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Statement of Faith
I. A STATEMENT OF FAITH
AND DISTINCTIVES OF GRACE CHURCH AURORA
Bibliology - The Doctrine of the Bible
We believe the original documents of scripture are without error in all matters upon
which they touch. This includes the fields of history and science as well as spiritual,
religious, and redemptive themes.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35)
Theology - The Doctrine of God
We believe that there is but one living and true God, Who is infinite in being and
perfection, a pure spirit, invisible, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible,
almighty, wise, holy, free, absolute, working all things according to the counsel
of His own immutable and righteous will, for His own glory.
(John 4:24; Malachi 3:6; Psalm 90:2; Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 1:11)
We believe that God is loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness
and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. We believe that God is the
rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, just and terrible in His judgments, hating
all sin, and Who will, by no means, clear the guilty.
(Psalm 145:9, 16-17; Deuteronomy 4:31; 7:7-10; John 13:16; Ephesians 1:6-7; Exodus
34:6-7; 1 Samuel 2:2)
We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
(John 6:27; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:3-4; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew
28:19; Isaiah 48:16)
Christology - The Doctrine of Christ
We believe that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, Who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and Who is true God and true man.
(John 1:14; 11:33; 8:40; Matthew 1:18-25; 26:38; Hebrews 1:8; 2:14)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, in His Ascension into heaven, and
in His present life there for us. Jesus now serves as high priest, intercessor, and
advocate with the Father on our behalf. (Romans 1:4; John 20:25-27; 1 John 2:1;
Hebrews 7:25; Acts 1:9-11). We believe in His personal, imminent return for His
church, and His visible, premillennial second advent to this earth according to His
promise.
(Acts 1:11; Matthew 24-25; Revelations 19-20; Isaiah 9:6-7)
Pneumatology - The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, possessing all the distinctively divine
attributes and therefore He is God. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and
judgment. He regenerates, seals, permanently indwells, and baptizes the believer
into the body of Christ. He also fills those yielded to God.
(1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Isaiah 40:13-14; Psalm 139:7; Titus 3:5; John 3:5-7; 7:37-39;
14:16-17; 16:8; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 12:13;
Romans 8:9; 26-27)
We believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a work of the Holy Spirit unique for
the church age, by which He places each believer into the body of Christ at the moment
of salvation. While the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a unique, one-time occurrence,
the filling of the Holy Spirit is a repeated experience involving a believer's yieldedness
to God.
(1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:4; 5:18-21; Colossians 2:9-10)
Anthropology - The Doctrine of Man's Creation and Fall
We believe that man was created in the image of God, and that he sinned and consequently
experienced not only physical death but also spiritual death (which is separation
from God). The consequences of this sin affects the entire human race. All human
beings are born with a sinful nature, and apart from Jesus Christ are eternally lost.
(Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17; Romans 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:18; Mark 7:20-23; John
2:24-25)
Soteriology - The Doctrine of Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins as a substitutionary sacrifice and
that all who believe in Him are declared righteous on the basis of His death and
resurrection.
(2 Corinthians 5:14; Mark 10:45; Romans 3:21-26; 5:8-9; 4:25; 1 Peter 3:18; Galatians
3)
We believe that whoever by faith receives Jesus Christ as his Saviour, by believing
in Christ's death for his sins and His bodily resurrection, with the purpose of being
saved by his belief, immediately becomes a child of God and is saved from the penalty
of his sins.
(John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47)
We believe that when a person is saved, all three persons of the Godhead do works
in that person which are irreversible. Therefore, the believer can never be lost.
This is not dependent on the believer's conduct, just as initial salvation was not
dependent on the person's works.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:11-13; John 10:27-30)
We believe that all believers still possess a sin nature in this life, but that God
has made full provision for believers to overcome this sinful nature and to live
in obedience to God through identification with Christ (Romans 6:1-14), a
knowledge of the Scriptures, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the supportive
relationships of the Body of Christ. We recognize that this is a process which will
not be completed until we meet Jesus face to face.
(Romans 5:12; 6:1-14; 8:11-17; Ephesians 2:1-10)
We believe that Christ should have control of every area of a believer's life. Every
activity, thought and decision is of concern to God and His will, as revealed in
Scripture, should be sought accordingly.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 10:31; Romans 14:23; Philippians 1:21)
We believe that having personal fellowship with God on a regular and consistent basis
is essential for Christian growth. Confession of personal sins and obedience to God's
Word produces fellowship with God.
(Psalm 1; 5:3; 119; 145:2; Colossians 3:16; 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; I John
1:5-2:2)
Ecclesiology - The Doctrine of the Church
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed
by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13),
the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8),
of which Christ is the head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).
We believe that the formation of the church, the body of Christ, began on the day
of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21; 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ
for His own at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We believe that the church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ,
made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6).
The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed
until this age (Ephesians 3:1-6; 5:32).
We believe that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught
and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians
1:2; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) and that the
members of one scriptural body are directed to associate themselves together in local
assemblies (1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:25).
We believe that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (1 Corinthians
11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order,
discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the
Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the
assembly are elders and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications (1
Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).
We believe that Christians are to celebrate the Lord's Supper until He returns. This
celebration reminds Christians of His body, the new covenant in His blood, and proclaims
the Lord's death until He comes.
(2 Corinthians 11:17-30; Luke 22:14-23)
We believe that corporate and individual worship are essential parts of every believer's
relationship to God. Individual obedience to God in our everyday lives is worship,
as well as our verbally describing God's worth in a public worship service.
(Psalm 29:1-2; Exodus 34:14; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1)
We believe that every believer is a priest to God (1 Peter 2:4-10; Rev. 1:6)
and is responsible to offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5). These include
the sacrifice of the body (Romans 12:1), the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews
13:15), the sacrifice of good works (Hebrews 13:16; Ephesians 2:10; Galatians
6:10), and the sacrifice of sharing of material goods (Hebrews 13:16).
We believe that God fixes no specific amount on a believer's giving in the present
age, but that giving should be sacrificial (2 Corinthians 8:2-3), generous
(2 Corinthians 9:5-6), cheerful (2 Corinthians 9:7), proportional (1
Corinthians 16:1-2), and systematic (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Believers
should give to those who teach them (Galatians 6:6), and to those who have
need (Ephesians 4:28), including those who cannot work (1 Timothy 5:13-16),
and those who are asked not to work for the sake of the gospel (Acts 13:1-3; 1
Timothy 5:17-18). They are not to give to those who refuse to work (2 Thessalonians.
3:10).
We believe that at conversion, the Holy Spirit gives each new believer a spiritual
gift which he did not possess prior to salvation. Each Christian should endeavor
to discover, develop, and use his spiritual gift to serve and build up the Body.
The Body functions most effectively when each member is properly exercising his gift.
However, the fruit of the Spirit, not spiritual gifts, is the evidence of being filled
by the Holy Spirit.
Eschatology - The Doctrine of Last Things
We believe in Christ's personal, imminent return for His church, and in His personal,
bodily, visible, premillennial return in the glory of His Father to set up on earth
a kingdom over which He shall reign in righteousness and peace.
(John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Acts. 1:11; Matthew 24:30; Rev. 20:4-6;
Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:2-5).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men. Believers are resurrected to enjoy
eternal life with God. Unbelievers are resurrected to experience judgement and then
eternal suffering apart from God.
(1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:4-6; 12-15; 21:1-8;
John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2)
II. OUR POSITION ON OTHER DOCTRINES
While all the members of Grace Church Aurora agree with this Statement of Faith,
many passages exist in God's Word about which believers have differing interpretations.
Often men and women, who are in Christ, sincerely, conscientiously, and sometimes
passionately believe differently on various doctrinal subjects. Christians may hold
different views and still be members of the same church and even members of the same
leadership group. We, as individual believers at Grace, may state the case for our
understanding of certain doctrines or Scriptural positions. We simply agree to disagree
while granting grace and Christ-like love in the dialogue as to its meaning.
However, we also believe and teach that whereas there may be several applications
of any given passage of Scripture, only one true interpretation exists. This meaning
is to be found as one diligently applies the normative, literal, grammatical, historical
method of interpretation under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. It is for this
reason that every Christian is responsible and is encouraged to study the Bible as
objectively and as thoroughly as possible, seeking to ascertain carefully its true
authorially-intended meaning, recognizing that proper applications are to be obeyed
by believers in every Age. Yet the truth of Scripture stands in judgment of men;
never do men stand in judgment of it.
This position and practice will assist in protecting the community of Grace Church
Aurora from doctrinal error, from division, and from the error of relativism that
is attacking and eroding the confidence of the unchurched and sometimes even of believers
in the objective and absolute truth, God's revelation to man, and of one's ability
to accurately understand it.
(John 7:17; 16:12-15; I Cor. 2:7-15; I John 2:20)
This revision of our Statement of Faith was approved by the Elders on 2/16/99.
Grace Church Aurora
19001 E. Jefferson Dr.
Aurora, CO 80013
(303) 693-5900
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