Tallmadge Bible Church Statement of Faith:
The Scriptures:
the Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God, also called the Scriptures. The Bible is the only essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God, the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.
The Godhead:
We believe there is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Additionally, we believe all three are equally deserving of obedience and worship (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19).
God the Father:
We believe that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is the Creator of all things. As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, he is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. His fatherhood involved both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men, but He is spiritual Father only to believers. He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. (Psalm 145:8-9, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Genesis 1:1-31, Ephesians 3:9, Psalm 103:19, Romans 11:36, Ephesians 4:6, Romans 8:14, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Ephesians 1:11, 1 Chronicles 29:11).
Jesus the Christ:
We believe Jesus Christ, the Son, is truly God and truly man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive (John 10:15, Romans 3:23-24, Hebrews 8:1, 1 Peter 2:24). Furthermore, we believe that on the basis of this death, the believing sinner is freed from the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God (Romans 3:25, 5:8-9, 2 Cor. 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). Additionally, we believe that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest (Matt. 28:6, Luke 24:38-39, Acts 2:30-31, Romans 4:25, 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, 1 John 2:1).
The Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect, emotions, will, eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness. In all the divine attributes He is equal in substance and glory with the Father and the Son. Furthermore, we believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of salvation (1 Cor. 2:10-13, Ephesians 4:30, 1 Cor. 12:11, Hebrews 9:14, Psalm 139:7-10, Isaiah 40:13-14, Romans 15:13, John 16:13, Matthew 28:19, Acts 5:3-4, 28:25-26, 1 Cor. 12:4-6, 2 Cor. 13:14, Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 10:15-17, Genesis 1:2, Matthew 1:18, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 3:5-7).
The Purpose of Life:
We believe that every Christian’s chief end in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; and that God teaches us how to glorify and enjoy him in His holy Word, that is, the Bible, which He has given by the infallible inspiration of His Holy Spirit in order that we may certainly know what we are to believe concerning Him and what duty He requires of us (1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Tim. 3:16).
Man:
We believe man was originally created in the image and likeness of God: he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby eternal death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be justified only through faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment, and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss (Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians15:20– 23, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:1–4).
Salvation:
We believe that God has redeemed His people unto Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though he was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet was born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law: We believe that He bore the penalty due to our sins in His own body on the Cross, and fulfilled in His own person the obedience we owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents us to His Father as His purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of His grace forever: wherefore renouncing all merit of our own, we put all our trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ our redeemer. The salvation of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all men; but only those who are born again of the Holy Spirit, repent and believe in Him, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God (John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1,Titus 3:4–7).
Sanctification:
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce his fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping his commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith, knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word, and deed. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship, and confession, are a vital means of grace in this regard. Nevertheless, the believer’s ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve his people until the end, which is most certain (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8; Romans 6:1-14).
Discipleship
We believe that every Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This involves the process of learning all that Jesus taught His first disciples and implementing this teaching into one’s daily life. It involves the daily struggle of bearing one’s cross and following in the pattern of Jesus’ life. It requires the continual pursuit of holiness, manifested in the growth of the fruit of the Spirit and a decrease in the works of the flesh. It will be manifested by obedience, faithfulness, perseverance, love, humility, and an eagerness to make more disciples by a persistent testimony to the Gospel. (Matthew 16:24, 28:18-20, John 8:31, 13:35, 14:15, 15:8, Galatians 5:16-26, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 2 Peter 1:5-11).
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The universal church is manifest in visible local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer. Oversight of every local church has been committed to specially qualified men known variously as elders, overseers, or pastors. In these local contexts, members known as deacons and deaconesses also serve in special ways. In connection with the Kingdom of God that occupied the main theme of Jesus’ proclamation while on earth, we believe that the church is the visible expression of that Kingdom (Ephesians 1:22–23, Matthew 28:19–20, Acts 2:41–47, Matthew 16:16-18, Ephesians 1:22- 23, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 12:12, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-3).
Consummation:
The Consummation of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the Consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment, but the righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with him forever. Married to Christ as his Bride, the Church will be in the presence of God forever, serving him and giving him unending praise and glory. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new (1 Corinthians 15:20–23, John 5:28–29, Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11–14). We consider these truths to be the basics of the gospel and though we believe and have firm convictions in many other areas, we require assent to these truths for accountability and membership