What We Believe

At Grace we are committed to being biblically accurate and hold the Bible as our final authority on theological beliefs and practices. The following are the core beliefs of Grace Bible Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

We believe the Bible reveals God to be holy, sovereign, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, eternal and unchanging. The Bible also reveals that God is loving, just, good, merciful and true. In the beginning, God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His providence, God is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.

Isaiah 44:6, Matthew 3:16-17, 28:1, Mark 12:29, John 3:24, 2 Corinthians 13:14

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in every attribute, one in substance and equal in divinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

Genesis 1:1, Matthew 6:10, 28:19, Mark 12:29, John 1:1-3, Romans 1:19-20, 3:24, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Ephesians 4:4-6, Hebrews 1:3

We believe that Jesus Christ is the pre-existent and eternal Son of God who became man in order to reveal God and redeem man. Although He is of the exact same essence, we believe He is a personality distinct from the other members of the Godhead. We believe Jesus Christ was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. In His person, we believe that Jesus Christ combined forever full and undiminished Deity with true and perfect humanity to become the God-man. Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to God the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all mankind by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body in which He lived and died. We believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, being the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for those who trust in Him for salvation. We believe that Jesus Christ will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to complete human history and fulfill the purposes of God.

Matthew 1:21,23, John 1:1,18, 8:58, Colossians 1:15-17, 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:16, Hebrews 1:1-3, 1 John 2:2

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament. We believe that the Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that the writers of the Scriptures were supervised and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Bible speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Bible is infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the complete and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.

Matthew 5:18, John 17:17, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16,
1 Peter 1:23-25, 2 Peter 1:21

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully equal with God the Father and God the Son. Although He is of the exact same essence, we believe He is a personality distinct from the other members of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit, we believe, has an active ministry to the world in general which includes the restraining of evil and bestowing God’s goodness on all mankind. We believe that the Holy Spirit permanently indwells all those who have put their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and that the Holy Spirit is a seal of their salvation. We also believe that the Holy Spirit has many ministries to every believer in the body of Christ. These ministries are permanent and irrevocable for the purpose of assurance, strength and wisdom for the believer. The purpose of the gifts given to each believer is to maintain unity and build to maturity the body of Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the truth of Scripture to everyday circumstances. The Spirit’s power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of God.

John 16:7-11,13, Acts 5:3-4, Romans 8:14,16, 1Corinthians 2:10‐13,6:19, 2 Corinthians 1:21,22,
Ephesians 1:13,4:30,5:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, Titus 3:5, Hebrews 2:3-4

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, thereby incurring not only physical, but spiritual death (which is separation from God), and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature which is manifested in thought, word, and deed.

Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-6, Romans 3:10, 23, 5:12

We believe that it is God’s desire for all men to spend eternity with Him, but since Adam man is born into sin and separation from God. In order to provide a way for man to find acceptance and fellowship with God, Jesus Christ paid the price for man’s sin by offering Himself as the perfect and complete sacrifice. This provided a way of restoring the broken relationship between God and man. The only way for a person to find eternal salvation is to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as their substitute and savior from sin. God makes this salvation available to all who trust in Christ as Savior. There is nothing a person can do to attain this salvation through good works, moral achievement or religious status. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ also provided reconciliation between God and man, propitiation (turning away) of God’s wrath towards man, justification (declaration of righteousness) of the believer and eternal security for all who believe. While we believe the Bible is clear in its teaching that salvation is available to all who trust in Christ, we also believe the Bible clearly teaches that God in His sovereign holiness has chosen before the foundation of time all those who will spend eternity with Him. This election is an eternal act of God that is not based on any foreseen merit of man.

John 10:28-29, Romans 5:1, 8:29-30, 9:14-16, Ephesians 1:4-12, 2:8-9, 4:32, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Titus 3:5, 1Peter 1:18-19, 2:24

The Church, as the bride of Christ, is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and born again to a living hope. We believe Christ is the Supreme Authority of the Church as the head. The church began on the day of Pentecost and will continue its distinct purpose until Christ’s return. We believe that the church exists in both a universal aspect as the body of Christ, and in a local sense in individual assemblies of believers. The Scriptures command the local church to gather to devote themselves to the teaching of the Word, worship, prayer, fellowship, serving the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and observance of two ordinances (see below). We believe the local church is to be under the watch and care of elders and other supportive leadership. Its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ by exercising the gifts and privileges of His Word for mutual edification of the whole body, and by the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world. We believe in the mutual submission of believers to each other in love. We also believe in the interdependence of local churches.

Matthew 28:19-20, John 4:23-24, Acts 2:1-4, Romans 12:4-13, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28, 12:4-8,13, 2 Corinthians 8:24, Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4-7, 15-16, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Timothy 2:8, Titus 3:5-7, 1 Peter 1:3-4,2:5, Hebrews 10:25, Revelation 14:6-7

We believe baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are gospel ordinances only applicable for regenerated believers. The ordinances have no saving merit for they are emblems and types of spiritual realities, not the realities themselves. Baptism is a responsibility of each believer to declare one’s allegiance to Christ. The Lord’s Table is an expression of our communion with Christ and with one another, to be continued until his second coming.

Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:41-42, Romans 6:1-5, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

We believe in the personal, visible, and imminent 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 in Heaven, and the endless suffering of the wicked in Hell.

Matthew 24:21-31; John 14:3, II Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 22:20