The Church

We believe and teach that the Universal Church, which began with the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, is the body and bride of Christ. It is the spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of the present age. Acts 2:1-13; 1 Corinthians 12:13-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:25-27

We believe and teach that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. Acts 14:27; Acts 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11

Ordinances

We believe and teach that the Lord Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the Church in this present age. These are believers’ water baptism, practiced by immersion, and the Lord's Supper, observed as a memorial of His death. Acts 8:12; Acts 8:35-39; Acts 10:47-48; 1 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

Missions

We believe and teach that Christ commissioned individuals in the Church to make disciples from among all nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

We believe and teach that the Lord Jesus Christ gives the Church evangelists and pastor teachers. These gifted men are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Ephesians 4:7-16

We believe and teach that the Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts upon believers for Christian service and the edification of the Church. Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11

We believe and teach that the church age was initiated through the ministry of the apostles and prophets accompanied by sign gifts to confirm their message. These sign gifts gradually ceased by the time of the completion of the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; 13:8-10; 14:1-28; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 2:3-4

We believe and teach that God hears and answers prayer in accord with His own will for healing of the sick and afflicted. Sickness is not always a result of one's personal sin, but is to be expected while living in a body of sin that one day will be redeemed. 1 Corinthians 15:42-57; Philippians 2:25-30; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 3:20; 1 John 5:14-15

Biblical Separation and Unity

We believe and teach that Christians should be separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating holy living in all personal and church associations and relationships. We believe and teach that the biblical basis for unity in the body of Christ is truth as revealed in the Scriptures. It is the church’s responsibility to endeavor to maintain the unity of the faith while separating from apostasy and those who have deviated from biblical doctrine and behavior. It is our desire in this pursuit to maintain an attitude characterized by love and humility. Matthew 18:15-17; John 17:17-23; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 2:14; James 4:4-5; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 2:15 -7; John 17:11-21

Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, and Sexuality

We believe and teach that marriage was given by God as part of His common grace, and that it has no meaning other than as He has provided. We teach that marriage is subject to the curse of the Fall but that believers, living in obedience to the Scripture and under the control of the Holy Spirit, can begin to experience peaceful, productive, and fulfilled marriage as intended by God Gen. 2:18-24; 3:16; 1 Peter 3:7

We believe and teach that the marriages of believers are to illustrate the loving relationship of Christ and His church, with the husband loving his wife as Christ loves the church and the wife responding to her husband’s loving leadership as the church responds to Christ. Eph. 5:18–33

We believe and teach that as believers’ marriages are to illustrate Christ’s relationship with His church, believers should choose to marry those who share their faith and regenerate life. 2 Cor. 6:14

We believe and teach that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in scripture. Gen. 2:23–24

We believe and teach that marriage is always a public, formal, and officially recognized covenant between a man and a woman. We teach that without such a covenant, which may include a “common law marriage,” where valid in specific cases under pertinent law, prolonged conjugal cohabitation does not establish, and is not equivalent to, marriage. John 4:18

We believe and teach that where no such covenant exists, or can be discerned, between cohabiting couples prior to coming to faith in Christ, family units should be preserved to the extent possible and, if otherwise appropriate, solemnization encouraged. We teach that where a valid marriage has been established prior to coming to faith in Christ, the couple should remain married. 1 Cor. 7:24

We believe and teach that God hates divorce, permitting it only where there has been unrepentant sexual sin or desertion by an unbeliever. Mal. 2:14–16; Matt. 5:32, 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:12–15

We believe and teach that remarriage is permitted to a faithful partner, but only when the divorce was on biblical grounds. We believe and teach that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We teach that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Heb. 13:4

We believe and teach that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pedophilia, pornography, or any attempt to change one’s sex or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. Lev. 18:1–30; Matt. 5:28; Rom. 1:26–29; 1 Cor. 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1–8

We believe and teach that homosexuality, in particular, is subject to God’s wrath of abandonment, is a matter of choice and not inherited status, and epitomizes man’s ungrateful rebellion against God. Rom. 1:18–28

We believe and teach that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or the doctrines of the church. We teach that the faithful proclamation of the Scripture, including the call to repentance, does not constitute hate speech, or hateful and harassing behavior, but is instead a fundamental part of the church’s loving mission to the world. Matt. 28:16–20; 2 Cor. 5:11–20; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:1–2

We believe and teach that God offers redemption and forgiveness to all who confess and forsake their sin, including sexual sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe and teach that His forgiveness is total and complete and that God imputes the full righteousness of Christ to the believing sinner. Ps. 103:11–12, 130:3–4; Is. 43:25; 44:22; John 5:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Col. 2:13–14

We believe and teach that the forgiven sinner has been cleansed from the guilt of sin, set apart unto God, or made holy, and justified before Him. 1 Cor. 6:9–11 We believe and teach that any man or woman who has received that forgiveness is “in Christ” and is a “new creation”. 2 Cor. 5:17

Dispensationalism

We believe and teach that the Bible, interpreted in its normal, literal, historical and grammatical sense, reveals divinely determined dispensations, which define man's responsibility in successive ages. A dispensation is not a way of salvation, but the manner in which God administers His rule over the world as He progressively works out His purpose for humanity. We teach that God’s program for Israel and the church are distinctly separate. John 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6

We believe and teach that salvation is always by grace through faith regardless of the dispensation in which the believer may have lived. God's plan of salvation by grace through faith alone has always been based upon the substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:10-12

The Personality of Satan

We believe and teach that Satan is a created being, the author of sin, the tempter in the fall, the declared enemy of God and man, and the god of this age. He will be eternally punished in the lake of fire. Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10

Life after Death We believe and teach that the souls of the believers are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious awareness they joyfully await the first resurrection. Then the spirit, soul, and body are reunited and glorified to be forever with the Lord. Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6

We believe and teach that the souls of unbelievers are, at death, absent from the body and separated from the Lord, where in conscious misery they await the second resurrection. Then the spirit, soul, and body are reunited and condemned at the Great White Throne Judgment. Then, they will be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15

The Second Coming and Millennial Kingdom of Christ

We believe and teach that the church will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to the second coming at the constitution of Daniels 70th week. Christ will come to earth to occupy the throne of David, and to establish His Messianic kingdom for a thousand years on the earth. During this time all the glorified saints will reign with Him over Israel and all the nations of the earth. This reign will be preceded by the overthrow of the antichrist and the false prophet, and by the removal of Satan from the earth. Ezekiel 37:21-28; Luke 1:31-33; Revelation 20:1-7; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 9:24-27; 12:2-3; Zechariah 14:4-11; Matthew 24:15-31; 25:31-46; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6

We believe and teach that the kingdom itself will be the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel, to restore them to the land, which they forfeited through disobedience. Israel was temporarily set aside, but will once again be awakened through repentance, to enter into the land of blessing. The Lord's reign on earth will be characterized by harmony, justice, peace, righteousness, and long life. He will be unsuccessfully challenged by Satan after the thousand years. Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 11:1-16; Isaiah 65:17 25; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:22-38; Romans 11; Revelation 20:7

The Judgment of the Unsaved

We believe and teach that following the release of Satan after the thousand-year reign, Satan will deceive the nations of the earth and gather them to battle against the beloved city Jerusalem. Satan and his army will then be devoured by fire from heaven, and he will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. Then God will resurrect and judge all the unsaved at the Great White Throne judgment. John 5:22; Revelation 20:7-15

The Eternal State

We believe and teach that following the conclusion of the millennial kingdom; the saints will enter the eternal state of glory with God. At this time the elements of the earth are to be dissolved and replaced with a new heaven and earth. The Holy City that comes down out of heaven is the dwelling of God with men. The Lord Jesus Christ, having fulfilled His redemptive mission, will then deliver up the kingdom to God the Father. After that the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him and reign forever. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21-22

*If you would like to obtain a printed copy of this Doctrinal Statement and/or the DBC Constitution (for members only) please call or email the church office.