The
Board of Elders and the Pastors of the Berean Bible Church of Spokane
have
shared in the compilation of this Doctrinal Statement. We believe
that the following
Articles set forth the most fundamental truths of the Christian life.
Therefore, we
are convicted that every believer, with the illuminating help of the
Holy Spirit,
should understand these truths. Acts 17:11 says: "Now the Bereans
were of more
noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message
with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul
said was true."
(NIV) We encourage you to have your Bible open as you read this Statement
so you
may reflect on each passage listed. We hope that you will prayerfully
consider each
Article and the implications it has for your life.
Section I The Essentials
The
following fifteen Articles set forth foundational Scriptural teachings
essential to
every believer's life. They state truths which we accept as unquestionable
because of
the extent to which they are clearly communicated by the Scripture.
Article 1. The Bible
The
entire Bible in its original writings is "inerrant" (there
are no errors of any
kind in the original writings), "verbally" inspired by God
(inspiration extends to the
very words which the writers used in the original writings), and of
"plenary"
authority (full authority, i.e. all Scripture is inspired and written
under the
authority of God). [II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21]
Article 2. The Trinity
There
is one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and
Holy
Spirit. [Matthew 2&19; II Corinthians 13:14]
There is one God. [Isaiah 44:6; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4~6; I Timothy
2.'D7
The Father is God. [Galatians 1:1; II Peter 1:17]
The Son is God. (See Article 4.)
The Holy Spirit is God. [Acts 5:3-4; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:1 & II
Corinthians 6:16;
II Peter 1:20-21 together with II Timothy 3:16-17]
Article 3. The Holy Spirit
The
Holy Spirit is a Person Who: convicts the world of sin; regenerates
believers;
baptizes believers; seals believers; indwells believers; enlightens
believers; and
empowers believers. [John 16.7-14; I Corinthians 2:6-16; 3:16; 12:13;
Ephesians 1:13,
17-18; 3:16; 4:30; Titus 3:5;Romans 8:1-17]
Article 4. Jesus Christ
Jesus
Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
[Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18-25]
He is eternal Deity; He is God. [Philippians 2:6-9; Romans 1:3-4;
John 1:1-18; 20:30-
31; Hebrew3 1:8-12; 7:23-24; Revelation 1:3, 17-18; 22:13-20]
He lived a sinless life as the God-Man. [II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews
4:14-15]
He gave Himself in vicarious, substitutionary death on the cross.
[I Corinthians
15:3; II Corinthians 5:21]
He was resurrected bodily from the grave on the third day. [I Corinthians
15:4;
Romans 1:3-4]
He is coming again for the Church, the Body of Christ. [I Thessalonians
4:13-18]
He will make a final return to earth to rule for a thousand years.
[Revelation 20]
He will be the ultimate Judge concerning the fate of all mankind.
[John 5:22; Acts
10:38-43; II Timothy 4:1]
Article 5. The Sinfulness of Man
All
men by nature are dead in trespasses and sin and are therefore unable
of
themselves to do anything pleasing to God. [Romans 3:9-23; Ephesians
2:1-9]
Article 6. God's Gift of Salvation
God
justifies ungodly sinners by His grace. God's grace is His unmerited
favor
toward man, or "God's redemptive mercy, and the pleasure or joy
He designs for the
recipient." (Vine, W.E. An Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words, Longon:
Oliphants; Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1966) Salvation
is totally
dependent upon the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary: His
shed blood
paid the penalty for our sin and washes away our sin. The means by
which an
individual receives God's gift of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ
as Savior.
[Romans 3:24-28; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; I Peter 1:18-19]
Article 7. Eternal Security
All
those who have received God's gift of salvation are eternally secure
in Christ
(i.e. once saved, always saved). [Romans 8:1, 29-39; Ephesians 1:4,
13-14; Philippians
1:6; Hebrews 7:25]
Article
8. Life After Death
For
believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord.
[II Corinthians 5:6-3]
For unbelievers there is no hope of salvation after death; they will
exist
in a conscious state of suffering after death. [Luke 16:23-23; II
Thessalonians
1:6-10; Revelation 20:12-15; John 3:36]
Article 9. The Body of Christ
By
revelation, God made known to the Apostle Paul insight into the "mystery
of Christ" which in other generations was not made known to man
as it was revealed to the holy apostles and prophets of Paul's time.
[Ephesians 3:1-10; Romans 16:25-26]
At the heart of this insight are the following truths:
• There is now one true church in existence which is called "the
Body of Christ'';
• Membership in the Body of Christ is made up of all those who
have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior;
• It is the Spirit of God Who joins all believers together into
one Body;
• Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the
Body,
and fellow partakers of the promises in Christ Jesus through the
gospel. [Ephesians 4:4-6; 2:11-3:6; 1:22-23; Galatians 3:23-29; I
Corinthians 12:12-13]
Jesus Christ chose the Apostle Paul to be His instrument to bear His
name and a
new message of reconciliation to the world. No longer was God working
through the nation of Israel to dispense His grace, but in the Body
of Christ, each individual, whether Jew or Gentile, was given opportunity
to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. [Acts 9:15; 13:44-43;
Romans 11:13; 15:15-16; Galatians 2:7-10; 3:23-29; Ephesians 2:11-3:12]
Article 10. Spiritual Gifts
Every
believer has been gifted by God for the purpose of building up the
Body of
Christ. [Romans 12:3-6; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:7-16]
Individual believers have gifts which differ according to the grace
given to them
from God. [Romans 12.6; I Corinthians 12]
Article 11. Sanctification
Sanctification
is separation unto God; or, separation from evil; or, the resultant
state, that is, the conduct befitting those who are thus set apart.
Positional Sanctification: Every believer is set apart unto God by
the once-
for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ's body and the resulting work of
the Holy Spirit.
[Hebrews 10:10; I Corinthians 1:2, 30; II Thessalonians 2:13; IPeter
1:2-3]
God sees every believer as complete in Christ. [Colossians 2:10]
God sees every believer as positionally seated with Christ in heavenly
places.
[Ephesians 1:19-2:7; Colossians 2:12]
Experiential sanctification (Godly living):
Everyday
conduct which is befitting a person who is set apart unto God. [Romans
6:19; II Corinthians 7:1; I Thessalonians 4:3-3; Hebrews 12:14]
Salvation does not remove the believer's natural tendency to sin during
this life.
[Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 7]
One who is set apart unto God is no longer under the control of sin;
the believer
has the ability to be freed from sin's control in his everyday life
as a result of his
identification with Jesus Christ. [Romans 6:5-7: Galatians 2:20]
Everyday conduct which is befitting one who is set apart unto God
results as the
believer considers himself dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ
Jesus, and
therefore does not permit sin to control his body, but presents himself
to God as one
alive from the dead, and his body an instrument of righteousness to
God. [Romans
6:11-13; 12:1-41 Corinthians 6:12-20; Ephesians 4:17-6:20; Colossians
3:1-46]
The following are essential to the believer's success in Godly living:
a) the study and application of the Bible to everyday life [II Timothy
3:16; John 14:21; Colossians 3:16; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1; 119:9-16;
Ephesians 6:10-13]
b) prayer [John 16:24; Philippians 4:4-6; I Thessalonians 5:17: James
1:5;
Ephesians 6:10-18]
c) fellowship with other believers [Hebrews 10:23-25]
d) stewardship of the gifts and resources of life to share with others.
[Romans 12:3-3; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 2:3-10]
Through experiential sanctification (Godly living) the believer will
be
transformed by God, and reveal to the world that the will of God includes
everything
that is good, and acceptable, and perfect. God will be glorified.
[Romans 12:2;
II Corinthians 2:14-17: IPeter 4.'7-11; II Peter 1:5.3]
Ultimate sanctification: the final perfected state of the believer
which will be
attained only when we see Jesus Christ face to face. [Philippians
1:6; I Peter 5:10; I John 3:2]
Article 12. The Unity of Believers
Through
God's present method of dispensing His grace, all believers are united
by the following factors: [Ephesians 4.1-6]
a) We are all part of the same body, the Body of Christ; [Romans 12:3-5;
I Corinthians 12:12-27]
b) We all have the same Spirit of God Who dwells in us; [I Corinthians
12.13; Romans 3:9-11]
c) We all have the same eternal hope, which is based upon one and
the
same:
• Lord, Jesus Christ; [Romans 10:9-10]
• Faith, in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; [Romans 10:9-10]
• Baptism, into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit;
[I Corinthians 12:13]
• God and Father, Jehovah [John 17:1-3; Deuteronamy 6:4]
Acknowledging this unity, we are to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling with
which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, showing
forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the
unity of the Spirit
in a bond of peace. [Ephesians 4:1-6]
Article
13. The Believer's Mission
The
believer's highest purpose is to gloriiy God, which means "to
magnify, extol,
praise, or ascribe honor to Him, to acknowledge Him as to His being,
attributes, and
acts." (Vine, W.E. An Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words, London:
Oliphants; Old tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1966). [Romans 15:5-6;
Ephesians
3:21; IPeter 4:11]
One of the primary means by which we glorify God is by living a Godly
life.
[John 15:3;Romans 12:1-2; Titus 2:10]
It is the believer's mission to proclaim to the world the message
of reconciliation,
that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
not counting their
trespasses against them", and that "He made Him Who knew
no sin to be sin on our
behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him".
"Reconciliation"
means to be brought back to friendship with God. [II Corinthians 5:17-21]
It is 'also the believer's mission to promote the spiritual growth
of fellow
believers. [Ephesians 4:11-i 6; 3:14-19]
Article 14. The Communion of the Lord's Supper
The
communion of the Lord's supper is for any member of the Body of Christ
to
observe in remembrance of Jesus Christ "until He comes."
[I Corinthians 11:23-33]
Article 15. Baptism
During
God's present method of dispensing His grace, the essential baptism
is
the divine baptism of all believers by the Holy Spirit into the Body
of Christ, calling
us to practice unity. By this one baptism, every member of the Body
of Christ is
identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. [I
Corinthians 12:13;
Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2.~12]
Section II, Doctrinal Distinctives
The
following four Articles are the result of careful investigation of
the Scriptures,
and reflect the position of Berean Bible Church of Spokane. They represent
our best
explanations of these issues and the Scriptures related to them. We
allow that
sincere Bible students may have differing views about these four Articles,
but we do
not allow that those differing views should affect our fellowship
and unity with each
other.
Article 16. The Rapture
We
believe that the New Testament epistles indicate that Christ will
return for
the Church the Body of Christ prior to the prophesied Tribulation
period. The very
non-prophesied nature of the Body of Christ seems to necessitate the
Church's
completion prior to God's resumption of His ministry to the nation
of Israel when He
begins the prophesied Tribulation period.
Article 17. The Historical Beginning of the
Church
Because
of the unique nature of the Body of Christ and the specific calling
of the
Apostle Paul to reveal this new ministry of the Church, we believe
the historical
begining of the Church occurred some time after the conversion of
the Apostle Paul
and before the writing of his first epistle.
Article 18. Sign Gifts
Some
of the gifts listed in the New Testament were "sign gifts"
given to be a
special witness to Jews and Gentiles of the authenticity of the Apostles
and their
message when God's prophetic plan for Israel entered its last days.
We believe the
"sign gifts" are no longer the expected norm for believers
today.
Article 19. Water Baptism
Over
twelve different types of baptism can be found in the Old and New
Testaments. The issue of water (ritual) baptism has caused great confusion
and
division among believers for many centuries. There are many disagreements
about
the purpose and practice of water baptism in the Church today. Paul,
the Apostle
sent by God to minister to the Gentile world, was not sent to baptize
with water, but
to preach the gospel. Nowhere in the epistles of the Apostle Paul
do we find any
clear instruction for emphasis upon water baptism as essential for
the Church the
Body of Christ. In light of this, we do not believe that water baptism
is a sacrament
or an essential practice for the church today. [I Corinthians 1:17]
