Purpose
The purpose of Emmanuel Sovereign Grace Fellowship shall be to glorify God, worship Him in an biblical a manner, pray for the salvation of souls, edify the saints through the teaching and preaching of God's word b c and defend the "faith once delivered unto the saints''. We shall seek to accomplish these goals by providing d e and maintaining a place of worship for those who would gather for these reasons. Our purpose is further expressed in our desire, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the f g advancement of the gospel, to sustain the church's ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully h i and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expense of the facilities, the support of those in need, and the spread of the gospel. We also endeavor to promote and maintain family and personal devotions, to train our j k children according to the word of God, to preach the gospel to our families and acquaintances, to remember l m each other in prayer, and to aid each other in sickness and distress, "For we are his workmanship, created in n o Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them".p
1 Peter 4:11; John 4:23,24; Philippians 3:3 Romans 10:1 Ephesians 4:11-13 Jude 3 a b c d e Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29; 2 Corinthians 3:5; Acts 11:21 Ephesians 5:2 Romans 1:15,16; f g h Ephesians 6:15; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2Corinthians 9:7; Acts 20:35 Matthew 6:6; 26:36-39; Acts 10:9 i j k Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:15; Matthew 28:19,20; Ephesians 6:18; Hebrews 13:1-3; Ephesians 2:10 l m n o p
Statement of Faith
Doctrine
God: We believe in only one true and living God,a Creator and Ruler of the universe, who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided, which is the Trinity.b We believe in the perfect holiness, justice, infinite wisdom, and measureless power of God.c He is the holy Judge of all the earth. Being the only true and living God, He is the sovereign and almighty Lord who works all things after the counsel of His own will.e He is the possessor of all power in heaven and earth and none can thwart His purposes or resist His will.f He is sovereign over all His creation, including man, and does whatsoever He pleases.g God is also sovereign in all aspects of salvation which is given by His grace alone.h Since grace is unearned and unmerited, no one is entitled to it, rather all deserve the wrath of God because of their sin.i
a Deuteronomy 6:4 b 1 John 5:7 c Psalm 99:5; Isaiah 40:13-14 d James 1:17-18; Matthew 7:7; John 14:6 e Ephesians 1:11; Romans 11:36 f Daniel 4:25,35; 1 Timothy 6:15 g Psalms 115:3; Colossians 1:16-17; h Ephesians 2:8-9 i Ephesians 2:3
Christ: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God.a We believe in His eternal pre-existence,b His virgin birth,c His miracles,d His sinless life,e His sacrificial death on the cross,f and His bodily resurrection from the dead.g We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heavenh and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of intercession.i He is our Prophet, Priest, and King.
a John 1:1, 14 b John 1:2; Colossians 1:16 c Luke 1:27-35 d John 20:30 e Hebrews 7:26 f Hebrews 7:27 g 1 Corinthians 15:4 h Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24 i Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1
The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He was involved in the work of creation.a He is co-equal with the Father and the Son, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, infinite, eternal and unchanging in all His divine attributes. It is through the life-giving Spirit that the miracle of regeneration is wrought.b He fills and is in, with, and among all true believers.c He brings conviction of sin to the heart.d He seals the believer for the day of redemption.e He glorifies Christ as He guides into all truth, comforts, teaches, and leads His people.f
a Genesis 1:2; Exodus 31:3; Job 26:13; Zechariah 4:6; Isaiah 63:10; Psalm 51:11 b John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:15; Titus 3:5 c Acts 2:4; John 14:16-17; 20:22; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 8:11 d John 16:8-11, e Ephesians 4:30; 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22, 1 John 20:27 f John 16:13-14; 15:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Galatians 5:18
Salvation: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation through His perfect lifea and substitutionary death on the cross by which He fulfilled the requirements of the Law for usb and paid the penalty for the sins of all who truly believe whether they lived prior to the first coming of Christ or after.c Because of Christ's work on our behalf, God acquits us of our sin and declares us as righteous in His sight through faith alone.d This salvation is not due to any merit on our part but is strictly a work of God's grace, given through the gift of faith alone and based solely on the work of Christ alone.e
a Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21 b Galatians 3:13; 3:23; 4:5; Ephesians 2:15 c 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24-26; 1 John 2:2 d Romans 3:21-22; 4:22-25 e 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:2
The Holy Scriptures: We believe that the Holy Bible,a both the Old and New Testaments, as originally written, is the verbally inspiredb word of God,c written by Spirit controlled men,d and therefore is inerrant.e We believe that all the information that is needed for salvation and godly living is either directly expressed or may be deduced from Scripture.f The Scriptures are the authoritative word of Godg to us, are the final instructional source of doctrineh, and give us the norm for faith and life.i
a Isaiah 30:8; Psalm 12:6-7 b 1 Corinthians 2:13 c 2 Timothy 3:16 d 2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:15-16 e John 10:35; 16:13 f Romans 15:4; Psalm 119:99-105 g 1 Thessalonians 2:13 h 2 Timothy 4:2 I 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Last Things: We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly,a in power and glory,b to consummate His salvation and His judgment.c We look forward with eager anticipation to that day,d and to the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwelle and where God will reign over his people forever.f
The wicked, who do not know God, and do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into everlasting torments g for the punishment of their sins at the final judgment.
a Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 1:7 b Matthew 24:30 c Hebrews 9:27-28 d 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:1213 e 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-5 f Revelation 11:15; 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28, g Matthew 13:41-42, 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Christian Walk: We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner so as not to bring reproach upon their Lord and Savior.a Every person who takes the name of Christ has made the conscious decision to follow Him with a sincere heart in conformity to his revealed will in the Scriptures. This means to strive to walk as to please God and to excel more and more in sanctificationd. When a member of the church chooses to no longer live by the rule of Christ as revealed in the Scripture and continues in unrepentant sin, the church, under the leadership of the elders, will excommunicate the unrepentant person(s) in the hope and prayer that God will again renew them to repentance and reconciliation with the Christ and with the churche. This practice is maintained in love and for the continued purity of the church. f
a Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:19 b 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 John 9-11 c 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 John 2:15-17; d1 Thessalonians 4:1-5; e Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; f 1 Corinthians 5:8
Satan: We believe in the existence and personhood of Satan,a the deceiver,b a murderer from the beginning, c who is still working to destroy the souls of mend, and that he and all his fallen angels will suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire.e We believe that Satan is a finite being who is under God’s sovereign control, and he cannot do anything that is not ordained by God for the furtherance of God’s glorious plan.f
a Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 2:10; Luke 4:35 b Revelation 12:9 c John 8:44 d 1 Peter 5:8 e Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10-15 f Job 1:6-12; Luke 22:31-32
Ethics
As Christians who are committed to the Bible as the word of God, we often hold beliefs that do not conform to the culture in which we live. When this happens, it’s important for us to make clear statements about what we believe so that there is no uncertainty among God’s people that the animosity and persecution they endure from the culture is due to their faithfulness to God and his word.
Marriage: As a church, we are committed to the biblical mandate that marriage is between a man and a womana. We do not acknowledge the legitimacy before God of marriage between two people of the same biological sex from birth. The joining of two people of the same biological sex in a one flesh union (marriage) is sinful in God’s sightb. Therefore, in the life of the church, we will not participate in or give approval to any union in marriage other than that between a consenting man and woman. While there is forgiveness and grace for those who enter into such a union and then repent, this repentance would require the termination of the unholy union in order to follow Christ in true faith and holiness.
aGenesis 2:21-25; Matthew 19:3-9; Ephesians 5:31; b1Corinthians 6:16; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:25-27
Sexual Activity: Furthermore, we believe that all sexual activity outside of a biblical marriage is sinfula. This includes adultery (which includes lustb), fornication (which includes the use of pornography)c, homosexualityd, and other practices forbidden by God in Scripture. Those who continue to practice sexual sin and refuse to repent will not inherit the kingdom of Gode. This belief does not express our wish for such persons, as our desire, which is out of love for all those made in God’s image, is for their salvationf; however, we must, as faithful Christians, hold firmly to the teaching of the Bible and be a pure light of hope, grace, and forgiveness in the world.
a1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Hebrews 13:4; bMatthew 5:27-28; cMatthew 5:29; Psalm 119:37; Isaiah 33:15; dRomans 1:26-27; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; eGalatians 5:21; Revelation 21:8; f1 Timothy 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26
Gender at Birth: We believe that the biological sex a person has from birth is the sex intended for that person by Goda. We consider all attempts to alter this biological sex to be incompatible with the Christian faith. While original sin has impacted both our souls and our physical bodies resulting in confusion and conflicts of identity (gender dysphoria) b , by God’s grace the true Christian can find his or her identity in Christ and express that identity through the biological sex into which he or she was bornc d. We believe that there is forgiveness and mercy for those who have taken steps to change their biological gender and then, by God’s grace, repent of this sin and purpose to live for Christ as their Savior and Lord.d
aPsalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:24; bPsalm 51:5; 58:3; Ephesians 2:3; c1Corinthians 7:16-24; dIsaiah 56:4-5
Abortion: As a church, we believe that the taking of innocent human life is murder and therefore sinfula. This includes the taking of human life in the womb. Therefore, we are decidedly against the practice of abortion. We believe that abortion is a sin and that God has provided a way of forgiveness for such sins through the blood and righteousness of His Son received by faith. We, therefore, continue to pray for those who have had abortions and hold forth the mercy of God to all who will acknowledge their sins and come to Christ in faith.
aGenesis 9:6; Proverbs 6:16-19; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Exodus 21:22-25
Distinctive Doctrines
Emmanuel Sovereign Grace Fellowship is a confessional church, which means that the leadership holds to the doctrinal distinctives contained in the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) with minimal exception . While we believe that Bible alone is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule for doctrine and practice, the use of this historic confession to describe the teaching of the church (Heb. 13:7) is helpful, and we find it to be an assistance in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness." Subscription to the confession is not a requirement for membership, but it is a requirement for leaders and teachers1.
Some of the distinctives you will find in the confession and taught at Emmanuel Sovereign Grace
Fellowship are things such as the doctrines of grace (i.e. Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Particular Redemption, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints), baptism of believers, the nature and identity of the Church, and the meaning and practice of the Lord’s Table.
1Pastors & teachers within Emmanuel Sovereign Grace Fellowship subscribe to the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith with minimal exception. Where a leader or teacher is not in agreement with the confession this must be in a point of doctrine or manner of dissent that does not violate the main teachings of the confession.