This Statement of Faith was written to express the beliefs we hold to be true at Glacier Hills Bible Church.  It is our firm conviction that the Bible is the Word of God and is of absolute authority for matters both of belief and practice.

It is our desire that this information will be useful as both a statement of Biblical truth as well as a reference to be returned to when the need arises to study these teachings of God’s Word.

# 1  The Bible

The entire Bible in it's original writings is inerrant, being verbally inspired of God is is of plenary authority.

Definitions:

Inerrant - there are no errors of any kind in the original writings.

Verbally Inspired - inspiration extends to the very words which the writers used in the original writings.

Plenary - inspiration is full.  i.e.  All scripture is inspired, or written under the authority of God.

Scripture:  2 Timothy 3:16-17    2 Peter 1:21

# 2 The Trinity

(Another title: The Godhead)

There is one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scripture:

A.)  Three Persons of the God Head:  Matt. 28:19 ;   2 Cor. 13:14

B.) One God: Deut. 6:4 ;  1 Tim. 2:5 ;  Isaiah 44:6 ; Gal. 3:20 ;  Ephesians 4:6

C.)  The Father is God:  Gal. 1:1 ;  2 Peter 1:17

D.)  The Son is God: See Item # 3B below.

E.)  The Holy Spirit is God:  Acts 5:3-4 ;  2 Peter 1:20-21

# 3  The Person of Jesus Christ

A.) Was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin Mary.  Luke 1:35 ; Matt. 1:18-25

B.)  Is eternal deity = is true God.  Phil. 2:6-9 ; Rom. 1:3-4 ; Jn. 1:1 ,18; 20:30-31; Heb. 1:8-12 ; 7:23-24; Rev. 1:8 ,17,18;  22:13-20.

C.) Lived a sinless life as the God-Man. II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:14-15 .

D.)  Gave Himself in vicarious, substitutionary death on the cross.  I Cor. 15:3;  II Cor. 5:21

E.)  Was resurrected bodily after 3 days in the grave.  I Cor. 15:4; Rom. 1:3-4

F.)  Will be the ultimate judge concerning the fate of all mankind.  Jn. 5:22 ; Acts 10:38-43 ; II Timothy 4:1

# 4  The Sinfulness Of Man

(Another title:  Total Depravity)

All men by nature are dead in trespasses and sins and  are therefore totally  unable to do anything  pleasing  to God.

Scripture:  Ephesians 2:1-9

Romans  3:9-23

# 5  God’s Gift Of Salvation

A.  God justifies ungodly sinners by His Grace.

B.  The basis for this salvation is totally dependent upon the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

1.  His shed blood paid the penalty for our sin.

2.  His shed blood washed away our sins.

C.  The means through which an individual receives God’s gift of Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Scripture:  Rom. 3:24-28 ; 5:1,9; 10:9-10;  Eph. 2:8-9 ;   Titus 3:5-7 ;  I Peter 1:18-19

# 6 Eternal Security

All those who have received God's gift of salvation are eternally secure in Christ.  i.e. Once saved always saved.

Scripture:  Col. 3:1-4 ;  Phil. 1:6 ;  Rom. 8:1 , 29-34, 38-39; John 10:27-29 ; Eph. 1:4 , 13-14; Heb. 7:25

#7  The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a Person who:

A.) convicts the world of sin   Jn. 16:8

B.) regenerates believers  Titus 3:5

C.) baptizes believers  I Cor. 12:13

D.) indwells believers I Cor. 6:19

E.) seals believers  Eph. 1:13 ; 4:30

F.)  enlightens believers  Eph. 1:17-18

G.)  empowers believers  Eph. 3:16

#8  The Body of Christ - The Church

In the present dispensation (time) there is in existence only one true Church.

A.)  It is called the Body of Christ.

B.) It's membership is made up of all the saved.

C.) Because of the unique nature of the Body of Christ and the specific calling of the Apostle Paul to reveal this new ministry of the Church, we believe the historical beginning of the Church came sometime after the conversion of the Apostle Paul and before the writing of his first epistle.

D.)  See Explanatory Note # 1.

Scripture: I Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22-23 ; Eph. 3:1-11 ; 4:4-6

# 9  Spiritual Gifts

A.)  Every believer has been gifted by the Holy Spirit of God for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ.  Rom. 12:3-8 ; Eph. 4:7-16 ; I Cor. 12:1-31.

B.) Individual believers have gifts which differ according to the grace given them from God.  Rom. 12:6 ;  I Cor. 12.

C.) Since the New Testament canon was completed through the ministries of Apostles and Prophets, we believe these two offices have been fulfilled and no longer exist.

D.)  We believe the sign gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, miracles, and healing have fulfilled their purpose and have passed away according to I Corinthians 13:8-11.

# 10 Believers Walk

By reason of Christ's victory over sin and of His indwelling Spirit, all of the saved may and should experience deliverance from the power of sin by obedience to Rom. 6:11 ; but we deny that man's nature of sin is ever eradicated during this life.

Scripture:  Rom. 6:6-14 ; 8:37; Gal. 5:16-25 ;  II Cor. 2:14; 10:2-5

# 11 The Lord's Supper

The Communion of the Lord's Supper as revealed through the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 11:23-26 is for members  of the Body of Christ to observe "until He comes."

# 12  Resurrection

Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead  (Luke 24:39-43 ).  Therefore ( I Cor. 15:21), all men will have a bodily resurrection (Acts 24:15 ); The saved to everlasting glory and the unsaved to everlasting punishment  (John 5:29 :  Rev. 20:11-15 ).

# 13  Baptism

A.) During God's present program of dispensing His Grace, all believers have been made members of the Body of Christ  by one divine baptism ( I Cor. 12:13). By that one baptism every member of the Body of Christ is identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection  (Rom. 6:3-4 ; Col. 2:12 ).

B.)  See Explanatory Note #2.

# 14  Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ shall return at the end of the Church age to catch up (rapture) the Church to Himself ( I Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21 ; I Cor. 15:51-53;  Titus 2:13-14 ). This event is distinct from the return of Christ to judge the earth, when He comes to judge the nations and set up His earthly Kingdom (Zech. 14:4 ,9; Matt. 25:31-46 ; Rev. 19:11-16 ; Luke 21:25-28 ; Rev. 10:1-6 ).  The first is the hope of the church, the second is the hope of Israel.

# 15  Life after Death

Nowhere does Scripture extend the hope of salvation to the unsaved dead but instead reveals that they will ever continue to exist in a state of conscious suffering (Luke 16:23-28 ; Rev. 14:11 ; 20:14,15; Col. 3:6 ; Rom. 1:21-32 ; John 3:36 : Phil. 3:19 ; II Thess. 1:9).

The teachings of Universalism, of probation after death; of annihilation of the unsaved dead, and of the unconscious state of the dead, saved or unsaved (Luke 16:23-28 : Phil. 1:23 ; II Cor. 5:6-8), are opposed by us as being thoroughly unscriptural and dangerous doctrines.

# 16 Mission

A.) The mission and commission of the Church, which is His Body is to proclaim the message of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:14-21) and to endeavor to make plain to everyone the administration (dispensation) of the Mystery  (Eph. 3:8-9 ).

B.)  In this we should follow the Apostle Paul ( I Cor. 4:16: 11:1; Phil. 3:17 ; I Tim. 1:11-16).

C.)  That distinctive message which the Apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13-15:16 ) calls "my gospel" (Rom. 2:16 ; 16:25) is also called the "gospel of the Grace of God"  (Acts 20:24 ).

D.)  We, like Paul, must preach the entire Word of God in the light of this Gospel  (II Tim. 4:2; Gal. 1:8-9 ) and strive to reach those in the regions beyond where Christ is not yet named  (Rom. 15:20 ; II Cor. 10:16).

Explainatory Notes

Sincere believers hold a variety of opinions on some of the details of certain doctrinal issues.  In these explanatory notes we seek to give the nature of the church's conclusion regarding  certain doctrines.  These conclusions will have a bearing upon what is taught and emphasized at Glacier Hills Bible Church.

1.) The Ministry of the Apostle Paul.

A.)  The Apostle Paul, through a series of revelations, received truths from God which had never been revealed to mankind previously. Paul calls the resulting message  "The Gospel of the Grace of God"  (Romans 16:25-26 ; Acts 20:24 ; Eph. 3:1-7 ).

B.)  Paul was commissioned by God to dispense His Grace in a new way to the world.  No longer was God working through the nation of Israel to dispense His Grace, but now through the Body of Christ each individual whether Jew or Gentile was to be given equal opportunity to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ   (Eph. 2:11-3:10 ; Gal. 3:23-29 ).

C.)  Paul was God's Apostle sent to preach the Gospel of Christ directly to the Gentile world   ( Rom. 11:13 ; 15:15,16;  Acts 13:44-47 ; Eph. 3:8 ).

2.  Water Baptism.

The question of Water Baptism has been an area of difference between believers over many centuries. We believe that salvation is by faith in Christ alone.  We believe that all those who have placed their faith in Christ are saved.

In light of the following understandings it is our view  that water baptism is not an essential sacrament  nor do we find clear instruction in the scripture regarding its place in the spiritual program of the Church today.

A.)  There is one divine baptism from God which has:

1.  made all believers members of Christ's Body  (I Cor. 12:13).

2. identified all believers with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection  (Col. 2:12 ; Rom. 6:3 ,9).

3.)  The Rapture.

We believe that the New Testament epistles indicate that Christ will return for the Church, the Body of Christ, prior to the prophesied Tribulation Period  (Jer. 30:7 ;  Matt. 24:15-31 ).  The very non-prophecied nature of the Body of Christ would seen to necessitate the Church's completion prior to God's beginning His prophetic Tribulation Period.

The resurrection of the other saved dead will occur after the Tribulation  (Rev. 20:4-6 ).