Grace Baptist Alliston Statement of Faith

Article 5 FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS
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Article 5.01 Bible: The members believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God; that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and were entirely free from error; that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union.
Article 5.02 God: The members believe in one God, Creator of all, holy, sovereign, eternal, existing in three equal Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
(a) God the Father: Is the first person of the Trininty and eternal with the Son and the Spirit. He is the Creator of the universe and soveriegn over all things. God the Father planned redemption and sent His Son into the world.
(b) Jesus Christ, Son: In the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence with the Father in pre-incarnate glory. He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant and became fully man, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry and future personal return.
(c) Holy Spirit: In the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who convinces of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; who regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Article 5.03 Creation: The members believe that God created the earth to reveal his invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature; and is therefore, worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. God created the world good and perfect in six literal days and rested on the seventh day.
Article 5.04 Satan: The members believe that Satan is a created being, a fallen angel, who exists as an evil personality, the originator of sin, the arch-enemy of God and humanity, who will, upon Christ’s triumphant return, be finally and utterly defeated.
Article 5.05 Humanity: The members believe that the human race was divinely created in the image of God as male and female persons; that they sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in total depravity, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death for themselves and their descendants.
Article 5.06 Salvation: The members believe that salvation is by the sovereign, electing grace of God; that by the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, expiatory and propitiatory death; that justification is by faith alone in the all sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that those whom God has effectually called shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.
Article 5.07 Future Things: The members believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust; in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and in the judgment and conscious, eternal punishment of the wicked.
Article 5.08 The Church: The members believe that a local church is a company of believers, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus, voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith and the observance of the ordinances. The members believe the local church is a
sovereign, independent body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and privileges under the Lordship of Christ, the Great Head of the church. The members believe that its offices are elders/pastors and deacons.
Article 5.09 Ordinances: The members believe that there are only two ordinances in the New Testament that are to be regularly observed by the Church:
(a) Baptism, which is the immersion of the believer in water, whereby this person obeys Christ’s command and sets forth their identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection;
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(b) The Lord’s Supper, which is the memorial event wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, bread and wine, which symbolizes the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.
Article 5.10 Church and State: The members believe in the entire organizational separation of church and state. This means that while the state should not have authority over the church or dictate the positions/policies of the church, the church acts as a moral training ground for citizens and should influence public policy in support of and towards Godly legislation.
Article 5.11 Religious Liberty: The members believe in religious liberty; that every person has the right to practice and propagate their beliefs.
Article 5.12 The Lord’s Day: The members believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day and that, in a special sense, it is the divinely appointed day for worship and spiritual exercise.
Article 5.13 Civil Government: The members believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except only in the things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and Prince of the kings of the earth.
Article 5.14 Marriage: The members believe that God’s intention for marriage is established throughout the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; that God ordained marriage to be the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman; that sexual intimacy is legitimate only within the bounds of marriage; that the Church acts as a supportive community to marriage relationships and as a primary witness for accountability within marriage relationships; and that a healthy marriage is the best foundation for families and the raising of children.
Article 6 AFFILIATION
Article 6.01 Grace Baptist Church shall be affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.