DOCTRINE & BELIEFS

 

About the Bible

 

We believe that the Bible is the wholly completed written revelation of God given to man. The Bible is 100% accurate and is free from all errors. It is literally "God-breathed." The Bible is the basis upon which all Christians receive understanding from God, through the application of it to the believer by way of the Holy Spirit, and it is the final authority on all matters of the Christian faith. (Psalm 12:6-7, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21)

 

We use the King James Bible for all ministry endeavors at Lordstown Bible Fellowship.

 

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About God

 

We believe that God exists eternally in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Trinity has a distinct function in dealing with mankind. (John 1:1, John 1:14, 1 John 5:7, Genesis 1:26-27)

 

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About Jesus Christ

 

We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son. He has been eternally existent from forever. He is not a created being but is God Almighty. As such, He is 100% God and is 100% man. He is the Creator of all things. He suffered for every sin in the past and every sin yet to come. He bore the full wrath of God, which was poured out upon Him, became sin for all humanity, and received the full wages of sin. He died on the cross and rose from the grave three days later. He is the Savior of all those who will accept Him by faith. (Luke 23:33, 2 Cor 5:21, John 19:30, John 10:17-19, 1 Cor 15:4, Matt 17:23, Luke 18:33, Acts 10:40, 1 Cor 15:12-25)

 

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About the Holy Spirit

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God the Spirit. He has been eternally existent from forever. He is not a created being but is God almighty. He was sent to the world by promise of the Father, through the word of the Son. His initial work upon humanity is conviction regarding their unbelief of Jesus Christ as God. He also convicts the world of the righteousness of Christ, and of judgment. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus Christ, who illumines the hearts of mankind, and leads and guides all believers in the way of God. He is received fully and immediately by the repentant sinner at the moment of salvation, with no requirement of any secondary events, or a second work of grace, or any additional experiences. He fully indwells every believer at this time and fully empowers them for His service. (Gen 1:26, Acts 5:3-5, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:8-11, 1 Cor. 12:13, Rom 8:9, Col 2:10, 2 Peter 1:3, Eph 4:4-5)

 

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About Mankind

 

We believe that people were created in God's image for the purpose of glorifying the Lord. They were created only as either male or female and can only ever be male or female. Through willful and purposeful disobedience, people have chosen to sin against God. Because of this choice, all people are under the wrath of God, currently dead in their sins, and are destined to an eternity in Hell, separated from the love of God. Humanity can do nothing on their own to atone for their sins. That sin nature has passed to all people, resulting in every person’s need for a Savior. (Gen 1:26-27, Isa 43:7, Gen 3:7, James 4:17, Rom 8:10, Rom 6:23, Isa 59:2, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 3:23, Rev 4:11)

 

 

About Sin

 

We believe that sin is whatever is not of God. It can include outright rejection of God, disregarding Him, ignoring His Spirit, ignoring His Word, breaking one of God's laws, anything that is not of faith, and the choosing to do wrong when there is a knowledge of doing right. Sin can be committed on purpose or inadvertently. (Rom 14:23b, James 4:17, Lev 4:2-3)

 

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About Salvation

 

We believe that salvation is repentance toward God, and is received only by grace through faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is available to all, and cannot be earned. No one gets saved without accepting the truth of the gospel: Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. His blood is the only way to have your sins forgiven, for Jesus is the propitiation for all sin. Salvation is secure; it cannot be earned and it cannot be lost. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:25, Romans 5:8-9, Romans 10:9-13, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:21, Colossians 1:14, John 3:16, John 10:28-30, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 5:13)

 

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About Hell

 

We believe that hell is a literal place that was created for the devil and his angels, and is the final destination for all people who die outside of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hell is a place of eternal torment that lasts forever. (Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 20:15)

 

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About Baptism

 

We believe that baptism is the first order of obedience for the Christian. It is a public profession of the believer's faith in Jesus, testifying that the saved individual has been born again, and it is their public identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism consists of full body immersion in water, after salvation, in obedience to God. Baptism does not save anyone, is not required for one to go to heaven, but is vital for Christian growth and service. (Acts 2:38, 1 Pet 3:21, Rom 6:3-4, Acts 8:12, Acts 18:8, Luke 23:43)

 

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The Lord's Supper

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The Lord's Supper, or communion, is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. The elements of communion are symbolic only and are not the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29)

 

 

​About Creation

 

We believe in the Genesis account of creation. God created all things initially good, in six literal days, with no gaps. We reject evolution with regard to creation. (Genesis 1, Exodus 20:11, Colossians 1:16-17)

 

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About Marriage

 

We believe that God's plan for marriage is a covenant relationship only between one man and one woman that is to last throughout the duration of the lives of the married. Anything beyond that is outside of God's plan. Marriages outside of these parameters are not Biblical and are not God’s plan for mankind. (Gen 3:20, Gen 4:1, Matt 19:5-6, Mark 10:6-9)

 

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About Christian Separation

 

We believe that God does not want His children unequally yoked with the world. Christians are to be in the world, not of the world. The Lord sets forth standards and principles in the Bible by which Christians are to adhere. (1 Cor 6:19-21, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 Cor 6:14-18, John 17:15-17)

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