Evangelical
Lutheran
Bible
Fellowship
Lutheran
Bible
Fellowship
I The Bible
We believe that "all Scripture is inspired by God," which includes both the Old and New Testaments. The Word came through men "moved by the Holy Spirit," and is the complete written revelation of God We believe Scripture is verbally inspired, infallible and inerrant in all its parts, and is the supreme authority for man in both what he is to believe (faith) and how he is to live (life). (ref. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Revelation 22:18-19; Psalm 119:89, 105, 130)
Note: With the command of Christ from Revelation 22:18-19, we recognize the completion of God's revelation to man, and reject any extra-biblical revelations whether it be through tongues, dreams and visions etc. Any attempt to claim the authority of God, or to claim a new revelation from God based on such experiences should be considered outside the realm of Biblical truth and authority.
II The Creeds and Confessions
We accept the ancient ecumenical symbols, namely, the Apostles', the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds and also Luther's Small Catechism and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as true and faithful expositions of the Word of God concerning the Christian faith and life.
III The Godhead
We believe that God is three persons of one essence. They are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is from eternity. The Son is begotten of the Father from eternity and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son from eternity.
God has revealed Himself as three persons. However, the distinction between the three persons is not one of manifestation only but is real and personal. Each person is separately ascribed in Scripture with divine names, divine attributes, divine works, and divine worship.
God the Father is One (Galatians 3:20; James 2:19) but the Son )John 1:1; 14:9; Colossians 2:9) and the Spirit (Acts 5:4; I Corinthians 3:16) are declared to be God.
The Trinity is expressed in Christian baptism (Matthew 28:19), in the benediction of Paul (II Corinthians 13:14), and in Peter's greeting (I Peter 1:2)
A. The Father
We believe in the Fatherhood of God in the following areas as described in Scripture:
1. God as the Father of all creation. Ephesians 3:14-15; Acts 17:29;
I Corinthians 8:6
2. God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:17; Ephesians 1:3;
Galatians 3:26
3. God as the Father of all who believe in Jesus as Savior. John 1:12;
Galatians 3:26
B. The Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, begotten of the Father, is the express image of the invisible God in the flesh. To accomplish our redemption, He took upon Himself the form of a man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. By His perfect obedience and substitutionary death on the cross, He has purchased our redemption. He arose from the dead for our justification, in the body which He was crucified and now glorified. He ascended into heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father , as our interceding High Priest. He will come a second time to earth personally, bodily, and visibly, to gather the believers unto Himself, and to establish His millennial kingdom. Finally, He will judge the living and the dead and make an eternal separation between believers and unbelievers. (ref: Matthew 1:18-20; 25:31-46; Luke 24; John 1:1-2; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:14-16; Colossians 1:15; I Peter 2:24-25; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; I John 2:1-2; Revelation 11:15; and Revelation 20)
C. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is eternally one and equal with the Father and the Son, and also possesses the personal attributes of God. He has had a part in creation, and in revelation and the inspiration of the Scriptures. Although His ministry in the Old Testament was limited, at Pentecost He came to indwell believers and form the body of Christ. (ref: Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; I Corinthians 6:19; John 14-16 and II Peter 1:20-21)
We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and calls us to Christ by awakening in our hearts a deep sense of sin, and by inviting and enabling us to accept the grace of God in Christ. He indwells all believers and fills those believers who yield themselves to Christ. In addition, He restrains the evil of the world until the appointed time. For those who are saved, He gives assurance of salvation, enlightens and teaches through the Bible, sanctifies, guides, empowers for service and intercedes for them.
IV. Man
We believe that man was created as a result of the spoken Word in the image and likeness of God, and not as a result of an evolutionary process. Adam and Eve are the historical parents of the entire human race. When created, they enjoyed complete fellowship with God. Through the temptation of Satan, they disobeyed God and sinned, resulting in spiritual and physical death. We believe that every human being (the man Christ Jesus excepted) is born with a sinful nature transmitted from Adam, and that he is sinful through his nature and actions.
Genesis 1-3; Psalm 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 5:12-18.
V. Salvation
We believe that man is eternally separated from God because of sin, and that the only way he can have fellowship with God or enter the kingdom of God is by trusting in Jesus Christ, Who was made to be sin for him and Who died a substitutionary death for him, totally satisfying God's wrath against his sins. As he accepts the grace of God in Christ, he is born into a new relationship with God by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 26:28; John 1:12; 3:1-17; Romans 5:6-9; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; I Peter 1:18-23.
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that He saved us, not on the basis of deeds done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. Having by faith entered into that relationship with Him, God deems us absolutely complete in Christ, He introduces us into His body the Church through the Holy Spirit, and He blesses us with all spiritual blessings so that we need nothing more to live a life glorifying Him.
I Corinthians 12:1-3; Colossians 2:10; Ephesians 1:3
We believe that all who are born again through faith in Christ can have complete assurance of their salvation based on the promises of God's Word through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:22; I John 5:11-13; Revelation 3:20; Romans 8:9, 16-17
VI. The Church
We believe that the true church is the body of Christ, consisting of all those who in their hearts truly believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Church was established for the purpose of building up those who belong to Christ, and to unite those who are one in Him through the preaching of the Word, fellowship, and prayer. The Church also exists to bear witness of salvation in Christ to the lost and condemned in the world. Jesus is the Lord and Head of the Church, and we submit to His authority. We believe that the final human authority in the Church is vested in the local congregation or fellowship of believers, subject to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. No organization, board, or official should supersede that authority.
Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 12:22-27; Ephesians 3:4-6; 5:22-23; Hebrews 10:24-25
A. We believe that the Word of God is the chief means of grace, through which we receive salvation.
Romans 10:8-17; I Peter 1:23
B. We believe there are only two sacraments, namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
1. Regarding infant baptism, we believe God engrafts the baptized infant into Christ, bestows spiritual life to the baptized infant, and receives that infant into His heavenly kingdom as a fully saved person. We further believe that the baptized infant's spiritual life must be nurtured and sustained by the proper instruction and encouragement that comes from the Word of God. We further accept the truth that the baptized child must, on approaching adulthood, be converted. By this we mean that the person comes to a conscious experience of his sinfulness, and of the forgiving, saving grace of God. At that time, the person comes into a conscious, living, and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ the Savior. Without this conscious experience of sin and grace, the adult who was baptized as an enfant will be lost.
Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians 3:27; Luke 15:32; II Corinthians 13:5; Matthew 18:3
2. Regarding the Lord's Supper, we believe that it is for those who have received Christ as their personal Savior. It was instituted by Jesus, as found in His Word. Through the Lord's Supper, believers are to remember His suffering and death. As we come to the Lord's Supper in repentance of sin, trusting Jesus as our Savior, we then receive His forgiveness and the assurance of His presence with us until He comes again.
Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; I Corinthians 11:23-30
C. We believe that the Gospel promises contained in the Sacraments must always be met by the response of faith in the heart of the recipient.
Mark 16:16; I Corinthians 11:23-29
VII. The Christian Life
We believe that since the believer is a new creation in Christ, he is called to a Christ-like life of sanctification where all things indeed become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) Some characteristics of this newness of life include;
A. A growing transformation of thought, word, and deed where the believer, motivated by love for Christ and a desire to glorify Him, refrains from that which is contrary to God's Law and endeavors to live consistently with the revealed will of God.
B. A desire in the heart of the believer to seek to give consistent witness and testimony of the grace of God working within his heart and to the preciousness of the Savior, the Word of God, and fellowship with other believers tin his own soul.
C. A genuine concern to live a life separate from the dictates of the sinful world and to search the Scriptures for guidance regarding decisions and conduct in his daily living. The fruit of the Spirit will be evident in his life.
D. A careful self-examination of his own spiritual condition. It is possible for a Christian to fall away from saving grace and to be lost, if not living in a personal and faith relationship with Jesus Christ.
I Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 3:12-13; 6:4-6; Revelation 3:5
Adopted, First Annual Conference, July 19, 1997
We believe that "all Scripture is inspired by God," which includes both the Old and New Testaments. The Word came through men "moved by the Holy Spirit," and is the complete written revelation of God We believe Scripture is verbally inspired, infallible and inerrant in all its parts, and is the supreme authority for man in both what he is to believe (faith) and how he is to live (life). (ref. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Revelation 22:18-19; Psalm 119:89, 105, 130)
Note: With the command of Christ from Revelation 22:18-19, we recognize the completion of God's revelation to man, and reject any extra-biblical revelations whether it be through tongues, dreams and visions etc. Any attempt to claim the authority of God, or to claim a new revelation from God based on such experiences should be considered outside the realm of Biblical truth and authority.
II The Creeds and Confessions
We accept the ancient ecumenical symbols, namely, the Apostles', the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds and also Luther's Small Catechism and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as true and faithful expositions of the Word of God concerning the Christian faith and life.
III The Godhead
We believe that God is three persons of one essence. They are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is from eternity. The Son is begotten of the Father from eternity and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son from eternity.
God has revealed Himself as three persons. However, the distinction between the three persons is not one of manifestation only but is real and personal. Each person is separately ascribed in Scripture with divine names, divine attributes, divine works, and divine worship.
God the Father is One (Galatians 3:20; James 2:19) but the Son )John 1:1; 14:9; Colossians 2:9) and the Spirit (Acts 5:4; I Corinthians 3:16) are declared to be God.
The Trinity is expressed in Christian baptism (Matthew 28:19), in the benediction of Paul (II Corinthians 13:14), and in Peter's greeting (I Peter 1:2)
A. The Father
We believe in the Fatherhood of God in the following areas as described in Scripture:
1. God as the Father of all creation. Ephesians 3:14-15; Acts 17:29;
I Corinthians 8:6
2. God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:17; Ephesians 1:3;
Galatians 3:26
3. God as the Father of all who believe in Jesus as Savior. John 1:12;
Galatians 3:26
B. The Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, begotten of the Father, is the express image of the invisible God in the flesh. To accomplish our redemption, He took upon Himself the form of a man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. By His perfect obedience and substitutionary death on the cross, He has purchased our redemption. He arose from the dead for our justification, in the body which He was crucified and now glorified. He ascended into heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father , as our interceding High Priest. He will come a second time to earth personally, bodily, and visibly, to gather the believers unto Himself, and to establish His millennial kingdom. Finally, He will judge the living and the dead and make an eternal separation between believers and unbelievers. (ref: Matthew 1:18-20; 25:31-46; Luke 24; John 1:1-2; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:14-16; Colossians 1:15; I Peter 2:24-25; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; I John 2:1-2; Revelation 11:15; and Revelation 20)
C. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is eternally one and equal with the Father and the Son, and also possesses the personal attributes of God. He has had a part in creation, and in revelation and the inspiration of the Scriptures. Although His ministry in the Old Testament was limited, at Pentecost He came to indwell believers and form the body of Christ. (ref: Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; I Corinthians 6:19; John 14-16 and II Peter 1:20-21)
We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and calls us to Christ by awakening in our hearts a deep sense of sin, and by inviting and enabling us to accept the grace of God in Christ. He indwells all believers and fills those believers who yield themselves to Christ. In addition, He restrains the evil of the world until the appointed time. For those who are saved, He gives assurance of salvation, enlightens and teaches through the Bible, sanctifies, guides, empowers for service and intercedes for them.
IV. Man
We believe that man was created as a result of the spoken Word in the image and likeness of God, and not as a result of an evolutionary process. Adam and Eve are the historical parents of the entire human race. When created, they enjoyed complete fellowship with God. Through the temptation of Satan, they disobeyed God and sinned, resulting in spiritual and physical death. We believe that every human being (the man Christ Jesus excepted) is born with a sinful nature transmitted from Adam, and that he is sinful through his nature and actions.
Genesis 1-3; Psalm 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 5:12-18.
V. Salvation
We believe that man is eternally separated from God because of sin, and that the only way he can have fellowship with God or enter the kingdom of God is by trusting in Jesus Christ, Who was made to be sin for him and Who died a substitutionary death for him, totally satisfying God's wrath against his sins. As he accepts the grace of God in Christ, he is born into a new relationship with God by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 26:28; John 1:12; 3:1-17; Romans 5:6-9; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; I Peter 1:18-23.
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that He saved us, not on the basis of deeds done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. Having by faith entered into that relationship with Him, God deems us absolutely complete in Christ, He introduces us into His body the Church through the Holy Spirit, and He blesses us with all spiritual blessings so that we need nothing more to live a life glorifying Him.
I Corinthians 12:1-3; Colossians 2:10; Ephesians 1:3
We believe that all who are born again through faith in Christ can have complete assurance of their salvation based on the promises of God's Word through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:22; I John 5:11-13; Revelation 3:20; Romans 8:9, 16-17
VI. The Church
We believe that the true church is the body of Christ, consisting of all those who in their hearts truly believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Church was established for the purpose of building up those who belong to Christ, and to unite those who are one in Him through the preaching of the Word, fellowship, and prayer. The Church also exists to bear witness of salvation in Christ to the lost and condemned in the world. Jesus is the Lord and Head of the Church, and we submit to His authority. We believe that the final human authority in the Church is vested in the local congregation or fellowship of believers, subject to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. No organization, board, or official should supersede that authority.
Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 12:22-27; Ephesians 3:4-6; 5:22-23; Hebrews 10:24-25
A. We believe that the Word of God is the chief means of grace, through which we receive salvation.
Romans 10:8-17; I Peter 1:23
B. We believe there are only two sacraments, namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
1. Regarding infant baptism, we believe God engrafts the baptized infant into Christ, bestows spiritual life to the baptized infant, and receives that infant into His heavenly kingdom as a fully saved person. We further believe that the baptized infant's spiritual life must be nurtured and sustained by the proper instruction and encouragement that comes from the Word of God. We further accept the truth that the baptized child must, on approaching adulthood, be converted. By this we mean that the person comes to a conscious experience of his sinfulness, and of the forgiving, saving grace of God. At that time, the person comes into a conscious, living, and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ the Savior. Without this conscious experience of sin and grace, the adult who was baptized as an enfant will be lost.
Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians 3:27; Luke 15:32; II Corinthians 13:5; Matthew 18:3
2. Regarding the Lord's Supper, we believe that it is for those who have received Christ as their personal Savior. It was instituted by Jesus, as found in His Word. Through the Lord's Supper, believers are to remember His suffering and death. As we come to the Lord's Supper in repentance of sin, trusting Jesus as our Savior, we then receive His forgiveness and the assurance of His presence with us until He comes again.
Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; I Corinthians 11:23-30
C. We believe that the Gospel promises contained in the Sacraments must always be met by the response of faith in the heart of the recipient.
Mark 16:16; I Corinthians 11:23-29
VII. The Christian Life
We believe that since the believer is a new creation in Christ, he is called to a Christ-like life of sanctification where all things indeed become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) Some characteristics of this newness of life include;
A. A growing transformation of thought, word, and deed where the believer, motivated by love for Christ and a desire to glorify Him, refrains from that which is contrary to God's Law and endeavors to live consistently with the revealed will of God.
B. A desire in the heart of the believer to seek to give consistent witness and testimony of the grace of God working within his heart and to the preciousness of the Savior, the Word of God, and fellowship with other believers tin his own soul.
C. A genuine concern to live a life separate from the dictates of the sinful world and to search the Scriptures for guidance regarding decisions and conduct in his daily living. The fruit of the Spirit will be evident in his life.
D. A careful self-examination of his own spiritual condition. It is possible for a Christian to fall away from saving grace and to be lost, if not living in a personal and faith relationship with Jesus Christ.
I Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 3:12-13; 6:4-6; Revelation 3:5
Adopted, First Annual Conference, July 19, 1997
Statement of Faith
What We Believe
