Our Beliefs

The Articles of Faith for Grace Baptist Church

Revised and Adopted on April 15, 1984


We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore, has truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. 

(II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21)


We believe there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.  

(Exodus 20:2-3; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7 [AV, NKJV]; Revelation 4:11)


We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer. 

(Genesis 1:1–3; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35, 24:49; John 1:33; 3:5-6; 14:16-17, 26; 16:8–11; Acts 5:30–32, 11:16; Romans 8:14, 16, 26-27; I Corinthians 13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 9:14)


We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire. 

(Matthew 4:1–11; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)


We believe the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.

(Genesis 1-2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17)


We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are sinners by nature and conduct, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature, are totally depraved, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. 

(Genesis 3:1–6; Romans 1:18, 32; 3:10–19; 5:12, 19)


We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. 

(Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14)


We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His Blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own Body on the Tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful Person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.


We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith.

(Isaiah 53:4–7; Matthew 18:11; John 3:16; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24-25; I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14–17;
I Peter 2:24; I John 4:10)


We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us.

(Matthew 28:6-7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2–6, 39, 51; John 20:27; Acts 1:9–11; I Corinthians 15:4; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17, 5:9-10, 7:25, 8:6, 12:2; I John 2:1; Revelation 3:21)


We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life. 

(John 3:3, 8; Acts 16:20–33; Romans 6:23; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; II Peter 1:4; I John 5:1)


We  believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s shed Blood.

(Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9)


We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privilege invested in them by His Word; that its officers are Pastors and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the Church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the Faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, and of benevolence, the will of the local church is final.

(Acts 2:41-42, 15:13-18, 20:17–28; I Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11, 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; I Timothy 3:1-7)


We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.

(Matthew 3:16; John 3:23; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-28; Colossians 2:12)


We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. 

(John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Philippians 1:6; Jude 1)


We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the Curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost.

(Genesis 18:23; Proverbs 14:32; Malachi 3:18; Matthew 25:34-41; Luke 16:25; John 8:21; Romans 6:17, 23; 7:6; I John 5:19)


We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming Prince of the King of Kings.

(Exodus 18:21; II Samuel 23:3; Daniel 3:17-18; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20, 5:29, 23:5; Romans 13:1–7)


(John 14:3; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:8)

(I Corinthians 15:42-44, 52; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)

(I Corinthians 15:51-53; Philippians 3:20-21; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)

(Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32; Acts 2:29-30)

(Psalm 72:8; Isaiah 11:4, 32:1; I Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 20:6, 14)