A High View Of God
God is holy, righteous, and just; therefore, we must be holy (1 Pet. 1:13-16). A failure to have a high view of God leads to a toleration of sin, a focus on man, and a church that reflects a man-centered ministry that attempts to please people rather than glorify God.
A High View Of Scripture
The Bible is totally sufficient to live the Christian life, for all counsel and wisdom (2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is the sole authority for the church, is relevant in every situation, contains all sound doctrine, and mandates the teaching of this sound doctrine in the church (2 Tim. 1:13). We interpret it with a grammatical-historical hermeneutic system and preach it expositionally.
Biblical View Of Mankind
Man is totally depraved. He was created to glorify God, but because of sin, he seeks to glorify himself. His sin alienates him from God and thus he seeks fulfillment in the world’s evil system. There was nothing good in man to commend himself to God (Rom. 3:10-12).
Biblical View Of The Church
The church is to be a Storehouse of divine truth, providing a context of loving fellowship for the purpose of mutual edification. It is a training center where people grow through application of teaching and using their spiritual gifts. It is to be a light in this dark world for the evangelizing of God’s elect (Eph. 4:11-13).
Biblical View Of Church Leadership
Leaders must reflect the character of Christ to be models for the flock as defined by 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. They must equip the saints to do the work of the ministry and reproduce themselves in the lives of others. GCCSB operates by the biblical mandate of leadership by qualified male elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7).
Biblical View Of The Gospel
The gospel is the center of the life of the church and the means by which God saves the elect (Acts 13:48). The gospel was Jesus’ message and is used by God to give strength to the church (Rom. 16:25-26). The church is to guard the gospel, which includes the key element of humble repentance of sin before the Lord and acknowledgment of having violated God’s holy standards (Gal. 1:6-9). The gospel is the foundation for our highest praise and worship of Christ.
Biblical View Of Worship
Worship is to be God-centered and gospel-focused. Worship is the supreme and only indispensable activity of the Christian Church. It alone will endure when the other activities of the church have ceased. Acceptable worship has always been based upon sacrifice addressing God’s existence, character, and His mercy to us through Christ (Rev. 7:9-12).