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Who We Are:
Grace Fellowship is a New Covenant church submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the Head of the body, the church. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and make Him
known in an ever increasing measure. We are committed to learning and obeying the Word of
God regardless of the cost or personal inconvenience. For the glory of our God, we seek to
be Christ-centered in all our ministry, basing everything solely on the Word of God. In
full dependence upon the Spirit of the living God, we seek to build up the body of Christ
and to call lost sinners to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - the one and
only Savior. We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord (2 Cor. 4:5). In all that
we say and do, our desire is to glorify our most wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VIEW A COPY OF OUR CONSTITUTION, PLEASE CLICK
"HERE".
If you would like to read our purpose statement and doctrinal statement only, then scroll down ...
Our Purpose:
(Much thanks goes to John Piper and the saints at Bethlehem Baptist Church for
enlightening us to many of these great truths)
Our purpose for existing as a local church is to magnify the supremacy of God in all
things and to display His glory among all peoples. To this end, we join God the Father1 in magnifying the supremacy of His glory through our
Lord Jesus Christ2, in the power of the Holy Spirit3 by a life of faith in which we
treasure4 all that God is,
love5 as He loves,
pray6 for all His purposes,
meditate on all His Word7,
spread the truth7 of God (as revealed
in the Holy Scriptures) into His world,
walk sustained by His grace.8
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Footnotes:
1God is infinitely glorious (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 145:5). All
that the Son and the Holy Spirit do, and all that happens in history is designed by God to
magnify His greatness and His beauty. The Spirit magnifies the Son (John 16:14) and the
Son magnifies the Father (Phil. 2:11; John 17:1). We join this divine purpose by aiming,
in all we do, to magnify God: "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). To magnify God means to do for Him what a
telescope does for galaxies - not to make the small look large, but to make the
magnificent look like what it is - for us and for all peoples. Every moment of life, now
and forever, is given by God for magnifying God - in the neighborhood and among the
nations.
2We can only magnify God the Father because of the
redeeming life and death and resurrection of God the Son (Eph. 1:5-6). Without Him we are
alienated from God and under His wrath (Eph. 2:3,12-13). Therefore, our entire
relationship with the Father rests on Jesus. All of life, now and in eternity, depends on
the saving and sustaining work of Jesus (Heb. 1:3). Thus the name of Jesus shall be upheld
like a banner over every moment and every ministry and every mission of our church and our
lives: "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"
(Col. 3:17).
3Only if we are born again by the Spirit (John 3:3) will
we be inclined to magnify God in the name of Jesus. Therefore, all that matters in life
depends on the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts. His leading is the very essence of being
a child of God: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God" (Rom. 8:14). All of life is to be lived in glad reliance on the enabling and
empowering of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17,22-23; Rom. 15:13; 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph.
3:16-21, 5:18; Col. 3:16).
4By "treasure" we are referring to cherishing
and being satisfied in God and His promises. God's glory is magnified when we have faith
in what He promises to be for us in Christ Jesus. With respect to "the promise of God
[Abraham] did not waver... through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory
to God" (Rom. 4:20). Such faith is mainly the future-oriented assurance "of
things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1). It is not simply a one time act that is here today and
gone tomorrow. God-given faith endures to the end. One who has such faith runs with
endurance the race and fights the good fight. Spirit-given faith treasures God and is fully satisfied because God Himself is the believer's portion. "And Jesus said to them, `I am the Bread of
Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never
thirst'" (John 6:35). Thus God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in
Him. He is praised in all things when He is prized in and above all things.
5In this, we declare that the all-satisfying supremacy
of God shines most brightly through sacrificial deeds of joyful love. Faith in the
all-satisfying grace of God frees us from fear and greed and impels us to love like God.
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but
faith working through love" Gal. 5:6. "Now the purpose of the commandment is
love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5).
Thus the all-satisfying greatness of God in whom we trust is seen and magnified in our
love. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). There is special affection for the
"household of faith" (Gal. 6:10; 1 Thess. 3:12; Rom. 12:10; John 13:35), but our
love even embraces enemies (Matt. 5:44-47). "Let all that you do be done with
love" (1 Cor. 16:14).
6The riches of God's grace are magnified when we depend
on Him by prayer rather than looking to our own resources. "Call upon Me in the day
of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me" (Ps. 50:15). "And
whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son" (John 14:13). The Word of God that sustains the faith that works through love is
illuminated and made powerful through prayer (Ps. 119:18; 2 Thess. 3:1). Faith is
sustained by prayer (Luke 22:32; Eph. 3:14-21). Love is increased by prayer (Phil. 1:9).
Thus we are to pray constantly (1 Thess. 5:17) with perseverance (Eph. 6:18; Luke 18:1).
All activity should be guided and carried by prayer.
7The faith that works through love is begotten and
sustained by the Word of God. "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23;
see also James 1:18). "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God"
(Rom. 10:17). This Word is the Bible and is the inspired and infallible guide for all of
faith and life. "All Scripture is `God-breathed'" (2 Tim. 3:16), and therefore,
"the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Thus the Word of God is the fuel
for the fire of faith which works through love and magnifies the worth of God. Therefore,
we aim to be saturated with the Word of God through continual meditation (Psalm 1:1-3,
119:97) leading to proclamation (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 4:2). If God's name is to be hallowed
in our lives, our worship, our service, our evangelism, we must recognize the total
sufficiency of God's Word. It is crucial, as a God-centered, God-ordained organism, that
we uphold God's Word through teaching, preaching, submitting to, and living out its truth.
8Beneath treasuring all that God is, and loving all that
He loves and praying for all His purposes, and meditating on His Word, and penetrating the
world with truth, rests the all-powerful, all-supplying grace of God. We do not initiate
our own conversion, nor sustain our own perseverance. "For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but
I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with
me" (1 Cor. 15:10). All of Christian living reflects God's glory because it is all
the work of His grace (Heb. 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11). Everything we have is a gift from God (2
Cor. 4:7). "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory
forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Therefore, we will not glory, except in the Lord (1 Cor.
1:31). We will do all we do by faith in the strength that God supplies that in everything
God may get the glory.
What We Teach:
The whole of our doctrine is the Bible. Below, we have attempted to highlight some of
the key truths established in the Scriptures. We do not claim that the below doctrinal
statement is infallible or without error. It is what we see revealed in the Word of God as
far as the light we currently have. Being finite men, we wholeheartedly ask for correction
from the Word of God to any portion that does not accurately reflect its teaching. We are
not bound by this doctrinal statement, but by the whole counsel of the Word of God.
God
1. We believe that there is but one true and living Goda
eternally existent in three Persons: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit;b
all having the same attributes and qualities, yet so as there are not three gods,
but onec - each having the whole of the divine essence, yet
distinct from one another so that the persons are not to be confused nor the substance
divided.
God is glorious.d His glory stems from all that He is - all His
attributes.e This holyf and eternalg
Spirith is infinitei and unchanging in
His being and perfection.j Thus, He cannot be fully comprehended
by finite man.k
God fully exists everywhere, yet He is separate from and far above His creation.l
He knows all thingsm because He has decreed all things.n
He is all-powerful,o all-great,p and
all-wise,q and as such rules over all as sovereignr
- working all things according to His own will so that all things will ultimately abound
to the praise of His glory.s He is self-sufficient and is in no
way dependent upon His creation.t He is a God of love who is
compassionate and forgiving.u Yet, He is also pure, righteous,
and just, and in righteousness will judge mankind.v
God can do anything that is consistent with His nature and His eternal purpose. He cannot
deny Himself, nor can He lie.w God is jealous for His own honor
and glory and will display it in grace and mercy, as well as in judgment and wrath.x
a) Isa. 44:6-8; Jer. 10:10; 1 Cor. 8:4-6
b) Mt. 28:19; 1 Jn. 5:7
c) Deut. 6:4
d) Ex. 15:11; Ps. 145:5
e) Ex. 33:18-34:8
f) Isa. 6:3; Rev. 15:4
g) Ps. 90:2; Deut. 33:26-27; 1 Tim. 1:17
h) Jn. 4:24; 1 Tim. 6:16
i) Jer. 23:24; 1 Kings 8:27; Ps. 147:5; Isa. 40:28
j) Malachi 3:6; James 1:17
k) Rom. 11:33-36; Job 26:14; Ps. 139:6
l) Ps. 139:7-12; Col. 1:16
m) Job 37:16; Ps. 139:1-4; Heb. 4:13
n) Isa. 44:7; Isa. 46:10-11
o) Gen. 18:14; Rev. 19:6
p) Ps. 96:3-4; Ps. 145:3
q) Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 1:17
r) From events and rulers (Dan. 4:25, 34-35; Prov. 21:1),
To the flight of sparrows (Mt. 10:29),
To the casting of lots (Prov. 16:33),
To the salvation of sinners (Eph. 1:3-6; Rom. 9:15-16)
s) 1 Tim. 6:15-16; Eph. 1:9,11-12; Eph. 3:11; Isa. 42:8; 43:7,21;48:9-11;
Num.14:21; Hab. 2:14
t) Acts 17:24-25
u) 1 Jn. 4:8; Ps. 86:5,15
v) 1 Jn. 3:3; Ps.11:7; Nah.1:2-3; Acts 17:31
w) 2 Tim. 2:13; Titus 1:2
x) Isa. 42:8; 48:9-11; Eph. 1:5-6; Rom. 9:21-23; Ps. 83:17-18
The Bible
2. We believe that God has revealed Himself,a and
all that is necessary to life and salvationb in the sixty-six
books of Holy Scripture which are the written word of God.c All
Scripture was given by the inspiration of God,d and as such is
the final authority - its authority being derived from its Authore
and not from the opinions of men.f God?s Word is truth and
as such cannot be broken.g
We accept as absolute truth only that which is supported by direct proof
from Scripture. The Scripture itself, when illumined by the Spirit of God, provides us
with all the information that we need to rightly interpret the Word of God.h
The Bible interprets itself. The Old Testament Scriptures are not self-contained
revelation, but they find their fulfilment in the New Testament.i
Every passage must be understood in light of the whole counsel of God?s Word and the
centrality of Jesus Christ.j
a) Heb. 10:7
b) Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Ps. 19:7-11; 2 Peter 1:2-4
c) 1 Thess. 2:13; Jn. 17:17; Ps. 119
d) 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21
e) Isa. 45:23; Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Cor. 14:37
f) 1 Thess. 2:13; Isa. 8:20; Luke 10:16
g) Jn. 17:17; Jn. 10:35; Mt. 5:18
h) 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13
i) Jn. 5:39; Luke 24:25-27,44-49; Acts 26:22-23; Rom. 1:1-3
j) Heb. 10:7; Col. 2:16; 2 Cor. 3:14-16
Man's Creation and Fall
3. We believe that God, by His powerful word,a freely created
the universeb out of nothing.c All
things visible and invisible were created by Him and for Him.d He
continues to sustain His creatione and rule over it, even now.f
As the pinnacle of His creation,g He made our first father, Adam,
in His own imageh - sinless and upright.i
God appointed Adam head and representative of the whole human race.j
Thus, He made all Adam's offspring liable to the effects of Adam's obedience or
disobedience to His commandment.k
a) Gen. 1:3; Jn. 1:1-3; Ps. 33:6,9
b) Ps. 102:25; Ps. 8:3; Acts 17:24-25; Jer. 10:12-13
c) Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3
d) Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11; Isa. 43:7; Ps. 19:1; Rom. 11:36
e) Ps. 119:90-91; Col. 1:17; Heb.1:3
f) Ps. 115:3; Isa. 45:5-13; 46:10; Dan. 4:25,34-35; Acts 17:26-28; Ps.
47:7-8
g) Ps. 8:5-6
h) Gen. 1:27; 5:1
i) Gen. 1:31; Eccl. 7:29
j) Rom. 5:12
k) Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 15:21
4. We believe that Adam disobeyed God's commandment,a
fell from his original righteousness into sin, and brought death,b
condemnation,c and corruptiond upon
himself and all his offspring.
a) Gen. 3:1-7
b) Gen. 2:17; 3:8-12; Rom. 5:12-17; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13
c) Rom. 5:16,18; Eph. 2:3; Jn. 3:18; Ps. 21:8-10
d) Eph. 4:17; Titus 1:15; Jer. 17:9; Isa. 1:4-6; Rom. 3:10-12
5. We believe that it is therefore utterly beyond the power and desire of fallen man to
understand the things of Goda, to seek Himb,
to keep His commandmentsc, to embrace the gospeld,
to repent of sine, or to trust in Christf.
Nevertheless, these are the very things God requires of himg.
a) Jn 8:43; 1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 4:18
b) Jn 5:40; Rom. 3:10-12
c) Rom. 8:7
d) 1 Cor. 1:18; Jn. 1:12-13; 6:44,65
e) Jn 8:34; Rom. 6:20
f) Matt. 12:34; Jer. 13:23
g) Luke 13:1-5; Jn. 3:18-19; Acts 17:30
Election
6. We believe that God, in Christa, before the foundation of
the worldb and for His own gloryc, did
elect an innumerable number of mankindd to eternal life as an act
of His gracee and an expression of His lovef;
and that this election was in no way dependent upon His foresight of their faithg,
decisionh, worksi, or meritj.
a) Eph. 1:4,6
b) Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13
c) Eph. 1:6,12,14
d) Gen. 15:5; cf. Gal. 3:16,29, 3:7; Rev. 7:9-10
e) 2 Tim. 1:9
f) Eph. 1:4-5; 2:4; 1 Jn. 4:19
g) Acts 13:48
h) Jn. 1:13; Rom. 9:16
i) Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5
j) Rom. 9:10-13; Eph. 1:6
The Person and Work of Christ
7. We believe that Christ was sent into the world by His heavenly Fathera
to redeem the elect of mankindb and rule over God's kingdom
as Lordc. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spiritd
in the womb of the virgin Marye, and born of her, yet without sinf.
He lived a sinless lifeg, perfectly fulfilling the law of Godh.
This union of the divine and human made Jesus forever both God and man in one Personi.
The Lord Jesus is the mediator between God and manj. As man, He
is our elder brotherk and High Priestl
before Godm, representing us to God the Fathern.
As God, He is the visible image of the invisible Fathero,
representing God to usp.
a) Jn. 17:18; 20:21
b) Mt. 1:21; Luke 19:10; Jn. 17:2; Eph. 1:4-7; 5:25-27
c) Luke 2:11; Jn. 18:37; Acts 2:30-36; Phil. 2:8-11
d) Luke 1:35
e) Mt. 1:16; Luke 1:31
f) 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 1:19
g) Heb. 4:15; 7:26
h) Phil. 2:8; Jn, 17:4; Heb. 10:5-9; Mt. 5:17
i) Jn. 1:1-2,14; Jn.20:28; Mt. 1:23; Heb. 1:3; 2:14,17; Col. 2:9
j) 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 12:24
k) Heb. 2:11-12, 17
l) Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-16
m) 1 Peter 3:22
n) Heb. 7:25; 1 Jn. 2:1
o) Jn. 1:18; Col. 1:15; 2:9
p) Jn. 1:18; 14:9
8. We believe that as Prophet and Teachera, Christ reveals to the
electb, by His Word and Spirit, all that is needed for life and
godlinessc. As God?s Son, Christ reveals God to us and
speaks God's Words to us, in a way that no other prophet couldd.
a) Acts 3:22; Jn. 3:34
b) Mt. 11:27
c) Jn. 14:26; 16:12-14; 2 Peter 1:2-4
d) Jn. 14:6; 17:3; Heb. 1:1-3; Jn. 1:14,18; Mt. 7:28-29
9. We believe that as High Priest, Christ once offered Himself up to Goda
on the cross as a substitutionary sacrificeb for the electc,
thereby propitiating God?s wrath which was upon themd,
procuring their reconciliation with Gode, and redeeming them from
the curse of the lawf. Now, He continually intercedes for themg
in the presence of His Father in heavenh, thereby assuring their
perseverance in holiness unto the endi.
a) Heb. 7:27
b) Heb. 10:12; Isa. 53:5; 2 Cor. 5:21
c) Mt. 1:21; Eph. 5:25; Jn. 10:11
d) Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17
e) Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:21-22
f) Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:14
g) Heb. 7:25
h) Rom. 8:34
i) 1 Cor. 1:8; Jude 24
10. We believe that as King, Christ conquered His enemiesa. He
was declared the Son of God with power in His bodily resurrection from the deadb,
and ascended to the right hand of the Father, enthroned in glory as Lordc;
thus inaugurating His Kingdomd. He poured out His Spirit on the
day of Pentecost to carry forward His work on earthe. He rules in
the hearts of His peoplef, subduing their sing
and enabling them to love and obey Himh. He rules over all
creation, visible and invisiblei, and shall physically return at
the end of the age, revealing Himself as Lord and judging the world in righteousnessj.
a) Col. 2:15; Luke 11:20-22; 1 Peter 3:21c-22
b) Rom. 1:4
c) Acts 2:32-36; Rom. 8:34; Phil. 2:9-11
d) Acts 2:30-36; John 18:36-37
e) Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8, 2:33
f) Gen. 49:10; Ezek. 36:27; Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10
g) Titus 2:11-12
h) Phil. 4:13; Col. 1:11
i) Col. 1:16; Acts 10:36
j) Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rev. 19:11-16; Mt. 24:29-31
The Holy Spirit and Salvation
11. We believe that God the Son has sent forth the Holy Spirita
to apply the sacrifice of Christ to the electb by convincing them
of their sin and miseryc, enlightening their minds in the
knowledge of Christd,and renewing their willse,
thus persuading and enabling them to embrace Jesus Christ through faith alone, whom has
been freely offered to them in the gospelf. This work of the Holy
Spirit, which is called regenerationg or rebirthh,
is accomplished through the instrumentality of the Word of Godi
and gives spiritual lifej to an otherwise spiritually dead sinnerk.
All believers have the Spirit of Godl.
a) Jn. 16:7; Acts 2:33
b) Titus 3:4-7
c) Jn. 16:8
d) Jn. 16:13-14; Acts 16:14; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; Jn. 3:3
e) Ezek. 36:26; Phil. 2:13
f) Ps. 65:4; 110:3; Eph. 2:8-9 Gen 15:6; Jn. 1:12-13; 3:15-18,36; 5:24;
6:28-29; 6:35,47; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 3:28; 4:5; 5:1-2; 10:4; 10:9-10; 11:6; Phil: 3:9;
Titus 3:5; 2 Tim. 1:12.
g) Titus 3:5
h) Jn. 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3
i) Jn. 5:24; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23
j) Eph. 2:1,5; 2 Cor. 5:17
k) Jude 19; Eph. 2:1-7
l) Rom. 8:9,14-17
12. We believe that the elect, having been brought to faith by the ministry of the
Spirita, are justifiedb (that is
forgiven of all their sinsc and declared righteous in the sight
of Godd) on the sole basis of Christ?s righteousness imputed
to theme. Although sin may interrupt the joy of the fellowship
with Godf and bring upon them the loving discipline of their
heavenly Fatherg, they are never more nor less justified than
when they first believedh. All the elect, both before
Christ's first advent and those after, are justified in the same manneri.
Apart from Christ, there is no salvationj.
a) Acts 18:27; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:29; Titus 3:5
b) Rom. 3:24; 5:1
c) Eph. 1:7
d) Rom. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:21
e) Rom. 5:18-19; Phil. 3:9
f) Ps. 51:12; 2 Cor. 7:9
g) 1 Cor. 11:29-32; Heb. 12:7-10
h) Rom. 8:1
i) Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:9; Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11
j) Acts 4:12; John 14:6
13. We believe that those who are thus justified are also adopted as God's own
childrena and made joint heirs with Christb.
They are given the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their redemptionc
through Whom they cry out, ?Abba, Fatherd!? They shall,
therefore, bear the fruit of the Spirite throughout the remainder
of their livesf.
a) Gal. 4:5-6
b) Rom. 8:17
c) Eph. 1:13-14
d) Rom. 8:15
e) Ezek. 36:27; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 2:1; Jn. 15:1-8,16; Rom. 8:1-17
f) Rom. 8:35-37; 2 Cor. 2:14; Phil. 1:6
14) We believe that the Spirit indwells all true believersa
and works in them, by means of the Scripturesb, that which is
pleasing in His sightc. Having freed them from the power of sind,
He conforms them into the image of Christe and enables them more
and more to put to death the deeds of the body and live unto righteousnessf.
Nevertheless, due to their remaining corruption, this process is never perfected in this
life but rather gives rise to a continual war (the flesh striving against the Spirit and
the Spirit striving against the fleshg), which shall continue
until Christ takes them home in glory and frees them from the presence of sinh.
a) Rom. 8:9,14
b) Acts 20:32; 1 Peter 1:23; compare Eph. 5:18 with Col. 3:16
c) Rom. 7:4
d) Rom. 6:17-18
e) Rom. 8:29
f) Rom. 8:13
g) Gal. 5:17; 1 Pet. 2:11
h) Rom. 8:23
15) We believe that those who profess faitha yet exhibit a
pattern of life governed by sin are self-deceivedb and are still
in a lost conditionc.
a) Matt. 7:21
b) Jas. 2:20; 1 Jn. 2:9, 11
c) Gal. 5:19-21; Heb. 12:14; 1 Jn. 2:4-6; 2 Pet. 2:22
God's Covenants and The Law
16) We believe that God has maintained one eternal purpose in Christa
which has been expressed through a multiplicity of distinct historical covenantsb.
Prominent among thesec are those designated the Old Covenant
(also known as the Mosaic or First Covenantd) and the New
Covenante. The former, confined to the people of Israel alonef,
was established while that nation was assembled before Mt. Sinaig
and was later made obsoleteh through its fulfillment by the life
and death of Jesus the Messiahi. The Old Covenant was comprised
wholly of shadowsj pointing ultimately to Jesus and His body, the
Churchk. Therefore, the age in which it remained operative was at
all times a period of immaturityl as compared to the age of
fulfillment which was inaugurated with Christ's first adventm.
a) Eph. 3:11
b) Eph. 2:12; Rom. 9:4 1
c) Gal 4:24
d) Heb. 8:7; 9:1
e) Heb 8:13; Luke 22:20
f) Deut. 5:3
g) Deut. 5:2-3; 1 Kings 8:9; Gal. 3:17
h) Luke 5:36-38; Heb. 8:13, 7:12; Gal. 3:19; 2 Cor. 3:6-1
i) Eph. 2:14-15; Matt. 5:17; Rom. 8:3, 10:4
j) Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 10:1
k) Heb. 11:9-10; Gal. 3:8; Jn. 8:56
l) Gal. 3:23-25; 4:3
m) Matt. 1:22; 2:17; 4:14; Luke 1:68-79; Acts 26:22-23
17) We believe that the Old Covenant, containing a single, unified law codea,
was a legal, conditional covenantb requiring perfect and complete
obedience of all those under itc. On the one hand, it promised
life to all who obeyed itd, and, on the other hand, it pronounced
a curse upon all its transgressorse. Therefore, it inescapably
brought death to all who sought to be justified by itf -- not
because of a deficiency in the law (which in itself is "holy, just, and good"g),
but because of the sinful inability of those under its chargeh.
For this reason, it is variously described as a "killing letter,"i
a "ministry of death,"j and a "ministry of
condemnation"k-- its distinct purpose being to illumine sinl
so as to make manifest the Israelites' and, by implication, all men's need for a redeemerm.
a) Gal. 5:3
b) Ex. 19:5, ?if . . . then?
c) Deut. 5:32-33; Gal. 3:12; Jas. 2:10-11
d) Lev. 18:5; Luke 10:28; Rom. 7:10, 10:5
e) Deut. 11:26-28; 30:15-20; Gal. 3:10
f) Rom. 3:20; 7:5, 10; Gal. 2:16; 3:11; 1 Cor. 15:56
g) Rom. 7:12
h) Rom. 8:3; Heb. 8:8
i) 2 Cor. 3:6
j) 2 Cor. 3:7
k) 2 Cor. 3:9; Rom. 4:15
l) Rom. 7:13
m) Rom. 3:19-20; 5:19-21
18) We believe that, in contrast to the Old Covenanta, the New
Covenant (by virtue of Christ's perfect obedience to the lawb, as
well as His bearing of its cursec) promises only blessing to all
those who belong to itd. This second covenant, the
"everlasting covenant"e enacted upon better promisesf,
has thus brought to realization all that was anticipated in the covenants made with
Abrahamg, Mosesh, and Davidi.
a) Heb. 8:9
b) Rom. 5:19 (compare also Ex. 19:5-6 with 1 Peter 2:9)
c) Gal. 3:13
d) Heb. 7:22; Eph. 1:3; Gal. 3:9
e) Heb. 13:20
f) Heb. 8:6
g) Gal. 3:29
h) Ex. 19:5-6; 1 Pet. 2:9
i) Acts 2:29-31
19) We believe that, under the New Covenant, God's people, having entered the age of
fulfillmenta, now stand as mature sonsb.
Having been set freec from the tutelage and bondage of the law
coded written upon tablets of stonee,
they have subsequently been placed under the Spirit's managementf
-- having the new and greater Lawgiver'sg own lawh
now written upon their heartsi.
a) 1 Cor. 10:11
b) Gal. 4:4-7
c) Acts 13:39; Gal. 5:1; Rom. 8:2
d) Rom. 6:14; 7:6; Gal. 3:25
e) Deut. 4:13
f) Rom. 7:6, 8:14
g) Heb. 3:3
h) Isa. 42:4; Heb. 7:12
i) Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10; 2 Cor. 3:3
20) We believe that, as a result, though many of the individual commandments given in
the decalogue and the eternal principles upon which the Mosaic Covenant was founded still
apply to those under the New Covenanta, God's people are now
totally free from the Old Covenant as a covenantb. The usefulness
of the Mosaic commands is not therefore to be denied, only that these are now understood
to come to us through Christc, the mediator of the New Covenantd.
In particular, with the obsolescence of the Old Covenant, the fourth commandment, the
seventh day Sabbath observance, is no longer obligatorye ---its
relevance now pointing to that rest enjoyed by all those in Christf.
a) Jas. 2:11; Eph. 6:1-2; 2 Cor. 6:17
b) Gal. 4:30; Rom. 10:4
c) Matt. 5:21ff., 17:5; Acts 3:22; 1 Cor. 9:21
d) Heb. 8:6; 12:24
e) Col. 2:16-17; Gal. 4:9-11
f) Matt. 11:28-12:8; Heb. 4:3
Israel
21) We believe that God terminated the Mosaic Economy (i.e., the national, sacrificial
and legal institutions associated with the Old Covenant) at the cross, and thus, He destroyed Jerusalem in
a.d. 70a in fulfillment of His oracles of judgment against
apostate Israelb. As a nation redeemed from bondage in Egypt by
the hand of God, Israel of old served to foreshadow the new people of Godc
redeemed from sin's bondage by the blood of Christ, the Lamb of Godd.
Any theological significance which the nation of Israel once had has now endede
and in its place stands the churchf, the pure and spotless brideg,
the fruitful nationh,the "heavenly Jerusalem," the
"city of God,"i the "one new man"j
comprised of both Jew and Gentilek, which alone shall receive all
the blessings promised throughout the Old Testament by virtue of its relation to Jesus
Christ, the seed of Abrahaml, in whom all the promises of God are
yes and amenm.
a) Matt. 23:32-24:2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 19:41-44, 21:5-6, 20-24; Dan.
9:26-27
b) Luke 21:22
c) Gal 6:15-16
d) 1 Cor. 10:1-11; 1 Pet. 2:9-10
e) Matt. 21:43; Rom. 10:12; Gal. 6:15
f) Acts 15:13-18; Phil. 3:3
g) Eph. 5:23-27
h) Matt. 21:43
i) Heb. 12:22; Gal.4:25-26
j) Eph. 2:15
k) Rom. 4:9-12; 15:7-12; Isa. 49:6
l) Gal. 3:16
m) 2 Cor. 1:20; Rom 15:8
22) We believe that those Jews who, in the providence of God, believe in Jesus as the
Messiah both now and in the future shall be ingrafted into the Church rather than
established as a separate people of Goda.
a) Rom. 11:23-24; Jn. 10:16; Eph. 2:14-22
The Church
23) We believe that the church is the fulfillment of that which the historical people
of Israel served to foreshadowa. God chose a people from out of
the world to Himselfb and to this chosen people He bound Himself
by making the covenants and the promisesc. The church - the
?called out ones? - consists only of those who have been justified by faithd.
It alone is rightfully designated the body of Christe,
a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possessionf.
It shall flourishg despite persecution and strife unto the end of
the ageh.
a) Acts 2; 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 11:39-40; Col. 2:17; Heb. 3
b) Rom. 4:9-12; Rev. 5:9, 7:9-10
c) Rom. 1:2-6; Heb. 6:13-20
d) Rom. 4:13,24; 5:1; Gal. 3:7,9; Jer. 31:34; Joel 3:17; Zech. 14:21
e) Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18, 24
f) Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9
g) Eph. 1:11-12; Matt. 13:31-33; 2 Tim. 2:10-13; Isa. 11:9
h) Matt. 16:18; Heb. 12:28; Dan. 2:44
24) We believe that the church is ultimately under the authority of Christ alonea.
Its purpose is to glorify Godb and enjoy Him forever through the
pure preaching of the Wordc, the proper administration of the
gospel ordinancesd, and the diligent exercise of church
disciplinee. It has been commissioned by Christ to proclaim the
Gospel to all menf, being assured that God will not cast out anyg
who come to Him in true faith and repentanceh. A local church is
a visible manifestation of the body of Christ in a given geographical location. Thus a
local church is to be composed only of those who have professed faith in Christi
and who live lives in accordance with that professionj. It is to
be governed through a plurality of male eldersk who shepherd the
flock as equalsl. It is consistent with the communion of the
saintsm, to recognize and fellowship with all members of Christ's
bodyn.
a) Eph. 1:22; 2:20
b) Eph. 3:21
c) 1 Tim. 4:6, 13
d) Acts 2:42
e) 1 Cor. 5:7; Titus 3:10
f) Matt. 28:19-20
g) John 6:37
h) Rom. 10:13
i) 1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:2
j) 1 Cor. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14f.; 2 Thess. 3:6
k) Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; 1 Tim. 2:12
l) Acts 20:17, 28
m) 1 Cor. 10:17
n) Gal. 6:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Jn. 3:14-18
25) We believe that true worship is to be given to God (the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit) and to Him alonea. Since the fall of
man into sin, worship cannot be offered to God without the mediation of Jesus Christ, our
great High Priestb. Whereas in the old
covenant era there was a place of worship (i.e. the tabernacle and later the temple), true
worship in the New Covenant era is not confined to any particular location or building.
Believers are now the temple of the Holy Spirit and they are to worship God in spirit and
in truth all the timec.
a)Matt. 4:10, 22:37
b) Heb. 8:1-6, 9:8-14, 23-28, 10:1-25; 1 Tim. 1:5
c)John 4:20-24; 1 Cor. 3:16-17, 6:19-20; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5,9
26) We believe that, though there are many gifts in the body of Christa,
there is only one Spirit who bestows them allb,
and that they are therefore to be used for the building up of the churchc
and not for personal gratificationd. The
church, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophetse,
is no longer dependent upon the miraculous and revelatory gifts which were present at its
inceptionf. Though God is capable of
intervening today with a miraculous eventg,
the miraculous gifts, as gifts, have passed awayh,
their significancei having now ceased. With
the completion of the New Testament canon, revelatory gifts have also ceasedj;
and that, of these, tongues (known languages foreign to their speakerk)
signaled the fulfillment of Old Testament propheciesl
foretelling the divine judgment against Israelm
in the transition from the Old era to the New.
a) 1 Cor. 12:4; 1 Pet. 4:10
b) 1 Cor. 12:11
c) 1 Cor. 14:5, 19, 26; 1 Pet. 4:10
d) 1 Cor. 13:5
e) Eph. 2:20
f) 1 Cor. 13:10-11
g) Dan. 4:35
h) 1 Cor. 13:8
i) Acts 5:12; 14:3; Heb. 2:4
j) Dan. 9:24
k) Acts 2:8-11
l) Acts 2:16-21; cf. Joel 2:28-32
m) 1 Cor. 14:21-22; cf. Isa. 28:11-12; also Deut. 28:49; Jer. 5:15
27) We believe that baptism and the Lord's Supper are gospel ordinances properly belonging
to believers alonea. They are external signs
of internal, spiritual, and historical realities. Baptism signifies the recipient's
identification with Christ and cleansing from sinb
but it neither guarantees nor accomplishes such cleansingc.
The Lord's supper is a memoriald wherein the death of Christ for
His people, instituting the New Covenant, is proclaimed visually as a comfort to the
saints until His return in glorye.
a) Acts 2:38-39, 8:12, 18:8.
b) Acts 22:16.
c) 1 Cor. 1:17; Acts 8:9-24; 1 Cor. 10:1-5.
d) Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11:24-25.
e) 1 Cor. 11:26.
Christ's Return
28) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ shall come againa
at the end of this agebin great power and
gloryc in order to consummate His Kingdomd and execute judgment on all mene.
The righteous will be raised up to immortalityf
in the likeness of Christ's resurrection bodyg
and will be gathered to dwell forever in His presence, enjoying everlasting communion with
their God, to the glory of His graceh. The
unrighteous will be raised to suffer God's wrath in helli,
separated from the Lord Jesus Christ and the beauty of His presencej,
to the glory of His justicek. This truth,
though derided by menl, forms the basis of our
hope and consolationm, knowing that Christ
will cast all His enemies and ours into everlasting condemnationn,
but shall take us, together with all His elect, to Himself into heavenly joy and gloryo. Amen.
aJn. 14:3; Acts 1:9-11; Heb. 9:28
b1 Cor. 15:23-24
cMatt. 24:29-31; 2 Thess. 1:7-10
d1 Cor. 15:24
eMatt. 25:31-33; Jn. 5:22; Acts 10:42, 17:31; 2
Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5
fMatt. 25:46; Jn. 6:40,44; 1 Cor. 15:49-54
g1 Cor. 15:49, 52; Phil. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:2
hMatt. 24:31; 2 Thess. 2:1; Ps. 23:6; 41:12;
Rev. 21:3; 22:5
iMatt. 25:41; Mark 9:48; Jude 7
j2 Thess. 1:9
kRom. 9:22
l2 Pet. 3:3-4; cf. Jude 17-21
m1 Thess. 4:18; 1 Pet. 1:13
nMatt. 25:46
oMatt. 25:34; 2 Tim. 4:8, 18; Rev. 21:1-22:5
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