Grace Independent Baptist Church
1164 Blue Ridge Trail
Slocum Township, PA 18660
ph: (570) 868-6298
Kornerb
The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us, and therefore is, and shall remain, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried.
This Bible is preserved for us without error in the King James Authorized Version of 1611 A.D. Psalm 12:6,7 - Gives us the promise of preservation and the product of that preservation is the A.V. of 1611. Also note: Psalm 119:89, 152, 160; Isaiah 8:20;
I Thessalonians 2:13; 5:21; II Timothy 3:15,16 - this is the short list of verses.
Every word in the A.V. 1611 is inerrant and infallible and is in no need to be corrected.
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--each coeternal in being, coidentical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10,26).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assits believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
NOTE: We do not agree with Calvin's unscriptural teachings of predestination & election and do not subscribe to any point of the T.U.L.I.P. outline of Calvinism.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5). The doctrine of eternal security is not just a "Baptist belief." It is a Bible doctrine.
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost to show forth our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life.
We believe that the Lord's Supper, in which the saved, by the use of unleavened bread and grape juice, are to remember together the broken body and shed blood of Christ, and is to be preceded always with solemn self-examination. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41,42; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:4,5; 1 Corinthians 11:26-28.
These are the two ordinances of the local church and these are not sacraments.
Dispensationalism
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, grammatical, and historical sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in sucessive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation (which is by faith in every dispensation), but rather divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose.
The word of God is to be divided rightly - II Timothy 2:15.
The Second Coming of Christ
Part 1 - The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
The first part is the rapture, the coming of the Lord "for" His saints.
1. That the period of time preceding the rapture will be characterized by general apostasy within the church (II Thessalonians 2:1-3).
2. That while no one knows the day and hour of the rapture, (Matthew 24:36-42; Acts 1:7), true believers may know the "times and seasons," (Luke 21:29-33; I Thessalonians 5:1-8). It could take place anytime. When it does occur, it takes place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (Matthew 24:44; I Corinthians 15:52).
3. That when He comes, He will first by resurrection and translation remove from the earth His waiting church (I Thessalonians 4:16-18) who will be caught up to meet Him in the air. "So shall they ever be with the Lord." He will not set foot on earth at that time.
4. That the dead in Christ shall rise first and then they which are alive and remain. As they are caught up to be with the Lord, they will receive their glorified bodies which are conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So shall they ever be with the Lord. (Romans 8:29; I Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:20, 21; I Thessalonians 4:16, 17; I John 3:2).
5. That shortly after the rapture, a seven-year period of time will begin variously known as "the tribulation," "time of Jacob's trouble" and "Daniel's seventieth week," during which time God's wrath will be poured out in righteous judgment upon the unbelieving world as in no other time in history. No born-again believer will enter any period of the tribulation. (Jeremiah 30:6, 7; Daniel 9:24-27; 12:1; Matthew 24:21, 29).
* To be very clear: The Bible teaches a Pre-tribulation rapture.
Part 2 - The second part of Christ's second coming is:
His revelation and glorious return "with" His saints at the end of the great tribulation. He will then destroy the armies of the antichrist at the battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:11-14; Titus 2:11-13; Jude 14; Revelation 16:13-16; 19:11-14).
1. That the Lord Jesus Christ will descend "in like manner" as the disciples "beheld Him going into heaven." (Acts 1:11). "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives" (Zechariah 14:4, 5, 9; Revelation 1:7). At this time, the whole house of Israel will be restored to the land given to Abraham in (Genesis 12, 13 and 15).
2. That at His coming, He will establish His glorious and literal kingdom of heaven on earth and execute the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). He will rule and reign for a thousand years during which Satan will be bound in the pit. The Lord will rule with a rod of iron as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in perfect peace (Isaiah 9:7; Hosea 2:18; Micah 4:3; Revelation 20:1-7).
3. At the close of His thousand year reign, the Lord Jesus Christ will raise the unsaved dead and call them before the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:5, 11-15).
Finally, as the Son of David, He will deliver up His Messianic Kingdom to God the Father (I Corinthians 15:24-28) in order that as the Eternal Son, He may reign with the Father in the New Heaven and the New Earth throughout the dispensation of the fullness of times (Luke 1:32, 33; Ephesians 1:10; II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1; 22:5).
Music
Music in our church is designed to be God honouring and that contemporary music does not please the Lord, or any other music that is fashioned after the beat & rhythm of the world. Our church does not subscribe in any way to the modern way of "worship" as found in the modern apostate church - worship teams, canned music, worldly music, worldly dress etc.
Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the word of God.
Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20, 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1, 2;
I Peter 2:13-16
Israel
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she was dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she is now being regathered to her land (Israel), and after the rapture of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ. The church has not and will not replace Israel.
Genesis 13:14-17; Ezekiel 37; Romans 11:1-31.
Baptist - We thoroughly adhere to and believe in:
Social Issues:
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; 19:5. 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-20; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1, 6-9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions or pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control or the mental or physical well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psa. 51:5; 149:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).
Lawsuits between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander and is a fair and honest representation of damages (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).
* If you have any questions, please feel free to call the church office @ (570) 868-6298.
Copyright 2016 Grace Independent Baptist Church. All rights reserved.
1164 Blue Ridge Trail
Slocum Township, PA 18660
ph: (570) 868-6298
Kornerb