Historical Confessions and Affirmations
Immanuel Bible Church holds the Word of God to be the highest authority for all of faith and practice. God’s Word instructs us to:
- “Follow the pattern of sound words” (1 Tim. 1:13) to which Scripture binds our faith.
- “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 1:14).
- “Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
- Beware of anyone who “teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness” (1 Tim. 6:3).
These biblical instructions inform the high value which we place on confessing the Christian faith which has been embraced by the Church throughout history. We affirm the following creedal and confessional statements as faithful expressions of biblical Christianity.
The Apostles' Creed*
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
* This is a contemporary translation of the creed.
* “catholic” means “according to the whole,” signifying the universal church of all Christians who have been united to Christ by faith. This is not a reference to the Roman Catholic church, which would not be formally constituted until centuries after this creed was written.
The Nicene Creed*
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
* This is a contemporary translation of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of AD 381.
* Despite the controversy surrounding this addition, we affirm the filioque (Latin for “and the Son”) clause as a biblical expression of the Spirit’s eternal procession.
The Chalcedonian Definition*
We, then, following the holy fathers,
all with one consent teach men to confess one and the same Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood;
truly God and truly man,
of a rational soul and body;
coessential with the Father according to the Godhead,
and consubstantial with us according to the manhood;
in all things like unto us, without sin;
begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead,
and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation,
born of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God,* according to the manhood;
one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten,
to be acknowledged in two natures,
without confusion, without change, without division, without separation;
the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union,
but rather the property of each nature being preserved,
and concurring in one person and one subsistence,
not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ;
as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning Him,
and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us,
and the creed of the holy fathers has handed down to us.
* This is a contemporary translation of the Christological definition produced at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.
* We affirm the phrase “mother of God” (theotokos) according to the same theological principle by which the Scriptures speak of the blood of God (Acts 20:28): the communicatio idiomatum (communication of properties). This theological principle identifies that what is proper to only one of Christ’s natures may be attributed to His person, denominated by the other nature (See Jn. 8:58; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 2:8). The phrase “mother of God” was intended to communicate far more about the deity of Christ than about the nature of the virgin.
The Cambridge Declaration*
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Only)
We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.
We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.
We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.
We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice.
We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be Glory)
We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.
We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
* These theses are taken from the Cambridge Declaration, the product of a meeting in Cambridge, MA, on April 17-20, 1996. The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, which called the meeting, asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church’s worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism.
ARTICLES OF FAITH
The basic doctrine which the members of Immanuel Bible Church confess is found below. A more detailed treatment of these areas of doctrine with Scripture references can be found in our Doctrinal Statement.
Scripture
We believe that the completed canon of the 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the highest authority in the Christian life and is infallible, inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative for all of life in God’s creation (John 12:48, 17:17; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Rev 22:18-19).
God
We believe in the Holy Trinity: there is one God, an infinite and unchanging Being, which eternally subsists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The persons are equal in glory, power, and authority as the one God. (Deut. 6:4; Is. 45:5-7; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity: the eternal Father of the eternal Son (Mt. 28:19; Jn. 1:1; 1:14, 1:18).
We believe that God the Son is the second person of the Trinity: the eternal Son of the eternal Father (Mt. 28:19; Jn. 1:1,14, 18).
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity: the eternal Spirit of the Father and the Son (Mt. 28:19; Heb. 9:14; Mt. 10:20; Gal. 4:6).
We believe this Triune God is the Lord of Heaven and earth and does all that He does for His glory. (Mt. 11:25; Acts 10:36; 2 Cor. 3:17; Is. 48:9-11)
Providence
We believe that the triune God governs and sustains all things with comprehensive control. (Ps. 75:3, Ps. 115:3, Col. 1:17, Heb. 1:3; Ps. 135:6, Prov. 16:33, Eph. 1:11)
Man We believe Adam and Eve, the first humans, were directly created in the image and likeness of God, without sin, as male and female to glorify Him and enjoy communion with Him forever, by dependently living in joyful obedience to Him. (Gen. 1:28, 2:7,15- 25; Is 43:7; Col 1:16; Rev 4:11)
Sin
We believe sin is the breaking of or failure to keep God’s revealed law. (Rom. 2:12-16, 3:9-23)
We believe that in Adam all men sinned. Therefore, all men are born in a state of guilt with a corrupted nature from which they commit their own actual sins (in thought, inclination, desire, and deed) and are under God’s just condemnation. All human beings are neither willing nor able to achieve reconciliation with God, apart from God’s sovereign grace. (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:20-22; Rom. 3:23)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the work of the Triune God. The Father freely chose to redeem a particular people through His Son’s death to accomplish their redemption and by the Holy Spirit’s work to apply redemption to them. (Eph. 1:3-14)
We believe that all the benefits of salvation come in union with Jesus Christ. (Rom. 6:3-7).
We believe that God the Son assumed a complete human nature (body and soul) without any change to His deity or the exercise of His divine prerogatives. Jesus Christ is the one Mediator between God and man as the One who is simultaneously God and man. (Jn. 1:1, 1:14; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:9; Lk. 2:52: 1 Tim. 2:5)
We believe that Jesus Christ is our great substitute: in living a life of perfect righteousness; in dying a sacrificial death; and in rising again from death to life. (Mt. 3:15, 5:20; Rom. 5:19; James 2:10; 1 Pt. 3:18 Rom. 4:25).
We believe that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven to be exalted as everlasting Mediator. (Lk. 24:51; Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 7:25)
We believe that through saving faith God imputes the believing sinner with the righteousness of Christ and grants forgiveness of sin, bringing freedom from the bondage of sin and the promise of glorification. (Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:1-10; Mark 10:45; Genesis 15:6; Acts 3:19; Colossians 1:14; Romans 3:21-4:5, 5:8, 6:1-11, 8:29-30)
We believe that the saving graces of repentance and faith are the unmerited gifts of God; and that while both are necessary for salvation, faith alone is the instrument which receives and rests on Christ alone as He is offered in the gospel. (2 Tim. 2:24-25; Eph. 2:8-9; Jn. 3:16; Lk. 13:5; Rom. 3:21-22,28)
We believe sanctification is the process of becoming like Christ. This sanctification begins at conversion and is completed in glorification. The
believer’s pursuit of holiness is by faith and is dependent on grace, grounded in the merits of Christ’s righteousness, enabled by the indwelling Spirit who glorifies Christ to us, compelling us to put off sin and put on the righteousness that is necessary for spiritual growth. (2 Cor. 3:17-18; Titus 2:11-14; I Jn. 3:1-3)
We believe that glorification is the final step in the application of redemption, wherein Christ returns and raises the bodies of dead believers unto a new perfected condition of righteousness without sin, fitting these believers to dwell in the presence and glory of God forever. (1 Cor. 15:50-56)
Security in Salvation
We believe that God will keep forever those whom He saves. We believe the eternal security of the believer is an objective reality based on the work and promise of God who grants eternal life. (Jn. 5:24, 6:35-40, 10:27-29; Rom 8:1,16; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
Assurance of Salvation
We believe that every Christian can have personal, subjective confidence that he/she has come to possess eternal life. The Holy Spirit supernaturally bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. He does this with the objective testimony of Scripture and the increasing fruit of righteousness observed in one’s own life (1 Jn. 5:9-13; Rom. 8:9-17)
Resurrection
We believe God will finally culminate His work of salvation on the last day as the physical body of each believer (dead and alive) will be raised and transformed into an incorruptible body fit for heaven, and all believers will live forever in the presence and glory of God Almighty. (Rom 8:17; 1 Cor 15:50-52; Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2-3).
Church—Universal & Local
We believe the Church consists of all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, being immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body of which Christ is the head. We believe the Church is God’s primary means of managing His affairs with mankind in this present age. (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 12:4-5)
We believe this universal Church is established and propagated through the agency of local churches, and all the members of this one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in various local assemblies that conform to Scripture. (Acts 14:21- 27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Phil 1:1; Colossians 1:18; Heb 10:23-25).
Church – Leadership
We believe that Christ is the Head of the church and Christ, by the Holy Spirit leads the church objectively through the Scriptures, humanly through qualified elders and deacons, and supernaturally by the personal indwelling and granting of unique spiritual gifts to each believer (Col. 1:18; John 16:12-15; 1 Tim 3:1-15; 1 Cor 12:4-7)
Ordinances
We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper were given to the church by the Lord Jesus in order to identify believers with the person and work of Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 14:22-25; Rom. 6:1-4)
We believe baptism is only to be administered by immersion to any who have trusted in Christ for salvation. (Acts 2:41, 16:30-33)
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the symbolic proclamation of the Lord’s saving work to be remembered regularly. (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
Church – Purpose
We believe the primary purpose of the church is to glorify God by gathering corporately to worship God, by singing His praise, by building itself up in the faith, by making disciples through the proclamation of the gospel and the Word, by fellowship with one another, and by keeping the ordinances (Eph 3:21, 4:13-16; Matt 28:19; 2 Tim 3:16-4:2; Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3; Acts 2:38-42; 1 Cor 11:23-26).
Return of Christ
We believe that the personal, bodily return of the Lord Jesus to earth is imminent. Jesus will return at the last day to receive his people, judge his enemies, and establish his kingdom. (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev 6-9, 16, 19, 20:1-6)
Final Judgment
We believe that Jesus Christ will resurrect and judge the unsaved dead, and they will be sent to eternal, conscious punishment in the lake of fire (Mat 25:41; Rom 14:10-12; Rev 20:11-15).
Eternal State
We believe that ultimately, God will destroy the present heavens and earth and will make a new heaven and a new earth in which all the people of God will dwell joyfully in His glorious presence for eternity (2 Pet 3:10; Rev 21-22).