Our "foundational doctrines" form the basis of our beliefs. We believe that these foundational doctrines are the essentials of true Christianity and that there is no room for divergence from these essentials. These are the doctrines that all of our leadership and members hold to.
The Scriptures
The Scriptures are the Word of God. Every word in the original writings was inspired by God and is, therefore, without error. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the Scriptures and used their unique personalities to compose and record God's revelation to man. The Scriptures are accurate in all matters to which they speak, spiritual, historical, and scientific. The sixty-six books in the canon of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are the foundation of the faith and the practice of Grace Church. The Bible was designed for man's practical instruction. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
God
There is one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things. God exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three have distinct personalities and yet are of the same substance. They have the same nature and attributes, they are equal in power and glory, and they are worthy of the same homage, confidence and obedience. (Gen. 1:1; John 4:24; Deut. 6:4, Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the eternal Son of God and has been coequal with the Father from all eternity. He is not merely the highest among creation, but he is God in the same sense and the same degree as the Father. He is fully man and fully God. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, supernaturally, apart from a human father, and was born of the virgin Mary. This incarnation was the sovereign, supernatural initiative of God and is beyond all mere human possibilities or explanations. Jesus Christ was born without a sinful nature and though he was truly tempted, he committed no sin. Due to this sinless life, he could offer himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God on behalf of a sinful creation. The eternal Son of God assumed a true and entire human nature in the incarnation. He became flesh and lived on the earth. He died physically on the cross, was bodily resurrected three days later, and thereafter bodily ascended to heaven. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. (John 1:1, 14, 18; John 5:18; Heb. 1:2-3; 1 John 5:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 15:1-5; Phil. 2:9-11)
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and has been coequal with the Father from all eternity. He is active in the lives of believers and he permanently resides within every believer. The Holy Spirit guides, inspires, reveals, and continues the work and ministry of Jesus Christ. He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers in Christ at the point of faith, and empowers those yielded to God. He is a person, and not some vague force. He is one with the Father and the Son. His baptism unites all to Christ in one body, and He is the source of all power. The Holy Spirit also bestows certain special gifts upon believers within the body of Christ. These gifts are identified and discussed in detail in our Structural Doctrine. (Matt. 28:19; John 3:3-7, Acts 2:1-4; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:19, Rom. 8:9; Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 2:12; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:30)
Salvation
Salvation is received by faith alone in Christ. The only means to salvation is belief in Christ's substitutionary death and resurrection, which satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of the individual. Man's sin is a violation of the will of God and it results in separation from God. Due to this universal death of man through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God. A restoration of the broken relationship between God and man is necessary. However, no degree of personal reformation, no life of morality or no life of good works can help a person take one step toward heaven. Man's redemption has been accomplished solely by the sacrifice and the blood of Jesus Christ, who died as a substitute for man. His sacrifice is sufficient for salvation; man can do nothing to add to the value of this sacrifice. Salvation is the miraculous transformation of the individual, and the Holy Spirit is the agent who produces salvation. The new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ. Repentance always accompanies true faith but is in no way a work that contributes toward salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith. (Matt 3:2,8; Luke 5:32; Acts 4:12; Acts 13:38-39; Acts 26:20; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:4-5; Rom. 5:1; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 16:31; Eph 1:4-5; Rom. 8:29-30)
Man
Man was created in the image and likeness of God to enjoy God's fellowship and to fulfill God's will on earth. Adam, at the suggestion of Satan, fell from his sinless state through his disobedience. The consequence for his sin was the loss of spiritual life. This fall plunged all men into a state of sin and spiritual death. As a result of sin, all men are spiritually dead, justly condemned to eternal judgment and can do nothing to merit salvation. All men are born with a sinful nature and lead a sinful life in thought, word and deed. From this condition, man can only be saved by the grace of God. (Gen. 1:27, Rom. 2:3, 5; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1; Eph. 2:8-9)
Continue reading our Structural Doctrines.
