What we believe ...

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

of the

PIONEER BIBLE CHURCH of SOMERSET, CALIFORNIA

Foundational Doctrines

          Our ministry at Pioneer Bible Church is built on the belief in the following five foundational doctrines.  By that we mean that we will not negotiate or deviate from these teachings.  All church workers (pastors, elders, deacons, teachers and program leaders) must hold to these five beliefs.

1.    One God exists eternally in three equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:15-17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)  Each is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, eternal, just, unchanging, full of mercy, grace and love. (Matthew 19:26; Psalm 139:1-12; John 1:1-3; Psalm 86:15; Hebrews 9:14; 13:8; 1 John 4:7, 8).

2.    Jesus Christ is God, equal with the Father.  (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-12)  He was born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-25); lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15); died for the sin of the world (1 John 2:2); was buried and raised form the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4).  Today, He intercedes for believers in the presence of God (Hebrews 7:25); He will come to earth to establish His millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6).

3.    The Holy Spirit is God, equal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3, 4).  He regenerates every person who trusts in Christ Jesus for salvation (Titus 3:5).  He dwells within them and enables them to live for and to serve God (Ephesians 1:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:11-13; Galatians 5:16, 22, 23).

4.    The Bible is the verbally inspired and infallible Word of God; it is inerrant in the original languages; it is the final authority that governs our doctrine and our conduct (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

5.    Man was created in the image of God and in fellowship with God (Genesis    1:26, 27).  All men became sinners through Adam’s disobedience.   All men will suffer eternal punishment in hell unless they are saved (Romans 5:12; 3:23; 6:23; Revelations 20:15).  The only means of salvation is by faith through the blood of Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Peter 1:18, 19)

Additional Doctrines That We Believe

The following doctrines are important to us but we know that fine Christian people may believe otherwise.  We can “agree to disagree” on or respect a differing opinion about some of the details.  We ask that any who fellowships among us and believes otherwise not cause division over these doctrines.

All pastors and elders must agree with these doctrinal statements.

A.   We believe that Satan is a real, supernatural person; he rebelled against God, led man into sin and today is resisting God’s program on earth; Christ judged Satan at the Cross; believers are to resist Satan in the power of the Spirit. (Job 1:6-12; Isaiah 14:12-15; Genesis 1:1-7; 1 Peter 5:8; Hebrews 2:14; James 4:7; 1 John 4:4)

B.    We believe that the only means of salvation is by faith in Christ and that once a person receives salvation from God he has no chance of losing it, but is sure of eternal life in heaven; however, willful sin causes a loss of fellowship with God.  (John 3:16; 10:28; 14:6; Romans 8:38,39; 1 John 1:5-10)

C.    We believe that the universal church consists of all persons who have salvation by faith in Christ; that the local church is to practice water baptism by immersing believers and to serve the Lord’s Supper in an open communion service.  (Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:1-3; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

D.   We believe that the Lord’s Day is the day of His resurrection, the first day of the week, Sunday; we accept it as our day of worship.  (John 20:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2)

E.    We believe that God has called Christians to be holy, not conformed to the world, to demonstrate good works and to abstain from any activity that would cause our brother to stumble.  This pursuit of holiness is based on the believer’s response to God’s grace, not their fear of the law.  (1 Peter 1:14-16; Romans 12:1,2; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Romans 14:13; 15:2)

F.    We believe that every believer has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10).  We believe that those gifts are essential for successful Christian ministry and should be used for the benefit of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 14:3, 12)  We believe in asking God to heal the sick.  Our Elders pray for the sick and anoint them with oil upon request. (James 5:14, 15)