Statement of Faith
We are 1689 London Baptist Confessing Church. We also subscribe to the historic creeds of the Christian church (Nicene & Apostles’ Creeds).
Doctrinal Statement: Redeeming Grace Church exists to spiritually equip believers to share the gospel with the unconverted by reflecting the undeserved love that God has lavished upon us.
Holy Scripture
Our beliefs are derived solely from the Holy Scripture. We believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and inerrant in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the authoritative, sole sufficient and infallible rule of all knowledge, saving faith, and obedience. We believe that the ecclesiastical authority of our elders and deacons is strictly limited to the commands and precepts of Scriptures and when they go beyond that they are usurping the authority of God’s word..
God
We believe that the Godhead exists as a Holy Trinity. God is one who exists eternally in three persons. God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, and the third person is the Holy Spirit. God the Father is a Spirit and the source of every good and perfect gift given to sinful man. Jesus fully possesses human nature without the presence of innate sin and he also is fully divine by virtue of his person. The Holy Spirit is a co-equal member of the Godhead and indwells all true believers. All things were created by God, are upheld through God, and ultimately exist to glorify God. He is absolutely Holy and sovereign, just, full of mercy and grace. God manifests himself in His perfections, has no passions, and never changes.
Man/Humanity
We believe that all people are created in the image of God and were designed to reflect God’s character in all of their life. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature and entrusted with the stewardship of God’s creation and the glorification of God. Through Adam’s sin, all his descendants (except Jesus Christ) inherited his sin nature and thus from first breath are rebels against God. Man is totally depraved, hopelessly lost, and powerless to save himself from God’s wrath except by his mercy. All men in the world exist in one of two conditions, either they are sons of God and they keep his commands or they are enemies of God and serve their own lusts. (Genesis 6:5).
Salvation
Man is saved through saving faith, which is a supernatural gift, in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. We are saved by grace, through faith, and that faith is an unmerited gift from God to sinful men. From eternity, God has appointed a chosen people men for salvation unto himself. Jesus provided the propitiation in His death and continually intercedes for His saints as a high priest before the throne of God. In Jesus’s death on the cross, he paid the penalty for our sins and we received His righteousness. This great exchange is the central message of the Gospel (double imputation). The Holy Spirit indwells believers, guides their lives, and seals them for the day of redemption. We believe that all true Christians are kept by the power of God and will ultimately reach their heavenly rest and that the world, flesh, and devil are powerless to thwart their ultimate glorification.
Second Coming/Final Judgment
We believe that Jesus Christ will return to judge the world in righteousness and that his appearance will be seen by all men who are alive at that time. The exact time and date of his return is a secret which is known only by God. His return will precipitate a mass resurrection as the souls of all who have died throughout history will be reunited with a glorified version of their earthly body. All humanity will stand one at a time before the throne of God the Father and be judged according to their life and works. Those whose faith is in Jesus Christ alone will be welcomed into eternal heaven. In their everlasting home, sin and pain are no more and they will worship God forever. Those who trusted in their own righteousness will be cast into hell to spend eternity away from the Lord and his presence.
The Church
We believe the Church is the visible representation of Jesus’s kingdom on earth and the bride he purchased with his death on the cross. The universal church is made up of local churches which exist to edify and train believers for a life of service to the Lord. By the term “universal,” we refer to the church of Jesus Christ that spans historical eras, geographical regions, and includes men and women of all ethnicities, economic classes, and age groups. Local churches are to be the salt of the earth and the world’s light by sharing the gospel of God with the unbelieving community that surrounds them and supporting global missions as this is the only hope for lost humanity. Since false doctrine or open sin can bring shame to God’s Holy Name, destroy church unity, and hinder the spread of the gospel, it is incumbent upon the church’s leaders to discipline those who persist in any of these sinful patterns. This discipline is to be implemented with love in order to restore the sinning brother and should be free of malice, favoritism, and self-promotion.
Satan/Angels
We believe in the existence of immortal angelic beings which were created by God with the primary purpose of serving and worshiping him forever. These servants of the Lord also minister to God’s people on the Earth. Led by Satan, a large number of angels rebelled against God and fell from glory. These demons now seek to destroy and wreak havoc among the Lord’s people and fight the spread of the gospel message. Since Satan is an angel his power is much superior to man; however, as a created being his fight with God is not a contest of equals. God knows all of Satan’s schemes, set limits on them, and ultimately uses these schemes to further the Gospel and glorify Himself. At the final judgement, Satan and all his demons will be bound up and cast into the Lake of Fire which was created for their punishment.