Content for The Daily Berean is provided by various contributors, to include; pastors/elders, ministry leaders, lay leaders and other faithful Christians serving under these leaders’ ministries. To learn more about ‘What We Believe’, please see our Statement of Faith below.
I. The Scriptures
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were written by men by the divine inspiration of God. The Bible speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality and the proper conduct of mankind and is the sole and final source of all we believe. The Word of God is the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
II. The Trinity
There is one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
III. God the Father
There is but one God, whose name is Yahweh, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, who in and of Himself is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, infinite in all perfections and worthy of all honor, confidence and love. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Timothy 1:17)
IV. Jesus
Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law; suffered and died upon the cross making atonement for the sins of His people. He was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He ever lives to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest and King of the Church, and is therefore in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Savior. (Matthew 3:17; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 5:6-11; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:3)
V. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Trinity, not a force or an energy. He thinks, feels, desires, chooses and acts. He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and eternal. He created and preserves the world, was actively involved in Jesus’ earthly life, was sent as the Comforter in fulfillment of Jesus’ words, is the Divine Author and Interpreter of Scripture, convicts of sin, restrains evil, grants new life to the spiritually dead, places all believers into Christ and the one true church, calls them to repent and believe and indwells them permanently, empowers them for victory over sin, transforms them into the image of Jesus, produces godly character, prays for them, gifts them for ministry, seals and protects them until He raises them from the dead and in all things brings glory to Jesus. (John 14:15-17, 26; John 16:7-15; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:26; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13)
VI. Man and Original Sin
God originally created Man in His own image. All human beings, whether in the womb or out, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or level of health, are images of God and are, therefore, inherently valuable and worthy of respect and protection. All human beings begin to exist as individuals at the moment of conception. Man was originally created free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, he transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, having inherited a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and his law, and are under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse. (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 3:4-7; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3)
VII. Salvation
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Salvation includes all that God does in saving humans from the penalty, power and presence of sin and in restoring them to a right relationship with Him. Salvation can never be gained by human good works, but is a free gift given only to those who by regenerating grace repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord, His finished work on the Cross and His Resurrection. All who do so are united to Jesus forever, and therefore, are forgiven and saved from their sins, declared right with and reconciled to God, freed from slavery to sin and adopted into God’s family. (John 3:16, 36, 6:44, 14:6; Acts 3:19, 4:12, 13:48; Romans 3:20-5:21, 6:23, 10:8-13; Galatians 2:16, 4:4-7; Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 1:9, 4:9-10, 5:11-13)
VIII. Justification
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners, who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction that Christ has made; not for anything wrought in them or done by them; but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith. (Romans 3:23-24; Romans 5:1-2, 18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
IX. Sanctification
Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work,; that it is begun in regeneration and that it is carried on for the duration of life in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This is done in the continual use of appointed means, especially the Word of God, the communion of the saints, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer. (John 17:17; Romans 6:1-23, 12:1; Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 7:1; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:24; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:21; Hebrews 10:14, 13:12; 1 Peter 2:24)
X. Baptism
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. Its only proper subjects are those who do actually profess repentance towards God, and faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 8:38-39)
XI. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship. (Matthew 26:26-27; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
XII. The Church
The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples bound together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel and exercising various gifts given them by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the church; and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. According to His commandment, Christians are to gather together into local churches; and to each of these churches He has given needful authority for administering that order, discipline and worship which He has appointed. The regular officers of a Church are Elders, and Deacons. (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Titus 1:6-9)