About Us
What We Believe
But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. – Titus 2:1
This Statement of Doctrine expresses the beliefs of Fellowship Bible Church and is the basis for theological qualifications of elders, deacons, staff members, ministry leaders, teachers, missionaries, and men seeking ordination.
THE BIBLE
We believe that the words of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and without error in the original manuscripts. We believe the Bible is to be interpreted in a normal and literal way and that it is understood as the believer is guided by the Holy Spirit of God. (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
GOD
- We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons — Father, Son, and Holy (Matthew 28:18, 19; 2 John 1:1, 1:14, 10:30; Acts 5:3,4)
- We believe God the Father providentially and sovereignly reigns over His universe His creatures, and the entirety of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, all-present, and all-wise. God is Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:28-30; John 1:12)
- We believe that God the Son became flesh in Jesus Christ. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and is both fully God and fully (Matthew 1:1; 8-25; John 1:14; 8:54-48; Hebrews 4:14,15)
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person possessing all the distinctively divine attributes. He convicts the world of its sin, of God’s righteousness, and of God’s He regenerates, seals, sets apart, and empowers the believer for worship and service. At regeneration He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ and comes to indwell him permanently. (John 3:5-7; 16:8; Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5)
Humanity
- We believe God created the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) in His image. Thus, every person bears the image of God and has great value. Adam and Eve sinned, resulting in spiritual death (separation from God) as well as physical death. The consequences of this sin affect the entire human race and the entirety of every person. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and ultimately commit willful acts of sin both of which result in separation from God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Mark 7:20-23; Romans 5:12-19)
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people. Believers in Christ will be resurrected to enjoy eternal life with God as a result of saving faith in Jesus and will be rewarded according to their work. Unbelievers will be resurrected to experience judgment for their sin, certain condemnation, and eternal suffering apart from God. (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10)
THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE WORK OF CHRIST
- We believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of all humanity as a substitutionary sacrifice and only those who believe in Him are declared righteous on the basis of His shed blood. (Mark 10:45; Romans 3:24-26; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9)
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven. Jesus now serves as high priest, intercessor, and advocate on our behalf with the Father. (Mark 16:19; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 7:25-27; 1 John 2:1, 2)
- We believe in the imminent, personal, glorious, and bodily return of Jesus Christ. He will reign in righteousness and peace over an eternal spiritual and physical kingdom. (Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:11; Revelation 20:4-6)
SALVATION
- We believe that from all eternity God determined, in grace, to save a great multitude of sinners from every tribe, language, people, and nation. We believe salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe God, in grace, elects, justifies, regenerates, sanctifies, and will ultimately glorify every believer. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1: 7-14; 1 Peter 1:17-19)
- We believe all individuals who by God’s grace, through repentance and faith, believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are born again and become children of God. This salvation is not the result of any human effort or merit, because the full price of redemption was paid by Jesus’ blood, which was shed for sinners. (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-13)
- We believe that all who are born of God are new creations. The Spirit of God who abides in a believer will lead him or her to live to please Christ and bear much fruit. (2 Corinthians 5:9, 17; Galatians 2:20; 5:17, 22-25, Ephesians 2:10)
LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN
- We believe that all true believers are kept eternally secure. This is not accomplished through human effort but by the power of God through the new birth, the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit, and the intercession of Christ. (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25
- We believe that sin continues to plague all believers in this life, but that God has made provision for believers to resist temptation and to live by faith as children of God through abiding in Christ and walking in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Romans 6:6, 11-12; 8:14-15; 12:2; Galatians: 24-26)
- We believe that all believers should continually grow in Christlikeness by the power of the Holy Spirit. True spiritual growth requires believers to die to self, forsake sin as a way of life. This growth is fostered by regular and frequent study of God’s Word, prayer, fellowship with believers, the exercise of faith and obedience in daily living, and the Father’s loving discipline. (Galatians 2:20; 5:25-26; Ephesians 4:12-16; Hebrews 10:24-25)
- We believe in order for the church to fulfill its God-ordained mission of making disciples, believers have been given spiritual gifts by God. As believers use these gifts, the church is enabled to accomplish its mission. . (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10, 11)
THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST
- We believe Christ is the head of the church and all who trust in Christ are members of His body (the universal church) and participate in a local expression of the church. (1 Corinthians 12: 12, 13, 27, 28; Ephesians 1: 22,23; Hebrews 10:24, 25)
- We believe that Christ ordained the observance of believer’s water baptism and the Lord’s Supper until He returns. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
- We believe that the mission of the church, in addition to building believers, is to make Christ known to the whole world. Every member of the body shares in this mission and Is called by Christ to make disciples. (Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20;; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
- We believe in the imminent and bodily return of Christ for the church. All members of the body of Christ, living or dead, will at that time be caught up to be with the Lord forever. (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
- We believe that the local church is to be shepherded by a plurality of elders who are assisted by deacons to carry out the church’s ministry. Elders and Deacons are selected according to standards expressed by the New Testament. (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9)
- We believe those in our fellowship who profess Christ as Savior and Lord but disgrace His name through unrepentant sin should be confronted according to biblical procedures with the goal of their repentance and restoration to fellowship. (Matthew 18:15-17; I Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Corinthians 2: 6-8)