The
Board of Elders and the Pastors of the Berean Bible Church
of Spokane have shared in the compilation of this
Doctrinal Statement. We believe that the following
Articles set forth the most fundamental truths of the
Christian life. Therefore, we are convicted that every
believer, with the illuminating help of the Holy Spirit,
should understand these truths. Acts 17:11 says: "Now
the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true." (NIV) We encourage you to
have your Bible open as you read this Statement so you may
reflect on each passage listed. We hope that you will
prayerfully consider each Article and the implications it
has for your life.
Section I The Essentials
The following fifteen Articles set forth foundational
Scriptural teachings essential to every believer's life.
They state truths which we accept as unquestionable
because of the extent to which they are clearly
communicated by the Scripture.
Article 1. The Bible
The entire Bible in its original writings is
"inerrant" (there are no errors of any kind in
the original writings), "verbally" inspired by
God (inspiration extends to the very words which the
writers used in the original writings), and of
"plenary" authority (full authority, i.e. all
Scripture is inspired and written under the authority of
God). [II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21]
Article 2. The Trinity
There is one God, eternally existing in three Persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. [Matthew 2&19; II
Corinthians 13:14] There is one God. [Isaiah 44:6;
Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4~6; I Timothy 2.'D7 The Father
is God. [Galatians 1:1; II Peter 1:17] The Son is God.
(See Article 4.) The Holy Spirit is God. [Acts 5:3-4; I
Corinthians 3:16; 6:1 & II Corinthians 6:16; II Peter
1:20-21 together with II Timothy 3:16-17]
Article 3. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a Person Who: convicts the world of
sin; regenerates believers; baptizes believers; seals
believers; indwells believers; enlightens believers; and
empowers believers. [John 16.7-14; I Corinthians 2:6-16;
3:16; 12:13; Ephesians 1:13, 17-18; 3:16; 4:30; Titus
3:5;Romans 8:1-17]
Article 4. Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary. [Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18-25] He is
eternal Deity; He is God. [Philippians 2:6-9; Romans
1:3-4; John 1:1-18; 20:30- 31; Hebrew3 1:8-12; 7:23-24;
Revelation 1:3, 17-18; 22:13-20] He lived a sinless life
as the God-Man. [II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-15] He
gave Himself in vicarious, substitutionary death on the
cross. [I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21] He was
resurrected bodily from the grave on the third day. [I
Corinthians 15:4; Romans 1:3-4] He is coming again for the
Church, the Body of Christ. [I Thessalonians 4:13-18] He
will make a final return to earth to rule for a thousand
years. [Revelation 20] He will be the ultimate Judge
concerning the fate of all mankind. [John 5:22; Acts
10:38-43; II Timothy 4:1]
Article 5. The Sinfulness of Man
All men by nature are dead in trespasses and sin and are
therefore unable of themselves to do anything pleasing to
God. [Romans 3:9-23; Ephesians 2:1-9]
Article 6. God's Gift of Salvation
God justifies ungodly sinners by His grace. God's grace is
His unmerited favor toward man, or "God's redemptive
mercy, and the pleasure or joy He designs for the
recipient." (Vine, W.E. An Expository Dictionary of
New Testament Words, Longon: Oliphants; Old Tappan, NJ:
Fleming H. Revell Co., 1966) Salvation is totally
dependent upon the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of
Calvary: His shed blood paid the penalty for our sin and
washes away our sin. The means by which an individual
receives God's gift of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ
as Savior. [Romans 3:24-28; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9;
Titus 3:5-7; I Peter 1:18-19]
Article 7. Eternal Security
All those who have received God's gift of salvation are
eternally secure in Christ (i.e. once saved, always
saved). [Romans 8:1, 29-39; Ephesians 1:4, 13-14;
Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 7:25]
Article
8. Life After Death
For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present
with The Lord. [II Corinthians 5:6-3] For unbelievers
there is no hope of salvation after death; they will exist
in a conscious state of suffering after death. [Luke
16:23-23; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:12-15;
John 3:36]
Article 9. The Body of Christ
By revelation, God made known to the Apostle Paul insight
into the "mystery of Christ" which in other
generations was not made known to man as it was revealed
to the holy apostles and prophets of Paul's time.
[Ephesians 3:1-10; Romans 16:25-26] At the heart of this
insight are the following truths:
• There is now one true church in existence which is
called "the Body of Christ'';
• Membership in the Body of Christ is made up of all
those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as
Savior;
• It is the Spirit of God Who joins all believers
together into one Body;
• Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members
of the Body, and fellow partakers of the promises in
Christ Jesus through the gospel. [Ephesians 4:4-6;
2:11-3:6; 1:22-23; Galatians 3:23-29; I Corinthians
12:12-13]
Jesus Christ chose the Apostle Paul to be His instrument
to bear His name and a new message of reconciliation to
the world. No longer was God working through the nation of
Israel to dispense His grace, but in the Body of Christ,
each individual, whether Jew or Gentile, was given
opportunity to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
[Acts 9:15; 13:44-43; Romans 11:13; 15:15-16; Galatians
2:7-10; 3:23-29; Ephesians 2:11-3:12]
Article 10. Spiritual Gifts
Every believer has been gifted by God for the purpose of
building up the Body of Christ. [Romans 12:3-6; I
Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:7-16] Individual believers
have gifts which differ according to the grace given to
them from God. [Romans 12.6; I Corinthians 12]
Article 11. Sanctification
Sanctification is separation unto God; or, separation from
evil; or, the resultant state, that is, the conduct
befitting those who are thus set apart. Positional
Sanctification: Every believer is set apart unto God by
the once- for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ's body and the
resulting work of the Holy Spirit. [Hebrews 10:10; I
Corinthians 1:2, 30; II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2-3]
God sees every believer as complete in Christ. [Colossians
2:10] God sees every believer as positionally seated with
Christ in heavenly places. [Ephesians 1:19-2:7; Colossians
2:12]
Experiential sanctification (Godly living):
Everyday
conduct which is befitting a person who is set apart unto
God. [Romans 6:19; II Corinthians 7:1; I Thessalonians
4:3-3; Hebrews 12:14]
Salvation does not remove the believer's natural tendency
to sin during this life. [Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 7]
One who is set apart unto God is no longer under the
control of sin; the believer has the ability to be freed
from sin's control in his everyday life as a result of his
identification with Jesus Christ. [Romans 6:5-7: Galatians
2:20]
Everyday conduct which is befitting one who is set apart
unto God results as the believer considers himself dead to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus, and therefore does
not permit sin to control his body, but presents himself
to God as one alive from the dead, and his body an
instrument of righteousness to God. [Romans 6:11-13;
12:1-41 Corinthians 6:12-20; Ephesians 4:17-6:20;
Colossians 3:1-46]
The following are essential to the believer's success in
Godly living:
a) the study and application of the Bible to everyday life
[II Timothy 3:16; John 14:21; Colossians 3:16; Joshua 1:8;
Psalm 1; 119:9-16; Ephesians 6:10-13]
b) prayer [John 16:24; Philippians 4:4-6; I Thessalonians
5:17: James 1:5; Ephesians 6:10-18]
c) fellowship with other believers [Hebrews 10:23-25] d)
stewardship of the gifts and resources of life to share
with others. [Romans 12:3-3; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians
2:3-10]
Through
experiential sanctification (Godly living) the believer
will be transformed by God, and reveal to the world that
the will of God includes everything that is good, and
acceptable, and perfect. God will be glorified. [Romans
12:2; II Corinthians 2:14-17: I Peter 4.'7-11; II Peter
1:5.3] Ultimate sanctification: the final perfected state
of the believer which will be attained only when we see
Jesus Christ face to face. [Philippians 1:6; I Peter 5:10;
I John 3:2]
Article 12. The Unity of Believers
Through God's present method of dispensing His grace, all
believers are united by the following factors: [Ephesians
4.1-6]
a) We are all part of the same body, the Body of Christ;
[Romans 12:3-5; I Corinthians 12:12-27]
b) We all have the same Spirit of God Who dwells in us; [I
Corinthians 12.13; Romans 3:9-11]
c) We all have the same eternal hope, which is based upon
one and the same:
• Lord, Jesus Christ; [Romans 10:9-10]
• Faith, in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; [Romans
10:9-10]
• Baptism, into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit;
[I Corinthians 12:13]
• God and Father, Jehovah [John 17:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:4]
Acknowledging this unity, we are to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling with which we have been called, with
all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing
forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in a bond of peace.
[Ephesians 4:1-6]
Article
13. The Believer's Mission
The believer's highest purpose is to glorify God, which
means "to magnify, extol, praise, or ascribe honor to
Him, to acknowledge Him as to His being, attributes, and
acts." (Vine, W.E. An Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words, London: Oliphants; Old Tappan, NJ:
Fleming H. Revell Co., 1966). [Romans 15:5-6; Ephesians
3:21; I Peter 4:11] One of the primary means by which we
glorify God is by living a Godly life. [John 15:3;Romans
12:1-2; Titus 2:10] It is the believer's mission to
proclaim to the world the message of reconciliation, that
"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, not counting their trespasses against them",
and that "He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin on
our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him". "Reconciliation" means to be
brought back to friendship with God. [II Corinthians
5:17-21] It is 'also the believer's mission to promote the
spiritual growth of fellow believers. [Ephesians 4:11-i 6;
3:14-19]
Article 14. The Communion of the Lord's Supper
The communion of the Lord's supper is for any member of
the Body of Christ to observe in remembrance of Jesus
Christ "until He comes." [I Corinthians
11:23-33]
Article 15. Baptism
During God's present method of dispensing His grace, the
essential baptism is the divine baptism of all believers
by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, calling us to
practice unity. By this one baptism, every member of the
Body of Christ is identified with Christ in His death,
burial, and resurrection. [I Corinthians 12:13; Romans
6:3-4; Colossians 2.~12]
Section II, Doctrinal Distinctives
The following four Articles are the result of careful
investigation of the Scriptures, and reflect the position
of Berean Bible Church of Spokane. They represent our best
explanations of these issues and the Scriptures related to
them. We allow that sincere Bible students may have
differing views about these four Articles, but we do not
allow that those differing views should affect our
fellowship and unity with each
other.
Article 16. 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. The very
non-prophesied nature of the Body of Christ seems to
necessitate the Church's completion prior to God's
resumption of His ministry to the nation of Israel when He
begins the prophesied Tribulation period.
Article 17. The Historical Beginning of the Church
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 occurred some time after the conversion of
the Apostle Paul and before the writing of his first
epistle.
Article 18. Sign Gifts
Some of the gifts listed in the New Testament were
"sign gifts" given to be a special witness to
Jews and Gentiles of the authenticity of the Apostles and
their message when God's prophetic plan for Israel entered
its last days. We believe the "sign gifts" are
no longer the expected norm for believers today.
Article 19. Water Baptism
Over twelve different types of baptism can be found in the
Old and New Testaments. The issue of water (ritual)
baptism has caused great confusion and division among
believers for many centuries. There are many disagreements
about the purpose and practice of water baptism in the
Church today. Paul, the Apostle sent by God to minister to
the Gentile world, was not sent to baptize with water, but
to preach the gospel. Nowhere in the epistles of the
Apostle Paul do we find any clear instruction for emphasis
upon water baptism as essential for the Church the Body of
Christ. In light of this, we do not believe that water
baptism is a sacrament or an essential practice for the
church today. [I Corinthians 1:17]
