Graeagle Community Church Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Holy scriptures of the old and new testaments are the complete verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (Matthew 5:18; Galatians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

The Godhead

We believe that there is one triune God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfection. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Jesus Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Luke 1:28-35; John 1:1, 2, 14)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross as a propitiatory and substitutionary sacrifice: that our justification is affirmed by his literal physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 8:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our high priest, he fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor and advocate. (Acts 1:9; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1)

Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment; that he is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:7-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13-14)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine teacher who guides believers into all truth, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 5:18)

Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin, the race fell, inherited and a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; that man is totally depraved and utterly unable to remedy his lost condition by his own good works. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9, 12)

Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the tempter and deceiver in the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and, that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Genesis 3:1-5; Job 1:6-7, Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11, 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s grace, and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Corinthians 1:4, 8; 1 Peter 1:5)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s word, which, however, clearly forbids any Christian in taking the liberty to deliberately sin. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; 1 John 5:13)

The Two Natures of the Believer

We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through yielding to the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:13; Galatians 2:20, 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Peter 1:14-15; 1 John 3:5-9)

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord and that separation from all religious apostasy, false doctrines, and sinful worldly conduct is commanded by God. The Bible also commands Christians not to become yoked together with unbelievers. Believers are to be in the world as a witness for Christ but not to be of the world in regards to sin. (Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)

The Church

We believe that the Church, which is the Body and espoused Bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27)

We believe that the establishment and continuing of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament scriptures. (Acts 2:42-47, 14:27, 20:17, 27-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

The Ordinances

We believe there are two ordinances:

Baptism … we believe that water baptism is a public testimony of a believer’s faith in, and identification with, Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior shall be urged to make this step of obedience to the Lord’s command. (Mark 16:16; acts 2:38, 41, 8:12, 8:36-38, 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-4)

Parents are urged to dedicate their children to the Lord, promising to discipline and instruct them in his word. (1 Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 2:22)

The Lord’s Supper … we believe that the Lord’s Supper (communion) is a memorial service, instituted by Christ, himself, and sets forth in sacred and symbolical manner the death of the lord Jesus Christ. It should be observed by all believers, and only believers should share in it. (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:17-34)

Missions

We believe that it is the responsibility of all saved to witness by life and word the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to proclaim the gospel to all mankind. (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

The Second Coming of Christ

We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent, and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for his redeemed ones, and in his subsequent return to earth, with his saints, to establish his millennial kingdom. (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6)

The Eternal State

We believe that there will be the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, the unsaved to the judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:35-57; Revelation 20:4-6, 12-13)

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss, they await the resurrection, when Spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We believe that the spirit and soul of the unbeliever remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body reunited shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe the scriptures teach that God designed the sexual relationship for pleasure and procreation. We believe the scriptures also teach that sex is reserved for those who are married. Thus extra-marital sex, of any kind, is prohibited by God, and is sin (Proverbs 5:15-19; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5; Hebrews 13:4).

We believe that the scriptures teach that God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:1-25). We believe that bigamy, polygamy, same-sex marriage or any other fundamental alteration of biblical marriage is contrary to the design of God, and is sin.