Statement of Faith
Grace and Truth Bible Church
The Word of God
We believe that the Word of God is infallible and perfect and that it, although penned by man’s hands, was written through divine inspiration of God Himself. We affirm that Scripture is the standard by which all teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness should occur. We believe that the Word of God is sufficient for all understanding. We affirm that the Word of God is complete and that no new revelations or scriptures shall be given. We believe that the King James Bible is the only authorized English translation of the Bible today. We believe that God has preserved His Word through delicate handling throughout the generations, notably through the Textus Receptus (Received Text). We affirm that the King James Bible has honored commandments to not add or take away from the Scriptures. By affirming these rules and promises, we naturally reject any other translation, for they read from a corrupted text, the Siniaticus and Vaticanus/Alexandrian, which does not adhere to this holy writ.
God
We believe that there is only one God, in three distinct persons, who are all the same in substance, power, eternity, and unity. We affirm that these three persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We believe that He is the creator of all things.
God the Father
We believe that God the Father is holy, holy, holy and that nobody is like our God. We believe that He is the head of the Godhead, even Christ.
God the Son
We believe that God the Son is the Saviour of mankind, come to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We believe that He Himself was without sin. We believe that He was born of a virgin. We believe that He is the pre-existent God incarnate in the flesh and that He was fully man and yet fully deity. We believe that He is an obedient servant to the Father.
God the Holy Ghost
We believe that God the Holy Ghost is the third person of the Godhead. We believe that the first and foremost purpose of the Holy Ghost is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. In doing this, He will glorify God through comforting the believer, giving peace and liberty, and filling believers with boldness to proclaim the Word of God.
The Gospel
We believe that the Gospel is simply good news, but that if we rightly divide the Word of God, we find that that good news is much more, that it is also important news. A proper exegesis of the Gospel will show that the centrality of the Gospel is what Christ did on the cross, but a full understanding is that He was also resurrected and has established His Kingdom. We believe that the Gospel deals with sin, judgement, wrath, Christ (His life, death, burial, and resurrection), repentance, obedience, and the Kingdom of God. Although there is a simplicity to the Gospel that falls on the cross, we believe that the message of the Gospel is much more urgent than merely that Jesus loves us and that He died for us. In conclusion we believe that a person who is saved (born again) has repented of their sins and unbelief therefore obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, for the purpose of giving glory to Him. We believe that man is a free moral agent and capable of choosing to do good or evil. We believe that left to his own devices, man will always choose to sin, as Scripture is clear that all have sinned.
Sin
We believe that sin is clearly defined in the Bible and cannot be defined by anything else. We believe that sin falls into three categories. The first is a transgression of the law, with clear instructions of what not to break. The second is anything that goes against faith. The third are sins of omission by not doing good when we know we should.
Guilt / Judgement
We believe that although we have been affected by the fall of Adam and have a propensity (or nature) to sin, we are guilty of our own sin and will be judged accordingly.
Hell
We believe that Hell is the place where God’s wrath and justice are demonstrated towards those who choose not to obey God and is constant, unending, and forever. We believe that Hell is a place of constant torment and death, and that it is the overwhelming reality of the justice of God. Sinners will be reminded day and night of their rebellion towards God as their prison guard Jesus Christ watches over them. We affirm that Hell was created for the devil and his angels, but because God is just, He will send man to Hell for rebelling just like the devil did.
Heaven
We believe that Heaven is the place where we will enjoy eternal life. We affirm that, unlike Hell, Heaven is the overwhelming presence of God’s peace, mercy, joy, and salvation. We affirm that all those who obeyed the gospel and put their full trust in Christ will be in Heaven.
The Cross / Death of Christ
We believe that it is only through the cross of Jesus Christ and His subsequent death where we find our forgiveness of sin.
Resurrection of Christ
We believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is how Christ overcame sin and conquered it. We believe that the resurrection makes His death for the forgiveness of sins full of power to free us from our sins.
Salvation / Regeneration
We believe that here on earth, we can be made new and can be regenerated from an old life unto a new life through Jesus Christ, which is commonly known as being “born again” or “saved.”
Justification
We believe that although man must repent, he is justified by Christ because of faith and not because of his good works, and that he will be regarded as a son or daughter and adopted into the household of God. We believe that Christ takes us and justifies us as his own, no longer wandering after the lusts of the world.
The Kingdom of God
We believe that the Kingdom of God teaches us that we must be obedient to Christ because He is King and that we become a part of His Kingdom. We believe that this teaches us that the Gospel is not merely a proclamation, but something we actually fulfill and obey. We believe that the Gospel is more than just Jesus dying on the cross, but that it involves obedience, hence why we are not only to preach about the cross, but also about the Kingdom of God.
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is what takes place when we are made holy. Many deny that we can be sanctified here on earth, however, we affirm what the Scripture says that we are sanctified. We believe that we are also growing in that sanctification, which is to be better described as “maturation.”
Glorification
We believe that when the believer dies the first death, and when at the resurrection, he will be given a new glorified body. We believe that this body will not be stained by the results of sin or a fallen world. Every believer looks forward to the day when they will be absent in the body but at home with the Lord. We believe that every believer will be freed from the draw and temptation of sin. We believe that there will be no more pain, no more crying, and no more suffering, and that we will no longer be bound to the struggles of sin and weakness that this present body offers.
Sinner
We believe that a sinner is a man who sins. Simply put, he is not of God and is in fact separate from God. We believe that a man becomes a sinner when they freely walk away from the will of God to act according to their own devices.
Saint
We believe that any man who has put his faith in Christ, repented of his sins, and walks according to the will of God, is a saint. We deny that there is a special level of Christian, and affirm that every born-again believer is a saint. The word “saint” is defined as “holy one.” We believe that Scripture teaches that we have been sanctified, or made holy. Scripture is clear that no man will see the Lord lest he be holy. Therefore, we affirm that all Christians must be holy and perfected, making them saints.
Communion
We believe that communion is an ordinance still in effect for the church today. We believe that this practice is something that Christians must continue to observe in remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross. When we partake of the bread and drink, we symbolically take in the broken body and shed blood of Christ.
Believer’s Baptism
We believe that baptism is an ordinance in the Christian church that represents publicly the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in our lives. We believe that baptism is practiced by full immersion, and that it is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and that is done under the authority of the name Jesus Christ. We believe that in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We believe that baptism is not regenerative, and therefore believe that infant baptism does no good, but rather harm. We affirm that we follow the teachings of the apostles that a man who believes must and will be baptized, in obedience, for the remission of sins.
Marriage
We believe that marriage is a covenant union of one man and one woman and is ordained by God. Although both man and woman are created for God, we affirm that woman was specifically created to be a help-meet for man. It is very important that we understand that marriage is and can only be defined by one man and one woman. We believe that marriage is a lasting covenant and must be sustained at all costs, if possible. We believe that the Scripture teaches that we should always strive for reconciliation and not a reason to depart.
Sanctity of Life
We believe firmly the position that all human beings, from the moment of conception to the moment of death, are valuable and must be regarded as an image of God. All human beings must be defended, spoken up for, and respected as equal image bearers of God. For this reason, we reject any form of euthanasia (unless we are fighting against the natural course of life and death must be delegated by each individual whether to peacefully pass into eternity or to remain here hoping to live another day), birth control, etc...that will end the life of a human being. Although we believe that the heart behind the desire not to have children is birthed from deception, the obvious sin that is taking place is the utter disregard of human life and the willingness to kill. This is evidenced by the Scripture, which speaks of hating someone in your heart and that you have murdered. We believe that Scripture is so clear about the gravity of this subject that God says that any living creature that sheds innocent blood is to have his own blood shed by man.
The Church
We believe that the church is merely the bride of Christ, or the body of Christ. However, we believe that this word goes much deeper. The biblical language of the word “church” has roots in “ekklesia,” which means “an assembly or gathering of specific people.” We affirm that this is referring to the gathering of the saints, the called out believers. When Scripture speaks of the church, it is speaking of something very specific, which is the local gathering of the believers. We believe that there is no such thing as a Christian who is divided from the body. We believe that every Christian must be connected to a local fellowship seeking to be made complete through the ordinance of deacons and elders and by doing the will of our Lord. We hold that the order of the church, as well as the need for a local church, is a matter that is clearly taught in Scripture. We believe that discipleship is a necessary and important aspect of being a part of a local body.
The Great Commission
We believe that the Great Commission is what all Christians are commissioned to do. The word “commission” is defined as a “command” or “duty” for a specific group of people. A deeper understanding of this is that we believe we have a mission to accomplish. We believe that the commission of the church and every believer is to make disciples and to be discipled by each other in the local assembly. This is the goal that we are aiming for.
(more scripture to come about discipleship)
The Great Mandate
We believe that the Great Mandate is what the church is commanded to do even if no goal is met. A mandate is defined as a “clear authoritative command.” We believe that our mandate as believers is to preach the Gospel and the Word of God to everyone and that this is the mandate of the church.
Authority of Statement of Faith
The statement of faith provided above does not comprise or exhaust the entirety of the fullness of the Christian faith or the Word of God. The doctrines provided in this constitution shall be considered primary and necessary doctrines in order to be a part of this established assembly and shall be taught faithfully at all times. We affirm that the full authority of the aforementioned statement of faith resides in the living and abiding Word of God. In addition, the pastor, elders, and all leadership shall be in agreement in these doctrines and all members of this established assembly shall act in concordant obedience to them. Church leadership will therefore retain the right to practice church discipline, established upon the binding agreement of these essential doctrines.