Doctrine

What We Believe


The Scriptures

We believe in verbal (every word) and plenary (the whole) inspiration of the Scriptures. Every word in the original writings and languages is inspired by God and is without error. It is accurate in all matters to which it speaks, spiritual, historical, and scientific. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are foundational and sufficient for faith and practice of the membership of SGBC (II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21).

God

God exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three have distinct personalities and yet are of the same substance, one God. (Gen. 1:1; John 10:30; John 4:24; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14)

Man

Man is created in the image and likeness of God. In Adam, all mankind fell into sin with the result that all men are sinners. Men are justly condemned to eternal judgment and can do nothing to merit salvation or move toward God apart from a work from Him. (Rom. 2:2,3,5; Eph. 2:8,9; Gen. 1:27, 9:6; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1)

Jesus Christ

The eternal Son of God became incarnate in the Lord Jesus Christ, being born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. He died physically on the cross and was bodily resurrected three days later, and thereafter bodily ascended to heaven. (John 1:1, 14, 18; 5:18; Heb. 1:1-9; 5:8; I John 5:20; I Tim. 2:5; I Cor. 15:1-5 )

Salvation

Salvation is given to those men chosen by God and drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit. The only means to their salvation is belief in Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection. (Acts 4:12; 13:38,39; I Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:4,5; 5:1; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8,9; Acts 16:31; Eph. 1:4,5; Rom. 8:29,30)

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers in Christ at the point of faith in Christ, and empowers those yielded to God. (Matt. 28:19; John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; I Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 2:12; 12:13; Eph. 4:30; Col. 3:14)

Election

Salvation is given to those men and women chosen (elect and predestinated) by God and drawn to Christ by God. God’s election of those that will be saved was made without thought to any merit of the individual and was made prior to the creation of the world. We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again by the Spirit of God; and that no degree of reformation however great, no attainments in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven; but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word is absolutely essential to salvation. Thus it can be said that our justification is wrought solely by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as He died in our place (John 6:44; Rom. 5:6-9, 9:10-29; Eph. 1:4-8; Phil. 3:4-9; Col. 1:13-14; Titus 3:5; James 1:18, 1 Pet. 1:18-21).

Sanctification

Every believer is promised positional, progressive, and ultimate sanctification. (Heb. 10:10,14; John 17:15-17; Eph. 5:26-27; I Thess. 4:3,4; I John 3:2; I Cor. 6:11)

Assurance

All who are born of the Spirit through faith in Christ can have assurance of salvation and are eternally secure in Christ as they persevere in the faith. (Rom. 5:1; I John 5:13; John 10:27-29; 17:12; II Tim. 1:12; Eph. 4:30; John 6:37)

Church

The church is composed of all believers. It is the body and bride of Christ, formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and existing in two aspects, universal and local. The universal church is an elect company of believers, baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body. Its mission is to witness to its Head, Jesus Christ, preaching the gospel among all nations. It will be caught up to meet the Lord, after which He will return to set up His Kingdom. The local church is a group of believers voluntarily joined together in love and membership to worship God with praise and thanksgiving, and to glorify Jesus Christ through an aggressive effort to disciple others by the preaching of the gospel, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:24-30; I Cor. 12:4-13,27)

Gifts

Spiritual gifts are God-given abilities for service, i.e., “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:1-16; I Cor. 12:7,11; I Pet. 4:10; Rom. 12:1-6)

Christian Life

Christians are called to a holy life of service and testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit, which service includes the propagation of the gospel message to the whole world. There is promised reward in heaven for their faithfulness in such service. (I Pet. 1:15, 16; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 3:12-17; John 14:1-3)

Ordinances

The Bible sets forth two ordinances, the Lord’s Supper and water baptism. The Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated regularly in remembrance of Christ’s death on the cross, and in expectation of His return. Water baptism is an outward testimony of a person’s belief in Christ. Immersion is the ideal means set forth in Scripture. (Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 8:12,36-38; 9:18; 10:47; I Cor. 11:23-26)

Angels

Angels were originally created holy, but now because of Satan’s rebellion, there is also an unholy angelic kingdom made up of Satan and his demons. (Col. 1:16; Job 38:6,7; Ps. 148:2-5; Jude 6; Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6:11,12; I Tim. 5:21; Rev. 12:9)

Second Coming

The blessed hope of the church is the imminent return of Christ. To the best of our understanding, the events of the return of Christ take place in the following order: the rapture of the church, the tribulation, the second advent, the establishment of the reign of Christ on earth for one thousand years, and finally the eternal state of punishment for the unsaved in hell and the eternal state of blessing for the saved in the presence of Christ. (Titus 2:13; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:4-10; John 14:1-3; Matt. 24:21, 29, 30; 25:31-46; Rev. 3:10, 20:1-6; 11-15)

Clarification on the Doctrines of Grace which some call Calvinism

  1. We do not hold to Covenantal Theology in the same sense as those who hold to a single covenant in which there is no distinction between Israel and the Church, circumcision and Baptism, etc.
  2. We do not follow John Calvin the man, nor any institution that happens to bear his name.
  3. We do not hold Reformed Theology as a system in the same place as Scripture.
  4. We are not Amillennial or Post Millennial in Eschatology.

  1. We hold to a distinction in all of the Covenants in Scripture (Noaic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, etc.) and a distinction between the future of ethnic Israel as an elect nation and the Church (though the spiritually elect are one body e.g. Eph 3). We believe that the Sovereign Decree of God brings about all of these things for His glory.
  2. We believe Calvin and many other great teachers of the Christian faith are right insofar as their teachings properly represent the Bible.
  3. We hold strongly to the Doctrines of Grace and believe that Calvinistic Soteriology is most Biblical and shows the correct view of the Sovereignty of God in all facets of Salvation. Further, we believe its emphasis rests properly on the Glory of God being the purpose for Salvation.
  4. We are Premillennial in Eschatology and see the elect Bride of Christ ruling with Him in the 1000 year period following His return.