In keeping with historic Baptist confessions of faith, we declare the Bible to be our only rule of faith and practice. We subscribe to this Statement of Faith as a dependable summary of what the Bible teaches on the subjects indicated. This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality and the proper conduct of mankind, and is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Grace Point’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy and discipline, the Holy Spirit, working through our elder team, is Grace Point’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully-inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three Persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 1:15-17).
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love (John 4:24; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6). We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; 1 Timothy 2:3-4).
JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is God's eternal Son, and He has precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17). We believe further that He is not only true God, but true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:34-35). We believe in His sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth (Isaiah 53:4-6; Luke 24:51; Acts 2:23-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ (John 16:7-15). We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide (John 14:16-17, 26; Ephesians 1:13-14).
HUMANITY
We believe God created mankind as male and female, in the image of God, and free from sin when originally created (Genesis 2:1-25). We further believe every human being is a sinner by nature and by choice and is therefore spiritually dead (Psalm 51:5). We also believe that those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death (Psalm 139). We believe that God’s ideal for marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, lifelong union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:5-6); and that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4).
SALVATION
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, and was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received by mankind through faith, apart from any human merit, works or ritual (John 10:27-30; Ephesians 1:7-10, 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7). We further believe salvation results in righteous living, good works and proper social concern (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:18).
THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13). We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship (Ephesians 4:11-16). We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matthew 28:19-20).
THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41-42). We believe that immersion is the best expression of believer's baptism because it best symbolizes the believer's identification with the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 8:36-38; Romans 6:4). We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:26).
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority (Matthew 22:19-21; 1 Timothy 2:5-6).
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that our conduct should be blameless before the world, recognizing that this is all of God’s grace and is the result of the ongoing process of sanctification; that we should be faithful stewards of our possessions; and that we should seek to realize for ourselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).
CHURCH COOPERATION
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is a national conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational or non-denominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis (Romans 15:5-7; 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; Ephesians 4:25).
LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom (Matthew 24:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked (Matthew 25:46; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Revelation 20:11-15).