The Bible
We believe the 66 books of the Old and New Testament Scriptures of the original autographs are the inerrant and infallible Word of God. The writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, revealed truth from God. Therefore the Bible is the supreme authority on what ought to be believed and obeyed. Thus the Bible should be the foremost source for teaching and learning about God and His desires for people.
The Godhead
We believe there is only one living and true God, who is triune, a single essence eternally subsisting in three equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can know God because He has revealed Himself, but He is beyond full comprehension. He is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, all knowing, all wise, all powerful, perfectly holy, perfectly just, perfectly good, loving, gracious, and merciful. To Him is due worship, service, and obedience, from all people.
Humans and sin
We believe humans are uniquely made in the image of God, and are intended by God for relationship with Him. The first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, which is sin, and fell from their original relationship with God. From Adam, sin and spiritual death, which is separation from God, came to all humans. Every human is sinful by nature and action, and condemned to eternal death, which is eternal separation from God.
Salvation
We believe God has initiated and completes salvation. A person is covered by the atonement of Jesus, and is completely justified, and receives the gift of eternal life, by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can one be forgiven of sin, saved from condemnation, and reconciled to God. All this is due to God’s magnificent grace, and cannot be earned or contributed to by good or religious works. By God’s grace, those in Christ are regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit, are adopted as God’s children, will be sanctified during this life, and glorified in the future.
Jesus Christ
We believe the Son of God has always been God from eternity past, a distinct person who is of the same essence as, and coequal with, the Father and the Holy Spirit. By Him all things were made. By the Holy Spirit, the eternal Son became incarnate as the person of Jesus the Christ, fully God and fully man. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and willingly suffered and died on a cross as a substitutionary atonement. Thus He is the Savior. He was resurrected from the dead, ascended back into heaven, and is exalted at the right hand of the Father, in glory, as Lord and King. Jesus Christ will come again from heaven to earth, personally, visibly, and suddenly, at a time only known by God.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit has always been God from eternity past, a distinct person of the same essence as, and coequal with, the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is vital to the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. He gives believers new spiritual life in regeneration. He indwells believers and purifies them of sin in sanctification. He helps believers by revealing truth, leading and empowering them to live for and serve God.
The Church
We believe the Church universal is a spiritual community of all true believers in Jesus Christ, of all places and of all time. Christ is the Head of the Church, and each believer is a part of His body. Believers are children of God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. Believers should participate in a local expression of the Church, a specific local congregation of believers, to be able to properly live out a life that God desires. It is important that a local church and the believers that make it up be marked by biblical beliefs and behavior. The Church and the members of it are to bring glory to God by worshipping God, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples, ministering to one another, and central to it all is loving God and people.
The last things
We believe that upon bodily death, the soul of a believer in Jesus Christ goes immediately into the wonderful presence of Christ, whereas the soul of an unbeliever awaits final judgment in Hades. All humans will be resurrected. Believers in Jesus Christ will enjoy eternal life in heaven, in God’s presence. Unbelievers will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell, separate from God.
Definitions and clarifications:
Original autographs refers to the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts of the original writers. Although we do not possess those documents, we believe, by the providence of God, the inspired text can be ascertained, with great accuracy, from available manuscripts.
The word used in 2 Timothy 3:16, often translated as “inspired”, from the Greek is literally understood as God-breathed. In speaking about the prophecies of Scripture, 2 Peter 1:20-21 pictures the minds of men being moved by the Holy Spirit like a sail boat is moved by the wind, so they could communicate from God.
Subsisting means self-sustained existence
Person means an actual, personal, rational, being. We are not to confuse this with God being a human, although the Son did take on humanity.
Atonement means reparation for sin. There is a penalty for sin, because God is just. As sinners, humans are due the penalty of the wrath of God and eternal suffering. Jesus was sinless, so He did not deserve a penalty. In dying on the cross, Jesus made Himself a substitute to take the penalty, the wrath of God, which was due to others, and made reparation between people who trust Jesus and God. In place of atonement the term propitiation is sometimes used in Scripture, which means a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God from a person and makes God favorable toward that person.
Justification is the legal declaration of God, stating that a person is forgiven of all sin and no longer liable for punishment, and that He accounts one to be righteous, on the basis of faith in Jesus who is righteous. Justification is complete at the moment one’s faith is placed in Jesus Christ.
Grace refers to what God gives as a free gift, based on a person’s faith.
Regeneration is the act of God the Holy Spirit in which He imparts new spiritual life to a person (Titus 3:5).
The Holy Spirit stays inside a person who trusts Jesus, as a guarantee that a person belongs to God, and God will claim and glorify that person at the end of time.
Sanctification is a progressive work of God, from regeneration to glorification, so that a believer becomes more holy, clean from sin. Sanctification progresses as a believer cooperates with the Holy Spirit, giving oneself to obeying God, rather than sin.
Glorification is the final step in salvation, where the body of a believer is resurrected as a perfect body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) and reunited with that person’s soul, in which state they will be in the presence of God forever, freed from sin and physical problems.
Incarnate means in flesh. Rather than say “He became human,” which may hint that He ceased to be God, this term is used theologically to indicate He remained God but also took on humanity.
Resurrected, biblically, means to have body. The resurrected body has some continuity with the earthly body of an individual. (1 Corinthians 15, John 20)
“At the right hand” refers to reigning in power with the one on the throne.
Some examples of revealing truth: inspiring Scripture, prompting prophecy, teaching believers, and convicting the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Some examples of empowering: will lead Christians and defeat fleshly desires, as well as produce godly character, gives spiritual gifts to equip every Christian for ministry, and specially influences Christians by filling them.
The Constitution of Stone Creek Bible Church includes additional information on what we believe about the Church.
Resurrected, biblically, means to have a body. The body of a believer is resurrected as a perfect body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) and reunited with that person’s soul.
