♥Heart of Grace
a
Christian Discipleship Church
"Loving God, Loving People"
Doctrinal Teaching Position
1. THE HOLY BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Because the Bible is God’s revelation to mankind, Scripture is without error. The human authors of Scripture were guided and superintended by the Holy Spirit. Using their own personalities, they recorded exactly what God intended. The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (Psalm 119; John 17:17; Romans 3:2; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21).
2. THE TRIUNE GOD
We believe that God is one in essence, but eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As God, each is worthy of our personal worship and honor. While God in His being is uncreated and transcendent of all creation, He remains intimately involved with, and sovereign of the universe. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 50:10-12; Psalm 139:7-10; Isaiah 45:5, 6; Matthew 28:19; John 14: 16, 17, 26; Acts 17:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6; 1Timothy 6:16; Hebrews 1:10-12).
3. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the virgin-born Son of Man. Through His redemptive death on the cross, He satisfied divine justice and paid the penalty for our sin. After his burial, He was bodily resurrected from the grave. Jesus then ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. At a time known only to the Father, Jesus will return to earth to gather his church (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6, 7; John 1:1-18; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2).
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe the Holy Spirit is both God and a spirit person. He is not an impersonal, invisible, active force, power, or energy. As divine God He convicts, regenerates, baptizes, indwells, and sanctifies the Christian believer. His principle agent of operation is through the written and spoken Word of God. The fruit of the Spirit’s affect upon an individual is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. (John 3:5-7; 16:7-9; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 12:4-13; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13).
5. CREATION
We believe that God created the universe and all that is, both seen and unseen. We believe that God created the universe ex nihilo, out of nothing, by word fiat. We believe that man was created out of the dust of the earth, in the image of God, and is the crown of God’s creation. We reject the theory of evolution as to man’s origin. We believe God’s intention for man is that he is to glorify God and enjoy His goodness. Man is to be holy, even as his God is holy. Man is to fulfill God’s will and purposes on the earth (Genesis 1-3; Isaiah 43:7; 45:8, 9, 12; John 1:1-3; Acts 17:24-29; Colossians 1:16; James 3:9).
6. SALVATION
We believe that God created mankind without sin, but through Adam and Eve’s transgression mankind fell from innocence. The result of this fall was that mankind became subject to the power of death. This death was both physical and spiritual. We believe that this spiritual death, or depraved bent to human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race, and the need of salvation extends to all of mankind because all mankind will choose to sin. Salvation is a free gift offered by God’s grace to mankind and is received solely by faith in the substitutionary death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 3:3, 16-18; Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). It is at the time of one’s water baptism into Christ that God does his saving work upon the believing individual, and the time that Holy Spirit baptism occurs. The work done at the time of baptism is a work of God, not of man. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. The form of water baptism, as practiced in the New Testament, is immersion as opposed to pouring or sprinkling (Genesis 3:1-24; 6:5; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12; 6:1-3; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:26-27; Ephesians 2:1-3).
7. ANGELIC AND DEMONIC BEINGS
We believe in the existence and activity of angels and demons. Angels serve God and worship Him. Angels can be ministering spirits to mankind in God’s behalf. God created angels, but after their creation there was a rebellion and some chose not to follow God. These fallen angels, or demons, follow the leadership of Satan, himself being the chief fallen angel. These demonic fallen angels are active in the affairs of mankind for the cause of evil. They are to be resisted by the believer. The final end of Satan, and of these fallen angels, is the lake of fire, or hell. All of mankind who choose not to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and remain unbelievers, will suffer eternal destruction in hell which was created for Satan and the demons. (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:4-14; Psalm 148:2-5; Revelation 12:4; Isaiah 14:12-14; Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 14:12-20; Matthew 4:1-11; 12:24; 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 1 Timothy 4:1; James 4:7; Revelation 20:2-10).
8. THE CHURCH
We believe the Church of Jesus Christ came into existence on Pentecost as is described in Acts 2. The church is a spiritual entity with Christ as its Head and is composed of all regenerated people. The church is Christ’s kingdom on earth. The Bible speaks of both the church local and the church universal. Water baptism automatically conveys membership with the church universal. Local church membership is implied in the New Testament and consistent with our earliest picture of the church in Scripture. The New Testament does not give specific instructions regarding any criteria for being a member of a local congregation. Therefore, a local congregation must devise reasonable conditions for membership such as a public profession of faith, believer’s water baptism by immersion, etc. Two ordinances of the Church, as commanded by Christ and practiced by His Apostles are the Lord’s Supper and believer’s water baptism (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 3:10-11).
9. THE END TIMES
We believe that the Scriptures teach that we are now living in the end times, and have been since the conception of the church. We believe that Jesus Christ will return for His church. The Second Coming of our Lord will be personal and imminent (at any moment). This will not be a secret return, but the whole world will know, both the living and the dead. The dead will be raised to life to face the final judgement by God. We reject the dispensationalist views of the rapture, the nation of Israel, and a future earthly kingdom and thousand year reign of Christ. The church is the kingdom of Jesus Christ and He did not fail to establish it at His first coming (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:1-9; Revelation 6:17).
10. HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe in a bodily resurrection for both believers and unbelievers, and that all will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment. Believers who have done the will of God will find their names written in the Book of Life and spend eternity in the new heaven and new earth. The new heaven and earth will be created after the Great White Throne judgment. Unbelievers, those whose names do not appear in the Book of Life, will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, with Satan and his demons (Luke 14:14; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:11-22:21).
