What We Believe - Grandview Baptist Church

This church exists for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God. To accomplish that, we seek to exalt Christ by helping bring all people into a loving, growing relationship with God and each other.

1. Supporting with prayers and finances those who proclaim the message of Christ on the local, national, and international levels.

2. Emphasizing the message of life, hope, and purpose in Christ in our teaching & preaching.

3. Holding the words of Christ and all the Scripture to be the unfailing Word of God and our guide for all matters of living and faith.

4. Gving Christ preeminence in our music, worship and celebration of the Lord's Supper.

5. Teaching that full devotion to Christ is normal for all believers.

6. Practicing the principle of mutual dependence as taught by Christ. This will include support, encouragement, fellowship, accountability, and interaction.

7. Living for the principle that Christ died for, that all people matter to God and are valuable and important.

8. Using Christ's principles of honesty, integrity, and fairness in all of our dealings.

9. Emphasizing and practicing the principles of prayer that Christ taught.

10. Firmly teaching that salvation is by faith in Christ alone. We will demonstrate this by living a life pleasing to the Lord.

11. Emphasizing the need for our community to hear the message of life and hope in Christ. We will expect that the church programs and the people of the church will actively be involved in sharing this message.

12. Practicing the act of baptism as was illustrated by Christ and taught in the Scriptures

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 is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2Tim. 3:16; 2Pet. 1:20-21).

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in divinity, and that they execute different but harmonious roles (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 57:15; Mt. 28:19; Jn 14:7-12; 16:6).

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and eternal death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Jn. 15:7; Ac. 1:7; Jms 5:13-20; 1Jn 5:14-15).

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and is totally God and totally man. We believe in His virgin birth, 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 (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:18-26; Lk 1:35; Jn 1:1; 3:16).

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. We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer in Christ, and that He is an a-biding helper, teacher, comforter, and guide. We believe that He gives every believer one or more spiritual gifts that are to be used to build up the church, promote unity of faith and knowledge, and bring spiritual ma-turity (Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:11; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 4:11-16; 1Cor. 12-14).

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as personal Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This is the only way to obtain eternal salvation. No ordinance, offering, or work can save anyone (Jn 3:5; 14:6; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; 1Pet. 1:23).

We believe that the church consists of two distinctions, the universal Church (all true believers in Jesus Christ from all ages and all locations) and the local church. The purpose of both is to glorify God, evangelize the world and edify believers. (Mt. 28:19-20; Ac. 1:8;

Rom.

15:5-9; 2Th. 11-12).

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellow man; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ (Rom. 8:14; 12:1-2; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 4:17-25).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ in commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 3:13-17; 26:20-30;

Rom.

6:3-5; 1Cor. 11:23-24).

We believe in the personal, visible, and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to remove His church. We believe in a time of great tribulation and in the earthly kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men for final judgment, with eternal joy for the righteous and endless suffering for the wicked (Lk 12:35-40; 1Cor. 15:51-58; 1Th. 4:13-18; Rev. 20).

We believe in the value and importance of all human life, including the unborn. We stand against the practices of abortion or the elimination of any person or persons based upon age, race, nationality, sex, religion, or physical condition (Ps. 139:1-24; Isa. 49:15; Mt. 5:21; 18:10; 25:40).

We believe that God created sexual relations to be enjoyed only within the bounds of a marriage relationship between a man and a woman (Gen. 1; 18-19; Rom. 1:18-32; Jude 7).

This declaration of doctrine is based upon "An Affirmation of Our Faith" the Baptist General Conference doctrinal statement