Beliefs - Ferguson Adventures

We wholeheartedly affirm the doctrinal statement of our sending church, Parkside Bible Church. You can visit their website or read the statement of faith below. This doctrinal statement is a robust affirmation of biblical truths in a tiered approach to make clear the centrality of the Gospel while still standing firm on important issues that impact everyday life.

That being said, we understand that our work as church planters warrants a few clarifications on our ecclesiology and what the churches we plant will look like. We believe that the local church is the greatest vehicle for hope and declaration of the Gospel in the world. We believe the local church should practice meaningful membership that has congregational authority, deacons serving, and pastors/elders leading. Pastors/Elders should lead with plurality as they share the oversight and burden of the church. A church should have a heart for prayer, mission, discipleship, and in-person exegetical preaching. As we follow God’s leading to plant churches we will do so with these beliefs.

Parkside Bible Church Statement of Faith

Section 1: Basic Beliefs

Statement on Final Authority:

We believe that God has revealed Himself to the world through the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ; this revelation is recorded authoritatively and inerrantly in the Bible. Though various theological statements provide necessary boundaries in ministry, we ultimately submit ourselves to God’s Words as recorded in the Bible.

We Believe:

There is one God, Creator of the universe and all that exists, who eternally exists in three distinct persons who are fully God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. All Scripture is inspired by God and is inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient for all things.

3. All humanity is made in the image of God and is also sinful from birth and by action. Therefore, all humanity is spiritually dead and justly remains under the wrath of God.

4. Jesus Christ, eternally God the Son, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and is both fully God and fully human.

5. Jesus Christ died in the place of sinful humanity on the cross to pay the penalty of sin and satisfy the wrath of God. He rose bodily from the grave, ascended into Heaven, and will one day return bodily to earth.

6. Only through repentance and trust in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ can one be reconciled to God and enter Heaven.

7. Salvation is all an act of God’s grace according to His sovereign purposes and eternal plans and can never be revoked or lost. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for the glory of God alone.

8. There will be a future bodily resurrection of the dead. Those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life. Those who do not repent and trust in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal punishment.

Section 2: Doctrinal Beliefs

1. There is one God, the Creator of the universe and all that exists, who eternally exists in three distinct persons who are fully God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that the Triune God is the one true living God who is eternally self- existent and is unified as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit all exist as one being, yet, distinct persons (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). We believe that each person of the Godhead possesses one substance and are equally important (Mark 12:29). The Father is God, Jesus Christ is God, and the Holy Spirit is God (John 1:1; Acts 5:3-4). We believe that the Trinity is equal in every divine attribute and executes distinct, yet, harmonious offices in the great work of creation and redemption (Colossians 1:15; Ephesians 1:3-14).

God the Father

We believe that God the Father orders all things according to His own purposes (Isaiah 14:27; 46:9-10; Malachi 3:6). We believe that God, in His eternal purpose, predestined all things before the foundations of time (Isaiah 14:26-27; Acts 2:23; Ephesians 1:11). We believe that His decree is eternal, immutable, and absolute, including the good and wicked acts of men, so-called accidental events, the means as well as the ends, the duration of a man’s life, and the place that man lives (Malachi 3:6; Lamentations 3:37-38; John 9:1-6; Acts 17:26-27). We believe that God allows sin and doesn’t always decree what He desires (James 1:13-15; 2 Peter 3:9; Deuteronomy 29:29). We believe that man is completely responsible and culpable for his actions. God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility run as two parallel tracks that must stay in tension (Acts 2:23; John 6:35-44; Isaiah 55:8- 9). We believe that God created all things out of nothing, apart from any evolutionary processes (Genesis 1:1-31; Hebrews 11:3). We believe God created all things for His glory and is sovereign in creation and salvation (Psalm 19:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). We believe that God the Father is the author of election, the commissioner of Jesus Christ, and the Father of His redeemed children (Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 1:5; Romans 8:16-17).

God the Son

We believe that God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the world who is at the right hand of God the Father (John 3:16-17; Acts 4:11-12, 7:55). We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6). We believe that He is the creator and sustainer of the universe and the forgiver of sins (Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-4; Mark 2:5). We believe that he is the one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5-6). We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died in the place of all sinners, rose bodily from the grave, ascended back to Heaven, and is coming soon (Luke 1:34-35; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 22:12).

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that God the Holy Spirit was involved in creation, caused the virgin birth, and was the agent in giving the inspired Scriptures (Genesis 1:2; Luke 1:35; 2 Peter 1:21). We believe that the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration (Titus 3:5), baptizes believers into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13), permanently indwells them (Hebrews 8:9-11) and seals them as the guarantee of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe the Holy Spirit equips each believer with spiritual gifts which are to be used to serve and build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

2. All Scripture is inspired by God and is inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient for all things.

We believe the Bible is the written Word of God. We believe in the revelation and inspiration of all 66 books of Scripture in which God the Holy Spirit imparted the very words of God to the Bible writers and carried them along to write God’s words without error in the original manuscripts (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20- 21). We believe that the Bible is inerrant, infallible, and its authority and sufficiency endures forever (Matthew 5:17-18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). We believe the entire Bible should be interpreted and understood in its literal, grammatical, historical, and redemptive context. We believe that illumination is the act of God the Holy Spirit in which He enables believers to understand all Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:10-14; John 14:26).

3. All humanity is made in the image of God and is also sinful from birth and by action. Therefore, all humanity is spiritually dead and justly remains under the wrath of God.

We believe all humanity is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8). Everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:13-16). We believe Adam’s special creation as the first human, apart from any evolutionary processes, and existence as a real historical person is essential to the Redemptive story. We believe he chose to sin and through him death spread to all men (Romans 5:12). We believe all humanity is sinful from conception, and therefore, spiritually dead and totally depraved (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3). We believe all humanity is incapable of reaching out to God for salvation unless God first intervenes in grace (John 6:44). We believe all humanity willfully chooses to sin which flows from the heart (Mark 7:21-23; Ecclesiastes 7:20, 9:3). We believe all humanity is enslaved to sin (2 Peter 2:19; John 8:34) and no one can seek God apart from sovereign grace (Romans 3:10-11; John 6:41-44). We believe all humanity lives in unbelief and justly remains under the wrath of God because of inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin (John 3:16-21, 36).

4. Jesus Christ, eternally God the Son, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and is both fully God and fully human.

We believe that Jesus Christ has eternally existed as God’s Son (Micah 5:2; John 1:1). We believe in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, whereby, He took on a sinless human nature without ceasing to be God, therefore, remaining unblemished deity while also possessing true, sinless humanity in one person forever (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23). We believe He was born of a virgin by a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). We believe Jesus Christ was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5). While on earth He developed as all men do (Luke 2:52); He grew tired, wept, felt compassion, experienced grief, hunger, thirst, and suffered pain (John 4:6, 11:35; Matthew 9:36, 4:2; John 19:1-30). We believe Jesus Christ is the God-man.

We believe Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world and satisfied God’s wrath (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 John 2:2). We also believe that Jesus specifically paid the penalty for the sins of believers as He stood in their place on the cross (1 Timothy 4:10; Galatians 3:13; John 10:11; 2 Corinthians 5:21). We believe Jesus was resurrected bodily and proved this by displaying human characteristics while with His disciples (Luke 24:36-49; John 20:26-29, 21:4-14). We believe Jesus ascended into Heaven and will return in the same way (Acts 1:6-11).

6. Only through repentance and trust in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ can one be reconciled to God and enter Heaven.

We believe repenting from sin and turning to Jesus is the required response to the message of the Gospel (Mark 1:14-15, Acts 26:19-20; Romans 10:9). We believe that true biblical repentance directly and necessarily results from trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, reconciliation with God, and entrance to Heaven (1 John 3:9-10; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:14-16; John 14:6). We believe that God’s holiness demands a perfect atoning sacrifice for sin (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:14-16). As the only perfect man, Jesus Christ, the God-man, is the only person capable of providing salvation (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15).

We believe salvation is received solely by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from any works done by man (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:1-9). We believe faith itself is a gift from God, not something produced by man (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 2:7-15; John 3:19-20). We believe the ultimate goal of salvation is to bring glory to God by accomplishing His sovereign purposes and eternal plans (Ephesians 1:5-14). We believe that God, in eternity past, lovingly chose some to salvation (Ephesians 1:3-14; 1 Peter 1:2-5; John 6:41-51). We believe this reality in no way diminishes man’s culpability for sin, responsibility to repent, or the call to preach the Gospel to all nations (Luke 13:1-5; Acts 17:30; Matthew 28:19-20). We believe that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (John 6:35-37; Romans 10:13; 1 Timothy 2:4). We believe that genuine faith will produce a changed life and will lead to holy living (Romans 6:1-14; 1 Peter 1:14-16; James 2:17). We believe that when a person truly comes to Christ, their salvation can never be revoked by God nor can it be lost or given back by man because it is a free gift of God’s grace and a commitment He chooses to keep (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:31-39).

8. Jesus will return bodily to Earth at any moment. There will be a future bodily resurrection of the dead. Those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life. Those who do not repent and trust in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal punishment.

We believe Jesus will return at any moment for His redeemed and will subsequently establish His millennial kingdom. (Matthew 24:29-31, 36-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 20:1-6). We believe there is a literal future for Israel (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Romans 11:26-29; Acts 1:6). We believe all humans who have died will one day be raised bodily for the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15, Romans 2:5-11, Matthew 25:31-46). We believe those who have repented of sin and placed their trust solely in the person and work of Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life with God to live on a New Earth (John 5:24, Romans 8:1, Revelation 21:1-4). We believe those who have not repented of their sin and have not placed their trust solely in the person and work of Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal condemnation in Hell, a physical place of separation from the presence of God, eternal fire, torment, anguish, and pain (Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 14:11).

Section 3: Parkside Bible Church Distinctives

Baptism and Communion

Baptism and communion are the two ordinances given to the local church. Believer’s baptism is through immersion and is a public identification of union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism signifies the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as well as the believer’s death to sin and resurrection to new life. Baptism is not a requirement for salvation nor does it possess any power to save, but is commanded of believers as an act of obedience and outward demonstration of a decision to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 8:35-38; Romans 6:3-6).

Communion is a public remembrance and celebration of the death of Jesus Christ. As Christians remember the body and blood of Jesus, symbolized by the bread and juice, they are commanded to solemnly examine themselves and confess sin so as to avoid taking communion in an unworthy manner. The remembrance of Jesus’ work on the cross must lead us to celebration as we rejoice in the salvation He purchased. Like baptism, communion is reserved for believers and possesses no power to save (1 Corinthians 11:20-29; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:42-46).

Call to Mission and Church Planting

Just as Jesus was sent into the world to save sinners, so all believers are sent by God to make disciples of all nations. On an individual level, this means every believer is called to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to their friends, co-workers, neighbors, and community. Corporately, we seek to mobilize people in various small group ministries to assist one another in building relationships, serving others, and evangelizing our community and world. We also seek to use our church campus to meet our community where they are and show the love of Jesus in conjunction with sharing the good news of Jesus.

It is our belief that planting new churches is both God’s established plan to reach the nations and the most effective method to see long-term results. We therefore seek to train, equip, and send our people out to plant churches both domestically and internationally. We also partner with church planters around the globe in order to strategically invest our time, talent, and treasure in the advance of the gospel (John 20:21; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 13-15; Acts 14:21-23).

Church Membership

We believe all Christians should be members of a local church. Membership places us under the God-ordained authority of the church, gives a shared identity and unites us with a common purpose. Church membership helps us pursue these commands in community and also follows God’s design for accountability and church discipline when we depart from the calling He has placed on our lives. While this distinctive is not explicitly stated in Scripture, a careful reading of the New Testament only makes sense against the backdrop of church membership. Church membership serves as a catalyst for living in community, which is a key ingredient for displaying the image of God, loving one another, and living on mission (1 Corinthians 5:1-11; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 5:1-10; John 13:35).

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe God wonderfully and immutably creates all human beings in his image as either male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders beautifully picture both the image and nature of God. Human marriage is also a picture of Jesus’ marriage to the church where He is the groom and the church is the bride. This imagery also demands that male and female be understood as distinct and complementary. (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 5:22-33; Galatians 3:27-29).

God has gloriously ordained marriage to be an exclusive union of one man and one woman for life. God designed and planned sexual intimacy to be only within the context of marriage. All sexual activity outside of marriage is expressly forbidden (Genesis 2:18-25; Romans 1:26-28; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4).

God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness are freely given to all who repent of their sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ. Further, we believe all human beings should be treated with love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful attitudes and behaviors are to be repudiated and are not in accord with the practices of this church and, more importantly, with the teaching of Scripture (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 3:19-21; Mark 12:28-31; John 4:1-42).

Women in Ministry

We believe men and women possess complete equality in essence, value and dignity. God’s divine design is that they have complementary, distinct roles within the church. We encourage women to use their spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ wherever possible unless Scripture clearly excludes women from a given ministry role. The office and role of pastor is reserved for spiritually qualified men. The issue is not only whether women hold the title of pastor, but also whether they perform the roles designated by God for pastors. Just as the different roles and mutual submission within the Trinity do not indicate inequality, so different roles and mutual submission within the church do not indicate inequality (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 1:2; John 6:38; Galatians 3:27-29).

Sanctity of Life

We believe that all humans are made in the image of God. As the only beings made in the image of God, all humans possess immense value. Because God deeply loves humanity and identifies himself as a defender of the weak, we should do the same. As God’s ambassadors on Earth, we are called to defend, protect, and value all human life. This includes pre-born babies, the elderly, the physically challenged, the mentally challenged, the poor, refugees, orphans, and widows (Genesis 1:27-28; Psalm 139:13-16; Proverbs 14:31; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 82:3-4; James 1:27).

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