Fredericksburg
Bible Church
Fixing our eyes
upon Jesus ... Hebrews 12:2
What We Believe
Doctrinal Statement of Fredericksburg
Bible Church, Inc.
Declaration of Principles
The following Declaration of Principles is intended to state in concrete form those scriptural truths, that the corporation is to promote by the use of its assets and property. It is the wish and intention of the incorporators that these truths shall always be held, taught and defended in any services held on property belonging to Fredericksburg Bible Church, Inc.
1. We believe the Bible is, in the fullest sense, the very Word of God, given by inspiration of God, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient, and is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and Christian behavior .
2. We believe in one (1) God, eternally existing in three (3) persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
3. We believe in the holy incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ever was the Son of God, but who, that He might do the will of his Father, condescended to become a man, being sinlessly begotten of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and of her brought into the world, -very God yet truly man.
4. We believe in the Personality of the Holy Spirit of God, -the Third Person of the Trinity, and that it is He who convicts of sin, quickens into life, and regenerates the sinner, making him a son of God, through Faith in Christ Jesus.
5. We believe that God, as absolute sovereign, created man, the universe and all that is in it in six (6) literal twenty-four (24) hour days. Man was created originally without sin. However, man rebelled and sinned against God thereby sin was imputed to all mankind because in Adam all sinned.
6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died, as a substitutionary sacrifice, for our sins, satisfying the demands of God's holy law against us as sinners. He made it possible for God to be just and yet be the justifier of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Therefore, because of the value that God attaches to the finished work of Christ, the sinner is now saved eternally from the penalty of his sin, through personal trust in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross, -not on the basis of his works or good deeds, but alone through the blood of Christ.
7. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the crucified Christ, of which He gave indisputable evidence, appearing unto many, and companying with them for a period of forty (40) days, until He, in the presence of credible witnesses, ascended up to Heaven, where He is now enthroned at His Father's right hand, and engaged for us there as our advocate and great high priest, "ever living to make intercession for us" in the presence of God.
8. We believe this present Church Age began with the coming of the Holy Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost, and that it will continue until the coming of Christ for His Church, the time of which coming is not indicated in Scripture; but we believe it to be imminent, personal, pretribulation, and premillennial.
9. We believe that all true Christians are constituted by God a "holy Priesthood", and, as such, are privileged to approach Him in worship, which, as God is a spirit, must be in Spirit and truth. Scripture teaches no distinction in the Church between clergy and laity, all saints being equal in their privilege of worship, excepting that women are forbidden in scripture to take a public place in preaching and teaching the Word to the extent that they exercise authority over men.
10. We believe that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are part of the universal Church, which is His body, but that there are also local churches or assemblies on earth into which believers may be received for fellowship, subject to discipline according to Scriptural principles.
11. We believe in scriptural reception into an assembly, and the remembering of the Lord's death in the breaking of bread and drinking of the wine is the right only of those who have been born again of the Spirit of God. This right should, however, be exercised only by those who are walking in fellowship with the Lord.
12. We believe that God, for the edification and perpetuation of the Church has, by His Spirit, distributed "spiritual gifts" among men. Every born again believer in Jesus Christ receives at least one (1) spiritual gift at the point of salvation, that he might do the work of service within the body of Christ, which is the Church. We believe that the spiritual gifts of " Apostle", "Prophecy", "Knowledge", "Wisdom" and "Discerning of Spirits" were given for the foundation of the Church while in its infancy and they are no longer being given by the Holy Spirit to believers today. We believe also that the gifts of "healing", "miracles", "tongues" and "interpretation of tongues”, were "sign" gifts, given by Christ in the infancy of the Church to authenticate the messenger and his message as from God, and that these gifts are no longer being given by Christ to his Church. We believe that the permanent gifts, revealed in the Bible are "faith ", "teaching", "helps" (or serving), "administration", "exhortation", "giving", "mercy", "evangelism" and "pastor-teacher".
13. Although not required for salvation or membership in this Church, we believe the Lord Jesus left for the obedience of His people two (2) ordinances, memorial in character, which are to continue during the Church age: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism in the name of the Trinity is to show our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. The Lord's Supper, consisting of bread, symbolic of His broken body, and wine, symbolic of His shed blood, is a remembrance of Him who died for us, to be observed according to the Scriptures.
14. We believe that the scriptures teach that the work of God should be supported by the people of God alone, and that those not Christians are to hear the Gospel freely. The Scriptural way of raising money for the support of God's work, whether in the Gospel or for the benefit of His saints, is by voluntary offerings by believers, all schemes violating this principal being wrong.
15. Every true child of God possesses eternal life by personal faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, and, being justified, sanctified and sealed with the Holy Spirit, is safe and secure for all eternity. However, a Christian can through sin, temporarily lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony and reward, and incur the Father's discipline. Fellowship with God may, however, be restored by confession of ones sins to God.
16. We believe in the personality of Satan as a real, active and malicious being, the arch-enemy of God and man, who, having fallen from his estate in which God created him, accomplished the ruin of our first parents, and he is now engaged in seeking to defeat God's purpose in the world, and among His saints by the use of diabolical and subtle devices. God's judgment is that he shall be cast into the Lake of Fire forever .
17. We believe in the conscious and eternal punishment of the unbeliever after death. The spirits of the believers, at death, go to be with Christ in Heaven, their bodies being left behind until at the pretribulational rapture of the Church, they are raised, incorruptible and reunited with their spirits to be forever with the Lord. Similarly, the spirits of those who die out of Christ descend into Hell, their bodies being raised and reunited with their spirits at the Great White Throne, their eternal destiny from thence being the Lake of Fire. In either case. the departed spirit, in the interval between death and resurrection, is not asleep, but fully conscious, whether in bliss or in woe.
107 East Austin,
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
Telephone:
830-997-8834
Fax:
830-997-6760
Internet Address: www.fbgbible.org
Copyright (c) Fredericksburg Bible
Church 2007