Grace Community Church - our Doctrinal Statement, what we believe

Doctrinal Statement

The purpose of this doctrinal statement is to express the beliefs of the membership of Grace Community Church. The selected Scripture references are intended to be representative—not exhaustive—lists that prove, clarify, expand upon, and / or illustrate the printed statements.

This doctrinal statement does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of our church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the elders are our church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

The Bible

The Bible, which comprises of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God and is the final authority for faith and practice. The Bible in the original manuscripts is inerrant in all that it affirms, and the sincere reader can properly understand and apply its teachings.

The doctrine of inspiration teaches that the human authors of Scripture were so guided by the Holy Spirit that they, employing their own personalities and writing styles, wrote without error God’s revelation to mankind in the words of the original manuscripts. This inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings. The exact meaning of Scripture is unchanged in any important respect in the widely accepted English translations. The Bible is authoritative and without error in any category of knowledge, including science and history, and is the supreme and final authority in all matters about which it speaks.

The Bible is to be interpreted in a normal and literal way. This means that history, grammar, context, and harmony with other Scripture should be considered as guidelines for interpretation. The Holy Spirit guides the believer to apply the Bible.

Psalm 19:7-11; 119:105; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Mark 12:36; John 5:39-40; 10:35; 16:13-15; 17:17; Romans 3:4; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:21.

God

The one true God exists eternally in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is a spirit who is all-powerful, everywhere-present, all-knowing, sovereign, unchangeable, holy, just, and loving. He is also the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

Within the Trinity, the three Persons are equal in deity, but there is also a subordination of position – rank – wherein the Son submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to both the Father and the Son. Each of the three Persons is worthy of precisely the same confidence, worship, and obedience.

God specially created the universe without employing the processes of macro-evolution. He is separate from His creation yet vitally related to it.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is true God and true man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit—receiving a human body and an incorrupt human nature – born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life.

The Son is one Person with two distinct natures – divine and human. These natures are never mixed, changed, or separated. Hence, in the New Testament, the characteristics of true deity and true humanity are evident in Jesus Christ, the God-man.

Jesus Christ died a substitutionary death for sinners and arose bodily and immortally from the grave. He ascended into heaven and will return bodily and visibly to the earth just as He left.

Coming as Israel’s prophesied Messiah-King, He manifested God to humanity and was rejected and crucified. Because of God’s love, Christ vicariously suffered on the cross, the divine wrath, and penalty which sinners deserve in order to satisfy the justice of God and thus to provide salvation for every human being without exception. His shed blood is the basis of forgiveness and eternal life, and His resurrection is the guarantee that His sacrifice was acceptable to God. The crucified body of Jesus Christ was resurrected and glorified and thereby became the pattern for the bodily resurrection and glorification of all believers. Christ ascended into heaven, at which time He was forever exalted by the Father to the place of honor and authority. He is the Head of the church and the High Priest and Advocate of each believer.

To confirm the hope of the church, Christ will resurrect and glorify the bodies of deceased and living believers in an event called the “Rapture”. The Rapture will be followed by the Tribulation, a seven-year period of great rebellion and judgment on earth culminating in the Battle of Armageddon. When Christ returns to earth in glory, He will bring an end to the Battle of Armageddon and establish a kingdom wherein He shall reign in righteousness and peace for a thousand years. After this time, He will rule in the new heaven and the new earth throughout eternity.

The Holy Spirit—the Third Person of the Trinity—convicts unbelievers of their urgent need of God’s salvation. He also indwells all believers, uniting them in the body of Christ, empowering them for worship and service to Christ, and sealing them in relationship with Christ. The gifts He gives believers for service in the church must be exercised in careful obedience to Scripture and in deference to God’s sovereignty in distributing them. No two Christians must necessarily share any one gift in order to express the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.

Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 2:7-9; 90:2; 139:7-12; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8; 45:5-6, 21-22; 46:9; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:24; 6:27; 14:28-31; 15:26; 16:13-15; Acts 5:3-4; 17:29, 31; Romans 1:20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:1-23; 2:4-5; James 1:17; 1 Peter 1:16; Revelation 19:6 Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 1:23; 24:15-21; 28:6, 18-20; Mark 10:45; Luke 1:35; 2:52; 23:33—24:53; John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 14:6; 20:28; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:22-23; Philippians 2:5-11; 3:20-21; Colossians 1:15-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13—5:11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 4:15; 7:25; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 2:1-2; Revelation 6:1—22:21 Psalm 139:7; Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 16:5-15; Acts 5:3-4; 8:29; Romans 8:9, 26; 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; 6:19; 12:1—14:40; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 5:18; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:29; 1 John 2:20, 27.

Angels

Angels were created by God and are personal and powerful spirit beings that are distinct from human beings. Some angels carry out the purposes of God, while others, who have rebelled, serve Satan who is himself a fallen angel. The destiny of Satan and the wicked angels is the lake of fire.

Man, Sin, and Salvation

Because of the sin of Adam, the first human being and the father of mankind, all of his descendants – except Jesus Christ – are sinners who stand condemned before God and in need of His salvation. Moreover, it is only through personal faith in the Person and the work of Jesus Christ – and not by the sinner’s meritorious works of any kind – that one can receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and membership in Christ’s Church.

Man was created in the image of God but through rebellion, fell into sin. The objective guilt of Adam’s original transgression is inherited by all of his posterity, except Jesus Christ, who consequently possesses  a sinful nature and commit personal acts of sin. These factors, apart from God’s grace, result in a refusal to receive God’s salvation. Such individuals are separated from God and hence stand in a state of condemnation which, unless remedied through salvation, eventuates beyond death in their conscious punishment. Unbelievers will be ultimately resurrected, judged, and consigned to eternal torment in the lake of fire.

True faith in Jesus Christ – not sincere efforts, confession, baptism, church membership, or any rite – is the sole condition for salvation. When a person exercises faith, he immediately possesses the eternal life to which God ordained him before the creation of the universe. The believer is being conformed by God to the image of Christ. He is also commissioned to live by faith in a manner which will bring honor and glory to God. At death, his immaterial nature passes immediately into the joyful presence of Christ awaiting his resurrection, the judgment of his works, and his participation in the everlasting rule of Christ.

Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16-18; 5:24-29; Romans 3:9-18, 23; 4:5; 5:6-21; 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 5:6-10; Ephesians 1:1-14; 2:1-10; Philippians 1:21-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:12; Titus 2:11-15; James 2:14-26; Revelation 14:9-11; 20:10-15.

The Church

The universal church – being under the headship of Christ – is composed of all true believers from the Day of Pentecost to the rapture. A person becomes a member of the universal church when he is baptized into it by the Holy Spirit at the time he exercises saving faith in Christ. A New Testament local church consists of a group of believers who meet regularly in a particular location under the leadership of godly men for the purpose of being disciples and making disciples of all nations in obedience to the Great Commission of Christ.

An ordinance is a rite prescribed by Christ to be performed by the local church. There are two such ordinances: believers’ water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. There are two kinds of baptism: Spirit baptism and water baptism. The former is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the person at the moment he exercises saving faith in Jesus Christ. It results immediately in regeneration and incorporation into the universal Church. The latter kind of baptism is a sign of the former and therefore, Christ commands it of His disciples. Water baptism identifies the individual with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The New Testament mode of water baptism is immersion. There is no biblical support for infant baptism. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial service observed regularly, commemorating the Lord’s death until He returns. The elements of the meal are not, nor do they become, the actual body and blood of Christ. Rather, they symbolically represent Christ’s body and blood.

Church leaders have been given to the Church by Christ for the purpose of equipping the believers for Christian service. The local church is to be governed by elders who are selected according to standards expressed by the New Testament.

Matthew 16:18; 18:15-20; 28:18-20; Acts 1:5; 2:42-47; 9:31; 14:23; 20:28; Romans 6:1-4; 16:5; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 11:23-26; 12:1—14:40; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:10-11; 4:11-13; Colossians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 3:10-1.

Sanctity of Human Life

All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including preborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Psalm 139

Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

Any form of sexual immorality – including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography – is sinful and offensive to God.

In order to preserve the function and integrity of Grace Community Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Grace Community Church members and its community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Grace Community Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this doctrinal statement.

God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Grace Community Church.

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:18-25; Matthew 5:16, 27-28; 15:18-20; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31; Acts 3:19-21; Romans 1:24-28; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 18; 7:2-5; Galatians 6:10; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Hebrews 13:4; 1 John 1:9.

 

Helpful GCC Documentation

Grace Community Church Constitution

GCC: Church Profile, Updated 2022

GCC: Pastoral Profile, Updated 2022