CONFESSION & COVENANT
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God."
Matthew 16:17
CONFESSION OF FAITH
Not confession like when you do something wrong, but confession as something you confess to be true. Historically, confessions of faith have been a means by which the watching world can know what a church believes. In other words, a confession of faith tells the world the identity of a local church. Thinking through a well written confession of faith is one of the most important things a church can do, because it defines what a church is, and we must be a church before we can do what the church is supposed to do.
#1. THE SCRIPTURES
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God. Therefore, all Scripture is authoritative, infallible, and inerrant. The Scriptures are the only sufficient rule for faith and practice.
Ps. 19:7; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21
#2. GOD
There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of himself, all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to him all creatures owe the highest
love, reverence, and obedience.
love, reverence, and obedience.
Deut. 6:4; Ps. 145:3; John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; 1 Tim. 1:17
#3. THE TRINITY
The Scriptures reveal that the one God eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is distinct, but God is without division of nature, essence, or being.
Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14
#4. PROVIDENCE
God, from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet he is not in any way the author or approver of sin, nor does he destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.
Isa. 46:9-11; Prov. 16:33; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; Jas. 1:13-15
#5. ELECTION
Election is God's eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life—not because of foreseen merit in them, but of his mere mercy in Christ—in consequence of which choice they
are called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
are called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
Rom. 8:28-30; 1 Cor. 1:27-31; Eph. 1:4, 11
#6. EVANGELISM
Since faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ, evangelism is the necessary means through which one may be saved. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every Christian to share the gospel, in order that all may hear, repent, and believe upon Jesus. Therefore, every Christian must understandably communicate the gospel to all in a biblically consistent manner for the greatest possible evangelistic impact.
Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Cor 9:19-22; Matthew 28:19-20
#7. THE FALL OF MAN
God originally created man in His own image, and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, Adam transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; whereby his posterity inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and his law. As a result, they are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors.
Gen. 1:26-27; 3:1-7; 6:5; Rom. 3:9-18; 5:12-19; 8:5-8; Eph. 2:1-3
#8. THE MEDIATOR
Since Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is fully God and fully man, he 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 for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father; at whose right hand He ever lives to make intercession for His people. He will return again visibly and bodily.
Isa. 53:10-12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:1-3; 7:25
#9. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that God the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Father and the Son. He applies the work of Christ to believers and distributes spiritual gifts to every believer according to his sovereign good pleasure for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our salvation, and the Guarantor of our inheritance in Christ.
John 14:16-17; 16:14; Acts 5:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1:13-14
#10. REGENERATION
Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who gives life to those dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God's free and special grace alone.
John 3:3-8; Eph. 2:1-6; Tit. 3:5; 1 John 5:1
#11. REPENTANCE
Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, humbles himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, and turns from it with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please him in all things.
Ps. 32:1-5; Isa. 6:5; 55:7; Luke 5:8; 18:9-14; Acts 2:37-38; 11:15-18; 2 Cor. 7:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:25
#12. FAITH
Saving faith is the belief, on God's authority, of whatever is revealed in his Word concerning Christ, accepting and resting upon him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.
Rom. 3:27-28; 4:1-5; 4:17-25; 10:14, 17; Phil. 1:29; Eph. 2:8; Jas. 2:14-26
#13. JUSTIFICATION
Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteousness. It is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer, by virtue of which faith his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God, that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God.
Rom. 3:21-26; 4:4-9, 23-25; 5:1-2, 9, 17-21; 8:28-34; 10:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:7-9; Titus 3:5-7
#14. SANTIFICATION
Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God's word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial obedience to all Christ's commands.
Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:27; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:13-25; Eph. 3:14-21; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 3:1-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-11
#15. PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
All those whom God has regenerated will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall through neglect and temptation into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
John 6:37-40; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:28-39; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24
#16. THE CHURCH
The Lord Jesus is the Head of the church, which is composed of all his true disciples, and in him is invested supremely all power for its government. Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or local churches, and to each of these local churches he has given needful authority for administering that order, discipline, and worship which he has appointed. Each local church operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.
Matt 18:17-20; Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph. 1:22; 5:23; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 5:17-18;Tit. 1:5-9; Heb. 10:25; Hebrews 3:12-13
#17. BAPTISM
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he or she is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his union with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his or her giving themself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to local church membership.
Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13
#18. MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the invisible body of Christ takes place upon conversion, in which the believer is unified with Christ and, thus, saved. Membership in the visible body of Christ occurs after baptism and upon a mutual covenant between a believer and a local church to live in shared Christian accountability, fellowship, and edification. Local church membership in good standing, at a visible body of Christ of like mind, is prerequisite to participation at the Lord’s table.
Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-34
#19. THE LORD's SUPPER
The Lord's Supper is a new covenant 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 it is designed to commemorate and proclaim his death.
Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-34
#20. LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE
God alone is Lord of the conscience; and he has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to his word, or not contained in it. Although all legitimate human authority is ordained by God’s decree it is also limited by God’s ultimate authority.
Matt. 15:9; Rom. 13:1-7; 14:4; Acts 5:29; Col. 2:20-23
#21. THE FAMILY
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.
Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7
#21. THE RESURRECTION
The bodies of men, after death, return to dust. At death, believers go to be with the Lord and unbelievers enter torment. The bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.
Gen. 3:19; Luke 16:22-26; 23:43; John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:12-28; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 1:23
#22. JUDGEMENT
God has appointed a day wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when everyone shall receive according to his deeds; the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.
Matt. 25:46; John 5:22, 27-29; Acts 17:31; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-10
COVENANT
Did you notice that church doctrine is listed before church values? In his letters, the apostle Paul consistently taught doctrine first so that the church then would know how to live. This is because what a church values comes from what it thinks, which is what doctrine is: a set of beliefs. Fireside’s values are first derived from her doctrines in order to bear biblical fruit. So, what a church thinks then determines what it values. Then, the values determine the culture of a church. At Fireside, we are seeking to build a church culture based on explicitly biblical doctrine so that the culture and values of Fireside are authentically Christian.
CONFESSION, BYALWS, AND COVENANT
The Christian life is the churched life. That is because Christians are created to live together in a community where people know and are accountable to each other. We are committed to praying specifically for one another, speaking the truth in love to one another, and encouraging one another in the faith.
Gen 12:1-3; Exod 19:5-6; Isa 6:1-8; Matt 9:37-38; Acts 1:8; 10:42-44; 2 Tim 4:5