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The Commonplace Church doctrinal statement is as follows:
The Word of God
We believe that the Holy Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God comprised of the sixty-six canonical books of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Holy Bible is without error in the original manuscripts. We believe that the Bible was written under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21, Matthew 4:4, Psalm 19:7-9, Deuteronomy 18:18–20
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God who is the Creator of all things. He is sovereign over all Creation, perfect in every way, holy and loving. We believe that He exists eternally in three divine persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that these three persons are equal in every divine perfection with distinct yet harmonious roles in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
Isaiah 45:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, Titus 3:4-7, Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
God the Father
We believe in God the Father who is an infinite being, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully and graciously in the affairs of humanity, that He hears and answers prayer, and saves anyone from sin and death who repents and comes to Him through personal confession of faith in Jesus Christ by His grace.
Exodus 34:6, 2 Peter 3:9, Psalm 66:19, 1 John 5:14-15, John 3:16-18
God the Son - Jesus Christ
We believe in God the Son who has existed eternally as the only begotten Son of God the Father. He was sent to earth to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin, taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Being fully God and fully man, Jesus Christ lived a sinless and holy life, performed many miracles and left His disciples with many teachings. We believe in His substitutionary, atoning death by crucifixion, bodily resurrection, ascension into Heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and future visible return to earth.
John 1:14, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:23, Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22, Acts 2:22-23, 1 Timothy 3:16, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 9:28
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in God the Holy Spirit who exists eternally and came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ at the moment of regeneration and secures them until the day of redemption. We believe that the Holy Spirit assigns gifts, enables believers to proclaim the Gospel, and is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
John 14:16-17, John 14:26, John 16:8-11, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Peter 1:12
Humanity and Sin
We believe that all people are created by God in His image and therefore have inherent worth and value. We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, are guilty of sin and are therefore separated from God and in need of forgiveness and regeneration. We believe that sin was brought into this world by humankind. Sin is any act or thought of disobedience and rejection of God and His will. The penalty for sin is physical and spiritual death.
Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 6:30, Matthew 10:29-31, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10, Psalm 5:4
Salvation, Regeneration & Reconciliation
We believe that all people who confess with their mouths and believe in their hearts that Jesus Christ is their personal Savior and Lord and repent of their sins receive eternal salvation of their souls and are reconciled back to God. We believe that regeneration takes place when a person believes and is made spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit, therefore being revived from their previous state of separation from God. We believe that humanity is incapable of attaining salvation themselves and it is only available by God’s abundant grace through faith in Christ. We believe that salvation is permanent for all regenerated believers and cannot be lost.
Ephesians 2:1–3, John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, Romans 5:8-11, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 3:8, Psalm 37:39, Acts 4:12, John 6:44
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification refers to both the state of being immediately set apart (or holy) upon regeneration, as well as the ongoing process of growing to be more like Jesus. We believe that the ongoing, progressive process of sanctification is carried on in the believer consciously striving to become more like Jesus through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who guarantees the completion of their sanctification upon the return of Jesus Christ and their resurrection with Him. We believe the Holy Spirit sanctifies through ordinary means of grace, such as the preaching and reading of the Word, baptism, worship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer. Though a sinless life is not possible in this world, we believe that the disciple of Christ will be sanctified over time to look increasingly Christlike in the way they live.
Acts 20:32, Acts 26:18, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 1:8-10, 1 John 3:5-9, Ephesians 4:20-24, Philippians 3:12, Philippians 1:6, John 17:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18
The Church
We believe in the universal church; a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a community of united believers in Jesus Christ, known by their love for one another, ascribing to a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, good works and fellowship. We believe that God has commissioned the members of the local church with equipping and discipling one another, and giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. We believe the local church is to be led by biblically qualified elders, who shepherd the body and protect sound doctrine, along with deacons and leaders who serve the body.
Colossians 1:18, Romans 12:4-5, John 13:35, Mark 16:15, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:11-13, Acts 2:42, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper (or communion). We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. Baptism does not cause salvation, but rather demonstrates the cleansing of the believer’s sin through faith in Christ and signifies the believer’s salvation. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. The Lord’s Supper does not cause salvation, but rather serves as a commemoration of Christ’s body and blood being offered as an atoning sacrifice for all believers. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:3-4, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Satan
We believe that Satan (also sometimes referred to as the devil or the enemy) is a created being with a distinct and real personality. We believe that he is a fallen angel, the ruler of this world, the adversary of Christ, His church and all of humanity. We believe that he is fully opposed to God and His good and perfect will, and therefore believers are called to rely on God in order to resist his attempts of deception and temptation. We believe that his destiny is eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2, John 13:2, John 14:30, 1 John 3:8, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Romans 16:20, Revelation 20:1-3, Revelation 20:7-10
The End Of The Age
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to raise the dead and establish His kingdom at a time unknown to all besides the Father. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal salvation of the regenerated in God’s presence, and the eternal suffering of the unregenerate separated from God’s presence. We believe heaven and the earth will pass away and be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth where all regenerated believers will dwell for all eternity.
Hebrews 9:28, Mark 13:32, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 21:33, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:1-4