This information is provided to give you a general idea of the doctrinal and theological perspectives of our church, and of our denomination. If you would like more information about the beliefs of our church and how we came to accept them, please feel free to call our pastoral staff on 301/868-1601.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God, supernaturally inspired and preserved by God to be the only authority and standard for doctrine and practice. One true God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is the creator and sustainer of the Universe.
The person Jesus Christ in the flesh is both God and man. He was virgin born, lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, conquered death and the grave through His bodily resurrection, ascended into heaven, and will come again for His own.
The person of the Holy Spirit is God who indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers at the moment of their salvation and enables them to live a consistent, godly, separated life.
Man was created in the image of God but subsequently fell into sin, resulting in spiritual death. Salvation is provided wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
The visible church is a congregation of baptized believers practicing biblical principles, believing its doctrine, observing the ordinances of baptism and communion, and exercising its autonomy.
The future life of mankind will be a conscious existence of eternal life for the saved in Christ and eternal punishment for those who are lost in their sin.
----------------------------------------------------------------------The members of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, in harmony with our historic position, believing the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible to be our infallible rule of faith and practice, and feeling our responsibility to make known the divine message of the Bible, present the following articles as a statement of those basic truths taught in the Bible which are common to our Christian faith and practice:
The BibleThe Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (II Tim 3:16; II Peter 1:21).
The One True God Existing eternally as three persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14).
The Lord Jesus ChristHis preexistence and deity (John 1:1-13), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14); Matt. 1:18-23;, sinless life (Heb. 4:15), substitutionary death (II Cor. 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb. 4:14:16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).
The Holy SpiritHis personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4); and His work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (I Cor. 12:13); Rom. 8:9); and filling (Eph. 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23).
ManHis direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24, Rom. 5:12), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).
SalvationA complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; I Peter 1:18-19).
The ChurchOne true Church, the body and the bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (I Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world-wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).
The Christian Life<A life of righteousness, good works and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom 12:1- 2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4) settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (I Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:7-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).
OrdinancesThe Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 28:19) and (2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saint's feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord's Supper (I Cor. 11:20-22, 33-34); Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup (I Cor. 11:23-26).
Satan<His existence and personality as the great adversary of God and his people (Rev. 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev).
Second ComingThe personal, visible and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church from the earth (I Thess. 4:16- 17), before the Tribulation (I Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).
uture LifeThe conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23); Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10-12; II Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).