What We Believe
At Grace Baptist Church, everything we believe begins with the Bible and centers on Jesus Christ. Our beliefs are shaped by the historic Christian faith and are consistent with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
We believe the Bible is our final authority for faith, doctrine, and daily life. Statements of faith are helpful summaries, but they never replace the authority of God's Word.
Our beliefs are not merely ideas we agree with. They shape how we worship, how we live, how we love others, and how we participate in God's mission to reach the world.
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"Scripture alone is our final and sufficient authority. In everything, we desire to glorify God." |
CONTENTS
The Bible The Lord's Supper
God The Mission of the Church
Humanity Discipleship
Sin The Lord's Day
Salvation Religious Liberty
Repentance and Faith Cooperation
God's Purpose of Grace The Family
The Church The Sanctity of Human Life
Church Leadership Last Things
Baptism Our Doctrinal Partnership
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 1
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
The Bible
We believe the Bible was written by people who were inspired by God. It is completely trustworthy and contains everything necessary for knowing God, understanding salvation, and living faithfully.
The Bible has God as its ultimate author, salvation as its purpose, and truth without error as its message. Scripture is the final authority for what we believe and how we live.
God
We believe there is one true and living God who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is holy, loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, and worthy of all worship. He created everything, sustains everything, and rules over all creation according to His perfect wisdom and goodness.
God the Father
God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the course of human history. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are adopted into God's family and are invited to know Him as Father.
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is fully God and fully man.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a completely sinless life, and perfectly revealed God to humanity. He willingly died on the cross as the substitute for sinners, was buried, and physically rose from the dead on the third day.
Jesus ascended into heaven, where He reigns as Lord and intercedes for His people. He will personally and visibly return in power and glory.
Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation and the only mediator between God and humanity.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is fully God. He inspired the writing of Scripture, reveals truth, convicts people of sin, and points people to Jesus Christ.
At salvation, the Holy Spirit gives believers new spiritual life and permanently dwells within them. He comforts, teaches, guides, corrects, empowers, and transforms followers of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for the building up of the church and empowers Christians to live holy lives and participate in God's mission.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 2
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
Humanity
We believe every person is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity, value, and worth.
Human beings were created to know God, love Him, enjoy Him, and reflect His character. However, humanity rebelled against God through sin. As a result, every person is separated from God and unable to save themselves.
Because every person bears God's image, followers of Jesus should love their neighbors, defend human dignity, pursue justice, show compassion, and share the hope of the gospel with all people.
Sin
Sin is any thought, desire, attitude, action, or failure to act that falls short of God's holy character and commands.
Sin separates us from God, damages our relationships, distorts our desires, and brings spiritual death. Every person has sinned and needs the forgiveness and restoration that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
Salvation
We believe salvation is offered freely to everyone who repents of sin and places their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Salvation is entirely an act of God's grace. It cannot be earned through good works, religious activity, church attendance, baptism, or personal effort.
Jesus lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again in victory over sin and death. Through His sacrifice, forgiveness and reconciliation with God are made possible.
Salvation includes
Regeneration: God gives the believer new spiritual life through the work of the Holy Spirit. Justification: God declares the believer righteous because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. Adoption: God welcomes the believer into His family as His child.
Sanctification: God progressively transforms the believer to become more like Jesus.
Glorification: God will ultimately complete His saving work when believers are raised and live with Him forever.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 3
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
Repentance and Faith
Repentance and faith are inseparable responses to the gospel.
Repentance means turning away from sin and turning toward God. Faith means trusting in Jesus Christ, relying on His death and resurrection, and surrendering to Him as Lord.
Genuine faith produces a changed life - not as the cause of salvation, but as the evidence that God's grace is at work.
God's Purpose of Grace
We believe salvation begins with God's gracious initiative and is accomplished through the work of Jesus Christ.
Those who truly belong to Christ are kept by God's power and will persevere in faith. Believers may experience seasons of struggle, doubt, or disobedience, but God remains faithful to complete the work He began in them.
This assurance does not encourage careless living. Instead, it gives believers confidence to pursue holiness, obedience, and joyful dependence upon God.
The Church
We believe the church is the body of Christ and the family of God.
The universal church includes all people from every nation, tribe, language, and generation who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. A local church is a gathered body of baptized believers who worship together, study Scripture, practice the ordinances, care for one another, and participate in God's mission.
Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Every local church is responsible to submit to His authority and the teaching of Scripture.
The church is called to make disciples, develop leaders, care for people, proclaim the gospel, pursue unity, and send believers into their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and the nations as faithful witnesses of Jesus.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 4
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
Church Leadership
We believe the New Testament identifies two biblical offices within the local church: pastors, also called elders or overseers, and deacons.
Pastors are called to lead, teach, shepherd, protect, equip, and care for the church. Deacons serve the church by meeting practical needs, promoting unity, and supporting the ministry of the congregation.
All church leaders must demonstrate biblical character, spiritual maturity, humility, and faithfulness.
While pastors have a unique responsibility to shepherd the church, every believer is a minister who has been gifted and called to serve.
Baptism
We believe Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism does not produce salvation. It is an act of obedience that publicly identifies a believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Baptism symbolizes that the believer's old life has been buried with Christ and that they have been raised to walk in a new way of life.
The Lord's Supper
We believe the Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which believers remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The bread represents His body, and the cup represents His blood. As the church participates in the Lord's Supper, we remember the cross, examine our lives, celebrate the unity we have in Christ, and anticipate His return.
The Mission of the Church
We believe every follower of Jesus has been saved and sent.
Jesus commands His church to make disciples of all nations. Therefore, every believer is called to share the gospel, teach others to follow Jesus, serve with their spiritual gifts, and participate in God's mission.
Our mission
Love God through worship, obedience, prayer, and a growing relationship with Jesus. Love Others through biblical community, compassion, service, generosity, and reconciliation.
Reach the World by sharing the gospel, making disciples, developing leaders, planting churches, and sending people wherever God calls.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 5
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
Discipleship
We believe discipleship is the lifelong process of following Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and helping others follow Jesus.
Discipleship involves more than gaining biblical information. It includes the transformation of the whole person - our beliefs, desires, relationships, habits, emotional health, spiritual maturity, and participation in God's mission.
Every believer is called to be a disciple and to help make disciples.
The Lord's Day
We believe Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Lord's Day and is a special opportunity for the church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Believers should gather regularly for worship, biblical teaching, fellowship, prayer, service, and encouragement. The Lord's Day also reminds us of our need for rest, worship, and trust in God.
Religious Liberty
We believe God alone is Lord of the conscience.
Every person should be free to seek God, worship according to conscience, and respond to the gospel without coercion from the government or any religious institution.
The church and the government have different God-given responsibilities. The church should remain faithful to its spiritual mission while seeking the good of its community and speaking truth with courage, wisdom, and love.
Cooperation
We believe churches can accomplish more together than they can alone.
Grace Baptist Church willingly cooperates with other churches and ministries that share our commitment to the gospel, biblical truth, missions, church planting, theological education, disaster relief, and compassionate ministry.
As a Southern Baptist church, we joyfully cooperate with other Southern Baptist churches to support missions and ministry locally, nationally, and around the world.
The Family
We believe God created the family as a foundational institution of human society.
Marriage is the covenant union of one man and one woman for life. Marriage is designed by God to reflect the covenant relationship between Jesus Christ and His church.
Husbands and wives are equal in dignity and value while carrying distinct and complementary responsibilities within the home. They are called to love, serve, honor, and remain faithful to one another.
Children are a blessing from God. Parents have the primary responsibility to teach their children the Scriptures, model faithfulness, provide loving discipline, and point them toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS. REACH THE WORLD. 6
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH | WHAT WE BELIEVE
The church is called to strengthen marriages, support parents, care for children, encourage single adults, serve widows, and provide spiritual family for every believer.
The Sanctity of Human Life
We believe all human life is sacred because every person is created in the image of God.
Human dignity does not depend upon age, ability, health, ethnicity, social status, location, or stage of development. Human life should be valued, protected, and treated with compassion from conception to natural death.
The church should care for vulnerable people, support families, defend those who cannot defend themselves, and demonstrate both truth and grace to those experiencing difficult circumstances.
Last Things
We believe Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly, and gloriously.
God will bring human history to its appointed conclusion. The dead will be raised, and every person will stand before God in judgment.
Those who are in Christ will live forever with God in the new heaven and new earth. Those who remain separated from Christ will experience eternal judgment.
The return of Jesus gives believers hope, strengthens us during suffering, and motivates us to live faithfully and share the gospel urgently.
Our Doctrinal Partnership
Grace Baptist Church is a cooperating Southern Baptist church. We affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as a faithful summary of our core doctrinal convictions.
The Baptist Faith and Message does not replace the Bible. Scripture alone is our final and sufficient authority. Where questions arise, we seek to study God's Word carefully, depend upon the Holy Spirit, and remain centered upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In essential beliefs, we pursue unity. In secondary matters, we seek wisdom, humility, and grace. In everything, we desire to glorify God.
LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS.
REACH THE WORLD.
This document is a readable summary of Grace Baptist Church's doctrinal convictions. For the full denominational statement, refer to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.