Copyright © 2018 Grace Covenant Church. All rights reserved.
Statement of Faith of Grace Covenant Church
Anyone who seeks to become a member of Grace Covenant Church must affirm all of the essentials of the Christian faith outlined in the statement below:
1. WE BELIEVE IN THE INSPIRATION & AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES.
☐ 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Matt. 4:4; Gal. 1:8-9; John 5:39.
☐ We believe that the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament together comprise the Bible - the plenary verbally inspired Word of God, which is totally infallible, totally inerrant, totally sufficient, and the sole authority for faith and practice. The Grand Subject of the Scriptures is Jesus Christ.
2. WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLICAL TRINITY.
☐ John 1:1, 15:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 48:16; Matt. 3:15-16.
☐ We believe in the one true and living God who exists in the perfect unity of three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each Person is coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial without dividing the Divine Essence or confusing the Divine Persons. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and infinite in all His manifold perfections.
3. WE BELIEVE IN THE CREATION & FALL OF MANKIND.
☐ Ecclesiastes 7:29; Gen. 1:1; 3:1-5; Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:12-19; Eph. 2:3.
☐ We believe that God created Man, both men and women, in His own image in a state of uprightness. However, by willfully disobeying God’s command, Man forfeited his original righteousness. As a result, all men and women are born in a state of sin, are spiritually separated from God, and possess a sinful nature.
4. WE BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE GOD-MAN.
☐ John 1:1-14; 3:16; Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Heb. 1:8; Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4; Matt. 1:16, 21; Isa. 53:3-5.
☐ We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who subsequently took to Himself a true, complete, and sinless human nature as the Promised Messiah, when He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Thus, He is fully God and fully man united in His one Person forevermore. Moreover, we believe the following concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: His full Deity, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory.
5. WE BELIEVE IN THE PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST FOR BELIEVERS.
☐ Matt. 1:21; Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 5:12; John 3:16; Heb. 10:14.
☐ We believe Jesus Christ obediently and willingly suffered and died on the cross as the penal substitute for all who believe the biblical Gospel.
6. WE BELIEVE THAT HOLY SPIRIT REGENERATION IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; John 1:12-13; 1 Cor. 2:9-15.
☐ We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for the salvation of lost and sinful men and women.
7. WE BELIEVE THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE.
☐ Rom. 4:5; Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 5:1; 3:25-30; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29.
☐ We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. God forgives a person’s sin and declares said person to be righteous before Him only on the basis of faith in Christ alone. No one is forgiven or declared to be righteous on the basis of his or her works.
8. WE BELIEVE THAT GOOD WORKS ARE A NECESSARY EVIDENCE OF GENUINE, SAVING FAITH.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:12-13; James 2:18-26; Mal. 3:3; Gal. 5:22-23.
☐ We believe that men are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but not by a faith that stands alone. In other words, good works are a necessary evidence for and an inevitable consequence of genuine, saving faith. In short, we believe that faith without good works is dead. Put differently, good works naturally result from true, saving faith.
9. WE BELIEVE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES THE BELIEVER TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; Jer. 31:31-34; Phil. 2:12-13; 1:6; Rom. 8:14 Heb. 12:2.
☐ We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by Whose indwelling the Christian is progressively sanctified and enabled to live a godly life. We also believe that genuine believers will never completely fall away from the Christian faith but will rather persevere to the end being empowered and preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit.
10. WE BELIEVE IN THE SPIRITUAL UNITY OF ALL BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST.
☐ 1 Cor. 1:2; 11:23-34; 12; Eph. 3:4-12; Matt. 18:15-20; 28:19-20; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; Eph. 2:12-19; 1 Tim. 3:15.
☐ We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is the universal, spiritual body of Christ, comprised of all God’s elect - irrespective of non-essential denominational differences. Christ, who is the Head of this body, commanded His Church to observe two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We also believe that Christ commanded His Church to graciously discipline its members who legitimately err in faith and practice with the express purposes of restoration and reconciliation.
11. WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST’S SECOND COMING, THE GENERAL RESURRECTION, THE FINAL JUDGMENT, AND THE ETERNAL STATE.
☐ 2 Thess. 2:1-12; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:11-15; Rom. 14:12; Rev. 21-22.
☐ We believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth personally, visibly, and triumphantly in power and glory to defeat His enemies, resurrect the righteous and the wicked, execute the final judgment, take the saved with Him to heaven, and cast the lost into an eternal hell.
12. WE BELIEVE IN BIBLICALLY-DEFINED MARRIAGE.
☐ Gen. 2:22-25; Hebrews 13:4; Mal. 2:14-16; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10; Eph. 5:25-33; Col. 1:16-18.
☐ We believe that marriage is a biblically-sanctioned covenant relationship - that is heterosexual, non-incestuous, and monogamous -- between one adult biological man and one adult biological woman. This unique covenant relationship was created by Christ for the glory of Christ, and it is intended by the Triune God to serve as a lifelong picture of Christ’s unbreakable love for His elect.
13. WE BELIEVE IN THE SANCTITY OF ALL HUMAN LIFE.
☐ Gen. 1:26-27; 9:6; Exod. 21:22-25; 20:13; Rom. 13:5-10; Lev. 19:32; 1 Pet. 2:15-17; 5:5.
☐ We believe that God created Man, both men and women, in His own image. As a result, all human life is inherently sacred and of incalculable value in all its forms: unborn children, the elderly, the mentally challenged, the physically disabled, and every other stage from conception to natural death. God calls His people to value, defend, and protect all human life.
1. WE BELIEVE IN THE INSPIRATION & AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES.
☐ 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Matt. 4:4; Gal. 1:8-9; John 5:39.
☐ We believe that the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament together comprise the Bible - the plenary verbally inspired Word of God, which is totally infallible, totally inerrant, totally sufficient, and the sole authority for faith and practice. The Grand Subject of the Scriptures is Jesus Christ.
2. WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLICAL TRINITY.
☐ John 1:1, 15:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 48:16; Matt. 3:15-16.
☐ We believe in the one true and living God who exists in the perfect unity of three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each Person is coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial without dividing the Divine Essence or confusing the Divine Persons. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and infinite in all His manifold perfections.
3. WE BELIEVE IN THE CREATION & FALL OF MANKIND.
☐ Ecclesiastes 7:29; Gen. 1:1; 3:1-5; Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:12-19; Eph. 2:3.
☐ We believe that God created Man, both men and women, in His own image in a state of uprightness. However, by willfully disobeying God’s command, Man forfeited his original righteousness. As a result, all men and women are born in a state of sin, are spiritually separated from God, and possess a sinful nature.
4. WE BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE GOD-MAN.
☐ John 1:1-14; 3:16; Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Heb. 1:8; Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4; Matt. 1:16, 21; Isa. 53:3-5.
☐ We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who subsequently took to Himself a true, complete, and sinless human nature as the Promised Messiah, when He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Thus, He is fully God and fully man united in His one Person forevermore. Moreover, we believe the following concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: His full Deity, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory.
5. WE BELIEVE IN THE PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST FOR BELIEVERS.
☐ Matt. 1:21; Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 5:12; John 3:16; Heb. 10:14.
☐ We believe Jesus Christ obediently and willingly suffered and died on the cross as the penal substitute for all who believe the biblical Gospel.
6. WE BELIEVE THAT HOLY SPIRIT REGENERATION IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; John 1:12-13; 1 Cor. 2:9-15.
☐ We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for the salvation of lost and sinful men and women.
7. WE BELIEVE THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE.
☐ Rom. 4:5; Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 5:1; 3:25-30; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29.
☐ We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. God forgives a person’s sin and declares said person to be righteous before Him only on the basis of faith in Christ alone. No one is forgiven or declared to be righteous on the basis of his or her works.
8. WE BELIEVE THAT GOOD WORKS ARE A NECESSARY EVIDENCE OF GENUINE, SAVING FAITH.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:12-13; James 2:18-26; Mal. 3:3; Gal. 5:22-23.
☐ We believe that men are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but not by a faith that stands alone. In other words, good works are a necessary evidence for and an inevitable consequence of genuine, saving faith. In short, we believe that faith without good works is dead. Put differently, good works naturally result from true, saving faith.
9. WE BELIEVE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES THE BELIEVER TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE.
☐ Ezek. 36:25-27; Jer. 31:31-34; Phil. 2:12-13; 1:6; Rom. 8:14 Heb. 12:2.
☐ We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by Whose indwelling the Christian is progressively sanctified and enabled to live a godly life. We also believe that genuine believers will never completely fall away from the Christian faith but will rather persevere to the end being empowered and preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit.
10. WE BELIEVE IN THE SPIRITUAL UNITY OF ALL BELIEVERS IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST.
☐ 1 Cor. 1:2; 11:23-34; 12; Eph. 3:4-12; Matt. 18:15-20; 28:19-20; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; Eph. 2:12-19; 1 Tim. 3:15.
☐ We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is the universal, spiritual body of Christ, comprised of all God’s elect - irrespective of non-essential denominational differences. Christ, who is the Head of this body, commanded His Church to observe two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We also believe that Christ commanded His Church to graciously discipline its members who legitimately err in faith and practice with the express purposes of restoration and reconciliation.
11. WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST’S SECOND COMING, THE GENERAL RESURRECTION, THE FINAL JUDGMENT, AND THE ETERNAL STATE.
☐ 2 Thess. 2:1-12; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:11-15; Rom. 14:12; Rev. 21-22.
☐ We believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth personally, visibly, and triumphantly in power and glory to defeat His enemies, resurrect the righteous and the wicked, execute the final judgment, take the saved with Him to heaven, and cast the lost into an eternal hell.
12. WE BELIEVE IN BIBLICALLY-DEFINED MARRIAGE.
☐ Gen. 2:22-25; Hebrews 13:4; Mal. 2:14-16; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10; Eph. 5:25-33; Col. 1:16-18.
☐ We believe that marriage is a biblically-sanctioned covenant relationship - that is heterosexual, non-incestuous, and monogamous -- between one adult biological man and one adult biological woman. This unique covenant relationship was created by Christ for the glory of Christ, and it is intended by the Triune God to serve as a lifelong picture of Christ’s unbreakable love for His elect.
13. WE BELIEVE IN THE SANCTITY OF ALL HUMAN LIFE.
☐ Gen. 1:26-27; 9:6; Exod. 21:22-25; 20:13; Rom. 13:5-10; Lev. 19:32; 1 Pet. 2:15-17; 5:5.
☐ We believe that God created Man, both men and women, in His own image. As a result, all human life is inherently sacred and of incalculable value in all its forms: unborn children, the elderly, the mentally challenged, the physically disabled, and every other stage from conception to natural death. God calls His people to value, defend, and protect all human life.
Grace
Covenant
Church
Covenant
Church
Portsmouth, RI
