Doctrine matters to us because it matters to God. Doctrine shapes who we are as a church because what we believe about God, His World, and ourselves determines who we are, how we behave, and what we live for in this life. Because everything we know about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Salvation (eternal life), Sanctification (living for God in this life), and the Church is revealed in the Holy Scripture, what we believe about the Bible (and the place we give it in our lives) is supremely important.
Jesus took doctrine seriously – He taught it.
When Jesus spoke to the disciples, He often stressed the importance of knowing and believing His teaching. It was important that they understand His teaching because through it they would find eternal life. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Furthermore, Jesus was very clear that He was teaching under the authority of God the Father. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10). Jesus said right doctrine would be an identifying mark of those who truly love Him and the Father. “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me” (John 14:24). Because doctrine was so important to Jesus, it must be important to us here at PBC.
Paul and the Apostles took doctrine seriously – they preserved it.
Jude stated that there was a body of doctrines called “the faith” that had been authoritatively and fully delivered to the Church and for which the Church must embrace, obey, and defend at all cost. “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
Paul said we were to stand firmly fixed in this body of doctrine (1 Corinthians 16:13). He said we were to guard the deposit of this body of truth (1 Timothy 6:20), to pass it on to others (2 Timothy 2:2), to test ourselves to make sure we remain true to this body of truth (2 Corinthians 13:5), and to be careful not to depart from the doctrines that make up the faith (1 Timothy 6:20-21).
Our understanding and commitment to the major beliefs of the Christian faith revealed in Scripture are summarized below. A fuller expression of our understanding of Christian doctrine is articulated in our Statement of Faith.
We believe the Bible (sixty-six books) is the inspired Word of God, without error, and is the final authority for faith (what we believe) and practice (what we do). Furthermore, we believe the Bible is sufficient for life and godliness (2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3-4).
We believe the God of the Bible eternally exists in three persons who share a common nature and essence: Father (Ex 3:14), Son (John 1:1), and Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). The God of the Bible is the Creator, Sustainer, and ultimate Redeemer of all things that exist in the Universe (Rom. 11:36).
We believe that Jesus Christ was the perfect, sinless Son of God (Heb. 4:15). We further believe He is the second member of the Trinity and, as such, is in fact God (John 1:1). We believe that He was born of a virgin (Isa. 9:6; Gal. 4:4), was fully human and at the same time fully God (the God-man), lived a perfectly sinless life (Heb. 4:15), and died a violent, voluntary death to satisfy the righteous and deserved wrath of God the Father against the sins of mankind (Heb. 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19). In so doing, He who knew no sin became the sin offering for all the sinners of the world (2 Cor. 5:21). We believe He was buried and on the third day He arose from the grave in a literal, physical resurrection from death to life (1 Cor. 15:1–8). He then ascended to the Father, where He now sits at the Father’s right hand, having made full atonement for our sins (Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:3), and where He is interceding for believers (Rom. 8:34).
Furthermore, we believe that He will come again to rapture His saints (1 Thess. 4:16–18). After a time on earth known as the Great Tribulation, Christ will return in glory to the earth to rule for a thousand literal years over a millennial kingdom promised to Him and the Jewish nation. We believe all judgment has been entrusted to Him by the Father (John 5:22). At the end of the age, after having accomplished the full and entire plan of His Father, He will hand over all things to God the Father.
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict, regenerate, indwell, sanctify, empower, direct, and strengthen believers for godly living and spiritual service (John 16:7-14; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:4; Rom 8:14; 2 Cor 3:14-18; 1 Peter 4:10).
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone. Further, we believe God holds eternally secure all those who repent of their sin and put their faith and trust in His Son and the finished work He accomplished by His death on the cross (John 3:16-18; Acts 13:38; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom 3:21-26: Titus 3:1-5; 1 Tim 1:16; 1 John 5:13).
We believe mankind was created in the image of God (Gen 1:27; 2:7) in two perfect image-bearers (male and female) who lived in perfect fellowship with God (Gen 1:27; 2:7-24). Sadly, Man sinned by willfully disobeying God (Gen 3:1-13) resulting in spiritual and physical death and eternal separation from God (Romans 1:18; 3:19-20; 5:12-21; 6:23). Man can be forgiven of his sin, rescued from death, and reconciled to God only by repenting from his sin and trusting fully in Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross (Acts 3:19-20; Acts 20:21; 2 Cor 5:21).
We believe the Church is the body of Christ and is composed of all who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to the truth of the gospel (Eph 1:21-22; Eph 4:4-6). Because the Church belongs to the Living God, She is called to display, proclaim, and defend the truth God has given in His Word (1 Tim. 3:15).
We believe that the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and is a source of encouragement provoking believers to righteousness and to spiritual service (1 Peter 3:3-18; 1 John 2:28-29; 2 Tim 4:8).
Constitution
A constitution is essentially a commitment, a covenant towards each other in the church and how we will operate as a church. We can’t do everything as a church, but we are committed to these important things.