What We Believe

The following are the core beliefs of Community Bible Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the very Word of God: the product of the breath of God and thus verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given by God, complete in sixty-six books of the Bible, altogether infallible, and sufficient in themselves as our only rule of faith and practice, the only standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

We believe in The One Triune God: Who is personal, spirit, and sovereign; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His Being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power; separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet present everywhere in the world as sustainer; self-existing and self-revealing in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each of whom is to be honored equally as true God. Mark 12:29; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 104; John 5:23, 26.

We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power, that He loves the world and concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and the second death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. It is our supreme purpose to glorify Him through worshipful obedience. 1 Cor. 8:6, Matt. 6:26; Matt. 7:11; John 15:8; John 20:17.

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ: the Second Person of the Triune God; that, without any essential change in His divine person, He became man by the miracle of the virgin birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and man; that as man, He was tested as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He rose again from the dead and was glorified in the same body in which He suffered and died; that as our High Priest He ascended into heaven, there to appear before the face of God and to continue as our Advocate and Intercessor. John 1:1; Matt. 1:23; Col. 2:9; Heb. 4:15; Gal. 3:13; John 20:25-28; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1.

We believe in the Holy Spirit: Who is the Third Person of the Triune God, that divine agent in nature, revelation, and redemption; that He convicts the world of sin, restrains evil, regenerates those who believe, and indwells, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, and sanctifies all who become the children of God through Christ; that He enables individual members of the body of Christ to be used in the church; that the gifts of tongues and healing were given to some early Christians as a sign to unbelieving Israel, confirming God's Word to that nation, but are not applicable today. Acts. 5:3, 4; 1 Cor. 2:10; John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 6:11-19; 1 Cor. 14:21, 22.

We believe in the Creation and the Fall of Man: that he was the direct creation of God, not in any sense the product of animal ancestry, but made in the divine image; that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female; that God gave marriage exclusively as a union between one man and one woman; by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God humanity sinned and thus brought physical and spiritual death to the entire race, who are universally sinful both in nature and practice, alienated from the life and family of God, and have no possible means of recovery of salvation within themselves. Gen. 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 4:18; Rom. 1:18.

We believe in Salvation by Grace through Faith: that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all believers have as present possessions the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish. Rom. 3:24; Titus 3:5; John 3:16; John 10:27-29; 1 John 5:13; 2 Peter 1:3.

We believe in the eternal security of the true believer in Jesus Christ. Since salvation is by grace, it is impossible for any believer to lose his salvation. We believe that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. John 10:27-29; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Rom. 8:35-39.

We believe in the existence of Satan: who originally was created a perfect and holy being, but through pride and unlawful ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming completely corrupt in character, the adversary of God and His people, leader of all evil angels and spirits, the deceiver and god of this world; that his powers are supernaturally great, but limited by the purposes of God who overrules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated at the cross, making certain his final doom. Ezek. 28:13-17; Isa. 14:12-15; John 8:44; Rev. 12:9-11; Matt. 12:24-26; John 16:11; Eph. 6:12-18.

We believe in the One True Church: the body and bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He began to build on the day of Pentecost, and will complete at His second coming, and into which all true believers of the present age are placed; that the members of this spiritual body should assemble themselves together in local churches, which consist of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith for worship, evangelism, prayer, fellowship, teaching, united testimony, and the observance of the two New Testament ordinances, namely baptism by immersion as a public testimony of faith, and the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of the death of Christ. Eph. 4:4; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Heb. 1:25; Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:26-39; 1 Cor. 11:23-28.

We believe in the Second Coming of Christ: that His return will be personal, visible, premillennial, and glorious - a blessed hope, the time being unrevealed, yet always imminent; that when He comes, He will first remove His church from the earth by resurrection and translation, then pour out God's righteous judgments on the unbelieving world, afterward descend with His church and establish His glorious Kingdom over all nations for a thousand years, at the close of which He will raise the unrighteous dead for their final judgment. Titus 2:11-13; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Rev. 20:11-15.

We believe in Future Life, Bodily Resurrection, and Eternal Judgment; that the spirit of believers at death go to be with Christ in heaven where they abide in joyful fellowship with Him until their bodies are raised from the grave, changed into the likeness of His glorious body, at which time their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for determination of reward; that the spirits of the unrighteous at death go into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be resurrected and they shall be judged and condemned at the Great White Throne, and they shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment. Phil. 1:21-23; 1 Cor. 15:35-58; 2 Peter 2:9; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:11-15.

We believe in Righteous Living and Good Works: not as procuring salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence or fruit; and therefore as Christians we should keep the Word of God, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, be careful to maintain good works, and especially accept as our solemn responsibility and privilege the taking of the Gospel to a lost world. Eph. 2:8-10; John 14:23; Col. 3:1; 1 John 2:6; Acts 1:8.

We believe in Separation from the world: that since we are citizens of Heaven, as the children of God we should walk in separation from this present world, having no fellowship with its evil ways, abstaining from worldly amusements and unclean habits which defile mind and body, or any other practice that would violate the Christian conscience of this church. 2 Cor. 6:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22; Eph. 5:3-11; Col. 3:11.
We believe in Separation from Apostasy: that since many organizations and ministries carry the name "Christian," but in reality contradict the clear Word of God, we purpose to remain separated from all forms of ecclesiastical activity that contradict or compromise the Word of God. 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Thess. 3:6.
We believe in the separation of church and state: that governmental authorities are the divine appointment of the establishment of peace and order in society, and the punishment of evil doers; that they are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed except in things contrary to God's Word. Rom. 13:17; Matt. 22:21; Acts 5:20, 29.

These articles of faith do not exhaust the content of our creed, which is the whole Word of God. They are not intended as a limit to the Word of God. We do believe that in so far as these articles extend they are a true presentation of sound doctrine as taught in the Scriptures, and therefore binding upon us a Christian believers.

Community Bible Church adheres to beliefs that have been traditionally described as Baptist.  We are proud to be associated with the historical Baptist distinctives (see below), and the many faithful Baptist churches, both past and present, that have effectively represented the Christian faith, both locally and throughout the world.  However, since Baptist churches are self-governing, there is no denominational hierarchy that can prevent misuse of the name. Unfortunately, the ‘Baptist’ label has been adopted by many churches that teach aberrant doctrine (e.g. the King James Bible is the only inspired Bible in the English language), insist on extra-biblical practices as Scriptural requirements (e.g. women prohibited from wearing slacks), or engage in highly offensive and unchristian behavior (e.g. protests at military funerals)

So, while we are ashamed of the teaching and behavior of many ‘Baptist’ churches, we are in no way ashamed of our Baptist beliefs.  There is nothing inherent in Baptist doctrine that leads to these false teachings and practices.  But because these (and other) errors have become so widespread, and have had a negative impact on so many, we felt it necessary to distance ourselves from those who’ve abused and co-opted our name.  In 2012 our congregation voted to change our name from ‘Baptist’ to ‘Bible’ for that reason.

B - Biblical authority - The Word of God is our sole source of faith and practice. (2 Tim 3:16)
A - Autonomy of the local church - the local church is responsible for its own government and direction. (Matt 18:17)
P - Priesthood of the believer - Each believer has access to God and needs no mediator other than Christ. (1 Tim 2:5)
T - Two offices - Pastor and deacon are the only biblical offices. (1 Tim 3:1-13)
 I - Individual Soul Liberty - Faith is a private matter and can neither be bestowed nor coerced. (Galatians 2:3-5)
S - Saved church membership - Only true believers qualify for church membership. (Acts 2:47)
T - Two Ordinances  - Baptism and Communion the only ordinances. (Matt 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24)
S - Separation - The Bible teaches the separation of church and state, and separation from worldly practices and religious apostasy.
(Matthew 22:21; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 16:17-18)

Having been led by the Holy Spirit to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the public confession of our faith, having been immersed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, we do now in the presence of God and this assembly joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We purpose, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its property and spirituality; to attend its services regularly; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin; to give faithfully of time and talent in its activities; to contribute cheerfully and regularly, as God has prepared us, to the support of the ministry, the expense of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel throughout all nations.

We also purpose to maintain family and private devotions; to train our children according to the Word of God; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our conduct; to avoid all gossip, backbiting and unrighteous anger; to abstain from all forms of activity which dishonor our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior; and to give Him preeminence in all things.

We further purpose to encourage one another in the blessed hope of our Lord’s return; to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and, mindful of the rules of our Savior, to seek it without delay.

We moreover purpose that when we remove from this place we will as soon as possible unite with some other church of like faith and order where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word. If there is no such church, we shall seek, with the Lord’s help to establish one.