What We
Believe
The members of the
Fellowship of Grace Brethren
Churches, in harmony with our historic position, believing the Bible,
the whole Bible, and nothing but the
Bible to be our infallible rule of faith and practice, and feeling our
responsibility to make known the divine message of the Bible, present the
following articles as a statement of those basic truths taught in the Bible
which are common to our Christian faith and practice:
The Statement of Faith of the
Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
The Bible
The Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in
all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (2 Tim 3:16;
2
Peter 1:21).
God
The One True God Existing eternally as three persons--the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
The Lord Jesus Christ
His preexistence and deity (John 1:1-13), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14); Matt.
1:18-23;, sinless life (Heb. 4:15), substitutionary death (2 Cor. 5:21), bodily
resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb. 4:14:16),
and coming again (Acts 1:11).
The Holy Spirit
His personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4); and His work in
each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (1 Cor. 12:13); Rom. 8:9); and
filling (Eph. 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal.
5:22-23).
Man
His direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into
sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24, Rom. 5:12), and the necessity of the new
birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).
Salvation
A complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone, received as the gift of God through
personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7;
1
Peter 1:18-19).
The Church
One true Church, the body and the bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32),
composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members
in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world-wide gospel
witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph.
4:11-16).
The Christian Life
A life of righteousness, good works and separation unto God from the evil
ways of the world (Rom 12:1- 2), manifested by speaking the truth (James
5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4) settling
differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a
Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:7-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit
(Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), including the
privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with
oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).
Ordinances
The Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 28:19) and
(2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the
saint's feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord's Supper (1 Cor.
11:20-22, 33-34); Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup (1 Cor.
11:23-26).
Satan
His existence and personality as the great adversary of God and his people (Rev. 12:1-10),
his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev).
Second Coming
The personal, visible and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church
from the earth (1 Thess. 4:16- 17), before the
Tribulation (1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to
descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev.
19:11-20:6).
Future Life
The conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23); Luke 16:19-31), the
resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of
believers (Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor.
5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of
the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).
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