Beliefs

Summary of Our Distinctives

• Reformed; Doctrines of Grace
• Strong belief in literal 6-day creation
• Hold to Textus Receptus and thus KJV
• Conservative worship (regulative principle)
• Hymn and Psalter selections, with traditional instruments
• Pastors, Administrators and Deacons, not congregational

Fundamental Beliefs of Mission Bible Church

Among other equally biblical truths, we believe and maintain the following:

1. The verbal, plenary divine inspiration and preservation of the Scriptures in the original languages, their consequent inerrancy and infallibility, and, as the Word of God, the supreme and final authority in faith and life;
2. The Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
3. The essential, absolute, eternal deity, and the real and proper, but sinless, humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ;
4. His birth of the Virgin Mary;
5. His substitutionary, propitiatory death, in that He gave His life "a ransom for many";
6. His resurrection from among the dead in the same body in which He was crucified, and the second coming of this same Jesus in power and great glory;
7. The total depravity of man through the Fall;
8. Salvation, the effect of regeneration by the Spirit and the Word, not by works, but by grace through faith;
9. The everlasting bliss of the saved, and the everlasting torment of the wicked in hell;
10. The real spiritual unity in Christ of all redeemed by His precious blood;
11. The necessity of maintaining, according to the Word of God, the purity of the Church in doctrine and life.

Adopted and slightly modified, from the American Council of Christian Churches. View the Staff's ROD number 01 - 10 for further explanation of the above.

Emphatic Beliefs

This ministry particularly emphasizes these doctrines which are under broad, systematic and exceptionally grave attack and compromise:

1. In the Five Solas of the Reformation declare God's Christ and Word as the believer's sole authority and hope:

a. Sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone"): The Bible alone and in its entirety is the authoritative, divine Word of God

b. Sola Fide ("Faith alone"): We are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ

c. Sola Gratia ("Grace alone"): We are saved only by the grace of God, totally apart from our works of righteousness

d. Solus Christus ("Christ alone"): Christ alone is Lord, Savior and Sovereign King of Kings

e. Soli Deo Gloria ("to the Glory of God alone"): All is to be done to the glory of God alone.

2. That the Textus Receptus is the holy, inerrant, preserved Word of God, though we are not KJV-onlyists

3. In a literal six-day creation

4. That the mode of baptism should not serve as a litmus test for fellowship or church membership

5. That the supernatural Apostolic gifts have ceased

6. That dispensational teaching, though containing much truth, fails to fully mesh significant doctrines of Scripture, particularly viewing some Old Testament Prophecies as unfulfilled

7. That any teaching aiming to destroy the role of law of God is incorrect

8. In the New Covenant, we walk by faith in God's promises, not by Moses' law

9. That psalms, hymns and spiritual songs should be used to regulate our worship, and to distinguish our gatherings from the world, according to our music policy

10. That the Bible provides clear but strict rules for identifying and ordaining church leaders (married men with children in subjection; no women pastors, teachers or deacons)

11. In a gospel millennium (or, A-millennial) view of the end times

12. That the historic (not dispensational) pre-millennial eschatology is an acceptable alternate view

13. That those who are more interested in the return of Christ, rather than the returning Christ, are to be avoided.

View the Staff's ROD number 11 - 27 for further explanation of the above.

Helpful Confessions

The first confession we hold is actually found in scripture:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1Corinthians 15:3-8)

We find the Apostle's Creed is a helpful and simple statement concerning the triune God we worship.  

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell.  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen."

We are quick to point out the phrase holy catholic church does not refer to a denomination (i.e. the Roman Catholic church), but rather to the universal church throughout all time.  Why not say universal?  Because the word catholic means universal throughout all time.

In general, the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), its Larger and Shorter Catechisms, (much like the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith) are useful, though they differ on the mode and targets of baptism.  We particularly enjoy WCF's first chapter, which (oddly enough) most reformed churches effectively abandon today when they use corrupt translations such as the ESV.  Why? Because the ESV, along with many other modern translations, base their translation on a new Greek text --called the Critical Text-- built on the conjecture that God failed to preserve His Word since the 4th century, and two 19th century heretical scholars (Westscott and Hort) aided God by fixing the Scriptures some 1,500 years later.  This betrays WCF chapter I paragraph VII, which states that

"The Old Testament in Hebrew ... and the New Testament in Greek ... being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical ...". 

We take exception to WCF's suggestion of exclusive Psalmody (WCF chapter XXI, para V); that the believer's rule of life is the law (WCF chapter XIX, para VI); or that remarriage is permitted after divorce (WCF chapter XXIV, para V).  View our music policy, and the Staff's ROD numbers 20, 21 and 28 for further explanation of the above.

Our Understanding of WCF ch.28, Of Baptism

“Baptism,” according to Shorter Catechism 94, “doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.” Who is in the covenant of grace? Larger Catechism (LC) 31 answers that the covenant of grace “was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed.” Consequently, we believe that baptism is a sign and seal only to the elect, and that it is not a sign or seal when administered to one who is not elect. A sacrament is “a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in His church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation” (LC 162);  and those within the covenant are the elect in Christ.

Baptism is indeed not to be administered to “any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise.” However, it is to be administered to those outside the visible church when they “profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him,” and are thereby brought into the visible church. Furthermore, “infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized” (LC 166). Infants of believing parents are positionally partakers of the covenant, according to 1Cor. 7:14 and Acts 2:39.

Our Clarifications to Canons of Dort

Third Head of Doctrine, Article 1 - The Effect of the Fall

The second sentence states that man's "understanding was adorned with a true and saving knowledge of his Creator". It's not clear what is meant by man (Adam) having a saving knowledge before the fall. They might have meant that “saving knowledge” is a technical phrase used to imply that Adam was in a right (meaning, “just” or “righteous”) relationship to God. If so, they seek to show that Adam was created upright without any sin or sinful nature within him.  

This is a very crucial and foundational point of doctrine that needs to be maintained (e.g., Eccl. 7:29 God hath made man upright).  For example, the church of Scientology locates the sin problem outside of man, and other sects do likewise.

Sin must always locate its source in Adam, not God.  Adam, though, had a mutable righteousness.  He had the power (free will) to throw it away - which he did.  God cannot create God, since only one will be Creator, Sovereign and Law-Giver.  Likewise, God cannot create man with the same type of righteousness which God alone has.  Man becomes savingly righteous (if I may invent a phrase) by imputation and the new birth.

If Adam had saving righteousness, which is part-n-parcel of saving knowledge, then it would be impossible for him to fall.  Salvation is always by second birth and an imputed righteousness, which cannot fail, being based on the merits of Jesus Christ. Also, if true born-again believers are merely restored to the life which Adam had, then we could lose our salvation just like Adam who (allegedly) had saving knowledge / righteousness. 

Thus, we delete the phrase "and saving", so that we now use the following:

"Man was originally formed after the image of God. His understanding was adorned with a true knowledge of his Creator, and of spiritual things; his heart and will were upright, and all his affections pure, and the whole man was holy. But, revolting from God by the instigation of the devil and by his own free will, he forfeited these excellent gifts; and in the place thereof became involved in blindness of mind, horrible darkness, vanity, and perverseness of judgment; became wicked, rebellious, and obstinate in heart and will, and impure in his affections". 

We do not take lightly the modification of these ancient landmarks, but publicize them here for full disclosure.

Last updated: Mar 3, 2024 (Added our clarifications to the Canons of Dort) 

Last updated: Sep 28, 2022 (Updated link to our revised Music Policy, Emphatic Belief #9) 

Last updated: Feb 27, 2022 (Added Our understanding of WCF ch.28, Of Baptism section) 

Last updated: Jan 13, 2022 (Changed "elder" to "alderman", to distinguish us from Presbyterianism) 

Last updated: Jan 6, 2021 (Clarified the summary.  Added links to Staff's ROD) 

Last updated: May 8, 2020 (Adjusted wording regarding pre-mil to address doctrine not the person)