CONCERNING THE BIBLE:
A. INSPIRATION
We believe the Bible to be verbally and plenarily inspired.
1. By verbal inspiration we understand that the control of God extended to the very words of the original texts so that they are without error, as recognized by Christ Himself (Matthew 5:17-18, II Timothy 3:16).
2. By plenary inspiration we understand that God moved the human authors to produce His exact Word without destroying the authors’ personalities (II Peter 1:20-21).
B. ILLUMINATION
We believe that the Bible cannot be understood apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15, I Corinthians. 2:12-15).
C. INTERPRETATION
We believe that for each given passage of Scripture there is only one interpretation, and that is to be found in a literal understanding of the words of the original language in their cultural and historical context.
D. APPLICATION
We believe that the Believer’s life is to be governed by the principles derived from the Lord’s intended interpretation of a given passage.
E. CANON
We believe that the Bible is complete in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17).
CONCERNING GOD:
A. THE TRIUNE GOD
1. We believe in the one triune God who is personal, spirit, sovereign, and self-revealing (Deuteronomy 6:4, I Thessalonians 1:9-10, John 4:24, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 1:17-20), perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power (James 1:17, I Timothy 1:17, Isaiah 6:3, Exodus 34:6, John 3:16).
2. We believe that God is absolutely separate from the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the upholder of all things (Nehemiah 9:6, Acts 17:27-28, Hebrews 11:3, Colossians 1:16-17).
3. We believe that God is eternally self-existent in three equal and distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each having a distinct ministry, yet possessing one and the same divine nature. (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19, I Peter 1:2).
B. THE FATHER
We believe the Father to be the Head of the Trinity (I Corinthians. 11:3). He is sovereign of the universe and thus, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose (Ephesians 1:11, 3:15). He is the author of the work of redemption and has chosen His spiritual children to obtain eternal life (Ephesians 1:3-6). He hears and answers prayer and delivers from the condemnation of sin those who come to Him through Christ (John 5:24, 16:23, Romans 8:1). He is the spiritual Father of the nation Israel (Exodus 4:22).
C. JESUS CHRIST
We believe Jesus Christ to be totally equal with the Father, uncreated and ungenerated (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18, 10:30). He came to reveal God and to be the only mediator between God and man by taking on the true form and nature of man in His conception by the Holy Spirit and birth of the virgin Mary (I Timothy 2:5, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 1:31-35). He thus continues forever as both true God and true man. As man, He was tempted in all points as we are, yet remained without sin (Hebrews 4:15). By His sinless life and substitutionary death for all men, He satisfied divine justice concerning sin (Romans 5:10). He rose bodily from death and ascended to the presence of the Father, where He continues to pray for us and defend us from Satan’s accusations before the Father (I Corinthians 15:1-5, I John 2:1-2). He is the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) the coming universal King who shall reign on the throne of David in the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4, 11:15), and the final Judge of all (I Corinthians 5:10, Matthew 25:32, Acts 17:31).
D. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe the Holy Spirit to be a person equal with and sent by the Father and the Son (John 15:26, 16:7). His work is to carry out the divine will regarding Christ, the local church, Believers, unbelievers, and the world. His work with reference to Christ involves His conception (Luke 1:35), empowering His sinless life (Luke 4:18), His death (Hebrews 9:14), and His resurrection (Romans 8:11). He guides the local church as a congregation of spiritual believers (Acts 13:1-4). He regenerates, baptizes, indwells, sanctifies, seals, teaches, gives gifts to, empowers and fills Believers (John 3:5-7,I Corinthians 12:13, Romans 8:11, II Thessalonians 2:13, Ephesians 1:13-14, John 14:28, I Corinthians 12:1-11, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 5:18). His work with reference to unbelievers is convicting and restraining sin (John 16:7-11, II Thessalonians 2:6-7). His work with reference to the world involved creation (Genesis 1:2).
CONCERNING ANGELS:
Angels are spirit beings created sinless by God. Most of the angels continued in this sinless state serving and worshipping God (Colossians 1:16, Matt. 25:31). In their service they minister to Christ and each individual Believer (Revelation 5:11-12, Matthew 4:11, Hebrews 1:13-14).
CONCERNING FALLEN ANGELS:
The highest angel, Lucifer, through pride, willfully disobeyed God, losing his high estate and, thereby, becoming Satan, the adversary (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-19, Revelation 12:7-11). He influenced many angels to follow him, who by their disobedience became demons (Jude 6). Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, leading to the moral fall of the human race (Genesis 3:1-15). Mankind thus became subject to Satan’s power (Romans 5:12). As the enemy of God, Satan continues to accuse and oppress God’s people and counterfeit the works and truth of God (Ephesians 6:12, II Corinthians 11:13-15, 4:4, Matthew 4:6). Satan was judged by the death of Christ and will be finally doomed in the Lake of Fire (John 16:11, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10).
CONCERNING MAN:
A. THE ORIGIN OF MAN
Man was created in God’s image by a direct act of the triune God as a morally responsible, rational creature, free from sin (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:16-17). Mankind, in Adam, willfully failed God’s test of obedience and, thus, caused the fall of the whole human race into sin (Genesis 3:6, 7).
B. THE NATURE OF MAN
Man is composed of a body, soul, and spirit (I Thessalonians 5:23). The body relates man to creation and the physical world and enables him to function in it (Genesis 1:26-27). In the Believer, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). The soul is that nonphysical part of man which is the subject of his human life and is that which unites the body and the spirit. The spirit of man is the realm of his mind and personality, and is the part of man which makes him conscious of God. The spirit of the Believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit with the goal of bringing the soul-life into submission to the spirit-life (Genesis 2:7, Luke 1:46-47, Philippians 1:27, I Corinthians 2:11-15).
CONCERNING SIN:
A. THE ORIGIN OF SIN
Sin entered creation by the willful pride of Lucifer and entered the human race by the willful disobedience of Adam (I John 1:5, II Timothy1:9).
B. THE NATURE OF SIN
Sin is humanity’s willful refusal to hold their Holy Creator and His expressed will as the center and standard of the individual’s life. This attempted establishment of the created being as independent rejects God’s authority. This results in separation between God and His creation, remedied only by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. (I John 3:4, James 4:13-17, Romans 1:22-25, I John 2:15-17)
C. SIN IN THE LIFE OF HUMANITY
1. INHERITED SIN
Inherited sin is the hereditary state of moral corruption and spiritual death which is experienced by the entire human race as a result of Adam’s sin (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1-3). Although humanity is capable of acts which are good in themselves, mankind’s depravity extends to the whole man which is completely corrupted and totally devoid of spiritual good in intellect, emotions, and will. Therefore, mankind is totally unable to please God (Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-12, I John 1:8, Titus 1:15-16, II Thessalonians 1:8-9).
2. IMPUTED SIN
Sin resulting in guilt and physical death is imputed to each human being by virtue of the fact that the whole race existed as an organic unity in the federal headship of Adam and therefore, the will of the race revolted from God and the nature of the race corrupted itself in the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12-21).
3. PERSONAL SIN OF THE BELIEVER
Each Believer does commit personal acts of sin by willful failure to walk consistently in the light of God’s holiness (I John 1:5-10). Every man, woman, or child is tempted and prompted to sin by their old sin nature, the world system, and its ruler Satan (James 1:13-15, I John 2:15-17, Ephesians 6:10-17). The results of personal sin upon the Believer include loss of fellowship with God, chastisement, lack of spiritual fruit, loss of reward, possible disqualification from service, and possible physical death (I John 1:6, 5:16-17, Hebrews 12:1-13, John 15:1-16, I Corinthians 3:5-15, 9:18-27, 11:27-30). Other results are: the Holy Spirit is grieved, the Father must hear Satan’s accusations; Christ must intercede on the Believer’s behalf (Ephesians 4:30, Revelation 12:10, Romans 8:34): unbelievers are given opportunity to blaspheme; and a weak brother may be caused to stumble (Romans 2:23-24, I Corinthians 8).
CONCERNING SALVATION
A. THE WORK OF THE FATHER
POPULATING HIS KINGDOM
The Elect were numbered in Christ, by the Father, before the world began (Ephesians 1:3-12, Romans 8:29-30).
JUSTIFICATION
God the Father declares righteous all who have trusted Christ as Savior (Romans 3:21-26, Ephesians 2:8-9).
B. THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
PROPITIATION
Through His death for sin, Christ completely satisfied the wrath of God against sin and, thus, caused those who are in Christ to be received into God’s favor (Romans 5:9, I John 2:2, II Corinthians 5:18-19, Romans 3:25).
SUBSTITUTION
Christ was made to be sin on the sinner’s behalf to bear the sinner’s penalty and to give to all Believers His righteousness (II Corinthians 5:21).
REDEMPTION
Christ paid the price of deliverance from the bondage of sin with the giving of His life and blood, and thus purchased for His own, those who trust Him (I Peter 1:18-19, Titus 2:14, Galatians 4:4-5, Revelation 5:9-10, I Corinthians 6:19-20).
JUDGMENT OF SIN AND SATAN
Christ defeated sin on the cross and made certain Satan’s doom of eternal punishment. He made the old sin nature of the Believer powerless by His death, and demonstrated His victory over sin and death in His resurrection (Genesis 3:15, Matthew 25:41, John 16:11, Hebrews 2:14, Romans 6:1-11).
FORGIVENESS AND CLEANSING
Christ paid the price for all Believers’ sins, past, present, & future (Hebrews 10:12). The Believers’ sins are forgiven and life cleansed by the work of Christ, as Believers confess their sins to God (I John 1:5-2:2).
C. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
REGENERATION
The Holy Spirit works in the life of a person to give new spiritual life when that Believer receives Christ as Savior (John 1:12-13, 3:3-8; II Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5).
SANCTIFICATION
The Believer is declared righteous and set apart before God at the moment of conversion (II Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 10:10).
MATURING
The life of the Believer is to be one of progressively greater submission of one’s life to obedience to Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13, 3:15, Colossians 3:9-10).
GLORIFICATION
The Believer will experience complete deliverance from the presence, power, and penalties of sin when he or she goes to be with Christ at the moment of death or rapture (I Peter 1:3-5, Titus 2:11-13, I John 3:1-2).
D. THE ETERNAL CHARACTER OF SALVATION
The salvation of a Believer is eternally secure because of: the sovereign love and purpose of the Father; the death, resurrection, and intercession of Christ (John 10:28-29, Romans 5:7-10, 8:29-39); and the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16, Ephesians 1:13-14).
E. THE RECEPTION OF SALVATION
Salvation is a free gift of God, offered to all mankind, which must be received by commitment of one’s life to Christ as Savior, and confession of Him before men as Lord and Master (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, John 1:12, 3:16, 5:24).
CONCERNING THE CHURCH
A. THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
All who have placed their trust in Christ as Savior are united together immediately by the Holy Spirit into one spiritual body, the Church, of which Christ is the Head (I Corinthians 12:13, Eph. 1:22-23). This body began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and will be completed when Christ appears at the rapture of the church, (I Thessalonians 4:15-17).
B. THE LOCAL CHURCH
The visible aspect of the church is a gathered local group of professed, baptized, Christian Believers in any place, voluntarily associated together under leadership (I Corinthians 1:2, Acts 2:41-47). They meet regularly to establish their faith through instruction, fellowship, prayer, and the observing of the ordinances (Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:24-25). The congregation is led by its Biblically designated officers who serve under Christ, and is built up by the faithful, loving exercise of the spiritual gifts of each member (Ephesians 4:1-16, I Corinthians 12 & 13, I Peter 4:7-11, 5:1-4). The local church exists to build disciples who hold and live by sound doctrine to the glory of Christ, with love for one another, and with the intention of reaching the lost. The church is to share its faith by carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), by caring for those of its number who are in need (Romans 12:13), and by exercising discipline toward those who are living in a disorderly or unrepentant manner (Matthew 18:15-17).
C. THE ORDINANCES
We observe the two ordinances: The Lord’s Supper, symbolizing and commemorating His death, and baptism by immersion, symbolizing His resurrection and our new, eternal life.
The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by all Believers in obedience to the command, “This do in remembrance of Me” (I Corinthians 11:24-25). It consists of the partaking of the consecrated emblems, bread and fruit of the vine, and symbolizes the death of Christ on our behalf. The Lord’s Table is open to all Believers who are in a right relationship with God (I Corinthians 11:23-32).
Baptism is a one-time act of obedience to the command of Christ whereby a Believers make a public declaration of their commitment to Christ as Savior, thus identifying with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 2:41, 8:36-39, Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3-5).
D. AUTONOMY
We believe each local church to be free to govern itself under Christ, and to cooperate as the Holy Spirit directs with other New Testament churches (Matthew 18:17, II Corinthians 8:10-24). We believe that civil government is ordained of God for our benefit and is to be obeyed, except when this obedience directly disobeys God (Romans 13:1-7). We believe that the local church and civil government are to be independent of one another (Matthew 22:21).
CONCERNING LAST THINGS:
A. THE RAPTURE
We expect Christ to return at any time to remove His waiting Church from the earth to be with Himself (I Thessalonians 4:13-17, Revelation 3:10).
B. THE BELIEVERS’ JUDGMENT
Following the rapture, Christ will judge and reward His own according to their works (Romans 14:10-12, II Corinthians 5:10).
C. THE TRIBULATION
God will righteously judge the remaining world during the “Seventieth week of Daniel” which follows the rapture of the Church (I Thessalonians 5:2-9, Matthew 25:31-46, Daniel 9:24-27, II Thessalonians 2:6-12, Revelation 4-19).
D. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
This time of tribulation will culminate in the second coming of Christ to judge the nations (Matthew 24:27, Revelation 19).
E. THE MILLENNIUM
Believers who survive the tribulation will enter into the Millennial Kingdom ruled personally by Christ and His Church. During these 1,000 years, Christ will rule with perfect justice and subdue the earth while Satan is bound (Revelation 20:1-6, Isaiah 65:17-25).
F. THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE UNBELIEVER
The final event of this earth’s history before the eternal state will be the Great White Throne Judgment, where Christ will judge all of the unsaved and cast them, along with Satan and his angels, into the lake of fire for eternal punishment. (Revelation 20:7-15, I Corinthians 15:24-28).
G. ETERNAL STATE OF THE BELIEVER
After the Great White Throne Judgment, when God has destroyed the first heaven and the first earth, He will create a new Heaven and a new earth (II Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-3). At this time a glorious eternal state will literally exist. In this eternal state, the Believer will have perfect, unbroken fellowship with the Triune God and Believers of all ages. Believers will also worship and serve Him and each other forever (Revelation 21:4-22:5).
From Section 5 of our Bi-Laws — Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage
In the beginning, God established marriage (Genesis 2:18-24). One man and one woman who have exchanged vows before God and witnesses constitute a marriage, until the death of one partner separates it (Romans 7:2, 3). Jesus clearly stated that a married man and woman are no longer two, but one flesh and what God has joined together, let man not separate (Matthew 19:6, Luke 16:18, and Mark 10:1-12).
Furthermore, God states that He hates divorce (Malachi 2:13-16). As Bible-believers we are saddened, offended, and opposed to state and national efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. The Bible declares that homosexuality as a choice and an act, is sin, (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, & Romans 1:18-32). The Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims forgiveness and victory to all who turn from sin to the living God, (Romans 3:10; 6:23, & II Corinthians 5:21). We oppose all same-sex marriage and will not perform or consecrate marriage in any combination other than one man to one woman.
The Scriptures teach that a husband’s and a wife’s marriage relationship should be an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church, demonstrating unconditional love, forgiveness, and reconciliation (Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18, 19; II Corinthians 5:18-21; and Ephesians 4:32).
The apostle Paul states that if you are presently divorced you must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to your former spouse (I Corinthians 7:10,11). I Corinthians 7:15 indicates that if a non-believing spouse departs the marriage, the Christian partner is no longer bound to that marriage. Any who have been divorced and remarried the Bible teaches there is forgiveness and restoration for acknowledged and confessed sin by the blood of Christ (Psalm 51:3 and I John 1:9). Christians in a first marriage or in a remarriage (only after the death of a spouse) must marry another Christian (Romans 7:2, 3; I Corinthians 7:39; and II Corinthians 6:14-18).
Although the Bible teaches a possible exception concerning divorce (Matthew 5:32 & 19:9), we believe it would be in the best interest of the members of Christ’s Body, the church, to adhere to God’s original plan for marriage, which is one man married to one woman until death breaks the marriage bond.
This church will not marry a Christian to a non-Christian (II Corinthians 6:14). Creekside Bible Church will only perform weddings between two professed Believers, one male, and one female. There may be rare circumstances where divorced individuals may be remarried, however, all marriages performed by church staff or on church grounds, must be unanimously approved by the Board of Elders on a case-by-case basis in subjection to the will and word of God.