Statement of Beliefs
We believe the Bible is God’s infallible, authoritative, and inerrant word which communicates God’s perfect character and His will for each of us, and for mankind in general.
We believe God eternally exists in three Persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and these three are one God, the Holy Trinity.
We believe Jesus, the second Person in the Trinity, entered human history through the virgin birth and is now and forever both fully Divine and perfectly human. He lived a sinless life, died in our place as the only acceptable sacrifice to God for man’s sin, and rose from the dead three days later. He physically ascended to heaven, yet spiritually indwells all believers, along with the Father through the Holy Spirit.
We believe the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity, convicts unbelievers of sin and indwells, gifts, seals, and empowers believers until the ultimate day of redemption.
We believe eternal salvation is received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone – and nothing else!Those who simply trust Jesus for eternal salvation receive the forgiveness of all sins, a new identity as a holy and beloved child of God, spiritual life in Christ, permanent access to God and perfect acceptability by God. Therefore, any person who simply trusts Jesus Christ for eternal salvation has the assurance of eternal salvation.
We believe the Church, the Body of Jesus Christ on earth, exists to glorify God, to convert unbelievers into believers in Jesus Christ, and to spiritually nurture each believer in faith, love and godliness.
We believe Jesus will return for His church and His return will be pre-millennial. Jesus Himself will reign as King at His return and throughout eternity.
Statement of Essentials
1. God’s Word
God’s Word, the Bible, is God’s direct revelation to mankind,
perfect in all it contains. It is given that we may know God truly,
trust Him completely and enjoy Him thoroughly. The Bible reveals the
mind and heart of God, the sinfulness of man and the resulting
separation. It reveals how God acted in grace and love to bridge
that separation and reconcile sinners to Himself through the death,
burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. It declares that
the only way man can be reconciled to God is through faith alone in
Jesus and His redemptive work on the cross. Anyone who believes in
Him for eternal life will be forgiven their sins and brought into a
family relationship with God. The Bible also tells believers how to
live by faith and calls us to more deeply trust God, allowing Him to
produce His character through us and provide us with increasing
victory over sin. Therefore, personal application of biblical truth
is vital for everyday living, spiritual growth and intimate
fellowship with God and one another.
2. God’s Grace
Grace is an essential aspect of God’s character. He loves all people
unconditionally, offers us eternal life as a free gift, and
sacrificed Himself for us while we were determined enemies and
willful sinners. God’s grace is God’s unmerited favor, His gift to
mankind. The Bible declares that forgiveness and new life are made
available by God’s grace alone. We cannot earn our salvation by good
works or even the promise of good works in the future. Salvation is
a gift of God’s grace which must be personally received by trusting
Jesus Christ alone to provide it. Those who never trust Jesus for
eternal life reject His gift of salvation and choose to be separated
from God forever. Therefore we hold that all people are in need of
God’s wonderful grace. Once we accept this gift of new life we
remain in daily need of God’s grace for fellowship, encouragement,
strength and the character qualities that our sin nature is unable
to produce. God faithfully offers His grace to correct and heal
improper images that we have gained of ourselves and our
relationships with God, believers and unbelievers alike. His grace
frees us from the slavery of habitual sin, opening up possibilities
for true fulfillment and contentment in life. Therefore as we
experience God’s grace in our lives we will enjoy God and become who
He intends for us to be.
3. Relationships of Grace
Our church family is learning to experience and live out the grace
of God. We seek to nurture relationships of grace whereby we relate
to our Christian family, and all people, in the same way Jesus
Christ relates to us: by accepting one another not judging them, and
by forgiving, loving and caring for one another. We realize that
people today are hungry to experience grace (unlimited acceptance,
unconditional love, and undeserved forgiveness). These virtues are
healing, freeing, refreshing and life changing. They also promote
relationships of grace. And because of these relationships, first
with God the Giver of grace then with one another, SFBC is a church
“where grace happens.”
4. Salvation and Discipleship Distinctions
We understand there to be clear biblical distinctions between
salvation (justification) and discipleship (sanctification). A
person is justified – forgiven his sins and granted eternal life –
by God’s grace when he simply believes in Jesus Christ alone for
eternal salvation. Therefore, a person is eternally saved
(justified) as God’s free and unmerited gift to “whosoever believes”
in His Son. Discipleship, however, is not cost-free. A disciple is a
believer who commits to a deepening relationship with God
characterized by ongoing trust and dependence, submission and
sacrifice. Therefore, while all believers are eternally saved by
God’s grace, not all believers progress in holiness, love and
maturity; not all believers become devoted “disciples” who walk in
communion with Jesus. Discipleship flows out of fellowship with God.
This is an essential distinction that preserves the glorious
doctrine of justification by faith alone while promoting progressive
sanctification by challenging born again believers to “press on to
maturity.”
5. Unity, Acceptance and Freedom
Unity, acceptance and freedom express what happens in our church
when pleasing God is more important than pleasing ourselves. When we
experience a growing relationship with our Heavenly Father, desires
and priorities change as our will becomes more like His will. One
evidence of this change is seeing God’s people work together in
love; this is the essence of unity. Unity is not the “rubber stamp”
of the dictator, but the agreement, as a body, that God can be
glorified in how things get done and how priorities are set. God has
created each of us differently – with different personalities, life
experiences, backgrounds, cultures and genders. Acceptance allows
that richness of diversity to be expressed without fear or
criticism. Acceptance is not simply “letting” someone do something,
or “putting up” with them, but encouraging and even embracing the
diversity God has built into each of us as part of a spiritual
family. Acceptance is the natural outcome of unity. For when we
place God’s desires above our own, we can see each other as God
does: loved, redeemed and accepted as children. Sometimes we don’t
accept others because we don’t feel God accepts us. Yet when we see
ourselves as God sees us and experience His acceptance of us, we can
accept others in their differences. While we allow God’s Spirit to
unify us, opening our hearts to the beauty of our differences, true
freedom – an environment where our differences can be accepted –
will be experienced within our church. This environment allows each
of us to relate to Jesus and each other as we feel comfortable; to
reach others beyond the limits of our own culture and social
position; to love those who’ve never known love; and to embrace
differences in how we each serve and worship God. As we know God’s
personality and delight in His character we are motivated to please
Him, and His Spirit acts through us producing unity, acceptance and
freedom. And as God develops these qualities within our spiritual
family we can more fully experience how He wants us to function and
relate.
6. Authentic Christian Living
We are not into ‘playing’ church or ‘doing’ religion, saying one
thing and doing another, or living one way on Sunday and another way
throughout the week. God wants us to be authentic with Him and
honest with ourselves and others regarding where we’re at
spiritually, how we’re doing, and who we are in Christ. As we are
honest about ourselves in the light of God’s grace, we can trust Him
to mend and heal us, to deliver us from sin and create integrity in
our lives. The Bible calls us to live our lives openly, in God’s
light. Grace promotes such living. Conversely, when we judge sin in
people we force them to hide their sins; and sin grows in power and
frequency when it’s hidden from others. God’s Word encourages
authentic Christian living. He wants us to deal with our sin issues
in a community of grace and not hide them until they pass over, or
hope they miraculously disappear.
7. Corporate Worship
Worship is something every believer will continue to do throughout
eternity. When we worship God together we praise Him for who He is,
for what He has done and what He promises to do. God enjoys
meaningful, heartfelt worship and He created music to open our
hearts for such worship. Worship isn’t only intended to be
instructional but experiential, progressing beyond an intellectual
exercise to a relational experience with the Living God.
Congregational worship that touches our hearts touches God’s heart.
We affirm that corporate worship engaging our whole being is worship
our Father seeks from us. Worship is more than a tool to “prepare us
for the sermon,” it stands on it’s own. Worship is essential to our
relationship with God and vital for the health of our church. When
we sing together as a congregation our hearts unite in praise to
God. Therefore, we see corporate singing as an essential element of
our Worship Service.