Wausau bible church doctrinal statement
Of the Scriptures
Matthew 5:18, 24:35
John 10:35
I Corinthians 2:13
2 Timothy 3:15-17
2 Peter 1:20-21
We believe that the Bible is God's written revelation to man, and thus the 66 books of the Bible given to us by the Holy Spirit constitute the complete Word of God. It is verbally inspired in every word, absolutely inerrant in the original documents, infallible and God-breathed. Furthermore, it is the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
Of God
Deuteronomy 6:4
Isaiah 45:5-7
Matthew 28:19
John 4:24
1 Corinthians 8:4
2 Corinthians 13:14
Father
Genesis 1
Psalm 103:19
Psalm 145:8-9
Romans 11:36
Ephesians 3:9
Son
John 1:3, 10:30, 14:9
Colossians 1:15-17
Hebrews 1:2
Isaiah 7:14
Matthew 1:23, 25
Luke 1:26-35
John 10:35
Romans 3:24-25
Philippians 2:5-8
Colossians 2:9
1 Peter 2:24
John 5:26-29, 14:19
Romans 1:4, 4:25, 6:5-10
1 Corinthians 15:20, 23
Hebrews 7:25
1 John 2:1-2
Matthew 25:14-46
Acts 17:30-31
1 Timothy 2:5
Holy Spirit
Genesis 1:2
Matthew 1:18, 28:19
John 3:5-7
Acts 5:3-4, 28:25-26
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
2 Corinthians 13:14
Hebrews 9:14
2 Peter 1:20-21
Romans 8:9
1 Corinthians 12:13
2 Corinthains 3:6
Ephesians 1:13
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13:8-10
2 Corinthians 12:12
Ephesians 4:7-12
Hebrews 2:14
We believe that there is but one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each equally deserving worship and obedience.
Father We believe that God the father, the first Person of the Trinity, is the Creator Who orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose. He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption, being the absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe.
Son We believe that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine attributes and in these He is coequal with the Father. All things were created through the Son and by Him they continue in their existence.
At the incarnation (God becoming man) the eternally existing second Person of the Trinity accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity and so became the God-Man, while surrendering nothing of His deity. He was born of the virgin Mary to accomplish our redemption through the shedding of His blood in a sacrificial death on the cross. This death was voluntary, substitutionary and redemptive.
In the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, the Father confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. this resurrection also provides the assurance of a future resurrection life for all believers. Having ascended to heaven, Christ is now our Advocate and High Priest.
As the only Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ is the final judge of all who fail to place their trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is coequal and co-essential with the Father and the Son, possessing all the divine attributes. He executes the divine will with relation to all mankind. The Scriptures declare His sovereignty activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation and all asects of the work of salvation.
He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing believers into the body of Christ; indwelling, sanctifying, instructing, empowering them for service and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
He administers spiritual gifts to the church, bestowing them for the perfecting of the saints. These gifts can be divided into ministry gifts and miraculous gifts. Ministry gifts include both persons (evangelists, pastors and teachers) and divine empowerment of church members for the common edification of the body of Christ. Miraculous gifts include divine verbal revelation and the working of sign miracles in the early days of the church and were intended to authenticate both the apostles and apostolic teaching as having divine authority. They were never intended to be permanent gifts in the lives of believers and gradually passed away following the death of the apostles.
Of Man
Fall
Genesis 2:7
Isaiah 43:7, 21
James 3:9
Revelation 4:11
Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-19
John 3:36
Romans 3:23, 6:23
1 Corinthians 2:14
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 Timothy 2:13-14
1 John 1:8
Death
Luke 23:43
1 Corinthians 15:35-44, 50-54
2 Corinthians 5:8
Philippians 1:21-24, 3:21
Revelation 6:9-11
Daniel 12:2
Matthew 25:41-46
Luke 16:19-26
John 5:28-29
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
Revelation 20:11-15
Identity
Genesis 3:16
Galatians 3:26-28
Ephesians 5:21-25
1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-12
Titus 1:5-9, 2:1-8
1 Peter 3:1-9
Genesis 2:23-24
Leviticus 18:1-30
Romans 1:26-29
1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9, 7:1-40
Colossians 3:18-19
1 Thessalonians 4:3-6
1 Timothy 3:2, 12
Hebrews 13:4
Fall We believe that man was created directly by God in His image and likeness, without sin and with a moral responsibility to his Creator. God's intention in creation was that man should glorify God, enjoy His fellowship and live eternally within His will.
In Adam's sin of disobedience, man lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, fell under the wrath of God and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. Man's salvation is thereby wholly of God's grace through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Death Physical death involves no loss of our immaterial consciousness, but the soul of the believer passes immediately into the presence of Christ. There is, however, a separation of soul and body at death and, for the redeemed, such separation will be continue until the rapture, which initiates the first resurrection, when our soul and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with Christ. Until that time, the souls of the redeemed in Christ remain in joyful fellowship with Him.
The souls of unbelievers at death are kept under punishment until the second resurrection when the soul and the resurrection body will be united. They will then appear at the Last Judgment and will be committed to the lake of fire, cut off from the life of God forever.
Identity We believe that men and women are created in God's image and are therefore equal before God, yet distinct in the manhood and womanhood. These unalterable distinctions in gender provide for masculine and feminine roles that are ordained by God as part of His created order. In light of this we believe that headship in the home and church is reserved for men and only men may hold the offices of elders/bishops/pastors and deacons. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by this church.
We believe that intimate sexual activity has been given by God for both enjoyment and procreation within the bonds of marriage and that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. We reject as sinful perversions of God's gift such sins as homosexuality, bestiality, fornication, adultery and pornography.
Of Salvation
John 1:12
Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10
1 Peter 1:18-19
Saving Faith
John 1:12-13, 3:16, 6:47
Acts 16:31b
Romans 5:1-2
Ephesians 2:8
2 Corinthians 5:17
Justification
Luke 13:3
Acts 2:38, 3:19, 11:18
Romans 2:4, 3:26, 8:33. 10:9=10
1 Corinthians 12:3
2 Corinthians 4:5
Philippians 2:11
Sanctification
Acts 20:32
1 Corinthians 1:2 & 30, 6:11
2 Thessalonians 2:13
1 Peter 1:2
John 17:17 & 19
Romans 6:11
2 Corinthians 3:18
Philippians 2:12-13
1 Thessalonians 3:3-4, 5:23
Eternal Security
John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:27-30
Romans 5:9-10, 8:1, 8:31-39
1 Corinthians 1:4-8
Ephesians 4:30
Hebrews 7:25, 13:5
1 Peter 1:5
Jude 24
Separation
Romans 12:2
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Titus 2:11-14
1 John 2:15-17, 3:1-10
2 John 9-11
We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and not on the basis of human merit or works.
Saving Faith We believe that Christ died as a penal substitution for the sin of the world and that all who put their faith in Christ alone are granted forgiveness and eternal life through a creative act of the Holy Spirit whereby the sinner is made a new creation in Christ and becomes a child of God.
Justification We believe that justification is an act of God in which He imputes a righteous standing in Christ to those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins and confess Him as Lord and Savior. In this act God is enabled to "be just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Sanctification We believe sanctification has two dimensions: 1) Every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by justification, declared to be holy and is called a saint. This is called personal sanctification. 2) Progressive sanctification is that gracious work of the Spirit enabling, motivating and empowering ever greater obedience through which the believer increases in holiness, becoming more and more like Christ.
Eternal Security We believe that all Christians are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever.
Separation We believe that all Christians will desire to live in a way that brings praise to our glorious God. Therefore, separation from sinful practices and religious apostasy is the noble duty of every Christian. Our lives should affirm that God has called us to a continual pursuit of Christian virtue and holiness.
Of the Church
Acts 2:1-21, 2:38-47
1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 15:51-52
2 Corinthians 11:2
Ephesians 1:22, 2:11-3:6, 4:15, 5:23-32
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 19:7-8
Teaching
Acts 14:23, 14:27, 20:17, 20:28
Galatians 1:2
Ephesians 4:11
Philippians 1:1
1 Thessalonians 1:1
2 Thessalonians 1:1
1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17-22
Titus 1:5-9
Hebrews 10:25
1 Peter 5:1-5
Purpose
Matthew 18:15-22, 28:19-20
Acts 1:8, 2:24, 2:47, 5:1-11
1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 10:16-17, 11:23-31
Ephesians 3:21 4:13-16
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
1 Timothy 1:19-20
2 Timothy 2:2, 3:16-17
Healing
Luke 18:1-6
John 5:7-9
2 Corinthians 12:6-10
James 5L13-16
1 John 5:14-15
Baptism
Acts 2:38-42, 8:36-39
Romans 6:1-11
1 Peter 3:21
The Lord's Supper
2 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-32
We believe that the church, which is Christ's spiritual body, consists of all who have plcaed faith in Him as Lord and Savior. At the moment of salvation, each believer is placed into the church by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of this body, the church and as such it is a unique spiritual organism comprised of believers only. It began at Pentecost and will be completed at the rapture.
Members of this spiritual body are taught by the Holy Spirit to associate themselves together in local assemblies. Under Christ, the Head, are the biblically sanctioned offices of elders (also called bishops, pastors, pastor/teachers) and deacons. Christ has given such men to lead as His servants. As such, they must meet the biblical qualifications and the congregation is charged to submit to their leadership.
The purpose of the local church is to glorify God by edifying itself in the faith, instruction in the Word, fellowship, keeping the ordinances and proclaiming the gospel to the entire world. Therefore we emphasize the importance of discipleship, mutual accountability and church discipline as we submit to God in accomplishing His purposes through the church.
While no one possesses the miraculous goft of healing today, God does hear and answer prayer of faith and will answer in accordance with His own perfect will for the sick, suffering and afflicted.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are two ordinances committed to the local church:
1) Baptism by immersion is the testimony of a believer demonstrating his/her faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior and his/her union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. It is practiced within a community of saints, being a sign of the believer's association with them.
2) The Lord's Supper is the commemoration and proclomation of our union with one another in Christ through His death, and should always be preceeded by solemn self-examination. While the elements of the Lord's Supper are only representative of the flesh and body of Christ, participation is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, Who indwells every believer and is present, in fellowship with His people.
Of Last Things
Rapture
John 14:1-3
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Titus 2:13
Tribulation
Jeremiah 30:7
Daniel 9:27, 12:1-2
Matthew 24:15-31, 25:31-46
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12
Revelation 19:11-21
Second Coming
Ezekiel 37:21-28
Daniel 7:17-22
Matthew 25:31
Luke 1:31-33
Acts 1:10-11, 2:29-30
Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-7
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Isaiah 11, 65:17-25
Jeremiah 31:23-34
Ezekiel 36, 37
Zechariah 8:1-17
Last Judgment
Matthew 8:29, 25:41
John 5:22
Revelation 20:7-15
Eternity
John 17:3
Ephesians 5:5
2 Peter 3:10
Revelation 20:15, 21:2
The Rapture of the Church We believe in the personal, bodily return of Jesus Christ in the clouds to translate His church from earth to heaven prior to the 7-year tribulation. This is the first resurrection.
The Tribulation Period We believe this 7-year period is the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy. During it the righteous judgment of God will be poured out upon and unbelieving world and the culmination of these judgments will be the glorious return of Christ.
The Second Coming and the Millennial Reign We believe Christ's second coming will result in the overthrow of the Antichrist and False Prophet, and the binding of Satan. Christ will then rule from Jerusalem, occupying the throne of David in His Messianic kingdom for 1000 years and granting His resurrected saints to reign with Him.
This millennial kingdom is the fulfillment of God's Old Testament promises to Israel of restoration to their land, of a King to sit on the throne of David and of a spiritual regeneration. It will be characterized by justice, righteousness, peace and long life.
The Last Judgment We believe following the Millennium, and after a brief rebellion led by the recently released Satan, Christ will resurrect the unbelieving dead to a judgment of their works. Upon receiving their judgment, they will be committed to an eternal conscious punishment in the lake of fire along with Satan and his emissaries.
Eternity The eternal state will bring about a new heaven and a new earth, fully restored and without the corruption of sin; and the New Jerusalem will come from heaven to be the dwelling place of the saints, where they will forever enjoy an unbroken fellowship with God and each other.