At Reverence Bible Church, we believe that doctrine is important and practical. Ultimately, it is what we know to be true about God’s character and God’s revelation that drives Christian living. Our doctrinal statement, is summarized as follows:
Scripture
We believe the Scriptures, consisting of the thirty-nine (39) books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven (27) books of the New Testament to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of men and the divine and final authority for Christian faith and life. The Scriptures are the authoritative, normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, culture or worldly wisdom.
The Holy Trinity
We believe that there is but one living and true God, creator of all things, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving adoration, worship and obedience.
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity. He is the eternal Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Giver of the eternal Holy Spirit, Who from nothing made heaven and earth, and all that is in them. He upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence, for the praise of His glory and grace. By His grace He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem for Himself His own special people, whom He called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
God the Son Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, is fully God and fully man in indivisible oneness. All things were created through Him and for Him. The Incarnate Christ, the promised Messiah, according to Scripture, was conceived through the miraculous agency of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. The sinless Christ fulfilled all righteousness, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven where He reigns as our mediatorial King, High Priest, and righteous Advocate. He alone is the only means of salvation through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross. He is the Head of His Body, the Church, and reigns as Lord within the Church.
God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is Divine, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and exalt God the Father, and during this age, to convict men, regenerate men, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for Godly living and service.
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but in union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Man is spiritually dead in sin and is unable to recover himself by his own merit or abilities. Man’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation. We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. We believe that we who were dead in our trespasses and sins were made alive through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. As a result of God’s grace, we profess and follow Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Baptism and The Lord’s Supper
We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church in the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation.
The Universal Church
We believe the true Church is composed of all such persons who through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit are united together in the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head. All within the Church are saved by faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Gospel.
The Local Church
We believe that all members of the Church universal are to be a vital and committed part of a local church. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Supreme Authority and Head of the Church. Leadership within the local church are to meet the qualifications found in Scripture and are called to govern the affairs of the church under the authority of Christ..
Marriage
We believe that marriage is an ordinance of the Church established and instituted by God. In accordance with God’s Word, we recognize marriage only between one genetic man and one genetic woman in a lifelong commitment according to biblical standards. Legitimate sexual relations are therefore, to be exercised solely within the institute of biblical marriage.
The Return of Christ
We believe in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, is our “blessed hope” and has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
Eternal States
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment, of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord. The redeemed will spend eternity in heaven, in their glorified bodies, living and enjoying the presence of God forever.