What We Believe

THE WORD OF GOD


We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired in every word and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21) We believe the Bible, when believed and obeyed for the glory of God, is sufficient to provide all the wisdom that is necessary to live a godly life (I Peter 1:22; II Peter 1:2-4; John 17:17). We believe the Bible is infallible and absolutely accurate and reliable in all its statements. We believe the Scriptures should be interpreted in their literal, grammatical-historical context. The Bible is complete, God is not adding additional revelation to it.


THE TRINITY


We believe that there is one living and true God (Deuteronomy 6:4), self-existent and self-sustaining, eternally existing as one in essence or nature (John 10:30), yet in three persons, each equally deserving worship (John 5:23; 9:38; Acts 5:3-5); that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:16). We believe the triune God is unchanging in His attributes (James 1:17) and that His ways, judgments and moral character are infinitely perfect, above us and beyond our scrutiny (Isaiah 55:9-11; Romans 11:33-35). We believe God is perfectly righteous (Psalms 11:7), true (Romans 3:4), omnipotent (Revelation 19:6), omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-9), love (I John 4:7-8), holy (I Peter 1:15-16) and omniscient. We believe God’s knowledge of the past, present and future events is exhaustive and absolute (Isaiah 44:7; 46:10). We believe God’s essence or substance is spirit (John 4:24). We believe He is eternal and that He created all things that exist out of nothing, simply by the word of His power. We believe that the universe, including man, came to exist in a fully developed state as a result of this creative act of God in six literal days, not by any process of evolution (Isaiah 42:5; Genesis 1-2).


GOD THE FATHER


We believe God the Father, as the first person of the Trinity; as Creator is Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6), yet is the spiritual Father of only believers (Romans 8;14; Galatians 3:26). He is sovereign over creation, providence and salvation (Psalms 103:19; Romans 11:36). He, has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11) and providentially directs all creatures and events (I Chronicles 29:11). He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ and adopts them as His own, becoming their eternal Father (John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5).


JESUS CHRIST


We believe Jesus Christ is eternal, having no beginning (John 8:58); being fully God, equal to the Father (John 5:19, 22). We believe that at the incarnation Christ surrendered only the prerogatives of deity but nothing of the divine essence. He joined to His divine person all the essential elements of humanity so as to be fully human, while not diminishing or losing any of His divine attributes (Colossians 2:9; John 14:9). In relation to God the Father He is the only begotten Son (John 1:1-2; Micah 5:2; John 8:58; 13:3; 17:5; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:6-7).

We believe in His virgin birth; His human nature being miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25); His sinless life (I John 3:5; I Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15); His miracles and teachings (John 20:30-31). We believe in His substitutionary atoning death (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 2:24; II Corinthians 5:21); His bodily resurrection (Romans 1:4; 4:25); His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-10); His perpetual intercession for His people (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24); His return for His Church (I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Acts 1:11; John 14:1-3); and His personal visible return to the earth at which time He will set up His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6; Matthew 24:3 through 25:46).


THE HOLY SPIRIT


We believe the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the trinity, possessing all the attributes and nature of God including omniscience (I Corinthians 2:10-13), omnipresence (Psalms 139:7-10), and eternality (Hebrews 9:14). He is co-equal one with the Father and Son (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4). He was sent from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), and to regenerate (Titus 3:5), sanctify (II Thessalonians 2:13), seal (Ephesians 1:13-14), and empower (Acts 1:8) all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:19) and that He is the believer’s abiding helper, teacher and guide (John 16:13, 14). He sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts on Christians which are given for the purpose of building up the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:7,11).


MAN


We believe man was directly and immediately created by God so that man would glorify God, enjoy fellowship with Him and live His life in fulfilling God’s will (Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11; 21:3-4; 22:3-5). We believe Adam’s sin of disobedience resulted in Adam and all of his descendant’s physical and spiritual death and their becoming sinner’s by nature and by choice (Romans 5:11-12; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:10-18). Man is inherently sinful in his nature and estranged from God even from the womb (Psalms 51:7; Ephesians 2:3) and is subject to the just wrath of God (Romans 2:5-6). Because of this sinful condition, man is inherently corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:9-10, 13-18) and utterly incapable of choosing or doing, apart from God’s Grace, that which is acceptable to God (Romans 3:11-12; 8:7-8; Ephesians 2:1; I Corinthians 2:14). He therefore cannot save Himself from His sin and its consequences and is hopelessly lost (Ephesians 2:12; Romans 3:23). Man’s salvation therefore is completely of God’s grace through the redemption that is provided by Christ’s death on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9; Romans 3:24; 6:23).

Man, because of his sinful bias against God, does not desire and therefore would never choose God nor believe in His Son (Romans 3:10-13) unless God, in His sovereign mercy intervened (John 6:44). Man, due to his sinful heart, is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-3) and, therefore, apart from God’s grace, unwilling and unable to respond to the gospel (John 6:44; 65). Man does not desire nor welcome the truth of God’s Word and is, by nature, rebellious and antagonistic to God’s rule (Romans 8:6-8; I Corinthians 2:14; Romans 3:9-18), blind to God’s glory (II Corinthians 4:4), futile and darkened in his understanding (Ephesians 4:17-19; John 8:43-47) because of his refusal to honor and submit to God (Romans 1:20-32). He loves his sin and will not give it up nor relinquish control of his life to God (John 3:19-21). He is threatened by and hates the true Christ and His Word (John 8:37-47; 15:18-21). He is spiritually at war with God and is counted by God as an enemy (Romans 5:6-8; James 4:4).


SALVATION


We believe that salvation is accomplished wholly by God on the basis of the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ, whose death provided for us redemption. Jesus Christ’s death completely and once for all provided substitutionary payment for our sins (I Peter 2:24; 3:18; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:10-14). It is His death alone which satisfies forever the holy justice of God toward believing sinners (Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 2:14-17; 10:10-14). It is on the basis of grace alone through faith in Christ that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We believe God saves any sinner who calls upon Him in faith: believing Jesus alone is Lord and that He alone has paid the penalty for their sins by dying on the cross and rising again for them (Acts 2:21; I Corinthians 15:1-5). This faith inherently involves repentance (turning from sin) and submission to Christ alone as Lord (Acts 2:36-38).

We believe that God chose (elected) before the foundation of the world, and apart from any foreseen worthiness, or initiative on the sinner’s part, those whom He would save (Ephesians 1:4; II Timothy 1:9; Acts 13:48; John 6:37-40). We believe His sovereign election does not in any way contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ nor in any way diminish the urgency to evangelize all peoples (Ezekiel 18:23,32; 33:11; John 3:18-19,36; 5:40; Romans 10:11-17; Matthew 28:18-20). We believe that God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, though incomprehensible to us, are perfectly compatible in the infinite wisdom and goodness of God (Romans 9:18-20; 11:33-36).

We believe that justification before God is an act of God by which He declares a believing sinner to be perfectly and eternally righteous before Him based upon the righteousness of Christ credited to the sinner, not any work or virtue of man (Romans 3:27-28; 4:1-5; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9; Jude 24).

We believe that one who trusts in Christ for salvation can never lose their salvation. This is because of the righteousness of Christ credited to him, (Romans 4:4-9), the faithfulness of God to keep him (Philippians 1:6; II Timothy 1:12; 2:13; Jude 24), the power of God to preserve him (I Peter 1:4-5; John 10:27-30), the sovereignty of God in saving him (Romans 8:28-30; II Timothy 1:9), and the unconditional love of Christ for him (Romans 8:31-39; John 10:27-30; Jude 24-25).
We believe that all those who are saved will manifest it by a life of increasingly turning from sin to obedience to Christ (Matthew 7:15-23; I John 3:8-10). Salvation occurs at the moment sinner first repents and believes in Christ, it is evidenced by ongoing faith and repentance toward Christ. Those claiming salvation but living an unrepentant, disobedient life may have a false assurance of salvation and are warned to examine themselves (II Corinthians 13:8; Matthew 7:21-23).

EVANGELISM


We believe the gospel must be proclaimed to all people and all that hear must be called to repentance and faith in Christ as their only means of salvation (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12). We must plead, with the compassion and persuasiveness of Christ Himself, for all peoples to respond to the gospel and receive Christ alone as their Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36-41; II Corinthians 5:20-21).

We believe the church must proclaim the gospel message fully without deletions, additions, hesitancy or deceit (Galatians 1:9-11; I Corinthians 1:17-2:5; 15:1-5) as modeled by the Apostles (Acts 5:17-21; 2:22-41; 3:12-26; 13:26-41).

We believe God’s sovereignty does not diminish man’s responsibility to believe nor lessen man’s guilt and accountability for sin and rejection of Him (John 8:24). God not only reveals His sovereign grace as the source of salvation; He just as clearly reveals human responsibility in believing for salvation (John 3:16). God does not believe for us. We believe and repent; yet it is not man’s wisdom, efforts, arguments, cleverness or methods that awaken a sinner’s heart to faith and repentance but God’s wonderful sovereign grace (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:1-9; II Timothy 2:25-26).

God’s sovereignty does not diminish our responsibility to evangelize all nations. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is a mandate and not an option for Christians. We must passionately proclaim the gospel to all people and make disciples of Christ locally and globally, having the confidence that we will be used by our great Shepherd, Jesus, to bring to Himself all His sheep (John 10:9,16). The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16; I Corinthians 2:1-5; I Corinthians 1:23).
True faith and repentance are the result of the work of God in a person’s heart (II Timothy 2:25-26; Hebrews 12:1). All human efforts are futile without the regenerating work of God’s Spirit (John 6:63). Man’s methods cannot bring conversion. Man’s works cannot earn salvation (Philippians 3:8-9;

Titus 3:3-5).

The human means that God has chosen to use in evangelism is His people proclaiming the gospel (Romans10: 1; James 5:17) and godly living (I Peter 3:15-17; John 13:34). Therefore, we are committed to earnest prayer, Christ-like living, and gospel proclamation as our priorities in evangelism.


SANCTIFICATION


Sanctification consists of two distinct aspects:

First, the Christian is made perfect in his/her standing before God because the righteousness of God is credited to him/her the moment he/she believes (Philippians 3:7-9; Romans 3:24; 4:4-5). This is known as positional sanctification.

Sanctification is also the process of God conforming us to the image of His Son, becoming more holy [set apart from sin] (Hebrews 10:14; Philippians 3:12-14). This second aspect of sanctification is accomplished through the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God [the local church] (Ephesians 4:13; Romans 8:29; Colossians 2:10). Through obedience to the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness (Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:22-24). The motivation for living an obedient, holy life is not to earn salvation but out of thankfulness for God’s grace in granting salvation and out of reverence and awe of God’s worthiness. It is also for the joy of knowing, glorifying and being rewarded by God (II Corinthians 5; 10,14-15; I Corinthians 9:24-27; 10:31; Philippians 3:8-10; Revelation 5:9). We believe that all Christians are commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); that they should live for the glory of God (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; Romans 12:1-2).


THE CHURCH


The Church is the Body of Christ (Ephesians1:22-23). Its existence, life and purpose are found in Jesus Christ. It is comprised of all true born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-3:6), who are placed into the Church (the body of Christ) immediately when they first believe (I Corinthians 12:13). The Church began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed when Christ returns for His own at the rapture (Acts 2:1-21,38-47; I Thessalonians 4:13-18). The Church is distinct from Israel (I Corinthians 10:32). All who are part of the Church partake of Christ’s life and are under His authority as their Head (Colossians 1:18; 2:19; 3:4). They are all indwelt by Him and are the channel through which He manifests His life on the earth (Galatians 2:20). Like a branch cut off from a tree, the church has absolutely no power or life within Herself, but is filled with power and only fruitful to the extent that She is abiding in Christ who then manifests His life through Her (John 15:1-8).

We believe each local church is autonomous, free from external authority or control (Titus 1:5).

We believe the purpose of the church is to glorify God (I Corinthians 10:31) by reflecting the love of Christ (I Timothy 1:5; John 13:34-35), and by making disciples through evangelizing non-believers and teaching them to obey Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). A local church carries on evangelism primarily outside its walls as equipped, edified members proclaim Christ in word and deeds of love (Philippians 2:25-26; John 13:34-35). The ministries, which take place within the walls of the church buildings, are primarily for the purpose of corporate worship, equipping and edifying the saints so they can do the work of the ministry (Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:11-16).

We believe the universal church is manifested through local churches and that Christians are to commit themselves together in one of these local churches (Hebrews 10:25), which are to be governed by spiritually qualified men called Elders [also called bishops and pastors] (I Timothy 3:1-10; Acts 20:28). These Elders are responsible, through the ministry of the Word, to lead, feed, spiritually guide, protect and shepherd the flock of God to increasing spiritual maturity and obedience to the Lord (Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5; 1-3; Acts 20:28-31; I Timothy 3:4-5). The ministry of pastors and teachers is to equip the saints so they will fulfill their ministry in building up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12,16).

We believe God accomplishes His plan on the earth through the church as each member of the Body of Christ uses their spiritual gifts to serve the Body (Ephesians 3:10; 4:15-16). We believe all Christians have equal access and spiritual privileges as priests to come to God in prayer through Jesus Christ, and equal affection from God as His children (I Corinthians 12:4-7; I Peter 4:10-11; Hebrews 4:14-16; I Peter 2:8-9; John 1:11-13).


SPIRITUAL GIFTS


We believe there are two kinds of spiritual gifts given to the church: miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing given temporarily in the Apostolic era for the purpose of receiving and confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message (Hebrews 2:3-4; I Corinthians 14:21; II Corinthians 2:12); and ministering gifts, given to equip and edify one another in the Body (Ephesians 4:16). When the Apostolic era ended and the New Testament revelation was complete, scripture became the sole test of authenticating a man’s message and confirming gifts of a miraculous nature were no longer necessary to validate a man or his message (I Corinthians 13:8-12; II Peter 1:16-21). Though the gifts of healing and miracles are no longer residing in individuals today, God in His sovereignty does hear and answer the prayer of faith and will answer in accordance with His own will for the sick and afflicted (II Corinthians 12:6-10; James 5:13-16; John 5:14-15).


THE ORDINANCES


We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 22:14-20). We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God and is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, not a condition for salvation (Acts 2:38; 8:36-39). Baptism is a picture or union with Christ and a public identification with Christ as Lord and with His Body (Acts 2:38-42; 11:47-48; Romans 6:1-4). We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death (I Corinthians 11:23-33) and is only for believers and to be preceded by self-examination (I Corinthians 11:28-32). We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.


ANGELS AND SATAN


We believe angels are spirit beings created by God to serve Him and that they are not themselves to be worshipped or venerated in any way (Revelation 5:11-14; 22:9). Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. He incurred God’s judgment by rebelling against His creator and taking numerous angels with Him in His rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:9-10; Matthew 12:41). Satan is the enemy of God and has the world under his influence and deception (I John 5:19; Matthew 4:8-10; II Corinthians 4:4-5). He has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14-15) and will be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).


LAST THINGS


We believe the “blessed hope” of the church to be the rapture of the church (I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Titus 2:13). We believe there will be a seven-year tribulation period of divine judgments on the earth (Daniel 9:25-27; Revelation 6-16; II Thessalonians 2:7-12; Matthew 24:15-31) prior to Christ’s personal, bodily, physical return to earth (Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:29-31) to set up His kingdom (Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-20:6). We believe this kingdom on earth will include fulfilling God’s promises to Israel in regenerating a believing remnant (Jeremiah 31:31-37; Ezekiel 37:11-14), restoring their land and their nation (Ezekiel 36:16-28; 37:21-28). We believe there will be a bodily resurrection of all people: the saved unto eternal life (John 6:39; Romans 8:19-23; Revelation 20:1-5) and the unsaved to judgment and eternal consciences punishment in separation from God in hell (Daniel 12:2; John 5:39; Revelation 20:11-15; II Thessalonians 1:8-10; Matthew 25:41). At death the believer immediately passes into the presence of the Lord (Philippians 1:23). The body of the believer will be raised at the rapture when Christ returns for His church (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We believe the above statement that is taken from our home church website in the “About Us” Section. you can find it on this link below:

http://www.lathropchurch.com/what-we-believe.html