What Grace Believes

Since the Word of God is foundational and absolutely essential to true spirituality, fellowship, spiritual sustenance, effectiveness in service and ministry, faith and doctrinal accuracy, we believe that the most important function of this local church, and its central thrust, is the consistent teaching and study of the word of God (1 Tim 4:6-7).

The study of the Word of God is not an end to itself, but it is a high priority and a necessary channel for fellowship with God and thereby also of effective ministry to one another and to the world. It will not therefore, be bypassed or made secondary in the interest of social concerns, actions, or activities, but must be so promoted that the Word, and the teaching of the Word, become the pulse and heartbeat behind all church and non-church related activities or concerns. This local church shall function as an independent, evangelical Bible church, committed to the fundamental, historic truths recorded in God's inerrant revelation...the Holy Scriptures.

The Board of Elders has adopted the enclosed doctrinal statement. It is intended to summarize, but not comprehensively review the basic doctrinal specifics emphasized at Grace Community Church. It is subscribed to by the Elders and the Pastoral Staff, but agreement with all its statements is neither required nor expected of those worshipping or seeking the Lord with us.

We believe that the Christian faith is a progressive, individually unique process in which we are all at different points. Wherever you are in this process, you are welcome to fellowship with us.

We believe the Bible is God's written revelation to man. It is verbally inspired in every word and absolutely inerrant in the original documents. We affirm the infallibility, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture. God's Word should be understood by applying the literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days (Genesis 1:31; Exodus 31:17).

We believe there is but one Living and true God– an infinite, all-knowing Spirit perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons-the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit– each deserving equal worship and obedience. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe all people are by nature separated from God. And responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God when the repentant sinner responds in faith. This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood. That grace is applied by faith alone and is not on the basis of human merit or works. All the redeemed who persevere by faith are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever.

We believe in the spirit-filled life. As the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, the Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ at the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, and empowers them for service and seals them unto the day of redemption.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved: the saved unto the resurrection of life and the unsaved unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body - the church - of which Christ is the Head. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by building its members up in the faith, by instruction of the Word, by fellowship, by keeping the ordinances, and by advancing and communicating the Gospel to the entire world. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture.