What We Believe and Teach

We believe the Bible, all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired word of God. Written across centuries, Scripture speaks with the authority of God while simultaneously reflecting the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the divinely inspired human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are God-breathed, truth without any mixture of error; they are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of Christian faith and practice. There are no other writings similarly inspired by God. The primary purpose of the Bible is to point to Jesus Christ, the living Lord of the Church.

We believe there is one true and holy God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in three equal persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ, the eternal second person of the Trinity, was fully united with a human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived in perfect obedience to the Father, voluntarily paid the price for the sins of all people by shedding his blood and dying on the cross, bringing salvation to all who trust in Him alone. After His physical death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He promises to return to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill history and the eternal plan of God.

The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call people into fellowship with Him. Originally created to be in relationship with God, humans defied Him by going their own independent way (sin), resulting in alienation from Him and the innate inability to please God. This fall took place at the beginning of human history; since then all people have suffered these consequences and are in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of humanity is completely a work of God’s free grace; it is not in any way the result of human works or goodness. Each person can receive salvation by repentance and faith. God’s word assures believers that He will continue His saving work in them forever.

People in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are to live in holiness and obedience as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit applies Christ’s saving work by making sinners aware of their need to be saved. He renews and indwells each believer upon salvation, becoming their source of assurance, strength, wisdom, and gifting for building up the church. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Bible. Appropriated by faith, His power and control empower believers to lead a life of Christ-like character and bear fruit for the Father’s glory.

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. All humanity will experience a bodily resurrection and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Having rejected God, unbelievers will suffer eternal condemnation apart from Him. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for faithfulness in this life.

All who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are united with Him as members of His body, the one true Church. Scripture commands believers to gather in local churches for worship, prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of the word; to observe baptism and the Lord's Supper as established by Jesus Christ; to offer service to the body through development and use of talents and gifts and outreach to the world. The local expression of the church is wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, and each local church has the right and responsibility under Christ to decide and govern itself. Church members are to work together in love and unity for the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward commitment to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We practice believer’s baptism which means that the individual requesting baptism must fully understand what it means to be a Christ follower.

During Jesus' last days, He gathered the disciples in a room and asked them to consume bread and wine "in remembrance" of Him. Two thousand years later, we regularly observe the act of consuming bread and juice for the same reason — to remember our Savior, who sacrificed Himself for our sins.

We believe all people are made in the image and likeness of God. We assert that we all are members of only one race, the human race. As image bearers of the divine, every human being is endowed with equal and inestimable worth and value.

Marriage is a good creation of God, and marriage within the Church as a rite and institution is tied directly to our foundational belief in God as creator who made us male and female. We also regard marriage as a sacred institution which images the mysterious and wonderful bond between Christ and His Church. This is different from the civil ceremony of a wedding that is found throughout society. Christian marriage is a covenant grounded in promises between a man and a woman which finds its divinely intended expression in the “one flesh” union of husband and wife as God's divine design.

Click here to read the PBC Church Covenant

Click here to read the PBC Constitution