Highland Bible Church

This statement of faith is a non-inspired expression of the teaching of the Word of God. Because we acknowledge the written Word of God to be the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice, we adopt this summary of God's truths to be an aid of protective assistance in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness.

Concerning Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is God's revelation to man in written form. All sixty-six books of the Bible constitute the plenary Word of God as given by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21; Isaiah 30:8

Scripture is fully and verbally inspired in the original autographs, fully inerrant, infallible as it is God-breathed using the individual personalities and styles of the human authors.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Isaiah 30:8; Titus 1:2

Scripture constitutes the only infallible rule for men to follow in faith and practice. All that is commanded for man to live by is contained either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. Nothing, either by supposed revelation or tradition is to be added to God's Word. As man diligently seeks to follow the revelation from God contained in Holy Scripture, he is to do so by applying responsible, proper hermeneutics in a grammatical-historical manner. Scripture shall stand as the final judge in all religious disagreements.
2 Timothy 3:17; Revelation 22:18-19; Matthew 15:6

Scripture has been made blind to the unsaved because of sin and is only illuminated to believers through the work of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Concerning the Holy Trinity

We believe in one living and true God being infinite and perfect in all of His attributes and is subsistent in three persons - the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

God the Father

We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Holy Trinity. He is perfectly holy and is righteous and just towards His creation. He is omnipotent over His universe, omniscient and omnipresent. He is the eternal and unchanging God. He is the Creator of all things and stands as the sovereign Ruler over His creation for His own eternal purpose and glory.
Isaiah 6:4; Psalm 89:14; Job 42:2; Isaiah 46:10; James 1:17; Genesis 1; Ephesians 1:3-14

God the Father has chosen from all eternity those who would be His own. Those whom He saves through Jesus Christ from their sins are adopted into His family by becoming His children.
Ephesians 1:4-5; John 1:12-13

God the Son

We believe Jesus Christ is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is co-equal, consubstantial and co-eternal with the Father. Before His incarnation, Jesus existed from eternity-past as God. By His willing choice, He laid aside His divine prerogatives, took upon Himself the form of a bondservant and was made in the likeness of man. Christ represents the perfect union of God and man into indivisible oneness. He is in two natures, fully God and fully man, forever.
John 14:9; Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 2:5

In the fullness of time when Christ took upon Himself a perfect human nature, He was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life of obedience to the law of God in order that He might be the sinless sacrifice to save His people from their sins.
Isaiah 7:14; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 1:21; 2 Corinthians 5:21

By His death upon the cross, Christ made a perfect atonement for sin, accomplishing our redemption. In His voluntary death, He became the suffering substitute to satisfy the righteousness of the Father as the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5:8-10; John 10:18; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2

Christ died on the cross, physically rose from the dead and ascended into heaven forty days later to sit at the right hand of the Father. He now serves as the believer's Advocate and Great High Priest making intercession on our behalf.
Acts 1:9; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:24-25

God the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He is fully God being co-equal, consubstantial and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He works to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment The Spirit regenerates all believers and baptizes them into the body of Christ.
Acts 5:3-4; Matthew 28:19; John 16:8-11; Titus 3:5

The Spirit gives believers power to live to the glory of God as He indwells, sanctifies, instructs and gives gifts to the believer. It is the duty of all believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit but to be filled with He who delightfully indwells them.
2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 3:19; 4:30; 5:18

Concerning Man

We believe that man was created by God in His own image. Man was created for the purpose of living a life of total obedience to God for the purpose of His glory.
Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 43:6-7

Man fell from the state of innocence to the state of total rebellion and lawlessness when Adam disobeyed God by sinning against His law and the sin of Adam was imputed to all men. All men are born in a state of sin being lost by their corruption. Because man is dead in his sins, he is unwilling and unable to gain acceptance with Holy God. It is commanded of all men that they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls that are lost. For this, all men of all ages stand fully responsible and without excuse.
Romans 3:10-12; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3; Acts 16:31; Romans 1:18-20

Through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, man is made a new creature yet sin continues to plague him. It is not until man enters the state of glory that he will be made perfectly free and fully able to follow the moral standards of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 7:21-23; Galatians 5:17; 1 John 3:2

Concerning Salvation

We believe salvation is a gift from God by His grace given through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ apart from any human work or merit. Salvation comes to man through regeneration by the Holy Spirit where man is made alive to God in his new being.
Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Titus 3:5

Salvation is from God and for God as He is the originator through His sovereign choice before the foundation of the earth. Men who are saved through Christ are declared righteous and are set apart to live a life of obedience to the Word of God through the power of the Spirit who indwells them.
Ephesians 1:4-11; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:12-14; Ephesians 3:20

All who receive Jesus Christ are no longer under the bondage of sin but are made slaves to righteousness to strive sincerely after a holy life. Those who are made righteous in Christ shall persevere to the end by the unchanging love of God. Yet this perseverance shall be marked by continual battle against indwelling sin, the temptations of Satan and the world.
Romans 6:2-5; Hebrews 12:14; Philippians 1:6; Luke 22:32,61-62

Salvation shall be complete at the perfection of both body and soul for all eternity.
Philippians 3:20-21

God is pleased to bring salvation to sinful men through the proclamation of His Word.
Romans 1:16-17: 10:14-17

Concerning the Church

We believe that the church of Jesus Christ is made up of those who belong to Christ whom He purchased by His death on the cross. Christ's body, the church, is a spiritual organism into which all believers are baptized by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ alone stands as the Head of His church. Christ's love for those who are His is clearly demonstrated by the continual giving of Himself for the purification of His church.
Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:25-27

As all believers are placed in the church by the gracious work of God, they are to be members of Christ body within the sphere of the local church. It is here that individual believers become part of God's visible community to radiate His glory to all of His creation. No believer shall willfully violate the privileges of duty to which God has called him within the local church to which he stands accountable.
Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:10, 20; Hebrews 10:23-25; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 13-15

The church of Jesus Christ is to be holy and blameless before the world, to build up the saints and to evangelize a world full of lost souls. Christ does this by the giving of gifted men and by all believers through the use of their gifts which are sovereignly distributed by the Holy Spirit. The church is to do good towards all men, especially those that are of the household of faith.
Ephesians 5:25-27; 4:11-16; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Galatians 6:10

The members of the local assembly are to be ruled over and shepherded by the governing body of elders who are assisted in that work by deacons. They must embody the spiritual qualifications given in Scripture for the task of shepherding God's people. Those who lead in the local assembly have the authority of Christ in the directing of His church when they rule according to His Word.
1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Matthew 16:19; Hebrews 13:17

The church has the responsibility to discipline in love all members who choose to willfully live in rebellious sin against the Word of God.
Matthew 18:15-22:1 Timothy 5:20

There are two ordinances given to the church for the visible worship. Baptism is the visible demonstration of a believer's death and resurrection with Christ. This is to be practiced by immersion in water to represent what has been done for the believer by the gracious work of God in salvation. The Lord's Supper is to commemorate and proclaim Christ's death until He comes again. This is to be practiced by the church as a demonstration of the unity which believers are to share in Christ's finished work on the cross for salvation.
Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Concerning Angels

We believe that angels were created by God before the beginning of the world. They were created holy, spiritual beings who have personalities and are powerful creatures who shall not die. They render service for God to His people.
Job 38:6-7; Jude 6; Hebrews 1:14; 2 Peter 2:11

Concerning Satan and Demons

We believe that Satan and his demons were all created beings with the same characteristics of angels. Satan was the highest of God's created beings who rebelled against God and took numerous angels with him to be the agent of bringing sin into the universe. He tempted Eve and sin entered into the human race. He has been defeated by Christ's work on the cross and will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.
Ezekiel 28:11-19; Genesis 3:1-15; John 12:31; Revelation 20:10

Concerning Future Things

We believe that God in His perfect wisdom and sovereign power is working out all things according to His plan and purpose for His glory. The great hope of all believers is the imminent, personal, and visible return of Jesus Christ and being in His presence forever.
Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20

God has appointed a day in which He shall judge the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. All fallen angels and unregenerate people shall give an account for all of their thoughts, words and deeds to receive the unchanging, eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire.
John 5:22, 27; Revelation 20:11-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7

All who repent and believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation from their sins, because of God's loving mercy shall inherit eternal life and enter into the presence of the Lord forever as their reward. With our hope of the victory that is in Christ Jesus, believers have encouragement and motivation to be steadfast, immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord because we know that nothing we do for the glory of our God shall be done in vain.
Matthew 25:21, 23,34:1 Corinthians 15:57-58