Statement of Faith
Statement of Faith: What we Teach at Grace Bible Fellowship
1. The Bible.
We teach the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scriptures and we interpret the Scriptures by using the literal, historical, grammatical method. We accept the Old and New Testaments fully as the very Word of God, without error as originally given in 66 books of God, and as the complete revelation of His will for the salvation for those “from every tribe and language and people and nation”. They are sufficient as the only authoritative rule of faith and practice in the Church. (2Ti 3:16; 2Pe 1:20-21; Re 5:9).
2. The Triune God.
We teach the Triunity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is but one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving worship and obedience. (Deu 6:4; Ish 45:5-7; 1 Cor 8:4; Jn 4:24; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14)
We teach the Deity, Virgin birth, and bodily resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He came to earth, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary as a man, was tempted as we are, yet without sin. As the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself for the sins of the world on the cross. He arose in a glorified body and ascended into heaven as our Great High Priest. (Lu 1:36-38; Joh 1:1; Ac 2:23-24; Ro 5:9; Php 2:6-11; Heb 2:9; 4:14-16; 8:1; 1Pe 3:18).
We teach the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity is a divine person and equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature. As the Agent of the new birth He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and is admonished to be filled and walk in the Spirit so not to fulfill fleshly lusts. The Holy Spirit is also sent to guide, comfort, and empower believers. As the believer surrenders to the Lordship of Christ in their daily experience, the Holy Spirit continues to bring them into conformity to God’s will. We are admonished to agree with God about those areas of sin and self that hinder the working of the pure, clean, Holy Spirit of the living God. (Mt 28:19; Joh 14:15-18; 16:7-14; Ac 1:8; 5:3-4; Ro 6:11-13; 8:9; Ga 5:16-26; Eph 5:15-21; 1Th 5:23).
3. The Nature of Man.
We teach that all people by inheritance, nature, and choice are sinful and lost. Though created in God’s likeness, we by willful disobedience, became sinful creatures, totally depraved. We have incurred both physical and spiritual death without any possible means of salvation in ourselves. People can only be saved through putting their trust in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ge 1:27; Jer 17:9; Ro 3:23; Ac 4:10-12; 1Co 15:20-23; Ga 3:11; Eph 2:1; Re 21:1-4, 8).
4. Salvation.
We teach salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing and minus nothing. All people are to be called to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Faith and repentance are the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any of a person’s virtues or religious work. However, true saving faith will always produce evidence in the form of spiritual works and fruit. (Ga 5:22-23; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-7; Jas 2:14-26; Acts 11:18; Acts 20:21).
5. The Church.
We teach the Church of Jesus Christ, both universal and local. It consists of all who believe and are redeemed through His blood, have repented of their sins and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Head, and the Church is His body. The local church consists of believers in any specific geographical area joined together for worship, edification, fellowship, and proclaiming the Gospel. (Mt 28:18-20; Ac 2:41-47; Eph 1:22-23).
We teach the leadership of godly men, who have been called, and meet the biblical qualifications, to be elders in the local church. The local church government spelled out plainly in Scripture is elder rule, with a plurality of elders participating. Deacons – who must also meet the biblical qualifications – are the leading servants within the local church and these men are the first to aid the elders. Deacons accomplish this by being the first to “serve tables” and relieve the elders to “devote” themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word”. (Ac 6:2, 4; 14:23; Tit 1:6-9; 1Ti 3:1-7; 1Ti 3:8-13).
6. Future Things.
We teach a future life, bodily resurrection, and eternal judgment. Souls saved will be in God’s presence, with their works brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Unsaved are kept under punishment until the day of the Great White Throne, at which time final and everlasting punishment will be meted out. This punishment will be real and a torment day and night for all of eternity. (Joh 5:28-29; 1Co 3:11-15; 15:20-23; 2Co 5:8-10; Re 20:11-15).
We teach the personal, visible (pre-tribulation) return of Jesus Christ for His Church, those cleansed by His precious blood, which hope is a vital incentive to holy living and faithful service. All of Christ’s Church will be “caught up” prior to the seven year tribulation. Since the Scriptures are to be interpreted using the literal, historical, grammatical method, biblical eschatology naturally points to futuristic (not historical) pre-millennialism. (1Co 15:50-57; 1Th 4:13-18; Re. 4:1; Ps. 2:9; Is. 2:4; Rev. 20).
7. Marriage.
We teach that God has ordained sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity take place outside of a marriage. The term marriage has only one meaning – it is sanctioned by God and joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. Marriage between a husband and a wife is a glorious picture of Christ and His church. (Ge 2:24; Mt 19:4-6; Ro 13:9; 1Co 6:9; Eph 5:22-33; 2Ti 2:22; He 12:16; 13:4).
We teach the biblical roles of both men and women within the home. Men are to be the spiritual leaders and heads of their homes. They are to love their wives like Christ loved the church and raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Wives are called to be keepers at home and to be obedient to their own husbands. They are to fulfill their divine role in being a help mate's to their husbands in bringing up their children. We also recognize that God has called some in the church to singleness. For a believer that is called to be single, they are not to be regarded as a lesser Christian, because of this calling. (Eph. 5:22-33; Eph. 6:1-4; Gen. 2:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Cor 7:8, 1 Cor 7:32; 1 Cor 7:35)
1. The Bible.
We teach the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scriptures and we interpret the Scriptures by using the literal, historical, grammatical method. We accept the Old and New Testaments fully as the very Word of God, without error as originally given in 66 books of God, and as the complete revelation of His will for the salvation for those “from every tribe and language and people and nation”. They are sufficient as the only authoritative rule of faith and practice in the Church. (2Ti 3:16; 2Pe 1:20-21; Re 5:9).
2. The Triune God.
We teach the Triunity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is but one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving worship and obedience. (Deu 6:4; Ish 45:5-7; 1 Cor 8:4; Jn 4:24; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14)
We teach the Deity, Virgin birth, and bodily resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He came to earth, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary as a man, was tempted as we are, yet without sin. As the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself for the sins of the world on the cross. He arose in a glorified body and ascended into heaven as our Great High Priest. (Lu 1:36-38; Joh 1:1; Ac 2:23-24; Ro 5:9; Php 2:6-11; Heb 2:9; 4:14-16; 8:1; 1Pe 3:18).
We teach the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity is a divine person and equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature. As the Agent of the new birth He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and is admonished to be filled and walk in the Spirit so not to fulfill fleshly lusts. The Holy Spirit is also sent to guide, comfort, and empower believers. As the believer surrenders to the Lordship of Christ in their daily experience, the Holy Spirit continues to bring them into conformity to God’s will. We are admonished to agree with God about those areas of sin and self that hinder the working of the pure, clean, Holy Spirit of the living God. (Mt 28:19; Joh 14:15-18; 16:7-14; Ac 1:8; 5:3-4; Ro 6:11-13; 8:9; Ga 5:16-26; Eph 5:15-21; 1Th 5:23).
3. The Nature of Man.
We teach that all people by inheritance, nature, and choice are sinful and lost. Though created in God’s likeness, we by willful disobedience, became sinful creatures, totally depraved. We have incurred both physical and spiritual death without any possible means of salvation in ourselves. People can only be saved through putting their trust in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ge 1:27; Jer 17:9; Ro 3:23; Ac 4:10-12; 1Co 15:20-23; Ga 3:11; Eph 2:1; Re 21:1-4, 8).
4. Salvation.
We teach salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing and minus nothing. All people are to be called to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Faith and repentance are the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any of a person’s virtues or religious work. However, true saving faith will always produce evidence in the form of spiritual works and fruit. (Ga 5:22-23; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-7; Jas 2:14-26; Acts 11:18; Acts 20:21).
5. The Church.
We teach the Church of Jesus Christ, both universal and local. It consists of all who believe and are redeemed through His blood, have repented of their sins and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Head, and the Church is His body. The local church consists of believers in any specific geographical area joined together for worship, edification, fellowship, and proclaiming the Gospel. (Mt 28:18-20; Ac 2:41-47; Eph 1:22-23).
We teach the leadership of godly men, who have been called, and meet the biblical qualifications, to be elders in the local church. The local church government spelled out plainly in Scripture is elder rule, with a plurality of elders participating. Deacons – who must also meet the biblical qualifications – are the leading servants within the local church and these men are the first to aid the elders. Deacons accomplish this by being the first to “serve tables” and relieve the elders to “devote” themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word”. (Ac 6:2, 4; 14:23; Tit 1:6-9; 1Ti 3:1-7; 1Ti 3:8-13).
6. Future Things.
We teach a future life, bodily resurrection, and eternal judgment. Souls saved will be in God’s presence, with their works brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Unsaved are kept under punishment until the day of the Great White Throne, at which time final and everlasting punishment will be meted out. This punishment will be real and a torment day and night for all of eternity. (Joh 5:28-29; 1Co 3:11-15; 15:20-23; 2Co 5:8-10; Re 20:11-15).
We teach the personal, visible (pre-tribulation) return of Jesus Christ for His Church, those cleansed by His precious blood, which hope is a vital incentive to holy living and faithful service. All of Christ’s Church will be “caught up” prior to the seven year tribulation. Since the Scriptures are to be interpreted using the literal, historical, grammatical method, biblical eschatology naturally points to futuristic (not historical) pre-millennialism. (1Co 15:50-57; 1Th 4:13-18; Re. 4:1; Ps. 2:9; Is. 2:4; Rev. 20).
7. Marriage.
We teach that God has ordained sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity take place outside of a marriage. The term marriage has only one meaning – it is sanctioned by God and joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. Marriage between a husband and a wife is a glorious picture of Christ and His church. (Ge 2:24; Mt 19:4-6; Ro 13:9; 1Co 6:9; Eph 5:22-33; 2Ti 2:22; He 12:16; 13:4).
We teach the biblical roles of both men and women within the home. Men are to be the spiritual leaders and heads of their homes. They are to love their wives like Christ loved the church and raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Wives are called to be keepers at home and to be obedient to their own husbands. They are to fulfill their divine role in being a help mate's to their husbands in bringing up their children. We also recognize that God has called some in the church to singleness. For a believer that is called to be single, they are not to be regarded as a lesser Christian, because of this calling. (Eph. 5:22-33; Eph. 6:1-4; Gen. 2:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Cor 7:8, 1 Cor 7:32; 1 Cor 7:35)