GARDEN CITY INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FAITH
"TILL I COME, GIVE ATTENDANCE TO READING, TO EXHORTATION, TO DOCTRINE.”
I Timothy 4:13
Preamble
Sound Doctrine is essential for a life that pleases the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the Statement of Faith or Doctrinal Statement, which follows, is an accurate statement of the essential Christian doctrines. These truths have stood the test of time. For centuries Christian men and women have lived godly lives by adhering to these truths. Nevertheless, this Statement of Faith neither exhausts the doctrines of the Bible nor supersedes it in authority for faith and practice, for "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine…” II Tim.3: 16. The Bible remains our final authority.
1. OF THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures, being the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament from Genesis to Revelation, to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Scriptures are without error, infallible and God breathed, and therefore is the complete and divine Revelation of God to man, the centre of Christian Union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. We furthermore believe the translation of the King James Version of the Bible is the only authoritative and preserved Word of God in the English language. (II Sam. 23: 2; Josh. 1:8; Psalms 119:105; Prov. 30: 5 - 6; II Peter 1: 19-21; II Tim. 3:15-17; Psalms 12: 6-7; Daniel 10:21).
2. OF THE GODHEAD AND TRINITY
We believe in one Triune God, the living and true God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, eternally existing in three persons, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each Co-eternal in being, Co-identical in nature, Co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections, and executing distinct but harmonious offices. (Matt. 3: 16-17; 28:19-20; II Cor. 13: 14; Deut. 6:4).
3. OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HIS DEITY
We believe in the absolute Deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; That He is the Second Person of the Godhead; that He is the only begotten Son of God, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin, sinless in His life and nature, ever obedient to the Father; That in his vicarious death He made full and complete payment for the sins of the world; That He was buried and arose bodily from the grave the third day according to the Scriptures; That He showed Himself alive after His bodily resurrection by many infallible proofs, and that He ascended into heaven and even now is seated at the Father's right hand as our great High Priest and only mediator. (John 3:16; Luke 1: 35; Matt.1:21-23; Hebrews 5:8; I Peter 3:18; Rom.5: 11; I Cor. 15: 3-4; John 2:19-21; Acts 1: 3; I Peter 3: 22; Hebrews 4: 14; I Timothy 2: 5).
4. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature; That He was active in the creation; That in His relation to the unbelieving world He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; That He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; That He is the agent in the New Birth; That He seals, endues with power, guides into all truth, teaches, witnesses to our salvation, sanctifies, and helps the believer. (John 14: 16-17, 26; 16: 7-14; Matt. 28: 19; Hebrews 9: 14; Luke 1: 35; John 3: 5-6; Genesis 1: 1-3; Acts 5:30-32; Rom. 8: 14-16).
5. OF 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 ever born of women. Mary is not an object of worship or of prayer, but just a chosen vessel. Jesus Christ is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Luke 1: 46-47; Genesis 3: 15; Isa. 7: 14; Luke 1: 26-38; Matt. 1: 23).
6. OF MAN AND HIS FALL
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that in Adam’s voluntary sin the human race fell, he inherited a sinful nature and brought upon himself and all mankind, not only physical death, but eternal and spiritual death and became alienated from God. We believe that because of sin, man is a complete ruin and failure, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ; That all human beings are born with a sinful nature and that in the case of those who reach the age of moral responsibility and accountability, they then become sinners in thought, word and deed and therefore under just condemnation without defence or excuse. We believe to die in this condition is to be damned forever and forever without hope, which is the second death. (Genesis 1: 26-27; 2: 15-17; 3: 1-13; Psalms 51: 5; Jeremiah 17:9; Rom. 1: 18-32; 3:9-23; 5: 10-19; John 8: 21; II Thess. 1: 8-9; Revelation 20: 15).
7. OF SALVATION
A. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
We believe God is an absolute sovereign, and in His Sovereignty He gave man a free will to accept or reject the salvation that He has provided. It is God's Will that all would be saved, and that none should perish. God foreknows, but does not predetermine any man to be condemned. God permits man's destiny to depend upon man's free will choice. (I Timothy 2: 4; II Peter 3: 9; Acts 10: 34; John 6: 64-65; Rom. 8: 28-29; I Peter 1: 2; Eph. 1: 4-5).
B. THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, Who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him humanity-yet without sin, honoured the Divine Law by His personal obedience, 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 tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven. He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all sufficient Saviour. (John 3: 17; Acts 16: 30-33; Rom. 3: 25-26; 5: 6-11; 10: 9-13; Hebrews 9: 22; I John 2: 1-2).
C. THE GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; That the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; That it is instantaneous and not a process; That in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and sins 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, not by character, not 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; That its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life. (John 3: 3; II Cor. 5: 17; John 1: 12-13; James 1: 18).
D. THE FREENESS OF SALVATION
We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; That it is the immediate duty of all to accept salvation through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the complete and perfect Saviour; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel. (John 3: 18, 36; 5: 40; Acts 20: 21; Eph. 2: 8-9; Rom. 10: 13).
E. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; That justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; That it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but that solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood, His righteousness is imputed to us. (Rom. 5: 1,9; 8: 1; Titus 3: 5-7; Isa. 53:11; Acts 13:39; Hebrews 10: 38).
F. 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; Thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of 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 has our only and all sufficient Saviour. (Luke 13: 3; Acts 20: 21; Hebrews 6: 1; Luke 18: 13; Rom. 10: 9-13; Psalms 51: 1-4).
8. OF ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE SAVED
We believe that all who receive Christ as Saviour, by faith, are born again and are eternally secure in Christ; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation and can never be lost. (John 3: 16; John 5: 24; John 6: 37-40; John 10: 27-30; John 11: 25, 26; John 17: 9-12; Rom. 8: 23-39; II Timothy 1: 12;
I Peter 1: 5; Jude 24).
9. OF CREATION
We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally; 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 (atheistic or theistic) or evolutionary changes of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; That all animal and vegetable life was made directly by God, and God's established law was that they should bring forth only "after their kind". We believe that all things were created by the Lord, and for His pleasure they are and were created. (Genesis 1-2; Colossian 1: 16-17; John 1: 1-3; Rev. 4: 11).
10. OF THE DEVIL, OR SATAN
We believe in a personal Devil, Satan, who is thoroughly wicked and proud; That he is a created Angelic being who once was without sin and enjoyed heavenly honours, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of Angels; That he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him out to be man's great tempter, the enemy of the Godhead, the hinderer of the Gospel, the accuser of the Saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power behind the present apostasy; the lord of the Antichrist and the author of all the powers of darkness; he is destined to final defeat at the hands of God's own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Isa. 14: 12-15; Ezekiel 28: 11-19; Job 1,2; Matthew 4: 1-8; Luke 22: 31-32; John 8: 44; I Peter 5: 8; Eph. 2: 2; 6: 11; Revelation 12:4; 20: 10).
11. OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST AND RELATED EVENTS
We believe in that "blessed hope", the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.(Psalm 89: 3-4; Dan. 2: 31-45; 9: 24-27; Zech. 14: 4-11; I Cor. 15 : 50-54; I Thess. 1: 10; 4: 13-18;).
12. OF HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe that Heaven and Hell are actual literal places, prepared by God as the abodes of the saved and lost; That all those who die without Christ are eternally lost, and following the Great White Throne judgment shall abide forever in the lake of fire. That those who are saved by Christ shall abide forever in the blessedness of Heaven. (John 14: 1-3; Luke 16:19-31; Matt. 25:41; 10: 28; Mark 9: 44; Rom. 6: 16-23; Rev. 20: 15; 22: 1-5).
13. OF THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe in the importance of the local church and that it is an assembly of Born Again Baptised Believers united in organisation to practise New Testament ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, preaching, teaching, and a united testimony and to actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission. We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local church, and that no religious hierarchy has any scriptural grounds to dictate and run the affairs of the church. (Matt. 16: 18; Acts 13: 1-3; 14: 21-23; I Cor. 11: 2; 12: 12-13; Eph. 4: 11-16; Colossians 1: 18; I Timothy 3: 1-15; Hebrews 13: 7, 17; I Peter 5: 1-4).
14. OF BAPTISM
We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the Name of the Father, of the Son, of the Holy Ghost, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; That it is to be administered by the church only to those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. (Matt. 28: 19; Acts 8: 36-39; 16: 13-15, 29-34; Rom. 6: 3-5; Colossians 2: 12).
15. OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe that the Lord's Supper is a commemoration of His death until He comes, the bread speaking of His broken body, the fruit of the vine speaking of His shed blood; That it is preceded always by solemn SELF-examination; That the Lord's Supper consisted of unleavened bread and unfermented fruit of the vine and that the elements used are to be the same as is practical. (I Cor. 11: 2, 23-28; Matt. 26: 26-30; Acts 20: 7).
16. OF SEPARATION AND SANCTIFICATION
We believe in Bible separation; That is, to be set apart from the evil of this world and set apart to the glory of God and His service; That any thought, word or deed that would hurt the cause of Christ and His Church is sinful and should be dealt with immediately and put away from the lives of each member. We believe that we're called with a holy calling to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. We stand in opposition to Liberalism, Modernism, Neo-Evangelicalism, Ecumenical or Charismatic Movements. We stand unashamedly as Fundamentalist for Biblical separation from all error.
(Rom. 12: 1-2; 14: 16, 19-21; II Cor. 2: 15-17; 6: 14-17; I Thess. 5: 22; I Cor. 8: 9, 13; 10: 31-33; Colossians 3: 5-10; I John 2: 15-17).
17. OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom.12: 3-8; I Cor.12:4-11; Eph.4:7).
18. OF MIRICLES, SIGNS AND WONDERS
We believe that the gifts of the Spirit in I Cor. 12, are given today, for ministry and edification to all parts of the body of Christ with the exception of those gifts which are specifically called "signs". We believe that sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, prophecy and the gift of healing, were temporary, miraculous sign gifts; That these sign gifts were given by the Spirit during the beginning of the Church for these purposes; (1) to identify an "Apostle", (2) to get the Jews to listen to the Gospel or believe a new revelation, and (3) to confirm the Word of Scripture that was being spoken by the Apostles, but was not yet in written form as we have the Scriptures today. Since there are no Apostles present today and we have a complete Bible, we reject the "speaking in tongues" and "supernatural healing "as found in the apostolic ministry. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits consummation of our Salvation in the Resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Cor. 1: 22; 13: 8; 14: 21-22; II Cor. 12: 12; Mark 16: 17-20; Hebrews 2: 3-4; II Timothy 4: 20; III John 2).
19. OF MISSIONS
We believe it is each Christian's privilege and responsibility to be a witness for Christ in life and in Word. We believe every Christian should seek to lead others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We believe that the command to give the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable, and this commission was given to the Church.
(Acts 1: 8; 13: 1-5; Rom. 10: 13-15; Mark 16: 15; Matt. 28: 18-20).
We believe that missions is not only soul winning, but also discipleship. (Matt. 28: 20; Acts 20: 27-35).
20. OF THE GRACE OF GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to them, is obligated to support their local church financially with free-will gifts and offerings. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14: 20; Deut. 8: 18; Prov. 3: 9-10; Malachi 3: 10-12; Matt. 23: 23; Luke 6: 38; Acts 4: 34-37; I Cor. 16: 1-3; II Cor. 9: 6-10; Gal. 6: 6; Eph. 4: 28; I Tim. 6: 17-18; I John 3: 17).
21. OF 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. (I Cor. 6: 1-8; Eph. 4: 31-32).
22. OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home; (2) the Church; and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. 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; We therefore believe in the separation of the Church from political and state and entanglements; We recognise that civil government is of Divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society, however, 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; I Peter 2:13-14; Acts 4:19-20; 5: 27-29; Daniel 3:17-18; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb.13: 17).
23. OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. (Genesis 2: 24; 19: 5, 13; 26: 8-9; Lev. 18: 1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; I Cor. 5: 1; 6: 9; I Thess. 4: 1-8; Hebrews 13: 4).
24. OF DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on Scriptural grounds for divorce. (Malachi 2: 14-17; Matt. 19: 3-12; Rom. 7: 1-3; I Cor. 7: 10-28; I Timothy 3: 2, 12; Titus 1: 6). We believe that church should not shun divorced persons, but show them love and acceptance, with godly counsel. The church holds that divorced persons may serve God acceptably in offices other than Pastor or Deacon, if there is a repentant spirit. (Eph. 4: 32).
25. OF ABORTION
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 the teaching that termination of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3: 16; Psalms 51: 5; 139: 14-16; Isa. 44: 24; 49: 1,5; Jeremiah 1: 5; 20: 15-18; Luke 1: 44).
26. OF EUTHANASIA
We believe that God alone has the right to determine the termination of human life; That every person has an appointed time on earth and therefore we believe that any form of mercy killing, or in any way assisting persons to die who are apparently terminally ill, is contrary to the will of God. (Exodus 20: 13; Job 7: 1; 14: 5, 6; Ecclesiastes 7: 17; Psalm 90: 10-12; Hebrews 9: 27).
