 5:1; John 16:8; Acts 2:37-38; Acts 16:30-31; Luke 18:13; Luke 15:18-21; Jas 4:7-10; 2 Cor 7:11; 1 Cor 10:12-13; Ps 51:1-19; Rom 10:9-11; Acts 3:22-23; Heb 4:14; Ps 2:6; Heb 1:8; Heb 7:25; 2 Tim 1:12; 2 Tim 4:7-8
Last Things
Jesus is going to return to reform His creation which has fallen under the weight of sin. He will make all things new and, eventually, rule over His creation as was originally intended. This future is not in doubt because Christ accomplished it on the cross, and therefore the return of Christ is the ultimate hope of the Christian.
Ps 110:1; Isa 43:19; Isa 45:23; Isa: 65:17; Isa 66:22; Rom 6:24; Rom 14:11; Phil 2:9-11; Tit 2:13; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1-5
SECONDARY DOCTRINES
*The following doctrines, while not necessary for salvation, are of utmost importance to a Christian’s relationship with God and spiritual growth.
The Church
The Church is the institution that Jesus Christ set up on earth to do His work after He left. Jesus is the Head of the Church, and a church is only a legitimate entity as long as it is doing the will of God. The Church is manifested in local expressions. Believers can gather in West Richland or in Thailand and though we are many different local churches, we are all one Church under the same Lord. The Church is made up of those who believe the biblical Gospel, being composed of the Person and Work of Christ.
When we refer to “missions,” we refer to the outreaching of the Gospel through the work of the Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the commands of Christ. This is most commonly summed up in Matthew 28:18-20 in a passage we call “the Great Commission.” “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you even to the end of the age.” This mission is also expressed extensively all throughout the Old Testament and the rest of the New Testament. When we engage in missions, we bring the Gospel to people who have not heard it or have not responded to it and teach them to live in accordance with God’s design for their lives. Missions is a non-negotiable part of the Church and in fact of being a Christian.
Matt 16:18; Matt 18:17; Mark 16:5; Col 1:18; John 15:4-5; Acts 2:47; 1 Thess 2:14; 1 Cor 1:2; Matt 28:18-20; Gen 12:2-3; Ex 9:14,16; Ex 12:38; Ex 19:4-6; 1 Chron 16:24; Ps 67:1-5; Ps 96:3,10; Isa 66:19; Jer 20:9; Acts 1:8; Acts 13:2-3; Rom 10:13-14; Jude 1:3; Rev 14:6
Baptism and Communion
Baptism and communion are the two sacraments of the Church, meaning that they are the two ceremonies where that Christ has given us to re-enact the Gospel. Baptism is the entrance ceremony into the Body of Christ and communion is the periodic celebration of the covenant in which we live. By way of analogy, baptism is something like a wedding ceremony; once is enough. Communion is more like celebrating an anniversary; sometimes it’s just good to enjoy the relationship we have. That is why Christ commands it.
Professing Christians are expected to be baptized by immersion in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a public loyalty oath signifying union with Christ in His death by being plunged into the water, and in His resurrection by being pulled out of the water. As Christ went so shall we follow, first to die once and then raised to live with Him eternally.
Communion, or the Lord’s Table, commemorates the shedding of Jesus’ blood and the giving of His body to torture and death on our behalf. By drinking of the cup and eating of the bread we remember that Jesus purchased salvation for us with his sacrifice. Only the baptized should participate in communion, after self-examination, and with a repentant heart.
Matt 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Matt 3:5-6; John 3:22-23; John 4:12-14; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:12; Acts 16:32-34; Acts 18:8; Acts 10:47-48; Gal 3:26-28; Rom 6:4; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:20-21; Acts 22:16; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor 11:17-29; Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:28; John 6:26-27
Family
The family was created by God and, therefore, it is good. God, as the author of the concept, gets to define the concept, and we have no recourse for what He has decided would be the model for the family. When God created the family, He decided that one man would marry one woman and such a partnership would last as long as the lives of the participants. That man and that woman would then multiply greatly, even to the point of filling the earth. Therefore, we like children and want lots of them. God also commands the adoption of children and that we care for the orphans. When we come to faith in Christ, we are “adopted” by Him and so as we care for the orphans and adopt the needy, we are living out the Gospel. God is in favor of family and only declares His own model as acceptable, productive, good, and healthy.
According to scripture God created man in his image, male and female. Because of sin humanity is in rebellion against God, and we therefore adopt rebellious sexual norms, behaviors, and ideologies that directly contradict God’s original design laid out in Scripture. Homosexuality, transgenderism, adultery, pornography, and fornication (sex outside of marriage) are all sexual sins that need to be repented of just like any other sin. Sexual sins are destructive to the persons engaging in them and they harm those around them. For salvation the Bible does not require a person engaged with sexual sin to free themselves or get clean, or help themselves. For salvation, Scripture instructs us to trust Christ as Lord and, as a result, repent of any and all actions that He forbids. We welcome sinners to come to Christ even before they are freed from their sin, since they cannot be freed until they come to Him.
Gen 2:18-25; Ps 128:3 Prov 5:18; Prov 19:14; Prov 31:10; Matt 5:32; Jas 1:27; Rom 8:15; Eph 5:22-6:4; Col 3:18-21
Civil Government
There is one Lord over all of creation and his Name is Jesus. He alone has ultimate authority over all rulers, principalities, and powers. To bless mankind, he has ordained governments and magistrates to preside over the affairs of men. Magistrates and laws are to be prayed for, obeyed, and respected as long as they do not prescribe that we the citizens contradict Scripture or act in rebellion against the Lord Jesus. Since all governments are comprised of sinful people, governments will sin and this mere fact does not give the Christian sufficient reason to disregard the authority of the government.
Rom 13:1-7; Deut 16:18-20; 2 Sam 23:3-4; Ex 18:21-23; Matt 22:17-21; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet 2:12-17; 1 Tim 2:1-4; Acts 5:29; Matt 28:1-20; Dan 3:15-30; Dan 6:7-28; Acts 4:18-20; Rev 19:16; Ps 2; Ps 72:11; Rom 14:9-13