Confession of Faith

What We Confess to Be True

Confession of Faith

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16II Peter 1:20-21Mark 13:31John 8:31-32John 20:31Acts 20:32)

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. (Genesis 1:1,26John 1:1,3Matthew 28:19John 4:24Romans 1:19-20Ephesians 4:5-6)

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Luke 10:21-22Matthew 23:9John 3:166:27Romans 1:7I Timothy 1:1-22:5-6I Peter 1:3Revelation 1:6)

God the Son (Jesus Christ)

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. (Matthew 1:18-25Luke 1:26-38John 1:120:28Romans 9:58:46II Corinthians 5:21I Peter 2:21-23John 20:30-31Matthew 20:28Ephesians 1:4Acts 1:11Romans 5:6-86:9-10Hebrews 7:25Hebrews 9:28I Timothy 3:16)

God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 14:16-17,2615:26-27John 16:9-14Romans 8:9I Corinthians 3:166:19Galatians 5:22-26)

Regeneration

We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life. (Genesis 1:265:232:173:19Ecclesiastes 2:11John 3:145:24-307:138:1210:26Romans 9:22II Thessalonians 1:9Revelation 19:3,2020:10,14-1521:18Psalm 51:7Jeremiah 17:9James 1:14Romans 3:195:19Proverbs 28:13I John 1:9; John 3:16John 1:13II Corinthians 5:17Romans 8:1)

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, service and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. (Ephesians 2:19-22Acts 1:8Ephesians 5:19-21Acts 2:42Hebrews 10:23-25)

Christian Conduct

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full measure of maturing in Christ, throughout life and unto death. (I Corinthians 10:31Romans 12:1-3Hebrews 12:1-2John 14:1523-24I John 2:3-6II Corinthians 9:6-9I Corinthians 4:2Colossians 1:9-10)

Marriage and the Family

We believe that marriage is ordained by God as the sacred union of one man and one woman. All sexual relations must therefore be reserved for that union. Christian marriage is a representation of Christ’s relationship to His Church. We also believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. Thus all human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception. (Genesis 1:26-282:24; Psalm 127, 128, 139:13-16Matthew 19:1-10I Corinthians 6:9-11Ephesians 5:22-23Hebrews 13:4)

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God as a symbol of our union with Christ and His death, burial and resurrection. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death and the anticipation of His second coming. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered in obedience to Scripture until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20Romans 6:3-5I Corinthians 11:23-26)

Religious Liberty

We believe that Grace Life Baptist Church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore the Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other. (I Timothy 2:5Romans 14:7-912)

The Last Things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. (Matthew 16:27Mark 14:62John 14:3Acts 1:11Philippians 3:20I Thessalonians 4:15II Timothy 4:1Titus 2:13I Corinthians 4:515II Thessalonians 1:7-10Revelation 20:4-611-15)