Beliefs

CBC Essentials

Below is a summary of what Christ Bible Church views as essentials for all local, healthy churches.

Christ’s Lordship is Essential
As God the Son, Jesus Christ is the name to which every knee will bow. He is the Lord of all whether He is acknowledged as Lord or not.  Christ, the incarnate Word, is eternally God, the Creator, and he rules over everything visible and invisible. Through his death and resurrection, he atoned for the sins of his people, established his kingdom, and then ascended to the right hand of the Father. In Heaven, he rules over everything until the appointed time when his kingdom will be fully realized in this world. Christ’s sovereign rule is most clearly seen in his Body, the church. No government, and no man, stands as its head. As the church declares Christ’s universal lordship, she is to be free from the dictates of men and the state to advance the Son’s eternal kingdom.

 Colossians 1:15-20 – [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

The Word of God is Essential
God has spoken to us through His Word, so that we may rightly know ourselves, creation, and him. As God’s Word, Scripture is perfect, true, and sufficient. It is the foundation for everything we do. By revealing himself through words, God affirms that words, ideas, and language are essential. Therefore, CBC stresses expositional preaching and teaching as the lifeblood of the church.

John 17:14-19 – I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

2 Timothy 3: 16-17 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 – [P]reach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Truth is Essential
God is the source of everything, including truth. In an age of relativism, chaos, and darkness it is vital the church proclaims, loves, and lives out truth. God spoke so that we may know the objective, universal truth that flows from his nature. Truth is ultimately found in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christians must continually seek truth in their lives.

Psalm 51:6 – Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Psalm 86:11 – Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

Zechariah 8:16 – These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 17:6,16-17 – I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word…They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Romans 1:18: – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Dependent Prayer is Essential
As a church of the living God, CBC recognizes its utter dependence upon the Lord. Christ sustains all things, and without his continuous grace, we would have nothing. The church’s life must reflect our dependence by going before the Lord in humble prayer, seeking his provision, mercy, strength, truth, and wisdom.

Acts 1:14 – All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…

Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Philippians 4:6-7 – …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 – I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Worship is Essential
The entirety of life is an act of worship to God. As the church gathers together, she offers praise to God corporately. This worship should be multigenerational as it strengthens the congregation and glorifies God.

Nehemiah 8:1-2 – And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.

Matthew 28: 19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Music is Essential
All songs teach. The only question is whether they teach truth or error. Songs must direct us outwardly toward God as they instruct us inwardly and as they truthfully express the worth of Christ. Music is essential in that it conveys truth and beauty. Therefore, churches should utilize God-glorifying content with excellence and quality of music, displaying beauty and skill in its delivery.

Exodus 36:1-2 – Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded. And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.

Psalm 33:3 – Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

Children are Essential
Children are a gift from God to be cherished and nurtured in the truth of the gospel. While each child must decide on his or her own to follow God or not, it is the duty of churches to partner with parents in instructing children in the knowledge of and obedience to God. This is a most sacred and important job of the church and Christian family.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Psalm 78: 2-4,6-7 – I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

Psalm 127:3-4 – Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

Matthew 19:14 – [B]ut Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Missions is Essential
Every church is an outpost of God’s kingdom in this fallen world. The local church must equip its people for the ministry of reaching the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. CBC aims to reach its community, state, country, and the world with a bold proclamation of the gospel.

Matthew 28:16-18 – Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Romans 10:14-15 – How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Ephesians 4:11-16 – And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Service is Essential
Every church should practice the “one anothers” of Scripture through sacrificial service to one another. The charge to love one another manifests in many ways including meeting the spiritual and physical needs of others. This love shows itself in many ways including in the giving of our time, money, and talents for the good of others. CBC aims to exemplify the love of Christ in our fellowship and beyond.

Leviticus 19:9-10 – When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

Psalm 68:5 – Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
Matthew 25:35-40 – [Jesus said] For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

John 13:35 – [Jesus said] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Acts 20: 34-35 – [Paul wrote] You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Cheerful Giving is Essential
God calls us all to give with a cheerful heart for everything we possess was first given to us by Him.

Matthew 6:20-21 – but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Membership is Essential
The local church is not just the pastors, elders, or deacons—it is the people. Every healthy church must have a robust membership. The church is the body of believers who join together to worship, minister, preach, obey, and serve. The members are to be believers who are walking faithfully in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Each individual brings different gifts, passions, strengths, and weaknesses to the body, and each is vital to the health of the church.

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Church Governance is Essential
The Bible has set forth how the local church is to be run. There are two offices of leadership in the church—elders and deacons. Those serving in these roles must meet the biblical qualifications and should be examples of the faith to the rest of the church. While the elders are to teach and lead the church, they are accountable to the congregation as a whole. By following the biblical model of church governance, a local congregation is best prepared to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 3:1,8 – The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task…Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

1 Timothy 5:17 - Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

1 Peter 5:1-3 – So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Biblical Sexuality is Essential
From the beginning, God created humanity as male and female. Both sexes who equally bear God’s image and are of equal glory and worth. God immutably establishes the sex of each individual and he calls everyone to righteously express their sexuality. As a gift of God, human sexuality must not be spurned, abused, or distorted. God’s design is for men and women to complement each other socially, relationally, and sexually. The fullness of God’s image is enhanced through the marital union of a man and a woman. The biblical ethic for sexuality is that sexual intercourse is reserved for the marriage of one man and woman joined together in lifelong covenant. Following this ethic blesses the individual, family, and society. Ignoring it brings untold harm to children, adults, and society and offends a holy God.

Genesis 1:27; 2:24 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them… Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

1 Corinthians 6:13 – The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor…

Hebrews 13:4 – Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Cultural Engagement Is Essential
God calls the church to evangelize and to engage the world. Christians must avoid the opposite errors of withdrawing from culture or of following the latest whims and fads of society. Properly engaging culture is not baptizing wicked ideologies into Christianity.  Rather, true cultural engagement is exposing and repudiating errors in thinking and calling sinners to repentance. As the church declares Christ’s lordship, it seeks to take every thought captive, to demolish irrational claims, and to oppose every belief system opposed to Christ. Christians must unapologetically speak as Christians pointing to the gospel and lordship of Christ as revealed Scripture.

 2 Corinthians 10:3-6-For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.