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SECTION 1 General Tenants

We believe . . .

 

1.The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are complete word-for-word and inerrant in the original writings, and are the supreme and final authority in faith and life. Ps. 119:89; Is. 40:18;  Matt. 5:18; I Thes. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20–21. 

 

2. One God, eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Is. 48:16; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; John 14:6-17; 15:26; 17:21; 1 Cor. 3:6;12:4-6; Eph. 2:18; 4:4-6; Col. 1:27; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John 4:2.​

 

3. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin, Mary, and is true God and true man. Matt. 1:23, 25; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 14; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:3; 2:16. 

 

4. Man was created in the image of God, but man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, and now in Adam, all human beings are born with a sin nature. Gen 1:26; Rom. 5:12-14; I Cor. 5:22; 2 Cor. 5:14.

 

​5. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are redeemed and justified on the basis of His spiritual death. Acts 16:31, Rom. 3:22-27; 5:8-11; 2 Cor. 5:14-21; Heb. 1:3; 9:12-13; 10:4-10; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.​

 

6. God resurrected the crucified body of our Lord, and that He ascended into heaven sits in present session as our high priest and advocate. Luke 24:5-7; Acts 2:24, 34-35; Rom. 1:3-4; 4:24-25; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; Eph. 1:20; 4:8-10; Heb. 1:3, 13; 7:17, 24-26; 8:1; 10:12; 1 Pet. 3:21-22; 1 John 2:1; Rev. 1:6.​

 

7. The “blessed hope” is confidence in the personal, pre-tribulational and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Rom. 8:1

8-25; 1 Cor. 15:20-24; Phil. 3:20-4:5; 1 Thes. 4:13-17; Tit. 2:14; Jas. 5:7-8; I John 2:28.

 

​8. All who believe by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior immediately are baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God; a relationship in which they are eternally secure. Rom. 6:3-5; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; Gal. 5:27; 2 Tim. 2:19; John 10:28-29; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 John 2:24-25; 5:11-12.​

 

9.  God will bodily resurrect the just and unjust, for the everlasting perfect conformity to Christ of the saved and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost along with Satan and other fallen angels. Matt. 13:49-50; 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Acts 26:8; Rom 2:16; 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 4:5; 6:3; 15:12-57; 2 Cor. 5:10; Phil. 2:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:19; 2 Thes. 1:5-10; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 20:10-15​​

 

10. The Church is a spiritual organism made up of all believers in Christ; that in its local manifestation it is an autonomous assembly of believers; and that its only ordinance is the Lord's Supper. 1 Cor. 11:25; 12:12-27; Eph. 4:4-16; Phil. 2:1-2; Heb. 10:25.​​

 

11. Spirituality is an absolute at any point in time, wherein the believer is controlled (filled) by the Holy Spirit, and spirituality can be obtained only by personal confession of sin to God; whereas carnality is also an absolute, which occurs by choice to sin, and means the believer is no longer spiritual. Rom 7:14-23; 8:5-8; 1 Cor. 2:12-15; Eph. 5:18; Jas. 4:8; 1 John 1:9.​

 

12. The Scriptures are to be dispensational and literally interpreted through the illuminating ministry of God the Holy Spirit. John 14:26; Rom. 16:25-26; 1 Cor. 2:6-15; Eph. 1:9-10; 3:8-10; Col. 1:25-27; I Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 2:15.​

 

13. The Board of Deacons may, at its discretion, remove from or prohibit the employment or volunteer service of any person who violates this statement of faith. The Board may also terminate the membership in West Side Bible Church of any such person.  

 

Section 2 Marriage and Sexuality

 

1. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.​

 

2. We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that marriage between one man and one woman, for life, uniquely reflects Christ’s relationship with His Church (Eph. 5:21-33).

 

3. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4).

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4. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

 

​5. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest[mc1]  or any attempt to change one’s sex) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).

 

6. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church West Side Bible Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a Biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church  West Side Bible Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree with this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.

 

7. We believe that God offers forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with the Lord, to all believers who confess their known sin, (1 Jn 1:9; 1 Cor 6:9-11).

 

8. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of West Side Bible Church.

 

Section 3 Sanctity of Human Life

 

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born [mc2] babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps. 139.)

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