Shepherd's Grace Baptist Church

Statement of Faith

FOR SHEPHERD’S GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

Our beliefs according to Scripture

The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible is the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried; that it contains sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which as written does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God; that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of God, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error as no other writings have ever been or ever will be; that the true Word of God for the English speaking people is the King James 1611 version and no other; that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; Act. 1:16-21; 28:25-28; Psa. 12:6-7; 19:7-11; 119:89, 105, 130, 160; Luk. 24:25-27, 44-45; Jn 5:39, 45-47; 12:48; 17:17; Pro. 30:5-6; Rom. 3:4; 1 Pet. 1:23; Rev. 22:19; Isa. 8:20; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; 6:17; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Col. 1:24-27)

The Godhead

We believe that there is one living and true God, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressible glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and in every divine perfection, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Exo. 15:11; 20:2-3; Gen. 17:1; 1 Cor. 2:10-11; 8:6; 12:4-6; Eph. 4:6; Jn 4:24; 10:30; Psa. 83:18; 90:2; Jer. 10:10; 1 Tim. 1:17; Mat. 28:19; 1 Jn 5:7; 2 Cor. 13:14)

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men; that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead; that Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luk. 1:35; Jn 1:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phi. 2:5-8; Rom. 3:24-25; 8:34; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn 2:1-2; Heb. 7:25; 9:24;)

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son; that He convicts of sin, and bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, guides, endues, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. (Jn 1:33; 3:5-6; 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:8-11, 13; Mat. 3:11; 28:19; Heb. 9:14; Luk. 1:35; 3:16; 2 The. 2:7, 13; Act. 5:30-32; 11:16; Eph. 1:13-14; Mk. 1:8; Rom. 8:14, 16, 26-27; 1 Pet. 1:2)

The Devil or Satan

We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world; that he is man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of false religions, the chief power behind the present apostasy, the lord of the anti-Christ, and the author of all powers of darkness; that he is destined to a final defeat at the hands of God’s Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezk. 28:14-17; Rev. 12:7-10; 13:13-14; 20:1-3, 10; 2 Pet. 2:4; Eph. 2:2; Jn 14:30; 1 The. 3:5; Mat. 4:1-3; 25:41; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 Jn 3:8; Luk 22:3-4; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; Mk. 13:21-22; 2 The. 2:8-11)

The Creation

We believe in the Genesis account of the creation and that it is to be accepted literally and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary changes of species or the development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly, and God’s established law was they should bring forth only “after their kind.” (Gen. 1:1, 11, 24, 26-27; 2:21-23; Exo. 20:11; Act. 4:24; 17:23-26; Col. 1:16-17; Jn 1:3; Rev. 10:6; Rom. 1:20; Jer. 10:12)

The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of God, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice and therefore under condemnation without defense or excuse. (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 1:18, 20, 28, 32; 3:10-19; 5:12, 19; Eph. 2:1-3; Gal. 3:22)

The Virgin Birth

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was or can ever be born of a woman, and that He is the Son of God and God the Son. (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Mat. 1:18-25; Luk. 1:35; Jn 1:14; Psa. 2:7; Gal. 4:4; 1 Jn 5:20; 1 Cor. 15:47)

The Atonement for Sin

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace through the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinners place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the cross; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father; that He in every way is qualified as a suitable, compassionate and all sufficient Saviour. (Eph. 2:8; Act. 15:11; Rom. 3:24-25; Jn 3:16; 10:18; Mat. 18:11; Phi. 2:7-8; Heb. 2:14; Isa. 53:4-7, 11-12; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10; 1 Cor. 15:3, 20; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; Heb. 7:25; 9:12-15; 12:2)

Repentance and Faith

We believe that Repentance and Faith are solemn obligations and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; that by being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy, at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, and openly confessing Him as our only and all sufficient Saviour. (Act. 20:21; Rom. 10:9-10, 13; Isa. 55:6-7; 1 The. 1:9) Salvation: We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins; that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel, and nothing prevents the salvation of any sinner, but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel. We reject all theories, philosophies, and theologies that are inconsistent with the Bible, including the man-made systems of Calvinism and Arminianism. (Rom. 10:13; Jn 3:15-16, 18, 36; 6:37; Isa. 55:6-7; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 2:4-9)

New Birth

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the New Birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus, and is instantaneous and not a process; that the one dead in trespasses and sin, is made a partaker of the Divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not by culture, or by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with Divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel. (Jn 1:12-13; 3:3, 6-8; Act. 16:30-31; 1 Jn 5:1; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1; 2 Cor. 5:17, 19; Col. 2:13)

Justification

We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is Justification, bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through the Redeemer’s blood, His righteousness is imputed unto us. (Act. 13:39; Isa. 53:11; Rom. 4:1-8; 5:1, 9; 8:1; Tit. 3:5-7; Gal. 3:11) Eternal Security: We believe that once we are saved, we are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (Jn 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 1 Pet. 1:4-5; Eph. 1:13; 4:30)

Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment; that the souls of the redeemed at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when the soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord; that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with the soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Mat. 25:46; Jn 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:4-15; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phi. 3:21; 1 The. 4:16-17; Mk. 9:43-48; Luk. 16:19-25; 2 The. 1:7-9)

The Church

We believe that the local church is a congregation of believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, governed by His laws and exercising the rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers of ordination are pastors and deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; that the local church has the absolute right of self government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that every church is the sole and only judge of the measure and method of its cooperation on all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence. (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23-24; 4:11; Act. 14:23; 15:22; 20:17-28; Col. 1:18; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour; that the Lord’s Supper in which believers by the use of unleavened bread and grape juice, are to commemorate together the dying love of the Lord Jesus Christ, preceded always by solemn self-examination. (Mat. 3:6, 16; 28:19-20; Jn 3:23; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12; Act. 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 11:23-28)

The Resurrection, Rapture, and Second Advent of Christ

We believe that Christ rose bodily the third day according to the Scriptures, and He ascended to the right hand of the throne of God; that He alone is our merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God; that He shall come from heaven bodily, personally, and visibly; that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and the living saints shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, prior to the tribulation; that the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David, and Christ shall reign a thousand years in righteousness until He hath put all enemies under His feet. (Mat. 28:6-7; Luk. 24:2-3, 39, 51; Jn 20:27; 1 Cor. 15:4; Mk. 16:6, 19; Act. 1:9-11; Rev. 3:21; 1 The. 4:16-17; Heb. 8:1; 12:2)

Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: the home, the church, and the state; that every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves), are answerable to God and governed by His Word; that God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other; that the home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)

Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman; that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of marital, sexual intimacy; that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance; (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4) that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. (Gen. 2:24; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 1 The. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

Family Structure

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church; that the husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church; Accordingly, only naturally-born men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

That God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society; that the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church, and the wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ; that children are an heritage from the Lord, and parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values, and leading them through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (1 Tim. 3:4-5; Deu. 6:4-9; Psa. 127:3; Pro. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)

We believe that children must be absolutely protected within the church from any form of abuse or molestation. The church has zero tolerance for any person, whether paid staff, volunteer, member, or visitor, who abuses or molests a child. (Ps. 127:3-5; Matt. 18:6; Matt. 19:14; Mk. 10:14)

Missions

We believe that the command to give the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable and this Commission was given to the churches. (Mat. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15; Jn 20:21; Act. 1:8; Rom. 10:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:18)

Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him is obligated to financially support his local church; that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully as God has prospered him, to the support of the church, to support those in need and to spread the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Act. 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Jn 3:17; 2 Cor. 9:6-13)

Separation

We believe that believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that their lives do not bring reproach upon their Savior. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. We stand against any and all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Jn 2:15-17; 2 Jn 1:9-11)

Abortion and Euthanasia

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Ex. 20:13; 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32; Matt. 18:15-17)