Why post a doctrinal statement?

Most every church makes available their Statement of Faith, also known as a Doctrinal Statement.  The word doctrine simply means teaching, so a doctrinal statement summarizes the main teachings of a church. By providing a clear Statement of Faith, churches  display integrity and transparency.  It allows anyone to quickly and clearly see, in advance, what the church teaches and believes.   We warmly welcome anyone to visit or regularly attend Grace Bible Fellowship without being in  agreement with these beliefs.   However, anyone desiring to join Grace Fellowship should invest some time, working to understand and eventually affirm the  Membership Statement of Faith.  If you have any questions regarding our beliefs, we would love to have a conversation with you.  It would be a privilege to explain or clarify any point of belief.  The team that teaches at Grace Fellowship follow this doctrinal statement, but they also affirm a slightly more detailed version Elder's Doctrinal Statement, found in under the Resources section of this web site. (Elders are responsible for the spiritual oversight of the church.)

The Membership Doctrinal Statement of Grace Bible Fellowship

WE BELIEVE IN GOD:  We worship the one true and living God who is perfect in wisdom, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy, and love.  We believe God is triune, existing eternally in three coequal, co-essential persons who act together in creation, providence, and redemption.  God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 
WE BELIEVE IN THE REVELATION OF GOD:  We believe that God has revealed himself through the created order sufficient to reveal his existence, and the moral standards to which all humans are without excuse and can be fairly judged by God.  However, in the Scriptures, and supremely in the divine person of Jesus Christ, God has more fully revealed himself.  The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writing, so that they are the only infallible and final authority for faith, practice, and means of salvation.  Until Jesus returns, the scriptures contain the completed revelation of God given through Christ and recorded by the Apostles who were specially gifted and inspired of the Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was true God and true man, existing in one person and without sin; and we believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in his ascension into heaven, and in his present life there for us as Lord of all, High Priest, and Advocate.

WE BELIEVE that God directly created Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race; and that they were created in His own image, distinct from all other living creatures, and in a state of original righteousness. We believe that Adam and Eve chose sin and death for themselves and all their offspring stand culpable of sin and suffer God’s curse.  All humans suffer two insurmountable problems: original sin and their own sin. All humans are in great peril of God’s judgment and wrath in hell.

WE BELIEVE in the existence of Satan, sin, and evil powers, and that all these have been defeated by God in the cross of Christ.

WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, triumphing over all evil.  We affirm that all who believe in Him are justified, being redeemed by His shed blood. Believers are forgiven of all their sins, proclaimed righteous by God, receive a pardon from God’s wrath, and obtain the gift of life eternal.

WE BELIEVE that salvation is obtained by grace through faith alone. It is a gift of God. Fallen humans are incapable of meriting salvation through keeping God’s laws or performing good works.  Good works are to be encouraged but are not meritorious toward salvation.

WE BELIEVE that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become children of God. Believers who yield to the Spirit’s control are able to obey God and shun sin.  Hence, those filled or under the control of the Spirit are joyful, enabled to love Christ by following his commandments, and develop satisfying fruit, such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.

WE BELIEVE the Church of God consists of all those individuals who believe in Christ as their savior and promised messiah.  New Testament era believers are grafted into the promises of God that had been given to Old Testament believers.  Therefore, there is one true, universal church comprised of those whose “belief has been counted as righteousness.” Christ is the head of the body, the Church, which He has commissioned to preach the gospel to all nations and make disciples.

WE BELIEVE the local church is responsible for keeping the two sacred ordinances for the believer in Christ:  1) Baptism and 2) The Lord’s Supper.

WE BELIEVE that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring all things to their appropriate end and establish the new heaven and the new earth. The certain hope of the Christian is that Jesus Christ will return to the earth suddenly, personally and visibly in glory according to his promise.  The dead will be raised, and Christ will judge mankind in righteousness.  The unrighteous will be consigned to the everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels.  The righteous, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their reward and dwell forever with the Lord.  The return of the Lord is the great hope of believers and a source of comfort and joy.