At Redemption Bible Church, we desire to honor the Word of God in all that we do. The following statements provide a summary of biblical doctrine that we believe are in accordance with evangelical Christianity and thereby identifies our church with the Scriptures. These statements also define the biblical perspective which guides our leaders and informs our body of believers.
As you explore each topic below, please click to reveal the specific statement and supporting Scriptures.
We believe the Holy Bible, consisting of 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the full and complete Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16)
We believe all Scripture is breathed out by God, written down by men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, and therefore inerrant as originally written. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-20)
We believe the Bible is absolutely sufficient and the only authority for the Christian in matters of faith and practice. We believe the Bible is completely trustworthy and will not fail to accomplish God’s purposes. (Colossians 1:10; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Romans 1:16-17)
We believe the Holy Bible, consisting of 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the full and complete Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16)
We believe all Scripture is breathed out by God, written down by men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, and therefore inerrant as originally written. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-20)
We believe the Bible is absolutely sufficient and the only authority for the Christian in matters of faith and practice. We believe the Bible is completely trustworthy and will not fail to accomplish God’s purposes. (Colossians 1:10; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Romans 1:16-17)
We believe in the one true God, who is eternally ever-existing, unchanging, without limit, and neither needing nor lacking anything. (John 17:3; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:25-27; Matthew 19:26; Acts 17:24-25)
We believe God has and always will exist as three Persons in perfect unity, being equal in divinity, power, and glory: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 10:30, 14:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Jude 1:20-21)
We believe God is infinite in being and perfection, He is most holy, most loving, and most just. (Job 11:7; Isaiah 6:3; 1 John 4:16; Deuteronomy 32:4)
We believe that God the Father orders and accomplishes all things according to His own will and for His own glory as the absolute sovereign ruler over His creation. (Isaiah 55:11, 64:8; Acts 17:28; 1 Corinthians 8:6)
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, the incarnate Deity, the image and exact imprint of the invisible God, the fulfillment of the promised messiah and the heir of all things. (John 3:16; Colossians 1:15, 2:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 1:2-3; John 1:14; Philippians 2:7; John 4:25-26)
We believe in the preexistence of Jesus Christ, for He is without beginning or end. (John 1:1-2; Colossians 1:17-18)
We believe in the preeminence of Jesus Christ, for all things were made by Him and for Him, and all things are sustained and held together by Him. (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:3)
We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. As Immanuel, God with us, Jesus did not lay aside his deity nor cease to be God for one instant. Jesus is, at the same time, fully man; he was born of a virgin woman, was tempted in every way yet lived a sinless life and died a real death. (Philippians 2:6-7; Matthew 1:23; John 1:14; Hebrews 4:15; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 3:5; Matthew 27:27-50; 1 Peter 2:22)
The Death of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and accomplished our redemption through His suffering and death on the cross as our representative and substitutionary atoning sacrifice. (1 Timothy 1:15; 1 John 4:14; Hebrews 9:11-12; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 2:2; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
We believe the death of Jesus was completely sufficient to justify man before God, once for all, and requires no subsequent work by God or man as it was fully accomplished and finished on the cross. (Hebrews 9:24-26; Hebrews 10:10-18; John 19:30)
The Resurrection of Christ
We believe that God raised Christ from the dead, bodily, on the third day. (Romans 6:4; Acts 2:24, 32)
We believe the resurrected body of Jesus was the same body now existing in a glorified state. (John 20:19, 26-28; Luke 24:30-31, 36-39, 51; Acts 1:3, 9-11; Revelation 1:12-16)
The Ascension of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest forever, He fulfills the ministries of Representative, Intercessor and Advocate. (Hebrews 7:22-25; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 4:15-16; Romans 8:34)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. (Ephesians 1:20-23, 5:23; Colossians 1:18)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. (1 Peter 2:25; John 10:14)
We believe the Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture, the supernatural agent in spiritual regeneration and the one who convicts the world of sin. (Titus 3:5; John 3:3-5; John 16:8; Ezekiel 36:26-27; 2 Peter 1:21)
We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the body of Christ, permanently indwells the believer as a deposit, and seals them unto the day of redemption. In all He does He glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:13-15, 4:3-4, 30; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; John 16:13-14)
We believe the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to all believers as He wills, and He strengthens, guides, equips, and empowers believers for obedient living and service. (Ephesians 3:14-16; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11; Acts 1:8, 2:17-18, 16:7)
We believe the Holy Spirit speaks to us on behalf of the Father, through us to others, and for us as intercessor before the Father. (John 16:13; Luke 10:16; Acts 1:8; Matthew 10:19-20; Romans 8:26-27)
We believe the Holy Spirit is continually at work in the life of the believer by sanctifying the believer’s character, transforming him to be more like Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Romans 8:29)
We believe that man* was created in the image of God; that man is a living soul and is thus an eternal being. (Genesis 1:27, 2:7; Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 12:7)
We believe God created men and women equal in value but distinctly male and female in design and purpose. These distinctions are good and complementary and are meant to display the glory of God. (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:7)
We believe that man, in the person of Adam, was created upright and perfect but voluntarily sinned. This plunged humanity into condemnation and death. (Genesis 2:16-17, 25, 3:6-7; Romans 5:12)
We believe that man is born in sin and becomes a practical sinner by choice and is without excuse before God. (Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:6; Ephesians 2:1-2; Romans 1:18-21)
*Note: We are adopting the Biblical precedent of using the word ‘man’ in the collective sense of the whole human race.
We believe that salvation is the work of God to rescue and redeem sinners from their eternal fate as children of wrath, granting them eternal life as His own beloved children. (Galatians 4:4-6; John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-7)
We believe that salvation was accomplished by the death of Jesus, which satisfied the just wrath of God and cancelled our debt of sin to the Father that we could never repay. Through it justification, forgiveness, reconciliation to God, and new life are imparted to all who believe in Him through faith as the free gift of God’s grace. (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 1:7-9; John 1:12; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 4:23-24)
We believe that salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. It is a gift from God; it is not a result of our good works. (Acts 4:12; Romans 3:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7)
We believe that all who believe in Christ as their Savior are born again, are kept by God’s power, and are eternally secure in Christ. (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 John 5:11-13)
We believe that God has prepared good works for every believer to do. All believers should conform more to the image of Christ and less to the image of the world as they grow in holiness, maturity, obedience, and spiritual knowledge. (Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:10, 28; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 2 Peter 3:18)
We believe that all believers are called to share their faith, by words and by deeds. (Acts 1:8; Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 3:15)
We believe that the Church universal is a New Testament institution, built on and established by Jesus Christ, that joins all past and present Christ followers together in one Spirit with Him. (Matthew 16:16-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 6:17)
We believe the Church universal is expressed through the local church, which is a congregation of present believers. All local church believers are equal and indispensable members of the same spiritual body, with Christ as the sole head and ruler. Christ nourishes, cherishes and sanctifies the Church to make it holy. (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23-33; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Colossians 1:15-18)
We believe the purpose of the local church is to regularly gather together to glorify God through worship, proclaim the gospel, serve and encourage one another, celebrate the ordinances, edify and equip the saints for the work of ministry, and make disciples of all peoples of the world. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 96:1-4; Ephesians 4:11-14; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 28:18-20)
Baptism
We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the Church, ordained by Jesus Christ, involving immersion of a believer in water. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-39; 10:43-48; Matthew 3:11,13-17)
We believe that baptism is a symbolic act that identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:3-6)
We believe that baptism should be observed after conversion as an act of obedience. (Acts 2:37-41; Ephesians 4:4-6)
Communion
We believe that communion is an ordinance of the Church, ordained by Jesus Christ, involving ceremonial eating of the bread and drinking the cup which represent the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. This is often referred to as the "Lord's Supper." (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
We believe that communion should only be observed by a believer of Jesus Christ and only after intimate reflection on the work of Christ and self-examination to avoid partaking of it in an unworthy manner. (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
We believe angels are created spirit-beings who exist for God’s purposes. Satan and his demons are angels who rebelled against God. Satan is the god of this world, the author of sin, and seeks to deceive all mankind. Satan and his demons will be judged and cast into the lake of fire forever. (Job 1:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:10; Isaiah 14:12-14; 1 John 3:8)
We believe that both angels and demons have intense involvement in human life today. We believe that Jesus destroyed the works of Satan, and this means Christians can resist him. (Acts 16:16-18; 1 John 3:8; James 4:7; Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 6:11-12; 1 John 4:4)
We believe in the imminent, visible, personal, and premillennial return of Jesus Christ; He comes to judge the living and the dead. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 24:30-31, 36; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Timothy 4:1; Acts 17:30-31)
We believe the imminent return of Christ requires constant expectancy which motivates the believer to godly living and urgent mission. (2 Peter 3:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Mark 13:32-34; Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 28:18-20)
We believe in the resurrection of the body and the final judgment, thus leading to eternal joy with Christ for the believer and endless suffering for the unbeliever. (2 Peter 3:7; Hebrews 9:27-28; Revelation 14:6–13)