The sixty-six books which comprise the Bible, including both old and new testaments, are the written Word of God. The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God, the scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by Him. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is inerrant and infallible. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. The scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or worldly wisdom. Scripture is sufficient in that it is the final authority for Christians for faith and godliness, with all other authorities being subservient to scripture, therefore, every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in holy scripture. All scripture is equal in weight and measure, and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21
There is one and only one living and true God, who eternally exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each are co-existent, co-equal and co-eternal in divine perfection, all the while executing distinct but interrelated roles in works of creation, providence and redemption. They are without division in nature, essence or being. In one sense, the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery that will never be comprehended this side of eternity, yet it forms the foundation of Christian faith and life.
God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, and orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose. He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. As creator, he is father to all men, but He is spiritual father only to believers. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. He has graciously chosen from eternity past those whom He would save to be His own people; He saves from sin all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ; He adopts as His own all those who come to Him and thereby becomes their spiritual father.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary called by the Holy Spirit. He is perfect in nature, teaching and obedience. In Him all things live and move and have their being. He was before all things and in Him all things are held together by the word of His power. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation and in Him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only savior for the sins of the world having shed His blood and died a vicarious, substitutionary death on calvary’s cross on our behalf. By His death in our place, He revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness and for a period of forty days appeared to over five hundred witnesses performing many convincing proofs of His resurrection. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all. He is the head of His body, the church, and should be adored, loved, served and obeyed by all. We believe He will come again to claim his church, raising the dead in Him to everlasting life, and ushering in His eternal kingdom.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and proceeds from both God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and draws and awakens mankind to the new birth. He sanctifies in the life of the believer and calls all Christians everywhere to unity within the body. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored and worshiped as God, the third person of the Trinity.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17
Man was created, male and female, by God, in His image, without sin, that man might have fellowship with Him. Yet, through the temptation of Satan, and the subsequent disobedience of the first man Adam, all mankind fell from perfection and as a result, all mankind inherited a sinful and depraved nature. While we still retain aspects of God’s image, being able to perform and participate in noble acts and other good deeds, we all fall short as broken individuals, incomplete before a perfect God. As fallen creatures, our incompleteness permeates all aspects of our being, affecting mind, will and affections, and rendering us as dead in our trespasses and sins. We are responsible to God and subject to His divine wrath for sin. Being incapable of remedying our sinful state independently, we are completely dependent on God for His efficacious grace.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ as revealed in His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. At the center of the gospel story stands the crucifixion of Christ, and subsequent resurrection and ascension. In the crucifixion, Christ died a substiutionary, propitiatory death, paying a divine penalty to God for our sins. This death satisfied the divine and appropriate wrath of God over our trespass, which was an offense to Him. In His resurrection, Christ defeated sin, death, hell, Satan, and the grave and ushered us back into right relationship with God. His ascension cemented His authority and called us to live in light of this new birth He guaranteed. In addition, the life that Christ lived in perfect obedience to the Father is credited on our behalf. He bore our sin and we became His righteousness.
Salvation is the gracious purpose of God and is grounded in the free unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory. It is received only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as the one and only true savior and a turning away and spurning of sin in repentance. True repentance is marked by a changed life, and a desire to follow and walk in the life of Christ being willing to deny oneself, take up your cross and die daily. However, these works done, independent of a saving faith are of no account and will not save.
Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3 Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5
We believe God by His Word and Spirit creates the church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ’s body. The church is not a religious institution or denomination. Rather, the church is the blood bought people of Christ, both universal in nature, and local in scope and practice. The church universal is made up of all who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel from every tribe tongue and nation on earth. In the body of Christ all barriers of race, and social-economic status are destroyed as God builds us up into one beautiful masterpiece with Jesus as the head.
The church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It also exists to serve Him by faithfully doing His will in the earth. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in the entire world as a testimony. The purposes of the church are missional in nature, desiring to make disciples through the preaching of the gospel and transforming of the culture around us.
The local church is the called and gathered people of God, that meets regularly for worship, prayer, instruction, fellowship, the taking of the Lord’s Supper and the use of spiritual gifts to serve and edify one another.
Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3
Two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism by immersion is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth their faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and their union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible body of Christ. Following the pattern of the New Testament, only those who give a believable profession of faith should be baptized, which should be defined by their profession of faith in Jesus Christ, the evidence of that faith in their life, and their expressed desire for baptism. Baptisms may be performed by any man, who is also a member in good standing, at Russell Bible Church.
The Lord's Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of Christ's death until He comes, and should be preceded by solemn self-examination. Whereas the elements of communion are representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in The Lord's Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells every believer, and is so present, fellowshipping with His people. Much like baptism, any individual who has made a believable profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and who has shown evidence of that faith in their life, and who can stand with a repentant and clear mind before God, should be allowed to participate in the Lord's Supper.
Acts 2:38-42; 8:36-39; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:28-32
We believe in the glorious, personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of all mankind, the righteous and the unrighteous, to face final judgment. The righteous will enter eternal joy in the new heavens and new earth; the wicked will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell.
Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; II Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:4-6,11-15; 21:1-8
A. A member shall have made a statement of personal repentance from sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and
B. A member shall have been baptized following personal repentance from sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and
C. A member shall have made a commitment to abide by our Church’s Membership Covenant.
Having, as we trust, been brought by Divine Grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew our covenant with each other.
We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We will walk together in brotherly love, as becomes the members of a Christian church; exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require.
We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others.
We will endeavor to bring up such as may at any time be under our care, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our family and friends.
We will rejoice at each other’s happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.
We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that, as we have been voluntarily buried by baptism and raised again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life.
We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
We will, when we move from this place, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.