Our Beliefs
| Doctrinal Statement (download or read below) |
Due to the times in which we live, when the Word of God is disregarded and misconstrued, The Community Bible Church sets forth the following Articles of Faith in order to set forth qualifications for membership and keep a strong hold on The Faith once for all delivered unto the saints.
The following Articles cover the broad scope of our beliefs but are not exhaustive. Those beliefs which are most needful to be clarified are mentioned here and are carried out as far as is necessary to convey our convictions.
ARTICLE 1
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God. It is God's revelation to man, inerrant in its original writings; therefore, the supreme authority in faith and life (II Timothy 3:16& 17). By this we mean the miraculous guiding of the Holy Spirit in the original writing, extending to all points of Scripture equally, applying even to the choice of words, and that this Revelation was completed in what we know as our Bible, and to which nothing has been nor will be added.
ARTICLE 2
We believe in the only, one, true God, Jehovah eternally existing in three Persons: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-9).
ARTICLE 3
We believe in the incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, His bodily death on the cross to shed His blood for our sins, His bodily resurrection and His bodily ascension into Heaven (Matthew 1:23; John 19:30-37; I Corinthians 5:4; Acts 1:9).
ARTICLE 4
We believe in the Blessed Hope of the return of the Lord. We believe that this present age will end with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, first to receive His own unto Himself, then later with His own to establish the Throne of David upon this earth for a thousand years. This return of the Lord will be bodily, personal and premillennial, and as far as the church is concerned, it is imminent (II Samuel 7:16; Isaiah 9:6 & 7; Micah 5:2; Psalm 72:7 & 8; Luke 1:32 & 33; Acts 1:10 & 11; Acts 3:19-21; 15:14-18; Revelation 20:1-6; John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
ARTICLE 5
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, distinct and separate from the Father and the Son (and yet all three are a Tri-Unity), and that He filled and empowered the Church on the Day of Pentecost, that He convicts the world of sin through the believer as a witness, that He regenerates the sinner through the Word of God and that He indwells, enlightens, instructs and guides the child of God (John 16:7-15).
ARTICLE 6
We believe in the creation of man by the direct act of God. We believe man was created to glorify God (Revelation 4:11); however, man sinned by disobeying God and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings, as direct sons of Adams, are born with a totally depraved or sinful nature. They are in need of being born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be accepted of God and to be made children of God. We believe that only those who are born again of God are Sons of God (John 1:12; 3:1-21; Romans 5:12).
ARTICLE 7
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures - vicariously, and not the victim of circumstances - as a representative and a substitutionary sacrifice. All who believe in Him are justified alone on the grounds of His shed blood, which alone atones for sin, and by receiving by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God. We believe that regeneration (the new birth) is obtained by grace on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ crucified in our stead. By it we are made members of the Body of Christ, which alone is His true Church (I Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 9:22; Acts 2:37-47), and as such, we are responsible to God to live before Him in purity and holiness in accordance with His Word. We believe that to believe in Jesus necessitates believing in His virgin birth, His atoning, vicarious sacrifice on the cross, and His literal bodily resurrection (Romans 10:9 & 10; Ephesians 2:8 & 9).
ARTICLE 8
We believe that believer's baptism (by immersion), in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Lord's Supper are the only ordinances instituted by our Lord to be observed by all who have exercised faith in Christ as Saviour, and therefore cannot be entered into Scripturally by unbelievers or those who have not the capacity to exercise faith (Matthew 28:19 & 20; Acts 10:47 & 48; Matthew 26:6-28; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
ARTICLE 9
We believe that the Scriptures teach clearly, non-conformity to the world for every believer; that it is incumbent for unbelievers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices; that violation of this teaching involves loss of joy and peace, and of the violator's testimony to the world; that it incurs the chastening of God. We believe that separation can be maintained only by constant abiding in Christ and obedience to His Word. This requires a life of private Bible study and prayer as well as public worship with other believers. We believe that the world has no way of knowing the love of the Lord Jesus unless we as believers are willing exhibitors of that love (II Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1; John 15:1-27; I John 1; 5:21).
ARTICLE 10
We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell; Heaven the place of eternal, conscious happiness for all who accept by faith the merits of Christ's atoning sacrifice; Hell the eternal place of conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire for all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour (John 14:1-6; Philippians 3:20;
II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:10-15).
ARTICLE 11
We believe that Satan is the personal, powerful, deceitful prince of demons, the ruler of this world, and that he seeks to allure and devour the saints (1 Peter 5:8). We believe that he is the god of this age and has his end in the eternal Lake of Fire (II Corinthians 4:3 & 4; Revelation 20:10).
The following Articles cover the broad scope of our beliefs but are not exhaustive. Those beliefs which are most needful to be clarified are mentioned here and are carried out as far as is necessary to convey our convictions.
ARTICLE 1
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God. It is God's revelation to man, inerrant in its original writings; therefore, the supreme authority in faith and life (II Timothy 3:16& 17). By this we mean the miraculous guiding of the Holy Spirit in the original writing, extending to all points of Scripture equally, applying even to the choice of words, and that this Revelation was completed in what we know as our Bible, and to which nothing has been nor will be added.
ARTICLE 2
We believe in the only, one, true God, Jehovah eternally existing in three Persons: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-9).
ARTICLE 3
We believe in the incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, His bodily death on the cross to shed His blood for our sins, His bodily resurrection and His bodily ascension into Heaven (Matthew 1:23; John 19:30-37; I Corinthians 5:4; Acts 1:9).
ARTICLE 4
We believe in the Blessed Hope of the return of the Lord. We believe that this present age will end with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, first to receive His own unto Himself, then later with His own to establish the Throne of David upon this earth for a thousand years. This return of the Lord will be bodily, personal and premillennial, and as far as the church is concerned, it is imminent (II Samuel 7:16; Isaiah 9:6 & 7; Micah 5:2; Psalm 72:7 & 8; Luke 1:32 & 33; Acts 1:10 & 11; Acts 3:19-21; 15:14-18; Revelation 20:1-6; John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
ARTICLE 5
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, distinct and separate from the Father and the Son (and yet all three are a Tri-Unity), and that He filled and empowered the Church on the Day of Pentecost, that He convicts the world of sin through the believer as a witness, that He regenerates the sinner through the Word of God and that He indwells, enlightens, instructs and guides the child of God (John 16:7-15).
ARTICLE 6
We believe in the creation of man by the direct act of God. We believe man was created to glorify God (Revelation 4:11); however, man sinned by disobeying God and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings, as direct sons of Adams, are born with a totally depraved or sinful nature. They are in need of being born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be accepted of God and to be made children of God. We believe that only those who are born again of God are Sons of God (John 1:12; 3:1-21; Romans 5:12).
ARTICLE 7
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures - vicariously, and not the victim of circumstances - as a representative and a substitutionary sacrifice. All who believe in Him are justified alone on the grounds of His shed blood, which alone atones for sin, and by receiving by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God. We believe that regeneration (the new birth) is obtained by grace on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ crucified in our stead. By it we are made members of the Body of Christ, which alone is His true Church (I Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 9:22; Acts 2:37-47), and as such, we are responsible to God to live before Him in purity and holiness in accordance with His Word. We believe that to believe in Jesus necessitates believing in His virgin birth, His atoning, vicarious sacrifice on the cross, and His literal bodily resurrection (Romans 10:9 & 10; Ephesians 2:8 & 9).
ARTICLE 8
We believe that believer's baptism (by immersion), in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Lord's Supper are the only ordinances instituted by our Lord to be observed by all who have exercised faith in Christ as Saviour, and therefore cannot be entered into Scripturally by unbelievers or those who have not the capacity to exercise faith (Matthew 28:19 & 20; Acts 10:47 & 48; Matthew 26:6-28; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
ARTICLE 9
We believe that the Scriptures teach clearly, non-conformity to the world for every believer; that it is incumbent for unbelievers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices; that violation of this teaching involves loss of joy and peace, and of the violator's testimony to the world; that it incurs the chastening of God. We believe that separation can be maintained only by constant abiding in Christ and obedience to His Word. This requires a life of private Bible study and prayer as well as public worship with other believers. We believe that the world has no way of knowing the love of the Lord Jesus unless we as believers are willing exhibitors of that love (II Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1; John 15:1-27; I John 1; 5:21).
ARTICLE 10
We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell; Heaven the place of eternal, conscious happiness for all who accept by faith the merits of Christ's atoning sacrifice; Hell the eternal place of conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire for all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour (John 14:1-6; Philippians 3:20;
II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:10-15).
ARTICLE 11
We believe that Satan is the personal, powerful, deceitful prince of demons, the ruler of this world, and that he seeks to allure and devour the saints (1 Peter 5:8). We believe that he is the god of this age and has his end in the eternal Lake of Fire (II Corinthians 4:3 & 4; Revelation 20:10).