What We Believe

Dry Creek Bible Church Doctrinal Statement

Primary Doctrines:

The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings (II Tim. 3:16,17; II Pet. 1:20,21; Matt. 5:18; Jn. 16:12,13; I Cor. 2:13).

The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfectness (Gen. 1:26,27; 11:7; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:3-8; II Cor. 13:14; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-5; I Cor. 8:6).

The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26,27; Rom. 3:22,23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12).

The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (Jn. 1:1,2,14; Lk. 1:35; Col. 1:15; Phil. 2:5-8).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a propitiatory, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24,25; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9,10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I Jn. 2:1,2).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (Jn. 16:8-11; II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:1-5; Rom. 6:1-11; 8:9; Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:21,22; Acts 1:5).

We believe that He is the divine teacher who guides believers into all truth and testifies of Jesus Christ; and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Jn. 16:13; I Jn. 2:20-27; Eph. 5:18).

Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and freely received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; Jn. 1:12; I Pet. 1:13,19).

We believe that genuine faith in Christ guarantees the fruit of good works in the believer’s life (Jms. 2:20; Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:11-14; I John).

The Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (Jn. 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,38,39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:5).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 6:1-13; 13:13,14; Gal. 5:13; Tit. 2:11-15).

The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that even though a Christian is fully redeemed in Christ in a positional sense, the benefits of that redemption are not yet fully applied to him in a practical sense. The full effect of redemption on the believer’s body will not be known until the return of Christ for the Church (Rom. 8:23). Thus the believer, even though a new creation in Christ (II Cor. 5:17), yet lives in a body of sin also referred to in the New Testament as the flesh (Rom. 7:23,24). However, in the gospel of Christ full provision is made for the believer to live free from the dominion of his flesh (Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-13; Col. 2:20-3:5), but eradication of the flesh and thus sinless perfection in this life is impossible.

Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1; 14:13; Eph. 4:1; I Jn. 2:15-17; II Jn. 9-11; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; I Pet. 1:16).

The Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 12;2).

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17; 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:5-11).

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that these gifts are for the purpose of edifying the local church. Each Christian is specially gifted to do a spiritual ministry as led by Christ (Eph. 4:16; Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11).

Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mk. 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19,20; Matt. 28:18-20).

Ordinances:

Baptism
We believe that water baptism by immersion is a physical act which pictures the work of spiritual baptism performed by the Holy Spirit at the point of a person’s faith in Christ as taught in Romans 6:3,4. Water baptism we believe, is not necessary for salvation, but is an important and even necessary act of obedience for every born-again believer to take part in to display publicly what they believe God has done for them by His Spirit eternally (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:38,41; 18:8).

The Lord’s Supper (Communion)
We believe that the Lord’s Supper serves as a memorial of the vicarious suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. We believe the elements are symbols of His body and blood; and, that their consumption is not a means of salvation nor inward cleansing. We believe the Christian’s participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience to Christ’s command, “this do” (I Cor. 11:23-26).

Interpretation of Scripture
We believe that the Bible should be carefully studied and literally interpreted in its grammatical, historical, and cultural context. Only when the Scripture clearly indicates by its own context that its statements are figurative or symbolic should it be interpreted in this sense.

Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God; that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Job 1:6,7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

The Return of Christ
We believe in the “blessed hope,” the personal and imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones (I Thess. 4:13-18; Tit. 2:11-13; I Pet. 1:3-7; Rom. 13:11-12; I Thess. 5:1,2).

The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; Jn. 5:28,29; Rev. 20:5,6,12,13).

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious rest they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Lk. 23:42; Rev. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16,17).

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the great white throne judgment, and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Lk. 16:19-26; Matt. 25:4-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6,7; Mk. 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).

"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ."
-- Chrysostom