Our Doctrine

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God, the final and all-sufficient authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:2-4, 20-21).

The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, one Being in essence, 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 perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19; John 16:5-15; 2 Corinthians 13:14; also, see references for C, D, and E below).

The Person and Work of the Father

We believe that the Heavenly Father, Who is Almighty God, created all things through Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8-11). We believe that God the Father, Who is love, purposed before the foundation of the world to send His only begotten Son to redeem out of fallen humanity all of His elect ones (John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 13:8). We believe that God the Father, Who is sovereign, chose the elect in Christ before the foundation of the world, and predestined them to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:3-6).

The Person and Work of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God and Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be Deity, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth, and thus He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice. Our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 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 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Creation and the Flood

We believe that God, by His omnipotence, created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six literal earth days of evening and morning cycles, and that the earth is relatively young according to the chronologies in Scripture. This creation was perfect until the entrance of sin brought about by Satan’s fall and the fall of man (Genesis 1:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Hebrews 11:3). We believe that God judged the first world, after it descended from the fall of man down to a state of universal evil, by destroying it with a literal, worldwide, cataclysmic flood; and that Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and God brought Noah and his family through the flood to repopulate the earth and maintain His promise to send a Redeemer by the seed of the first woman, Eve (Genesis 6-8; 2 Peter 3:3-6).

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man, yet God is sovereign over him, and he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Job 1:6-7,12; 2:6; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

The Creation of Man, the Fall, and Total Depravity of Man

We believe the first man, Adam, was created by the immediate and special intervention of God, as opposed to any process of development. God breathed into man “the breath of life” and he became a living soul, bearing the image of God. In Adam’s sin the entire human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. The probation and fall of man is neither an allegory nor a myth, but true history. In his fallen state, man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition, including an inability to exercise saving faith in Christ apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 8:5-8; Ephesians 2:1-5, 12; John 6:44, 65).

Election

We believe that God unconditionally chose the elect according to His foreknowledge and purpose, and predestined them unto salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glory (Romans 9:14-26; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:4-7; Titus 3:3-7).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God given to the elect by grace and received through 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). We believe that salvation has past, present, and future aspects. The past component, being our justification, freed us from the penalty of sin. The present component, being our sanctification, frees us from the power of sin. The future component, being our glorification, will free us from the presence of sin (Romans 3:23-26; 5:1-2; 8:28-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:13).

The Security, Assurance, and Perseverance of the Saints

We believe that all the elect will come to Christ and are kept by God’s power 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 the saints to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to gratify the lusts of the flesh (John 5:24; Romans 13:11-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 5:10-13). We believe that the grace of God, operating through the Holy Spirit, disciplines God’s true children and maintains the faith of the elect as they work out their salvation with fear and trembling until the day of redemption (Philippians 1:3-6; 2:11-12; Hebrews 12:1-8).

The Struggle Between Flesh and Spirit in the Life of a Saint

We believe that every born-again person possesses a new nature in Christ, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the flesh (old man, old self) through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The flesh (old man, old self) was and is crucified with Christ that sin might be done away with; however, all claims to the eradication of the flesh in this life are unscriptural (Romans 6:5-7, 13-14; 8:12-14; Galatians 2:20; 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 1:8-2:2; 3:5-9).

Separation

We believe that all the saints should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded by God (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).

Evangelism and Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of the saints to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all mankind (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today. Speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Romans 12:4- 8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for those who are spiritually weak or physically ill; and that God can and still does perform the miraculous according to His will (John 15:7; James 5:13-15; 1 John 5:14-15).

The Church

We believe that the invisible, universal Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age. The Church was born on the day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. We believe that the Church was a mystery in the Old Testament and is distinct from the nation of Israel (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:11-3:6; 5:25-27, 32). We believe that the establishment and continuance of visible, local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control, other than Christ as Head and Scripture as God’s written revelation (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4). We recognize the ordinances of believer’s water baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion) as scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

The Last Things

We believe in the personal, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ before the seven year tribulation to translate (rapture) His Church from this earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Titus 2:13). We believe that immediately following the removal of the Church from the earth, the righteous judgments of God will be poured out on the unbelieving world. This tribulation period will be climaxed by the return of Christ in glory to the earth with His saints (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; 12:1; Matthew 24:27-31; 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Revelation 16; 19:11-16). We believe that after the tribulation period Jesus Christ will rule on the earth on the throne of David and establish His messianic kingdom for 1,000 years (the millennium). During this time the resurrected saints will reign with Christ over Israel and all the nations of the earth. We believe this is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel to restore them to the land that they forfeited through their disobedience. The result of Israel’s disobedience was that they were temporarily set aside during the Church age, but will again be awakened through repentance to enter the land of blessing. We believe that a literal interpretation of Scripture conveys this clear distinction between the nation of Israel and the Church, and the unique role each plays in past, present, and future events (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Isaiah 11; 65:17-25; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 27:21-28; 36:22-37; Daniel 7:18, 22; Zechariah 8:1-17; Matthew 21:43; Romans 11; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-7). We believe that after the closing of the millennium, the elements of heaven and earth are to be dissolved and replaced with a new heaven and earth, wherein only righteousness dwells. Following this, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God and will be the dwelling place of the saints, where they will enjoy forever fellowship with God and one another (Ephesians 5:5; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21-22).

The Judgment and the Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). We believe that the souls of true believers are, after death, absent from the body and present with the Lord. Every believer will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to have his life examined and receive his rewards. At the first resurrection, the souls of the saints, which have been in conscious bliss, will be united with their glorified bodies to be forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 15:20-58; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6). We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they 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). In subscribing to the preceding articles of faith, we by no means set aside, or undervalue, any of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This statement reflects our best understanding of Scripture and therefore substantial agreement as determined by the elders is requisite for membership in the Spring Creek Bible Church.