What We Believe

---

Grace Baptist Church desires to be an old fashioned, Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church. We have made these conscious choices based on convictions born of the Word of God. The baptist distinctives, (the Bible as our soul authority, autonomous-independent churches, born again church membership, baptism by immersion of believers only, soul liberty, religious freedom), and the fundamentals of the faith (virgin birth, virtuous life, vicarious death, victorious resurrection, visible return) are both important and sacred. Furthermore, we have decided by the Grace of God to remain an old fashioned church in our method of worship.

I. The Bible
We believe that the Bible (the King James Version) is the complete revelation from God and its contents are both verbally and plenary inspired. Holy men of God, qualified by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, wrote in obedience to the divine command, which prevented them from recording any error. We therefore hold the Bible to be the perfect Word of God with divine origin and authority. The Bible is our source of faith and practice and the final authority on all spiritual matters as it relates to doctrine, history, prophecy and stewardship.

II. God
We believe that God is supreme in His person, eternal in His being, absolute in His attributes, glorious in His perfection and sovereign in His will. God upholds all things by the word of His power and is the Creator of mankind and the entire universe. We believe in one God that is fully revealed in three distinct persons, (also known as the Trinity). The Father is the fullness of the Godhead invisible, the Son is the fullness of the Godhead revealed and the Holy Spirit is the fullness of the Godhead in His executive agency. God in His person possesses Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Immutability.

III. Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh, eternal in His existence, creative in His might, and life-giving in His power. Born of a virgin, sinless in His life, vicarious in His death, powerful in His resurrection and glorious in His coming. Divine worship is ascribed to Him and divine attributes are possessed by Him. We believe that He is now exercising His high priestly work and will soon return. We believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, which will be followed by 7 years of great tribulation and the return of Jesus Christ to judge the sin of the entire unbelieving world and establish an earthly reign for 1000 literal years.

IV. The Holy Spirit
We believe that Christians receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation and that He remains our constant source of strength and power. The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes and deity of God, so He is God. We believe the Holy Spirit convicts and regenerates the sinner to salvation; He also indwells the believer as the means of assurance, power and wisdom; He guides the believer in his life and anoints him for service. We believe that the Holy Spirit possesses the characteristic of personality, so He is a person and not merely a force or influence.

V. The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God and by his own choice and willful decision fell into sin. By this act, he became a sinner and was put under the condemnation of God. He was severed from the life of God and became spiritually dead. Man is now totally depraved and does not possess any qualities whereby he might reconcile himself to God or save himself.

VI. Salvation of Sinners
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace. The lost person does not possess any means of saving himself. God has provided a way through the death of Christ to save sinners. He is saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Man is quickened by the new birth to a position of justification before God which consists of the forgiveness of sins and the removal of it's guilt and punishment. Through this he is reconciled to God and made a new creature in Christ Jesus.

VII. The Freeness of Salvation
We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to sinners by the gospel. We believe that the Bible teaches a whosoever will salvation and nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner, except for their own voluntary rejection of the gospel.

VIII. The Security of the Believer
We believe that those who believe and receive Jesus Christ as Savior are eternally secure. We are now in possession of eternal life and shall never be in danger of condemnation or the loss of our salvation. This assurance rests on the finished work of Christ which places us as a beloved child of God in our relationship.

IX. The Doctrine of the Church
We believe that the visible church is a congregation of baptized believers, practicing New Testament principles, believing its doctrines, observing its ordinances, and exercising its autonomy. We believe that it is the responsibility of the local church to propagate the gospel to the world. Every church and Christian should have a part in this ministry.

X. Heaven and Hell
We believe that every person has a soul of eternal duration that will live on forever beyond their human life. Gods Word describes only two eternal destinations for the souls of mankind. Heaven is the glorious destination for the believer in Christ; it is a place of eternal happiness, joy and rest for those who are saved by the grace of God. It is a place that God has prepared for His people and the current residence of those who have already died in faith . Hell is the dreadful destination for those who have refused God's grace and have remained in their lost condition until the time of death; it is a place of literal fire, torment, anguish and pain. Hell will eventually be cast into the eternal lake of fire, which is known in scripture as the second death.