About us.. What We Believe Statement of Faith
Pictures of Our Church Family
| Statement of Faith |
 |
 |
 |
|
Purpose
The Church Confession of Faith
1. Of the Bible We believe that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Tim. 3:16), through holy men of God who "were moved by the Holy Ghost" to write the very words of God (2 Peter 1:21; I Cor. 2:13). We believe that the whole Bible, consisting of 66 books in the original, is complete and without error. We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God inerrant and our only authority in faith and practice. We use the King James translation of the Word of God as our teaching and preaching text. II Tim. 3:16; Ex. 34:27,32; Deut. 4:10; Acts 1:16; II Pet. 1:21 2. Of God We believe there is one true God, the Creator and Redeemer, and that He is known to us in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, co-equal in every divine perfection and exercising distinct but harmonious ministries in redemption. Deut. 6:4; John 1:1-3; 14:16,26; I Cor. 8:6; John 5:7; Rev. 4:11 3. Of Christ We believe that Jesus Christ is Deity from all eternity, and that by a miraculous birth He took to Himself a perfect human nature. He is therefore God and man, the two natures being inseparably united in one glorious person. Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Lk. 1:35; 2:11; John 17:5; Heb. 1:1,2; 2:9-16 4. Of the Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third person of the Trinity, though omnipresent from eternity, took up His abode in the Church in a special sense on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). We believe that He dwells in every believer, and by His baptism unites every believer to Christ in one body (1 Cor. 12:13; 6:19). 5. Of Satan We believe that Satan, called the devil, is a person, unholy but powerful, the enemy of God and man, whose destiny is, in justice, the lake of fire. Matt. 4:1-3; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:2,10 6. Of Creation We believe the biblical account of creation to be literally accurate and that man came into being by direct creation and not by process of evolution. Genesis Chapters 1,2; Psa. 148:3-5; Isa. 66:1,2; Mk.10:6, 13:19; Acts 17:24-26 7. Of the Fall and Redemption of Man We believe that man's state by creation was innocence; that by free choice he transgressed the known will of God, and became by nature and choice a sinner; that he is utterly unable to do anything to merit God's favor; but that salvation has been provided for him by the grace of God upon the basis of the blood of Christ shed upon the cross, and that this salvation becomes operative for the individual upon his trustful acceptance of Christ as Savior. Gen. 3:15; Rom. 5:12, 19; Eph. 2:8,9; John 3:16; Isa. 53:4-7; II Cor. 5:12; Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:35-39; John 10:28,29 8. Of Perseverance We believe the Scriptures declare that, in virtue of the original purpose and continuous operation of God, all who are united to Christ by faith will infallibly continue in a state of grace and will finally attain to everlasting life. John 10:28,29; Rom. 11:29; Phil. 1:6; II Thess. 3:3; II Tim. 1:12; I Peter 1:5 9. Of the Church A. Universal - We believe the church, the body of Christ, to be composed of all genuine believers in Jesus Christ, and that it is essentially an organism rather than an organization. Rom. 12:5; Matt. 16:15-18; I Cor. 12:25-27; Eph. 5:25-32; I Peter 2:5 B. Local - We believe a local church to be an organized body of baptized believers who meet statedly for the purpose of worship, observance of the ordinances and the proclamation of the gospel. Acts 14:23; I Thess. 1:1; I Tim. 3:1-13; I Peter 5:2 10. Of the Ordinances We believe that the ordinances authorized in the New Testament are two: 1. The Lord's Supper, wherein we partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine to show forth our Lord's death "Until He Come." Mk. 14:22-25; Acts 2:42; I Cor. 11:26 2. Baptism, which we understand to mean the immersion of believers in water as an outward symbol of participation by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and of the newness of life in which it is now expected we shall walk. Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:41, 8:12, 10:46-48; Rom. 6
11. Of the Rapture Of The Church
12. Of the Coming Tribulation
13. Of the Second Coming of Christ
14. Of the Final Judgment
Though this is not an official part of our Confession of Faith, we would like to clearly delineate our position on Tongues:
Tongues We believe that all believers are to give attention to becoming spiritually mature in order to function in the body of Christ. The emphasis of Scripture for individuals is on the qualities of Christian maturity. For the corporate body of Christ, Scripture underscores the development of faith, hope, and love. Realizing that differences of opinion exist on the issue of tongues, for the sake of unity, Shelby Bible Church asks all who worship here to refrain from exercising tongues at any SBC gathering.
|
