Our Statement of Faith

From its inception, the church has always found it helpful to summarize its core convictions in rather short and succinct statements such as hymns, creeds, and confessions to impart truth and clarify and to prevent confusion, to protect from false teaching, and to otherwise hold fast to the historic landmarks of our heritage. As Dr. Albert Mohler once said, “In a time of confusion, one of the greatest gifts that can be given to and by Christ’s church is clarity, and clarity requires at times that matters of truth should be put into words in order to bear the testimony of that clarity”. We believe that a clear statement of faith is a wonderful gift to the church of Jesus Christ.

The Christian confession is merely a response to God’s revelation. Thus, the confessions of a church and its individual members should correspond to the boundaries and contours of biblical truth that God has revealed to us. All Christians everywhere say they believe the Bible; but creeds, confessions, and statements help to clarify what it is that we believe about the Bible.

Our statement of faith seeks to establish historical continuity and unity with other Christians. We aim to show that we are not given to theological novelties but stand with two feet firmly planted in the historic Christian tradition. This statement of faith relies much on the documents such as 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

At Gracious Cross Reformed Church, we affirm the orthodoxy (right beliefs) of historic, Reformed Biblical Christianity and the “solas” of the faith:

Sola Gratia: By Grace Alone


Sola Fide: By Faith Alone


Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone


Solus Christus: In Christ Alone


Soli Deo Gloria: Glory to God Alone

We also affirm the orthopraxy (right practices) of Biblical church purpose, leadership, and function. We believe the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The following paragraphs are brief, but theologically precise, statements of what we believe and teach as a local church regarding the fundamentals of the Christian Faith.

The Scriptures

We accept 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. 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 that it teaches. A more in-depth statement of our belief can be found in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

God is Triune

There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth and love. In the unity of the one godhead, there are three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These are coexistent, coequal and coeternal, yet loving one another in distinct roles of headship and submission. Our understanding of this universally accepted, essential truth is more fully delineated in the Athanasian Creed.

God the Father

God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By His Word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. Through the same Word, He daily sustains all His creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is good and faithful to every promise, working all things together for good to those who love Him. In His unfathomable grace God gave His Son Jesus for the redemption of His elect. He decrees that all creation will exist for the praise of His glory. He is to be loved, honored and worshipped as God, the First Person of the Trinity.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, is the eternal Word of God made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, just as the Old Testament prophets foretold. He is perfect in nature, teaching and obedience. He is fully God and fully man. He was always with God and is Himself God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things, and in Him all things hold together by the word of His power. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation and in Him dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed His own blood and died a vicarious death on Calvary’s cross. By His death in our place, He revealed the divine love and upheld the divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, on the third day He rose bodily from the grave just as He foretold, victorious over death and all the powers of darkness, and He appeared to many witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of His resurrection. He ascended into heaven where, now at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all, and one day He will return for redemption and judgment. He is the Head of the church, His body and should be loved, adored, served, obeyed and worshiped as God, the Second Person of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Through the proclamation of the Gospel He brings about the new birth, indwells the regenerate, granting the desire and ability to believe the truth, repent of their sins, trust in God’s mercy and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. He unites all believers in faith to Jesus Christ whom alone He has come to reveal and glorify. He is the Comforter who is neither to be grieved nor quenched. He empowers God’s people to bear spiritual fruit as they walk in the obedience of faith. He is to be loved, obeyed and worshipped as God, the Third Person of the Trinity.

Man

God made man, male and female, as the crown of creation, in His own image, so that man might enjoy loving fellowship with Himself. Tempted by Satan, man distrusted God’s goodness and rebelled against God’s righteousness. Being estranged from his Maker, yet still responsible to Him, man became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will and affections. Unregenerate man lives in slavery to sin and Satan as an enemy of God. Fallen, sinful man, whatever his attainments in this world, is lost and without hope apart from salvation by faith in Christ.

The Gospel of Salvation

Jesus Christ is the gospel. The Gospel is the good news that the death of Jesus Christ was a once-for-all substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins, even as His perfect life provided the righteousness required to be accepted in the beloved. Christ satisfied the demands of God’s holy justice and appeased His holy wrath. He purchased God’s saving grace for all who believe. Jesus Christ is therefore the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name under Heaven by which anyone can be saved. Our ability to respond in faith to this Gospel is itself provided by the free and unconditional selection of God. The Gospel is therefore effective only in those who, by the grace of God, are born again and thereby willing and able to genuinely repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ alone to save them. This Gospel is to be sincerely preached to all people in all nations without bias or prejudice. True conversion is characterized by a new life of love that delights to walk in the obedience of faith and is zealous to do good works that are pleasing to God. Salvation is the free gift of God. In it the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the sinner by God’s judicial decree. Thus justified by faith alone, he is accepted by God and his debt for sin is forgiven. The believer is thus reconciled to God as Father and adopted as His child into His eternal family. He is liberated from the law of sin and death and empowered by the Spirit of God to walk in new life.

Sanctification

The Holy Spirit is the indwelling agent in our progressive sanctification. As He shines God’s love in our hearts He produces His fruit in our lives. Our minds are renewed and our actions are conformed to the image of Christ. Though our battle with indwelling sin continues throughout our lives as we are led by the Spirit, we are enabled to walk in the Spirit and so delight in God’s commandments that we truly endeavor to live in this world for the glory of God. All believers are warned by God to persevere in their faith, knowing that they will give an account to God for their every word and deed. The spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fasting, worship, giving, fellowship and confession of sin are provided by God as effective means of grace to assist us in our pursuit of holiness. Since God has determined that His elect be saved, He has provided all the means necessary for them to take hold of eternal life, steadfast to the end. God’s keeping of His elect and their responsibility to persevere are related as a vine gives life to it’s branches, and so our confidence in His supply necessarily manifests in lives that demonstrate God-ward repentance. The two impulses (the Sovereign’s will for the elect’s sanctification, and their responsibility to perform all of the requisite commands to inherit eternal life) are complementary and not contradictory.

The Church

God by His Word and Spirit builds His Church, calling sinful men out of every tongue, tribe and nation of the human race into the holy fellowship of Christ’s Body. By the same Word and Spirit, God guides and preserves His redeemed as a gathered community. It is not limited to any religious institutions or denominations. Rather, the Church Universal is made up of all who are born-again followers of Jesus. The Church exists in the world to GLORIFY God in ceaseless worship; to NURTURE believers to maturity and EQUIP mature believers for ministry; and REACH OUT to the lost with Gospel of Jesus Christ. New local churches are to be planted in the world as visible evidence of God’s salvation. The church is God’s chosen vehicle for accomplishing the Great Commission: to make Disciples of every nation (see Matthew 28:18-20). Although social transformation is an indirect benefit of changed lives, it is not the primary focus of the church. All members of the Body of Christ are to function as committed members of a local church. In this context they are able to walk in faith working through love, as they obey the Great Commandment to love God and love one another.

Church Leadership

The ascended Christ has given gift ministries to His Church (including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, among others) for the equipping of Christ’s body for works of service (see Ephesians 4:11-14). God has ordained that Elders lead as examples of sound doctrine in action. This is why the qualifications for church Elders are based on a man’s ability to manage his own household well (see 1 Peter 5:3; 1 Timothy 3:1-15). The Elders are called to teach and to pray. They serve as pastors who shepherd the flock and who must give account for the souls of the congregation (see 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Hebrews 13:17). Church Elders are not intended to do all the work of ministry on behalf of the people of God. Elders are to use their office to equip God’s people to do the work of ministry. Through ministry, hospitality, and leadership in church gatherings, each Elder is able to teach sound doctrine by example. Deacons are ministers of mercy. They are commissioned, under the oversight of the Elders, to respond to needs on behalf of the church. Their primary role is to identify needs in the body and address them. In keeping with the teaching of Scripture, both men and women can hold the office of deacon. (1Timothy 3:11; Romans 16:1) The Congregation also serves a key role in the function of the church. Through faithful attendance, giving, and participation in the works of ministry, a congregation can grow strong in the Lord and advance the kingdom of God on earth. God has designed a perfect system of self-sufficiency through cheerful and sacrificial offerings to support the shepherds in their efforts to equip the saints and spread the Gospel.

Church Ordinances

Baptism is an act of the obedience of faith in Jesus Christ. It is intended only for those who have been born again. In it, a professing believer should be publicly baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a visual demonstration of the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It signifies that one’s former way of life has been put to death, buried, and that one has now been raised to new life (Romans 6:3-5).
The Lord’s Supper is to be partaken of only by those who are believers in Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the New Covenant sealed by the shedding of His blood on behalf of His people. It is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As the believer partakes of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, he remembers and proclaims the death of Christ,, and signifies his unity with other members of Christ’s body.

Marriage, Sexuality, and the Sexes

We believe that marriage is a God-given institution, ordained by the Creator. The Word of God defines marriage as a lifelong covenant (commitment to one another) between only one man (male at birth) and only one woman (female at birth) (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:1-9, Mark 10:1-12). Though various cultures and customs have changing definitions of marriage, it is God alone who has ultimate authority to prescribe and describe the marital relationship. We strongly reject the concept of “homosexual marriage.” 12

We believe that sexual intimacy is only properly exercised and pursued within the confines of this marital relationship. Sexual immorality, defined as any sexual activity outside of the boundaries of the sacred marital relationship between one man and one woman, is clearly and expressly prohibited by the Lord (Matthew 15:19, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4).

We believe that God created only two sexes (see Section IV Man) and that it is sinful to intend or desire to surgically alter one’s biological birth sex to a different sex. Since the body is a creation of God, the church holds sexual identity to be biologically determined, and associated sexual norms are to be observed as fitting to biblical standards. Disagreement with one’s biological sex only leads to spiritual confusion and emotional chaos (Genesis 1:27, Romans 1:26-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

We believe that though sinful sexual expression is egregious (as is all sin), the gospel provides redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:3-7).

We believe that women play a vital role in the life of the Church but in keeping with God's created design, they are not permitted "to teach or to have authority over a man" (1 Tim. 2:11). From the very beginning, women fulfilled a vital role in the Christian church (Acts 1:12– 14; 9:36–42; 16:13–15; 17:1–4, 10–12; 18:1–2, 18, 24–28; Rom. 16; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 1:5; 4:19), but not one of leadership. The apostles were all men; the chief missionary activity was done by men; the writing of the New Testament was the work of men; and leadership in the churches was entrusted to men. Although the Apostle Paul respected women and worked side by side with them for the furtherance of the gospel (Rom. 16; Phil. 4:3), he appointed no female elders or pastors. In his letters, he urged that men were to be the leaders in the church and that women were not to teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). Therefore, although women are spiritual equals with men and the ministry of women is essential to the body of Christ, women are excluded from leadership over men in the church. Men and women stand as equals before God, both bearing the image of God Himself. Without making one inferior to the other, God calls upon both men and women to fulfill the roles and responsibilities specifically designed for them, a pattern that can be seen even in the Godhead (1 Cor. 11:3). In fulfilling the divinely given roles taught in the New Testament, both women and men are able to realize their full potential because they are following the plan of their own Creator and Designer.

The Roles or Jurisdictions of Church, Family, and Civil Magistrates

We believe that the key roles of the church are delineated in Section VI (The Church).

We believe that God has ordained families (i.e., parents and children) to be the normative social unit for executing particular functions. Some of these functions include Christian parents having the primary authority over and being commanded to raise their children in the nurture, discipline, and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:1-4), all parents having the duty and authority to provide for the physical needs of their children, and men learning to manage their households well (I Tim. 3:1-7); all the aforementioned are to be done with the instruction and support of the church. We believe that the church and the family were designed by God to be complementary, compatible, and harmonious.

We believe that God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates to be under Him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end has armed them with the power of the sword, for defense and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. (1 Rom. 13:1-4). Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience’ sake; and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty (Romans 13:5-7; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1,2).

A Glorious Future

The future of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of those alive in Christ into glorified bodies, 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 future, Satan with his hosts and all those outside of Christ will be finally separated from the benevolent presence of God to justly endure eternal punishment in hell, but the righteous, in glorified bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever in heaven. Married to Christ as His Bride, the Church will live in the holy presence of God, giving Him unending glory by praising and enjoying Him forever. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.