Our Beliefs
Statement of Beliefs
The core doctrines and convictions of Fellowship Bible Church.
The core doctrines and convictions of Fellowship Bible Church.
The following represent our core beliefs and doctrines. If you would like further information, please contact us, or for a full doctrinal statement and Constitution, click here.
We believe in the living and true God of the Bible, who is all knowing (Isa. 46:9-10), all powerful (Jer. 32:17), all present (Psalm 139:7-22), unchangeable (Malachi 3:6), eternal (Psalm 102:12), and sovereign (1 Samuel 2:6-8). He is also holy (1 Peter 1:15), righteous (Psalm 11:7), wise (1 Corinthians 1:18-31), true (Isaiah 65:16), merciful (Luke 1:50), love (1 John 4:8), patient (Numbers 14:18), and wrathful (Romans 1:18). God is ONE (Deuteronomy 6:4) in His essence but eternally subsistent in the three persons of the Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14).
We believe a central biblical teaching about the First Person of the Trinity is His Fatherhood. In the Old Testament, His Fatherhood is shown as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 24:1-2). He is also the Creator and Preserver of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:6). In the New Testament, His Fatherhood is expressed as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6). Through Christ, He is also the Father of all Christians (Galatians 3:26). As Creator of all mankind (Jeremiah 27:5), He desires that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16-18). As Father, He has and will provide believers with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-6), all of life's essentials (Romans 8:32), and necessary spiritual discipline to grow to spiritual maturity (Hebrews 12:9-11).
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal (Colossians 1:16) Son of God (Matthew 16:16), became man (Galatians 4:4) without ceasing to be God (Philippians 2:6-11). Having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18, 25), He reveals God and redeems sinful man (Galatians 4:4-5). He accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood on the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19). This redemption is assured by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11) and now intercedes at the right hand of God the Father for those He redeemed (Hebrews 7:25) as our exalted High Priest (Hebrews 1:3).
We believe the Holy Spirit is a person with an intellect (Romans 8:27), a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and emotions (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:5-11). He also imparts eternal life (regeneration; Titus 3:5) to anyone who believes in Christ (John 3:16), permanently indwells every believer (1 Corinthians 6:17-19) and seals every believer until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and Spirit baptism at the time of belief (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit is permanently involved in the believer's life (John 14:16) by giving spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11) and teaching spiritual truths (John 16:13). God commands all believers to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
We believe salvation is an unmerited gift of God offered to man by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18), whose precious blood was shed to redeem us from our sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). Salvation affects mankind in the following ways: he or she is freed from the condemnation, power, and penalty of sin (John 5:24), which is death (1 Corinthians 15:55-56), given eternal life (Romans 6:23), and justified or declared righteous before God (Romans 5:17).
We believe Christ performed His redemptive work once for all. It is a finished work (Hebrews 10:10-14). Those who trust Christ receive eternal life, are united with Christ as joint heirs with Him, and are given authority to be called children of God the Father (John 1:12, Romans 8:13-17, 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe our possession of this new life (Romans 6:4) and our position in Christ (Ephesians 2:5-6) are irrevocably secured by God who gives His Spirit as the seal of His promise (Ephesians 4:30) and the pledge of His love (Romans 8:38-39).
We believe each Christian is responsible to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:13) through worship - expressing awe, adoration, and thanksgiving to God (John 4:23-24, Revelation 5:8-14), through evangelism - proclaiming the gospel to unsaved individuals in our community and throughout the world with an invitation to trust Christ (Mark 16:15-16), through spiritual growth - developing personal and corporate maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12), and through fellowship - participating together with believers to further the cause of Christ (Philippians 1:5, 1 John 1:3).
We believe God's universal Church is comprised of all born-again believers (John 3:3-8) from Pentecost (Acts 2) to the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). God's universal church is a spiritual organism (1 Corinthians 12:1-13) of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 5:23). God's universal Church is also known as the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18), and will be His bride in eternity (Ephesians 5:25-27, 32).
We believe the local church (Acts 14:7) is God's primary spiritual organism for the assembly of believers today. The local church is a visible, local representation of the universal Church. God intends all believers to publicly identify with a local church (Hebrews 10:24-25). Each local church is to minister to its own members through individual spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-26), teaching God's Word, having fellowship with believers, worshiping, and praying (Acts 2:42). The local church is also God's primary means to spread the gospel and make disciples throughout the world (Matthew 28:17-20, Acts 1:8).