We, the members of the McCalla Bible Church, professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, do voluntarily come together to form an independent, gospel- preaching, Bible-teaching church, and do adopt the following articles of faith and order: Any existing documents purporting to be the Constitution and By-Laws of McCalla Bible Church are replaced and superseded by the Constitution and By-Laws adopted on August 25, 2013.
ARTICLE III
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
The Holy Scriptures
A. We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally, plenary inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. We believe that the canon of Scripture is complete in the sixty-six books and no additional revelation is valid (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; John 16:12-13; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 22:18-19).
B. We believe in a normal, literal interpretation of all Scripture including prophecy, which leads to a pre-millennial, dispensational view of Scripture. By normal, literal interpretation we mean an historical, grammatical, cultural, contextual method of interpretation. While we recognize legitimate figures of speech, types and symbols in the Bible we reject allegorical interpretation and attempts to find spiritual rather than literal fulfillment of prophecy.
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor.13:14; Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21-22).
The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
A. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35).
B. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished redemption for all men through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom.3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 4:25; 1 Jn 2:2).
C. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 7:25, 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 Jn 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
A. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Divine Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).
B. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth through the Holy Scripture, and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13; 1 Jn 2:20,27; Eph, 5:18-21) To be filled with the Spirit means to be trusting Him and to be yielded to His control. This means the Spirit produces a life of fruitfulness, victory, and effective witness (Romans 8:1-13; Galatians 5:16-23).
The Person and Work of Satan
We believe that Satan, who was once Lucifer, the chief angel, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall. He is the open and declared enemy of God and of God’s people; he is now the god of this world and his method is to counterfeit the things of God in order to destroy the work of God; and he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Gen 3:1-19; Job 1:6-7; Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 4:4, 11:13-15; Rev. 20:10).
Angels
A. We believe in the existence of an innumerable company of spiritual beings created by God to serve and praise Him and to minister to His saints (Gen 2:1; Heb. 1:13-14, 12:22: Rev. 7:11-12).
B. We believe in two classes of angels:
1. Unfallen – those who have “Kept their first estate” (Luke 15:10).
2. Fallen – those who followed Satan and rebelled against God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:4).
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but; that as a result of Adam’s sin, the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27, 3:1-19; Rom. 3:9-18, 22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3, 12).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
A. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 28-39, Eph. 1:13, 4:30).
B. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to sin (1 Jn 5:13; Rom. 13:13-14; Gal.5:13; Tit. 2:11-15).
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification, which is separation from sin to God, takes place in the life of the believer in three stages:
1. Positional – From the moment of salvation a person is set apart from those who are spiritual dead. We term this “positional sanctification.” This reflects the believer’s identity as a saint, a child of God, and a new creature (1Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:12-13; Heb. 10:10-14; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:6).
2. Progressive – At the moment of salvation a person begins a lifelong process. There is a progressive sanctification by which the believer is to grow in grace through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who uses the Word of God.
We believe, however, that believers retain their flesh so that they are capable of sinning and must depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit for daily victory. This implies separation unto God from the world. We also believe that this is accomplished by grace through faith just as is positional sanctification (John 17:17: 2 Cor 3:18; Rom. 12:2; James 4:4; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:12-13; Col 2:6; Gal. 2:20).
3. Future – We believe that every believer will know complete sanctification when they see Christ at the rapture. “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn. 3:2; Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Cor. 15:47-53).
Spiritual Gifts
A. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts. We further believe that the primary purpose of spiritual gifts is ministry, and every believer has one or more spiritual gifts which he should use in submission to Christ to minister to other members of the body of Christ for the edification of the body (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12; Eph. 4:11-15).
B. We believe that while God is omnipotent and therefore able to work miracles according to His sovereign will, that specifically miraculous gifts such as speaking in tongues and healing were primarily intended as sign gifts for the birth of the church and should not be viewed as normative for the remainder of the church age. We further believe that the gift of tongues was never intended as a sign or proof of the baptism or filling of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-12, 4:31, 8:14-19, 10:44-48, 19:1-7; 1 Cor. 13:8-13, 14:1-3, 21-22; Heb. 2:3-4; 2 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:20; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph 5:18; Gal 5:22-23).
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind by praying, giving and going where the Lord so leads. We also believe that the local church is responsible for sending missionaries to other parts of the world; and that the local church should support both spiritually and materially those whom they send (Phil. 2:14-16; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:19-20; Acts 13:1-3; Phil. 4:10,14-16; Eph. 6:18-20).
The Church
A. The Universal Church: We believe that the universal church is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons, and that the true universal church began on the day of Pentecost and is distinct from Israel. It is formed by the present ministry of the Spirit; in baptizing (uniting) all members into one body (Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27; Matt. 16:18; Acts 2; 1 Cor:12:12-14).
B. Local Church: We believe in the establishment and autonomy of local churches as is taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. We believe the local church should be made up of born again believers who have chosen to meet together for the purpose of instruction and edification, worship, fellowship, evangelism and missions, and to maintain sound doctrine (Acts 14:21-23, 27, 20:17; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11; Heb. 10:25; Acts 2:41-42, 20:28-30; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Tim 1:3-4; 2 Tim 3:16-4:2; Jude 3).
Ordinances
The two ordinances established by Christ are as follows:
A. Water baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord which is an outward testimony to an inner change. It is not essential to nor a means of salvation. We believe that water baptism is only to follow spiritual regeneration, and its only method is by immersion (Jn. 3:16; Acts 16:30-33; Matt. 28:19, 3:6,11; Acts 8:38; Acts 10:47).
B. We believe that the Lord’s Supper should be observed regularly. We also believe that because it is the Lord’s Supper it should be open to all who are born again. However, the Bible clearly excludes those believers who are living in sin. Therefore, we encourage every believer to examine his own life and repent before partaking (1 Cor. 11:23-32).
The Second Advent
We believe in that “Blessed Hope;” the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church, and in His subsequent return to earth after the tribulation period with His saints to establish a literal, earthly, millennial kingdom as promised to the nation Israel (1 Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 3:10; 1 Thes. 1:10; 2 Sam. 7:16; Jer. 31:31-40; Zech. 14:4-11: Rev. 19:11-16, 20:1-6).
The Eternal State
A. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; Jn 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13).
B. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are at death absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Lk 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thes. 4:16-17).
C. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the last resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment eternally separated from God (Lk. 16:19-26: Matt. 25:41-46: 2 Thes. 1:7-9: Mark 9:43-48: Rev. 20:11-15).
Constitutional Statement on Marriage and Sexuality
According to the Christian Scriptures, marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. We believe that sexual intimacy is a wonderful gift of God that is only to be expressed between one man and one woman (as genetically defined), within the love and bonds of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:21-33, 1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that any form of sexual intimacy outside of marriage is both immoral and a perversion of God’s gift (Leviticus 18:1-30; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). Furthermore, we believe that any form of sexual immorality such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, cohabitation (regardless of the age of the individuals involved), any attempt to change one’s gender in disagreement with one’s genetically defined gender, is sinful and offensive to God (Leviticus 18-20; Romans 1).
We believe that in order to preserve the function, unity, and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly whether at church, home, or in the community.
In light of our biblical commitments, the pastor of McCalla Bible Church of McCalla, AL will perform no same gender weddings or any other anti-biblical weddings or ceremonies at the church or at any other location. Furthermore, no member or non-member parties will be allowed to use any facilities of the church for same gender and/or sexually immoral weddings, wedding receptions, or other functions.
We do believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Romans 8). And we believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness and dignity. Therefore, we do not condone or associate with those who express hateful and harassing behavior, attitudes, or speech directed towards any individual. This amendment is in accordance with Scripture and the doctrines of McCalla Bible Church of McCalla, AL (1 Peter 2:13-25; 1Thessalonians 4:11-12).