Austin Bible Church Doctrinal Statement
The following paragraphs give the detailed doctrinal statement and tenets for Austin Bible Church. This information is also included in our constitution . To learn more about Austin Bible Church, visit our About Us page by clicking the link in the menu on the left.
Statement of Doctrine
The Bible, the Word of God: We believe the Bible (the sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation) to be the verbal, plenary inspired Word of God, authoritative, inerrant, and God breathed (2nd Timothy 3:16-17; 2nd Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18).
a. Revelation: the content of the Bible has been revealed by God in order to make known to man information about God which man otherwise could not know (1st Corinthians 2:9-10).
b. Inspiration: through inspiration (a superintending by the Holy Spirit of the human authors of Scripture) God made certain that this revelation about Himself was recorded in written form without error in the original documents.
c. Authority: since the content of the Bible has been revealed by God and recorded under inspiration without error in the Bible, it is our sole authoritative guide in all matters of doctrine, faith, and practice.
d. Canonicity: based upon the principle of the self-authentication of Scripture and upon the objective criteria for determining canonicity (both O.T. and N.T.), we accept the sixty-six books and these alone as canonical (the inspired Word of God) (Galatians 1:8). We do not accept the apocryphal books or any other writing as canonical (Revelation 22:18-19).
The Godhead. We believe there is only one true God who is Triune, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) which persons are co-eternal, equal in power and glory, and identical in nature and attributes (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2nd Corinthians 13:14). These attributes are sovereignty (Psalm 115:3), righteousness (Psalm 119:137), justice (Deuteronomy 32:4), love (1st John 4:8), eternal life (Psalm 90:2), omniscience (Psalm 147:5), omnipotence (Genesis 17:1), omnipresence (Jeremiah 23:23,24), immutability (Malachi 3:6), and veracity (Jeremiah 10:10).
The Person and Work of Christ.
a. Incarnation: We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be the pre-existent, eternal Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God or in any way diminishing His Deity (John 1:1-5,14,18).
b. Virgin Birth: He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, then still a virgin (Luke 1:35).
c. Hypostatic Union: The Lord Jesus Christ is the unique person of the universe, His person being the eternal, inseparable union of two natures: undiminished deity (true God without loss of attributes) and true humanity (all the essential attributes of humanity but without sin) (Philippians 2:6-11).
d. Substitutionary Death: He died bearing our sins to pay ransom price for our redemption (Matthew 20:28), to secure our reconciliation to God (2nd Corinthians 5:18-19), and to propitiate (satisfy) God, the Father, with respect to our sins (1st John 2:2). In His death, He took our place; He was our substitute (Mark 10:45; Romans 5:6-8). This death was for all members of the human race (1st John 2:2; 2nd Corinthians 5:15; Titus 2:11; 1st Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 2:9) so that all men are now able to be saved by believing in Him.
e. Resurrection: His literal, physical, bodily resurrection from the dead proves Him to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4) and guarantees both eternal redemption and personal resurrection for all believers (Hebrews 10:9-14; 1st Peter 1:3-5; 2nd Corinthians 4:14).
f. Ascension and Session: He ascended in a glorified resurrection body into the third Heaven and is now seated and exalted at the right hand of God where as High Priest for His people, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1st John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
a. We believe the Holy Spirit is a person and as God is co-equal with the other members of the Godhead (John 14:16-17; Matthew 28:19).
b. Pre-salvation Work: He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment apart from which conviction the unbeliever could not comprehend nor receive by faith the Gospel (John 16:8-11).
c. Salvation Work: At the moment of salvation, the Spirit regenerates (Titus 3:5), baptizes into Christ (1st Corinthians 12:3), comes to indwell (Romans 8:9), seals unto the day of the redemption of the body (Ephesians 1:13,14), and distributes at least one spiritual gift (1st Corinthians 12:7-11) to each person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
d. Post-salvation Work: The ministry of the Spirit to the believer is to empower him/her to accomplish the supernatural Christian way of life (Acts 1:8; Zechariah 4:6). The believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:18-26). Furthermore, the Spirit ministers to the believer by illuminating the Word of God (John 16:13; 1st Corinthians 2:12-14), by providing guidance (Romans 8:14; Acts 11:12) and by interceding in prayer (Romans 8:26-29).
e. Spirituality, the Filling of the Holy Spirit: We believe that spirituality is an absolute condition in the life of the believer in this dispensation, the Church Age, wherein he is filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit, walking in love and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. A believer becomes carnal through any act of mental, verbal, or overt sin, and the filling of the Holy Spirit is restored solely by personal confession of that sin to God the Father. Furthermore, spirituality is distinct from maturity (John 15:7,8; 2nd Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 6:11-13; 1st John 1:9; 2:2; 1st Corinthians 11:30,31).
The Origin, Nature, and Condition of Man.
a. Origin: We accept the Biblical account concerning creation in which God created the universe out of nothing by His spoken Word and concerning the seven consecutive twenty-four hour days of recreation in Genesis 1 and 2 as the only accurate description of the origin of man and the universe (Genesis 1:1,2,25; Psalm 33:6-9; Isaiah 45:18).
b. Nature: We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the human race fell, was changed in nature by inheriting the old sin nature, became alienated from God by spiritual death, and came under the Adamic curse (Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7,18-25; 3:1-24; Romans 3:22,23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1).
c. Condition: The consequent condition of man is that of total depravity, i.e., absolutely unable to retrieve his lost condition (spiritual life), to commend himself or his works to God, to improve his own spiritual condition of lostness, or in any way secure his own salvation or forgiveness of sin (Romans 3:10-18; 4:4-5; Ephesians 2:1,8,9; Titus 3:5; Isaiah 64:6).
Hamartiology, the Study of Sin. The Bible describes three categories of human sin:
a. Imputed: At birth, every member of the human race shares in the responsibility and penalty for Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12,18,19; 1st Corinthians 15:22).
b. Inherent Sin (Old Sin Nature): Through the human father, every person inherits a sin nature which is desperately deceitful (Jeremiah 17:19) and out of which all personal acts of sin proceed (Psalm 51:5; Mark 7:18-23). This nature is a source of temptation as it entices and lures the person to sin (James 1:14,15). The sin nature of the believer is not eradicated or removed at salvation (1st John 1:8,10; Galatians 5:16; Romans 7:23) although the believer is freed from its necessary bondage (Romans 6:6,11). The sin nature is the source of human good as well (Romans 8:8; Isaiah 64:4).
c. Personal Sin: These are the personal acts of sin which proceed from the old sin nature and are classified as: mental attitude sins (Matthew 5:22,28); sins of the tongue (Matthew 7:1,2; Psalm 52:1-4) and overt sins (Galatians 5:19,21).
Salvation.
a. Basis: Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace, based upon the finished, complete, perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, in dying on the cross bearing and being judged by God for the sins of all members of the human race to provide for forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; Ephesians 2:8,9; 1:7; 1st Peter 1:18,19).
b. Genuine Offer: Since God is unable to be unfair to any person, loves all men equally, desires all men to be saved, is not willing that any should perish, invites all men to be saved, and since Christ paid the ransom price for the sins of the whole world; it is therefore genuinely possible for any member of the human race to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 10:34,35; Isaiah 45:21; Romans 5:8; 8:32; 10:13; John 3:16; 1st Timothy 2:4; 2nd Peter 3:9; 1st John 2:2; 2nd Corinthians 5:14).
c. Appropriation of Salvation: The means of appropriating salvation is faith and faith alone. The object of faith is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:3,4; John 16:8-11). Each individual must make the decision to receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. When a person does not, this is equivalent to rejection, since there is no status of suspended judgment (John 1:12; 3:11,36; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5).
d. Eternal Security: When a person so appropriates by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, from that moment in time, the person (now a believer) is kept secure forever and cannot lose his/her salvation. The Father may discipline the believer as a beloved child when necessary, but salvation cannot be retracted because of sin (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38,39; Hebrews 12:6-1; 1st Peter 1:3-5; Jude 24).
The Church.
a. Universal Church: We believe that the Church, which is the body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers of this dispensation (Church Age) irrespective of their affiliation with Christian organizations (Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:4-6; 1st Corinthians 12:12-14; Colossians 1:18,24). In the future, the body of Christ will become the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7,8).
b. Local Church: We further believe that the local church is an assembly of believers meeting together in a specific location with Biblically ordained leadership for the purpose of Bible study, worship, prayer, observation of the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, and witnessing (Acts 2:42; 6:1-6; 1st Corinthians 1:2; 1st Timothy 3:1-13; Hebrews 10:25).
c. Church Ordinances: We believe the Lord Jesus Christ instituted the ordinance of baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (communion) to be observed until His return (Matthew 28:19,20; 1st Corinthians 11:23-26). Baptism is for believers only and is a symbolic testimony of a past identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3,4). The Lord’s Supper is also for believers only and commemorates the unique person (bread) and the perfect work (cup) of Christ dying on the cross for our sins.
Angels.
a. Existence, Creation and Fall: We believe in the existence of a creation physically superior to man called angels. These angels were created and existed before God created the universe and man (Job 38:6,7). Angelic creation was divided into two categories known as elect and fallen (devils, demons) as the result of the fall of Satan in which he led the fallen angels in rebellion against God (1st Timothy 5:21; Mark 8:38; 1st Timothy 4:1; Acts 8:9; Mark 5:12; Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:12-17).
b. Satan: God’s Word reveals the personality and program of Satan who is the open and declared enemy of God and man (Job 1:6,7; Matthew 4:2-11; Revelation 12:7-9; 2nd Corinthians 4:3,4). He stands under the judgment of God. His certain future confinement in the lake of fire with all fallen angels and unbelieving humans to experience eternal conscious torment is clearly set forth in Scripture (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10-35).
c. Angelic Conflict: Until the execution of the judgment upon Satan, there exists a state of hostile conflict between God, His plan, and the elect angels on one hand, and Satan and the fallen angels on the other. This conflict is mirrored in and resolved by the exercise of human volition in response to God’s plan (1st Corinthians 11:10; 1st Peter 1:12; Luke 15:10; Revelation 12:1-9). Christ in His substitutionary death and His future reign provides the basis for the resolution of the angelic conflict in the human race (Colossians 2:14,15; 1st Corinthians 15:23-28).
d. Demonism: As an extension of the angelic conflict, Satan has organized the fallen angels to resist the plan of God (Ephesians 6:21). Therefore, the operation of demons in the world today is a reality. All demonic activity is condemned by the Word of God and must be avoided by believers (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:10,11; 1st Samuel 28:9; Psalm 96:5; Isaiah 8:19). The Bible clearly describes demon possession in which a fallen angel (a demon) inhabits the body of a human being. However, a believer cannot be demon possessed, although he can come under demon influence by rejecting Bible doctrine and flirting with demonic activity (Matthew 8:28; 12:22; Mark 1:23-28; 5:1-9; 9:14-28; Luke 8:27-39; Ephesians 4:17-19 with 2:1-3; 1st John 4:4).
Eschatology (Prophecy and Last Things).
a. The Blessed Hope: We believe that the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to receive to Himself the dead in Christ and believers who are alive at His coming, otherwise known as the Rapture and Translation of the Church (Titus 2:11-14; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1st Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:20,21; 1st John 2:2).
b. The Tribulation: We believe that the Rapture of the Church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week (the Tribulation), the latter half of which is the time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15-21).
c. The Second Coming: We believe that the great tribulation will be climaxed by the premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to set up His Kingdom for the millennium (a thousand) years in accordance with the fulfillment of Israel’s unconditional covenants (Acts 1:11; 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10; Zechariah 14:4-11; Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19:11; 20:4; 2nd Samuel 7:9-16).
d. The Millennium: During these thousand years, Christ will reign over the nations of the earth with a rod of iron in righteousness and justice with peace (Revelation 20:1-10; Isaiah 9:6,7).
e. The Eternal State: We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in the glory; but the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; 2nd Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 6,7; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Responsibility of Believers. We believe that it is the wonderful privilege and responsibility of every believer to:
a. Grow and mature in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through a desire for and a feeding upon (study of) the Word of God (2nd Peter 3:18; 1st Peter 2:2; 2nd Timothy 2:15; 3:16).
b. Glorify, honor, and please our Lord and Savior through the manifestation of the filling of the Holy Spirit and the mental attitude of doing everything as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:1,18; Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 5:5; Colossians 1:10; 3:23; 1st Thessalonians 4:1; 3rd John 3,4).
c. Seek every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to all the world beginning with those persons with whom we have daily contact (Acts 1:8,11; 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20).
d. Remember the work of the Lord in prayer and to support it as the Lord prospers and guides each (Ephesians 6:18; 1st Thessalonians 5:17,18; 1st Corinthians 16:2).
Spiritual Gifts. We believe that God the Holy Spirit in grace and apart from human merit sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts to believers in this dispensation. Some of the permanent spiritual gifts which exist today are pastor-teacher, evangelist, administrator, helps, giving, and showing of mercy. We further believe that the temporary spiritual gifts ceased with the completion of the Canon of Scripture and these were: apostleship, prophecy, speaking in languages (tongues), interpreting languages (tongues), healing, and working miracles (1st Corinthians 12&13; Ephesians 4:7-12; Romans 12:4-8).
Tenets
This church shall not at any time become a member, sanction, or support the National Council of Churches of Christ in America, the World Council of Churches, or any other such organizations.
This church shall not solicit anyone to become a member. Those who desire to affiliate with this church may do so by complying with the provisions of Article IX of the constitution.
This church shall not knowingly accept gifts from unbelievers nor make individual solicitation of funds or pledges among believers.