Beliefs

The Bible

We believe the Bible to be comprised of the 66 books given to man through divinely inspired authors. The Bible is the Word of God, and is the final, ultimate authority for the believer and the church. We believe the Bible to be the completed testimony of God to man, and as such is completely accurate and without error (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

God: (Theology)

We believe in one God who exists in 3 persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. This is known as “the Trinity” or “triune God”. We believe that God the Father is most clearly seen in His creative work (Gen. 1:1); God the Son (Jesus Christ) is most clearly seen in his redemptive work of mankind (Rom. 3:20-31); and God the Holy Spirit is most clearly seen in His sanctifying work of the elect (Rom. 8:11).

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, and accomplished the redemption of mankind to God the Father. We believe He was born of the virgin Mary, and was literally “God with us” (Immanuel, (Matt. 1:23). He was completely God and completely man in His nature (hypostatic union). We believe He lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:14-15), and then freely laid his life down of His own accord, in submission to God the Father to accomplish the salvation of mankind (John 10:17-18). We believe He then rose bodily the third day, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, leaving the disciples with the task of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). We believe in the second coming of Christ, which will be marked by the rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18), followed by the tribulation, and culminate in the millennial reign of Christ (a literal 1000 year period of time) .

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all true believers of Jesus Christ and works in them the process of sanctification (Eph. 1:13-14) Man – We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26, 2:7) as a rational, volitional, intelligent creature capable of self determination and is morally responsible before God (Gen 2:15-25). With Jesus Christ being the only exception, we believe that all men are sinners inherently by nature through Adam, by personal choice in our individual lives, and by God’s declaration (Psalm 14:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12).

Salvation

We believe salvation is wholly the work of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross offered freely by grace. It is not attainable on the basis of human effort, merit or works of any kind. Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9, John 1:12). We believe Jesus Christ freely offers salvation to all who would trust wholly in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus Christ reconciles us to God the Father by justifying us through His work of redemption on the cross, and then clothing us with the very righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:16-21). Once we are saved, we become a child of God and are sealed with His Spirit and are secured in Christ (Eternal Security).

Baptism

We believe baptism to be one of the two ordinances committed to the local church. We believe full immersion baptism is the faithful picture of a believer identifying with the work of Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We believe baptism is a picture of salvation, but salvation is not dependent upon it. The regenerate work of the Holy Spirit occurs at the precise moment an individual places their faith in Christ. However, we do not believe baptism is an option for the true believer. While it does not impart salvation, it can be seen as an acid test of one’s true faith in Christ.

Communion

We believe the Lord’s Supper to be the other ordinance committed to the local church. We believe that communion should only be observed by true, repentant believers who have examined themselves (1 Cor. 11:23-32). There is no set frequency of partaking of the Lord’s Supper presented in Scripture, but we choose to offer communion on the first Sunday of every month at Freedom Bible Church.

Spiritual Gifts

We believe that all believers are called to do good works (Eph. 2:10). We believe God has equipped all believers with unique spiritual abilities intended to help grow the body of Christ. We believe there are two types of gifts given to the church. In the early church, believers were given miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing which authenticated the message of the apostles as they spread the gospel. Once the New Testament revelation was completed, Scripture has become the sole test of the authenticity of a man’s message. We do not believe the miraculous gifts are necessary any longer to confirm or validate a man or his message. We do believe the Holy Spirit equips believers with ministering gifts for the edification of one another, and that the only gifts at work today are these equipping gifts (Romans 12:6-8). While we do not believe that any individual today possesses the gift of healing, we do believe that God does hear and answer prayers offered in faith for the sick, suffering and afflicted according to His will.

Tithes & Offerings

We believe that tithes and offerings are to be given by the membership of the church. While all believers are called to give, we believe it to be a futile gesture for anyone to give because of any external pressure or begrudgingly. We believe Christians are called to give sacrificially, cheerfully, and generously, knowing they are partnering in the furtherance of the church’s ministries and helping to meet the needs of others. We believe that the New Testament principle of giving should be followed as it is found in 2 Cor. 9:6-7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”