Core Beliefs

What Saith the Scriptures
 
Grace Bible Church does not have a doctrinal statement, but the following brief descriptions should give you an idea of what our core beliefs are on these key subjects. If you have any questions about our teaching, please Contact Us.

Bible

The Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). It was penned by holy men of God as they were “moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The Scriptures are the Word of truth (John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13), a sure and reliable revelation of God and His eternal purpose for mankind (Psalm 119:89, Psalm 19:7, 2 Peter 1:19)

Right Division

All Scripture is “written for our learning” (Romans 15:4); it is profitable for our study and its principles can be applied in our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). However, not all Scripture is written directly to us today for our obedience. We teach the Bible from a dispensational perspective, following the Apostle Paul’s admonition to “rightly divide” the Word of truth, recognizing that God has dealt with different groups of people in different ways and for different purposes throughout history (2 Timothy 2:15).

Godhead

There is one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three persons are declared in the Scriptures to be God and to have all the attributes of God: eternal, omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and sovereign (He does as He wills). God is also holy, meaning He is separate from sin, and righteous, meaning He always does what is just or right. (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Timothy 2:5, Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:8-10, Acts 20:28, Acts 5:3-4)

Creation

God created the universe in six days as described in Genesis 1-2 (Exodus 20:11). All things were created “by Him” and “for Him,” and that “by Him all things consist (hold together)” (Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:3). Man did not evolve (an idea of men that is “falsely called science [knowledge]” 1 Timothy 6:20-21). Man was the highest of God’s created beings, being made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26-27). However, when Adam disobeyed God, “sin entered the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men” (Romans 5:12).

Sin

All people are by nature (by birth) sinners and fall short of God’s holy and righteous standards (Romans 3:23). God has declared that the wages that must be paid for sin is death, which is separation from God (Romans 6:23). No one is righteous in God’s eyes (Romans 3:10). The only way anyone can be saved from sin and brought into a relationship with God is through the gift of God’s grace, which is “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, Titus 3:5-6, 1 Peter 3:18)

Cross of Christ

God is not only holy and righteous but also loving, merciful, and gracious. God demonstrated His love for us, even though we are sinners, by sending His Son into the world to save us from our sins (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, took a body of flesh and dwelt among men so that He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:14, 1 John 4:10). He shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary, paying in full sin’s penalty for all mankind. Jesus’ victorious cry of “It is finished!” testified to the fact that the work of redemption was completed on that cross; our debt was paid in full (John 19:30). Following three days and nights in the tomb, Jesus was raised from the dead, demonstrating God’s satisfaction with His beloved Son’s sacrifice (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Salvation

While all men’s sins are paid for, only those who trust in Jesus Christ are saved from their sins. The gospel message that must be believed is that “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Salvation is not based upon any works of righteousness on our part, but on Christ’s finished work on our behalf (Titus 3:5). Salvation is by God’s grace and is received through faith, simply trusting and relying upon Christ as Savior (Romans 3:24-26, Ephesians 2:8-10).

Security

When we hear the gospel and trust in Christ as Savior, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ and His Body (the Church) (1 Corinthians 12:13, Romans 6:3-4). We are then “sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption” (Ephesians 1:13). There is “no condemnation” to those who are “in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Nothing is able “to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39). We are absolutely secure in Christ. The Holy Spirit is given to indwell every believer as a “guarantee” (earnest) from God that He will carry through what He has promised: to take us home to be with Him for all eternity (Ephesians 1:14).

Assurance

We can be assured of our salvation because: 1) God has promised us in His Word, which is true. All the promises of God in Christ are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). We can always trust God’s Word. 2) Our salvation is not based on our works or goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:10) but on the finished work of Christ who died on Calvary for our sins. Because of His death on Calvary for our sins, He is able to “save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). We are “complete in Christ.” Nothing needs to be added to His finished work (Colossians 2:10). 3) The Holy Spirit, who indwells us, “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). He doesn’t speak to us audibly or in dreams or visions. The Spirit of God speaks to us through the Word, assuring us of our security “in Christ.” We can “know” that we have eternal life (John 5:24, 1 John 5:11-13).

The Church

During this present dispensation of Grace, God is building a Church which is referred to as the Body of Christ. Under the previous dispensation of Law, God dealt exclusively with the nation of Israel; Gentiles were considered outsiders. In the Church of today, God makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile. All saved people are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ the moment they trust Christ as Savior. The truth concerning this Church was a mystery, kept secret by God until He made it known to the Apostle Paul by special revelation. We find God’s plan and purpose for the Church of today only in the writings of Paul. (Ephesians 3:1-9, Ephesians 2:11-22, Colossians 1:24-29, Colossians 3:10-11)

Walk of the Believer

Once we are saved by God’s grace, we are to grow “in grace and knowledge of the Lord” so that we may “walk worthy of the calling” we have in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:1). Our walk is to be different than those who are unsaved and living according to this sinful world (Ephesians 4:17-19). We are to “walk in love” as Christ loved us and gave Himself as a sacrifice to God, an offering for our sins (Ephesians 5:1-2). We are to “walk as children of light,” having been delivered from the power of darkness and made light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). We are to “walk circumspectly,” being careful to walk in accordance with God’s will and using every opportunity to serve the Lord (Ephesians 5:15-16). The only way we can have this type of walk is to present (yield) ourselves to the Lord, making it our aim to be well-pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1).

Our Blessed Hope

Believers today have a wonderful hope “laid up for us in heaven” (Colossians 1:5). The word “hope” does not mean something we wish will happen, but something we know will happen because God has promised it. Unlike Israel’s hope, which is tied to this earth (land, nation, kingdom), the hope of the Church, the Body of Christ, is heavenly. When the Church, the Body of Christ, is completed and this present dispensation of grace is over, the Lord Jesus will appear in the air to catch the Church up to be with Him in glory (Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Our bodies of sinful flesh will be changed and made like the glorious body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57). “When He appears, we will also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4) and “so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Tribulation Period

After the Church is caught up to be with the Lord, God’s prophesied plan for Israel, which is postponed during this present age of Grace, will resume. Israel’s hope of reigning with their Messiah (Christ) in an earthly kingdom will once again be in view. However, before Christ returns to earth to establish this promised kingdom, the nation Israel must be brought through a period of great tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:15-22), a period referred to as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:4-7). During this time, the world will be ruled by Satan’s man, the Antichrist (Revelation 13). This tribulation will culminate with the revelation of Jesus Christ from heaven (Matthew 24:29-31) who will return to the earth “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). These events are prophesied in the Old Testament and are the subject of the book of “The Revelation.”

Millennial Kingdom

God promised David that his house and his throne would be everlasting (2 Samuel 7:12-16). At the close of the tribulation period, the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater “Son of David,” will return to this earth to judge and make war (Revelation 19:11-16). The kingdoms of this world will be taken from the usurper, Satan, and will become “the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). Satan’s man, the Antichrist, and his false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:19-20), and Satan himself will be chained in the pit of the abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). Christ will rule and reign, initially for a thousand years (millennium) (Revelation 20:4). The people of Israel will reign with Him as a “kingdom of priests” (Revelation 1:5, Exodus 19:6).

Final Judgments

At the end of the Millennial Kingdom (1000 years), Satan, his angels, and unbelievers from every age will stand before God to be judged. This judgment has been committed to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:25-29). Every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). The devil and his angels will be cast into the lake of fire, which has been prepared by God for them (Revelation 20:10, Matthew 25:41). All unbelievers will be judged according to their works, and none will measure up to God’s righteous standards, therefore, they will all be cast into the lake of fire where they will be punished for all eternity (Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:8).

Eternal State

Following these judgments, God will purge the old heavens and earth and create new heavens, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22). The saints from all ages will enjoy eternity in the presence of the Lord, where there will be no more sin, pain, tears, sorrow, or death (Revelation 21:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Ephesians 2:6-7, Colossians 3:3-4). All things will be gathered together and headed up by the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10), the One who “fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).