At Solid Rock Church, we consider our doctrine to be our primary beliefs that unify us as a church, and we consider our stances to be guidelines on practical, tertiary issues that guide our practices but do not divide us as a church. Our doctrine, or non-negotiable beliefs expressed in our Statement of Faith, is derived from clear, Biblical teachings and mandates. We consider our stances to be tertiary and based on careful and prayerful study of the Scriptures. It is our policy to avoid division over tertiary issues in order to maintain the unity we have in Christ and pursue our main task of making disciples for Jesus for the glory of God. Our stances address theological or ecclesiological issues that are tertiary, yet necessary for functioning as the body of Christ. Our stances represent our best application of Biblical wisdom and Holy Spirit guidance in practical matters that aren’t explicitly mandated in the Scriptures.
Statement of Faith
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving Trinitarian unity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
Genesis 1, 3:22; Deuteronomy 4:32-40, 6:4-6; Isaiah 40:1-29; John 1:1-5, 14, 17-18, 10:30, 14:15-17; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 2:18
The Work of the Father
We believe that the Father, being fully God, presides in sovereign authority over His creation and redemptive plan according to His purpose and will. He has chosen to reveal Himself through creation and the Scriptures as a loving father who adopts men and women as legitimate children and co-heirs with Jesus. God the Father planned and directed the redemption of the world by sending His Son into the world to rescue the nations, reconcile all wrongs, recover all that was lost in the fall, and to restore the universe to its perfectly created purpose and condition for His own glory.
John 3:16; Philippians 4:20; 1 John 3:1; 1 Peter 1:1-3; Hebrews 12:7; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 1:1-14, 17; Galatians 1:1-4; Romans 1, 8, 15:6
The Work of the Son
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. He is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures, begotten from the Father. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah King and was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. In perfect obedience to the Father, He lived a sinless life and, according to God's set purpose and foreknowledge, was crucified under both Roman and Jewish authority, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest, Advocate and Judge. We believe that Jesus Christ satisfied the Father’s wrath toward us, as our representative and substitute, by shedding His blood on the cross as the perfect, all sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 1:18-23, 3:16-17, 20:28; Mark 8:27-30; John 1:1, 1:14, 5:18, 10:33; Acts 1:1-11; Romans 5:19, 8:3; 2 Corinthians 4:4, 5:21, 8:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1 & 8; Isaiah 53; Matthew 16:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; 1 John 2:1-2
The Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, being fully God, proceeding from the Father, and sent by the Son, is the presence of God in spirit form. He reveals the will of God in unification with God’s character and the truth of the Scriptures. He leads sinners to salvation by opening their eyes to see and stirring their hearts to believe the truth of the Gospel. For those who believe, He is the indwelling presence of God who regenerates sinners into saints, causing the believing sinner to be born again into a new life in Christ. He guides believers through the life-long journey of sanctification, empowers believers for Christlike living, and equips believers with spiritual gifts (including the miraculous spiritual gifts listed in the Scriptures) for the edification and unification of the church and for living the mission of Jesus to make disciples of the nations. He eternally seals and guarantees the inheritance of the saints.
Ephesians 1:11-14, 16-18; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 3:14-16; John 3:3-8, 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:7-8, 16:12-14; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; Romans 8:9-11, 14-17, 26-27; Acts 1:8, 11:15-18, 26:15-20; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Galatians 4:6
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. Inspired and superintended by God, the Bible is without error in the original writings. It is the complete and infallible revelation of God’s will for redemption and sufficient as the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, trusted in all that it promises, and obeyed in all that it requires. At Solid Rock Church, we affirm and teach from all modern translations that strive to be faithful to the original writings.
Deuteronomy 5:1-5; Psalm 19:7-14, 119; 2 Peter 1:16-21, 3:2; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Matthew 5:17-18; Acts 3:21-25, 10:43; Luke 24:25-27, 44-49; John 20:30-31, 21:24-25
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image. We also believe that both Adam and Eve committed sin when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and exist justly under the penalty of His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.
Genesis 3, 8:21; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:9-20, 7:7-25; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; Jude 4, 8, 10, 16, 18-19
Salvation
We believe that salvation is God freely saving sinners from eternal punishment for their sins. God’s salvation is freely offered to sinners by His grace through faith alone in Christ alone. We believe that Christ, by His obedient and sacrificial death on the cross, took the place of sinners and endured the punishment for their sins. By His obedient and sacrificial death, He satisfied the just demands of God on our behalf, rendering believers as justified and righteous before God’s holy presence. Salvation takes place when a person places their faith in Jesus by believing that He is the Son of God, repenting of their sins, and trusting in His promises. Salvation is the supernatural work of God where He regenerates sinners into saints, causing the believing sinner to be born again into a new life in Christ. Through salvation, sinners are eternally secured and freed from the eternal penalty for their sins, not as a result, in whole or in part, of their own works, goodness, or religious ceremony, but by the undeserved favor of God alone. God declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.
John 1:12; Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:1-10; Colossians 1:21-22; Philippians 2:4-11; Acts 2:37-41; 1 John 1:9; 1 Peter 1:3-9
The Church
We believe that the true Church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The Church is united into the body of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. The Church prevails in its mission to make disciples of the nations under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The universal Church is manifested in local churches whose membership is composed only of believers.
Matthew 7:24-27, 16:13-20, 18:15-20; Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-36; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Galatians 1:2; Ephesians 2:8-22, 4:1-16, 5:22-33, 6:10-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 5:9-14; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Ephesians 6:10-13; John 13:34-35
Ordinances Of The Church
We believe that Jesus initiated and commanded the church to participate in two ordinances: baptism and communion. The ordinances visibly and tangibly express the Gospel. Though they are not the means to salvation, when celebrated by the Church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer and call sinners to repentance and salvation by proclaiming the Gospel.
- Water baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ's atoning work. Baptism is an essential step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in obedience to Christ's command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person's union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that the believer’s former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts a person's release from the mastery of sin. Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; Acts 2:38-41; 8:34-39; 9:17-19; 10:44-48; 1 Peter 3:18-22
- Communion is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ's body (the bread) and the shedding of His blood (the cup) on our behalf, and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ's death. As we partake of the Lord's Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ's body. Matthew 11:28-30, 18:15-20, 23:4, 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-20; I Corinthians 5:11, 11:17-34; Exodus 6:6-7; Galatians 4:4-7, 5:1, 6:1-2; Romans 6:12-18, 8:15, 9:23-26; 2 Corinthians 6:16
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose to transform sinners into the image of His Son. Therefore, Christian living is made visible in loving God supremely and others sacrificially. Christian living is the fruit of salvation and is demonstrated in a believer’s pursuit of personal holiness, care for fellow believers, compassion toward the poor, and justice for the oppressed, always ready to engage in the ministry of reconciliation and living the mission of Jesus to make disciples of the nations in their everyday lives. Christian living is an outward manifestation of the lifelong process of sanctification in which believers participate in God’s supernatural, transformative work by submitting to the truth of God’s Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, discipleship from mature believers, and practicing the spiritual disciplines (i.e. fasting, study of scripture, meditation and prayer).
Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Psalm 119; Matthew 22:34-40; 28:19-20; John 17:19; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 4:17-5:21; 6:10-18; Philippians 2:12-18; Colossians 3:1-4:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Titus 2:1-3:11; 1 Peter 4:1-11
Christ’s Return
We believe that hope for a believer is found solely in the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to Godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.
Matthew 24:27-44; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:3; Revelation 22:7-21
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands a person to believe the Gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead in bodily form and judge the world: unbelievers will be assigned to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment (hell); believers will receive eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth for the sole purpose of knowing the full presence of God and enjoying Him forever
Daniel 12:1-3; Matthew 7:13-27; 13:40-43; 10:28-33; 12:36; 25:31-46; 13:40-43, 47-50; 24:1-51; Mark 1:15; John 3:16-18; Acts 26:20; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Jude 5-7, 14-15; Revelation 20:1-21:27
Stances
As stated above, our stances represent our best application of Biblical wisdom and Holy Spirit guidance in practical matters that aren’t explicitly mandated in the Scriptures. We consider our stances to be tertiary and based on careful and prayerful study of the Scriptures. It is our practice to avoid division over tertiary issues in order to maintain the unity we have in Christ and pursue our main task of making disciples for Jesus for the glory of God. Please find our stances listed below: