Salisbury Church
Salisbury Church

Doctrinal Statement

Statement of Faith
  • Holy Scriptures
  • We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God in the original manuscripts. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and eternal, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. (II Timothy 3:16,17, II Peter 1:20,21, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 24:35)
  • Holy Trinity
  • Father
  • We believe that God the Father is creator and sustainer of all that is and that as the source of every spiritual blessing He has commissioned the Son and Holy Spirit to accomplish the redemption of humanity. (Genesis 1:1, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 3:35, 5:19,27,30, 14:16, Acts 17:24,25)
  • Son
  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in one person possessed two natures, a human nature and a divine nature, each in its completeness and integrity. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary and lived a sinless life in order that He might reveal the Father and redeem sinful humanity. (John 1:1,14, Philippians 2:5-8, Colossians 2:9, Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:34,35, Hebrews 4:15, John 14:9,10)
  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross, shedding His blood as a vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24,25, I Peter 1:3-5,18,19, 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, I Corinthians 15:3-8, Isaiah 53:3 6,10,11)
  • 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 Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-11, Hebrews 7:25-27, 8:1, Romans 8:34, I John 2:1,2, Ephesians 1:20-22)
  • We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Jesus Christ in all His power and glory. (Titus-2:13, Luke 12:40, I Thessalonians 5:2)
  • Holy Spirit
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. His ministries include regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8, Romans 8:11, John 3:5, I Corinthians 6:19, 12:12-14, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 4:30)
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and apply the Scriptures, that He calls, directs and gifts believers for ministry and service and that it is the privilege and duty of every believer to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13, Acts 6:3, 13:2, 16:6,7, Ephesians 5:18, I Corinthians 12:4,7,11, I John 2:20,27)
  • Man's Sinful Nature
  • We believe that God created man in His image and likeness but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God. Therefore salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:26,27, Romans 3:10-23, 5:12-19, Colossians 1:20,21, Ephesians 2:8,9, John 1:12, 3.16, 14:6, Romans 10:9-13)
  • Judgement After Death
  • We believe in the bodily resurrection of all humanity, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to eternal punishment. (Matthew 25:46, John 5:28,29, 11:25,26, Revelations 20:12-15, II Thessalonians 1:7-9, Hebrews 9:27)
  • One Church, Baptism and Communion in Christ
  • We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of all believers with Christ as the head of the body. We further believe that the New Testament clearly teaches the establishment and continuation of local churches free of any external authority and control other than that of Jesus Christ.
  • Every believer is obliged to be involved in the local church where they can experience worship, teaching, fellowship, encouragement, good works, and the practice of the ordinances.
  • We recognize believer's baptism and the communion of the bread and cup as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church. (I Corinthians 12:12-14, II Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 1:22,23, 5:25-27, Acts 14:21-23, 5:28,29, Matthew 22:21, Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:24,25, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:41, I Corinthians 11:23-30)
  • Leadership​
  • We believe that God by his sovereignty so ordained that the roles of pastor and elder is to be held only by qualified men. That this command is not based upon worth or ability but on God's created order. Male and Female have equal worth to God, but we are designed for different roles in the body of Christ. (Genesis 2:18, Genesis 3:16, 1 Corinthians 11:3​, Ephesians 5:23, 1 Timothy 2:12-14, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:6-9) [Approved by church membership January 6, 2019]
  • Marriage 
  • We believe that God blessed humanity with the marriage relationship from the beginning. God design for marriage was that it would only be experienced between a man and a woman for a lifetime. Within the exclusiveness of that relationship the couple enjoys sexual intimacy as a symbol of their one flesh relationship.​ Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul affirmed this design of marriage. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:31)   [Approved by church membership December 12,2015]​​
  • Identity ​
  • We Believe that God created humans as only male and female. Both with distinct biology and purpose. That gender is defined by God through biology from birth and is not based on personal identity or preference.(Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:18-22, Genesis 5:2, Deuteronomy 22:5, Psalms 139:13, Matthew 19:4) [Approved by church membership January 6, 2019] 
  • Interpretation
  • This statement is to be considered a strong evangelical statement of faith, allowing for minor differences with such doctrines as the security of the believer, the ministries of the Holy Spirit, end time prophecies. For the sake of unity, persons desiring to express a strong commitment to minor doctrinal distinctives would probably not be comfortable within this Church's fellowship.