Sunday Worship 10am at the Ballard Middle School

What We Believe


I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

What We Teach


Click each heading to read more.

Scripture, the Word of God Written

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the infallible Word of God, verbally inspired by God1, and without error2 in the original manuscripts.

We believe that God’s intentions, revealed in the Bible, are the supreme and final authority in testing all claims about what is true and what is right. In matters not addressed by the Bible, what is true and right is assessed by criteria consistent with the teachings of Scripture.

We believe God’s intentions are revealed through the intentions of inspired human authors, even when the authors’ intention was to express divine meaning of which they were not fully aware, as, for example, in the case of some Old Testament prophecies.3 Thus the meaning of Biblical texts is a fixed historical reality, rooted in the historical, unchangeable intentions of its divine and human authors. However, while meaning does not change, the application of that meaning may change in various situations. Nevertheless it is not legitimate to infer a meaning from a Biblical text that is not demonstrably carried by the words which God inspired.4

Therefore, the process of discovering the intention of God in the Bible (which is its fullest meaning) is a humble and careful effort to find in the language of Scripture what the human authors intended to communicate. Limited abilities, traditional biases, personal sin, and cultural assumptions often obscure Biblical texts. Therefore the work of the Holy Spirit is essential for right understanding of the Bible5, and prayer for His assistance belongs to a proper effort to understand and apply God’s Word6.

12 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Peter 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Corinthians 2:13
2Proverbs 30:5; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 12:6; Hebrews 6:18; Matthew 24:35; Titus 1:2; John 17:17; Matthew 22:29
31 Peter 1:10-11; John 11:51
42 Peter 3:16; Matthew 4:6-7
51 Corinthians 2:12-16
6Psalm 119:18; Psalm 119:12; Ephesians 1:18

The Trinity, One God as Three Persons

We believe in one1 living2, sovereign3, and all-glorious4 God, eternally existing in three5 infinitely excellent and admirable Persons: God the Father6, fountain of all being7; God the Son8, eternally begotten9, not made, without beginning10, being of one essence11 with the Father; and God the Holy Spirit, proceeding in the full, divine essence12, as a Person13, eternally from the Father and the Son. Thus each Person in the Godhead is fully and completely God.

We believe that God is supremely joyful14 in the fellowship of the Trinity, each Person beholding and expressing His eternal and unsurpassed delight in the all-satisfying perfections of the triune God.

1Deuteronomy 6:4
2Matthew 16:16; see also 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 3:12; Revelation 7:2
3Job 42:2; Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:25; Daniel 4:34-35; Ephesians 1:11; Jame 4:15
4Psalm 138:5
5Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14
6John 1:18; John 5:18; John 6:46; John 20:17; Acts 2:33; Romans 1:7; Romans 15:6; 1 Peter 1:3 Philemon 1:3
71 Corinthians 8:6
8John 20:31; John 1:1-3; John 5:18; John 6:46; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 11:27; John 10:30,38; John 12:45; John 14:7; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:3,8; 2 Peter 1:1; Revelation 22:13
9Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:5-6; John 1:14, 18
10John 1:1
11Colossians 2:9
12Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Romans 8:27
13John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Ephesians 4:30
141 Timothy 1:11; Matthew 25:23; John 15:11; John 17:26; Matthew 12:18; Proverbs 8:27-30

God’s Eternal Purpose and Election

We believe that God, from all eternity1, in order to display the full extent of His glory2 for the eternal and ever-increasing enjoyment3 of all who love Him4, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His will5, freely and unchangeably6 ordain7 and foreknow8 whatever comes to pass.

We believe that God upholds and governs all things – from galaxies9 to subatomic particles10, from the forces of nature11 to the movements of nations12, and from the public plans of politicians13 to the secret acts of solitary persons14 – all in accord with His eternal, all-wise15 purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins16, nor ever condemns a person unjustly17; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability18 of all persons created in His image.

We believe that God’s election is an unconditional19 act of free grace20 which was given through His Son Christ Jesus before the world began21. By this act God chose, before the foundation of the world, those who would be delivered from bondage to sin22 and brought to repentance23 and saving faith24 in His Son Christ Jesus.

12 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 3:11; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8
2Romans 11:36; see also Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; Isaiah 60:21; Isaiah 43:7; John 12:27-28; John 17:1; John 17:4; Philippians 2:11
3Psalm 37:4; Philippians 4:4; Matthew 25:23; Revelation 21:4
41 Corinthians 2:9; Romans 8:28
5Ephesians 1:11
6Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29
7Isaiah 46:9-10; Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 19:21
8Isaiah 41:21-23; Isaiah 42:8-9; see also Genesis 15:13, 40:13,19; Exodus 3:19; Deuteronomy 31:16; Psalm 34:20; Isaiah 44:6-8, 44:24-28, 45:11, 45:20-21, 46:8-11, 48:1-6; Zechariah 12:10; John 6:64, 19:36-37
9Job 9:7; Isaiah 40:26
10Matthew 10:29-30; Colossians 1:16-17
11Job 37:6-13; Psalm 147:15-18; Mark 4:39-41
12Psalm 33:10-11; Amos 3:6; Lamentations 3:37-38; Genesis 50:20
13Revelation 17:16-17; Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 16:33
14Proverbs 20:24;Proverbs 16:9
15Psalm 104:24; Romans 16:27; 1 Corinthians 1:21
16Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 1:5; James 1:13; Romans 3:4
17Romans 1:20; Romans 2:11-12; Daniel 4:37
18Romans 3:19
19Romans 9:11-18; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; John 10:25-29; John 17:6; John 6:37-39; Romans 8:28-30
20Romans 11:5-8
212 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 1:4
22Romans 6:17; Romans 8:2
232 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 11:18
24John 6:44; John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16:17; Acts 16:14

God’s Creation of the Universe and Man

We believe that God created the universe1, and everything in it2, out of nothing3, by the Word of His power. Having no deficiency in Himself, nor moved by any incompleteness in His joyful self-sufficiency4, God was pleased in creation to display His glory5 for the everlasting joy6 of the redeemed, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation7.

We believe that God directly created Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from his side. We believe that Adam and Eve were the historical parents of the entire human race8; that they were created male and female equally in the image of God9, without sin10; that they were created to glorify11 their Maker, Ruler, Provider, and Friend by trusting His all-sufficient goodness, admiring His infinite beauty, enjoying His personal fellowship, and obeying His all-wise counsel; and that, in God’s love and wisdom, they were appointed differing and complementary roles in marriage as a type of Christ and the church.12

1Genesis 1:1
2Psalm 24:1-2
3Hebrews 11:3; Hebrews 1:2; John 1:1-3
4Exodus 3:13-14; Psalm 50:9-15; Acts 17:25
5Isaiah 43:7
6Isaiah 35:10; Matthew 25:23
7Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9-10
8Genesis 2:7; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:14
9Genesis 1:27; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9
10Genesis 1:31
11See note on 7
12Ephesians 5:22-33; Genesis 2:18

Man’s Sin and Fall from Fellowship with God

We believe that, although God created man morally upright, he was led astray from God’s Word and wisdom by the subtlety of Satan’s deceit1, and chose to take what was forbidden2, and thus declare his independence from, distrust for, and disobedience toward his all-good and gracious Creator. Thus, our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original innocence and communion with God3.

We believe that, as the head of the human race, Adam‘s fall became the fall of all his posterity, in such a way that corruption, guilt, death, and condemnation belong properly to every person.4 All persons are thus corrupt by nature5, enslaved to sin6, and morally unable7 to delight in God and overcome their own proud preference for the fleeting pleasures of self-rule.

We believe God has subjected the creation to futility8, and the entire human family is made justly liable to untold miseries of sickness9, decay10, calamity11, and loss12. Thus all the adversity and suffering in the world is an echo and a witness of the exceedingly great evil of moral depravity in the heart of mankind; and every new day of life is a God-given, merciful reprieve from imminent judgment, pointing to repentance13.

1Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 3:1; Genesis 3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3
2Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6
3Genesis 3:7-8; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21
4Romans 5:12-19
5Ephesians 2:2-3
6Romans 6:16, 20
71 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:7-8; Deuteronomy 29:4
8Romans 8:20
9Romans 8:23
102 Corinthians 4:16
11Romans 8:35-36
121 Thessalonians 4:13
13Romans 2:4

Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God

We believe that in the fullness of time1 God sent forth His eternal Son as Jesus the Messiah2, conceived by the Holy Spirit3, born of the virgin Mary4. We believe that, when the eternal Son became flesh5, He took on a fully human nature6, so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one Person, without confusion or mixture. Thus the Person, Jesus Christ, was and is truly God7 and truly man8, yet one Christ and the only Mediator between God and man9.

We believe that Jesus Christ lived without sin, though He endured the common infirmities and temptations of human life10. He preached and taught with truth and authority unparalleled in human history11. He worked miracles, demonstrating His divine right and power over all creation: dispatching demons12, healing the sick13, raising the dead14, stilling the storm15, walking on water16, multiplying loaves17, and foreknowing what would befall Him and His disciples18, including the betrayal of Judas19 and the denial, restoration, and eventual martyrdom of Peter20.

We believe that His life was governed by His Father‘s providence with a view to fulfilling all Old Testament prophecies concerning the One who was to come21, such as the Seed of the woman22, the Prophet like Moses23, the Priest after the order of Melchizedek24, the Son of David25, and the Suffering Servant26.

We believe that Jesus Christ suffered voluntarily27 in fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan28, that He was crucified under Pontius Pilate29, that He died30, was buried31 and on the third day rose from the dead32 to vindicate the saving work of His life and death33 and to take His place as the invincible, everlasting Lord of glory34. During forty days after His resurrection, He gave many compelling evidences of His bodily resurrection35 and then ascended bodily into heaven36, where He is seated at the right hand of the Father37, interceding for His people38 on the basis of His all-sufficient sacrifice for sin, and reigning until He puts all His enemies under His feet39.

1Galatians 4:4
2John 3:16-17; Matthew 16:16
3Luke 1:34-35
4Matthew 1:23; see also Luke 1:34-35
5John 1:14
6Hebrews 2:14; Hebrews 2:17
7John 1:1
8Philippians 2:6-8; see notes 5 and 6
91 Timothy 2:5
10Hebrews 4:15
11John 7:46; Mark 1:27; Matthew 22:16
12Mark 1:27
13Matthew 4:23
14Matthew 11:4-6
15Mark 4:39
16Matthew 14:25
17Matthew 14:19-20
18John 13:19
19John 6:64; John 13:21; John 13:26; Matthew 26:2; John 13:27
20Luke 22:31-34; John 21:18-19
21Luke 24:25-26
22Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20
23Deuteronomy 18:18; Acts 3:20-23
24Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:5-6
25Isaiah 9:7; Matthew 1:1; Matthew 22:42
26Isaiah 52:13, 53:3-6; Mark 10:45
27John 10:18
28Acts 2:23
29Acts 4:27-28
30John 19:30; 1 Corinthians 15:3
31John 19:40-41; 1 Corinthians 15:4
321 Corinthians 15:4; Matthew 28:6
33Romans 4:25
34Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 17:31
35Acts 1:3
36Acts 1:9-11
37Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33; Acts 5:31; Colossians 3:1
38Romans 8:34; Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 2:1
391 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:13

The Saving Work of Christ

We believe that by His perfect obedience to God1 and by His suffering and death2 as the immaculate Lamb of God3, Jesus Christ obtained forgiveness of sins4 and the gift of perfect righteousness5 for all who trusted in God prior to the cross6 and all who would trust in Christ thereafter7. Through living a perfect life and dying in our place, the just for the unjust, Christ absorbed our punishment8, appeased the wrath of God against us9, vindicated the righteousness of God in our justification10, and removed the condemnation of the law against us11.

We believe that the atonement of Christ for sin warrants and impels a universal offering of the gospel to all persons, so that to every person it may be truly said, ― God gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life12. Whosoever will may come13 for cleansing at this fountain, and whoever does come, Jesus will not cast out14.

We believe, moreover, that the death of Christ did obtain more than the bona fide offer of the gospel for all; it also obtained the omnipotent New Covenant15 mercy of repentance16 and faith17for God‘s elect. Christ died for all, but not for all in the same way. In His death, Christ expressed a special covenant love to His friends18, His sheep19, His bride20. For them He obtained the infallible and effectual working of the Spirit to triumph over their resistance and bring them to saving faith21.

1Romans 5:18-19
21 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Romans 5:6; Romans 8:34; Romans 14:9; Galatians 2:21
3John 1:29
4Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Acts 13:38
52 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:21-22
6Romans 4:3; Romans 3:25-26
7Romans 3:26; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16
8Romans 8:1, 3; Galatians 3:13
9Ephesians 2:3-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9
10Romans 3:25-26
11Colossians 2:13-14; Galatians 3:13
12John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 1:23; Acts 1:8
13Revelation 22:17; John 4:14
14John 6:37
15Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 9:15; see also Hebrews 12:24; Hebrews 13:20-21
162 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 11:18
17John 6:44; John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16:17; Acts 16:14
18John 15:13
19John 10:14-15
20Ephesians 5:25
21Revelation 5:9; John 17:6, 9, 19; John 11:51-52; Romans 8:32

The Saving Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit has always been at work in the world, sharing in the work of creation1, awakening faith in the remnant of God’s people2, performing signs and wonders3, giving triumphs in battle4, empowering the preaching of prophets5 and inspiring the writing of Scripture6. Yet, when Christ had made atonement for sin, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, He inaugurated a new era of the Spirit by pouring out the promise of the Father on His Church7.

We believe that the newness of this era is marked by the unprecedented mission of the Spirit to glorify the crucified and risen Christ8. This He does by giving the disciples of Jesus greater power to preach the gospel of the glory of Christ9, by opening the hearts of hearers that they might see Christ and believe10, by revealing the beauty of Christ in His Word and transforming His people from glory to glory11, by manifesting Himself in spiritual gifts for the upbuilding of the body of Christ12 and the confirmation of His Word13, by calling all the nations into the sway of the gospel of Christ14, and, in all this, thus fulfilling the New Covenant promise to create and preserve a purified people15 for the everlasting habitation of God16.

We believe that, apart from the effectual work of the Spirit, no one would come to faith17, because all are dead in trespasses and sins18; that they are hostile to God, and morally unable to submit to God or please Him19, because the pleasures of sin appear greater than the pleasures of God20. Thus, for God‘s elect, the Spirit triumphs over all resistance21, wakens the dead22, removes blindness23, and manifests Christ in such a compellingly beautiful way through the Gospel that He becomes irresistibly attractive to the regenerate heart.

We believe the Holy Spirit does this saving work in connection with the presentation of the Gospel of the glory of Christ24. Thus neither the work of the Father in election, nor the work of the Son in atonement, nor the work of the Spirit in regeneration is a hindrance or discouragement to the proclamation of the gospel to all peoples and persons everywhere. On the contrary, this divine saving work of the Trinity is the warrant and the ground of our hope that our evangelization is not in vain in the Lord. The Spirit binds His saving work to the gospel of Christ, because His aim is to glorify the Christ of the Gospel25. Therefore we do not believe that there is salvation through any other means than through receiving the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit26, except that infants and people with severe intellectual disabilities and minds physically incapable of comprehending the gospel may be saved27.

1Psalm 104:30; Genesis 1:2
2Romans 8:7-9
3Judges 14:6
4Judges 3:10
51 Samuel 10:6
62 Peter 1:21; Matthew 22:43, referring to Psalm 110:1
7Luke 24:49; Acts 2:33
8John 16:13-14; John 7:39
9Acts 1:8
10Romans 15:18-19; Acts 16:14; John 3:8
112 Corinthians 3:17-18
121 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 2:4
13Hebrews 2:3-4
14Acts 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Romans 15:18-19; Acts 13:2; Acts 4:31
15Jeremiah 31:33-34; Jeremiah 32:40
162 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21
172 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 11:18; John 6:44; John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16:17; Acts 16:14
18Ephesians 2:4-6
19Romans 8:7-8
20Mark 4:19
21Romans 6:17; Romans 8:7-9
22See note 18
232 Corinthians 4:4-6
24Acts 16:14; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4, 6
25John 16:14
26Acts 4:1; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 3:19-22; Ephesians 3:6; Romans 1:5; Acts 17:30-31; Romans 10:13-15
27Romans 1:19-20

The Justifying Act of God

We believe that in a free act of righteous grace God justifies the ungodly by faith alone apart from works1, pardoning their sins2, and reckoning them as righteous and acceptable in His presence3. Faith is thus the sole instrument4 by which we, as sinners, are united to Christ, whose perfect righteousness and satisfaction for sins is alone the ground of our acceptance with God5. This acceptance happens fully and permanently at the first instant of justification6. Thus the righteousness by which we come into right standing with God is not anything worked in us by God, neither imparted to us at baptism nor over time, but rather is accomplished for us, outside ourselves, and is imputed to us.

We believe, nevertheless, that the faith, which alone receives the gift of justification, does not remain alone in the person so justified, but produces, by the Holy Spirit7, the fruit of love8 and leads necessarily to sanctification9. This necessary relation between justifying faith and the fruit of good works gives rise to some Biblical expressions which seem to make works the ground or means of justification10, but in fact simply express the crucial truth that faith that does not yield the fruit of good works is dead, being no true faith11.

1Titus 3:5-7; Romans 3:28; Romans 3:23-24; Romans 4:4-5; Galatians 2:16; Romans 5:1; Galatians 3:24; Galatians 5:4; Philippians 3:8-9
2Romans 4:6-8
32 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:21-22
4Romans 3:28; Romans 4:4-5
5Romans 5:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Jeremiah 23:5-6
6Romans 5:1
7Galatians 5:22-23
8Galatians 5:6; 1 Timothy 1:5; Colossians 1:4-5; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 4:8, 20; 1 John 4:16
92 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 26:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; see also 1 Thessalonians 1:3; James 2:26; Acts 15:9; 1 John 2:3-4; 1 John 5:1
10Hebrews 12:14; Romans 8:13-14; Galatians 5:21; Galatians 6:8-9; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Matthew 18:34-35; James 2:21-25
11James 2:17-20, 26

God’s Work in Faith and Sanctification

We believe that justification and sanctification are both brought about by God through faith1, but not in the same way. Justification is an act of God’s imputing and reckoning2; sanctification is an act of God‘s imparting and transforming3. Thus the function of faith in regard to each is different. In regard to justification, faith is not the channel through which power or transformation flows to the soul of the believer, but rather faith is the occasion of God‘s forgiving, acquitting, and reckoning as righteous4. But in regard to sanctification, faith is indeed the channel through which divine power and transformation flow to the soul5; and the sanctifying work of God through faith does indeed touch the soul and change it into the likeness of Christ.

We believe that the reason justifying faith necessarily sanctifies in this way is fourfold:

First, justifying faith is a persevering, that is, continuing, kind of faith6. Even though we are justified at the first instant of saving faith7, yet this faith justifies only because it is the kind of faith that will surely persevere. The extension of this faith into the future is, as it were, contained in the first seed of faith, as the oak in the acorn. Thus the moral effects8 of persevering faith may be rightly described as the effects of justifying faith.

Second, we believe that justifying faith trusts in Christ not only for the gift of imputed righteousness and the forgiveness of sins9, but also for the fulfillment of all His promises to us based on that reconciliation10. Justifying faith magnifies the finished work of Christ’s atonement, by resting securely in all the promises of God obtained and guaranteed by that all-sufficient work11.

Third, we believe that justifying faith embraces Christ in all His roles12: Creator13, Sustainer14, Savior15, Teacher16, Guide17, Comforter18, Helper19, Friend20, Advocate21, Protector22, and Lord23. Justifying faith does not divide Christ, accepting part of Him and rejecting the rest. All of Christ is embraced by justifying faith, even before we are fully aware of, or fully understand, all that He will be for us. As more of Christ is truly revealed to us in His Word, genuine faith recognizes Christ and embraces Him more fully24.

Fourth, we believe that this embracing of all of Christ is not a mere intellectual assent, or a mere decision of the will, but is also a heartfelt, Spirit-given (yet imperfect) satisfaction in all that God is for us in Jesus25. Therefore, the change of mind and heart that turns from the moral ugliness and danger of sin, and is sometimes called “repentance,”26 is included in the very nature of saving faith.

We believe that this preserving, future-oriented, Christ-embracing, heart-satisfying faith is life-transforming27, and therefore renders intelligible the teaching of the Scripture that final salvation in the age to come depends on the transformation of life28, and yet does not contradict justification by faith alone. The faith which alone justifies, cannot remain alone, but works through love29.

We believe that this simple, powerful reality of justifying faith is God’s gift30 which He gives unconditionally in accord with God’s electing love31, so that no one can boast in himself32, but only give all glory to God for every part of salvation33. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the decisive agent in this life-transformation, but that He is supplied to us and works holiness in us though our daily faith in the Son of God34 whose trustworthiness He loves to glorify35.

We believe that the sanctification, which comes by the Spirit through faith36, is imperfect and incomplete in this life37. Although slavery to sin is broken38, and sinful desires are progressively39 weakened by the power of a superior satisfaction in the glory of Christ, yet there remain remnants of corruption in every heart that give rise to irreconcilable war40, and call for vigilance in the lifelong fight of faith41.

We believe that all who are justified will win this fight. They will persevere in faith and never surrender to the enemy of their souls42. This perseverance is the promise of the New Covenant43, obtained by the blood of Christ44, and worked in us by God Himself45, yet not so as to diminish, but only to empower and encourage, our vigilance46; so that we may say in the end, I have fought the good fight47, but it was not I, but the grace of God which was with me48.

1Acts 26:18; Acts 15:9
2Romans 4:3; Romans 4:5; Luke 7:29; Luke 7:35; Luke 16:15
31 Peter 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Romans 6:19, 22
4Galatians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:21-22; Romans 5:1
5Galatians 5:6; 1 Timothy 1:5; Colossians 1:4-5; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 4:8, 20; 1 John 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 26:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; see also 1 Thessalonians 1:3; James 2:26; Acts 15:9; 1 John 2:3-4; 1 John 5:1; James 2:17-20, 26; see also Note 1
61 John 2:19; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 4:3 = Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:19-22 = Genesis 17:17; James 2:21-23, Genesis 22:10
7Romans 5:1
8Hebrews 12:14; Romans 8:13-14; Galatians 5:21; Galatians 6:8-9; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Matthew 18:34-35; James 2:21-25; James 2:17-20, 26
9Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:21-22; Acts 10:43
10Romans 4:20-22; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 3:6; Romans 6:8; 1 Timothy 1:16
112 Corinthians 1:20
12Romans 10:9; 1 John 3:23; Acts 20:21; Galatians 2:16; Colossians 1:4; Colossians 2:5; 2 Timothy 3:15; John 20:31; Philippians 1:29
13John 1:1-3
14Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3
15Luke 2:11
16John 13:13
17Acts 16:7
18John 14:18; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 1:5
19Philippians 1:19
20John 15:13-15
211 John 2:1
222 Thessalonians 3:3
23Romans 10:9
24Philippians 3:15
25John 6:35; 1 John 5:1-4; John 3:19-21; Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 11:24-26
26Matthew 3:8; Hebrews 6:1
27James 2:17-20, 26; See also Note 1
28Hebrews 12:14; Romans 8:13-14; Galatians 5:21; Galatians 6:8-9; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Matthew 18:34-35; James 2:21-25
29Galatians 5:6; See also Note 28
302 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 11:18; John 6:44; John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16:17; Acts 16:14
312 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:29-30
32Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
33Romans 15:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Hebrews 13:21; Romans 11:36
34Galatians 3:5
35John 16:13-14
362 Thessalonians 2:13
37Philippians 3:12; 1 John 1:8-10; 1 John 2:1; Matthew 6:11-12; Romans 6:11-13; Galatians 5:16-18
38Romans 6:14, 17
392 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Hebrews 10:14; 2 Peter 3:18
40Galatians 5:16-18; 1 Peter 2:11
41Hebrews 3:12-13; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7-8
42Mark 13:22; Luke 22:31-32; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:30; Hebrews 3:14; 1 John 2:19; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Peter 1:5
43Jeremiah 32:40
441 Corinthians 11:25
45Hebrews 13:20-21
46Philippians 2:12-13
472 Timothy 4:7-8
481 Corinthians 15:10

Living God’s Word by Meditation and Prayer

We believe that faith is awakened and sustained by God’s Spirit1 through His Word2 and prayer3. The good fight of faith is fought mainly by meditating on the Scriptures4 and praying5 that God would apply them to our souls.

We believe that the promises of God recorded in the Scriptures are suited to save us from the deception of sin by displaying for us, and holding out to us, superior pleasures in the protection, provision, and presence of God6. Therefore, reading7, understanding8, pondering9, memorizing10, and savoring11 the promises of all that God will be for us in Jesus are primary means of the Holy Spirit to break the power of sin’s deceitful promises in our lives. Therefore it is needful that we give ourselves to such meditation day and night12.

We believe that God has ordained to bless13 and use14 His people for His glory through the means of prayer, offered in Jesus’15 name by faith16. All prayer should seek ultimately that God’s name be hallowed, and that His kingdom come, and that His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven17. God’s sovereignty over all things is not a hindrance to prayer, but a reason for hope that our prayers will succeed18.

We believe that prayer is the indispensable handmaid of meditation, as we cry out to God for the inclination to turn from the world to the Word19, and for the spiritual ability to see the glory of God in His testimonies20, and for a soul-satisfying sight of the love of God21, and for strength in the inner man to do the will of God22. By prayer God sanctifies His people23, sends gospel laborers into the world24, and causes the Word of God to spread and triumph over Satan and unbelief25.

12 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 11:18; John 6:44; John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16:17; Acts 16:14
2Romans 10:17
3Mark 9:24; Luke 22:31-32; Ephesians 1:18-19; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:11
4Ephesians 6:17-18; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 1:1-3
5Psalm 119:36; Psalm 119:18; Psalm 86:11
62 Peter 1:3-4; Hebrews 10:34; Hebrews 11:24-26; Hebrews 13:13-14
7Ephesians 3:4
8Ephesians 5:17; Psalm 119:11
92 Timothy 2:7
10Psalm 119:11
11Psalm 37:4; Psalm 34:8
12Psalm 1:2
13Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 7:7-11
14Romans 15:30-31; Ephesians 6:19; Matthew 9:38
15John 14:13; see also John 15:16; 16:23-24, 26
16James 1:5-8
17Matthew 6:9-10
18Ezekiel 36:37-38
19Psalm 119:36
20Psalm 119:18; Ephesians 1:18
21Psalm 90:14
22Ephesians 3:14-16; Colossians 1:9-11
231 Thessalonians 3:12-13
24Matthew 9:38
252 Thessalonians 3:1

Christ’s Church and Her Ordinances

We believe in the one universal Church, composed of all those who are chosen in Christ and united to Him through faith by the Spirit in one Body, with Christ Himself as the all-supplying, all-sustaining, all-supreme, and all-authoritative Head1. We believe that the ultimate purpose of the Church is to glorify God2 in the everlasting and ever-increasing gladness of worship3.

We believe it is God’s will that the universal Church find expression in local churches4 in which believers agree together to hear the Word of God proclaimed5, to engage in corporate worship6, to practice the ordinances of baptism7 and the Lord’s Supper8, to build each other‘s faith through the manifold ministries of love9, to hold each other accountable in the obedience of faith through Biblical discipline10, and to engage in local and world evangelization11. The Church is a body in which each member should find a suitable ministry for His gifts12; it is the household of God in which the Spirit dwells13; it is the pillar and bulwark of God’s truth in a truth-denying world14; and it is a city set on a hill so that men may see the light of its good deeds—especially to the poor15—and give glory to the Father in heaven16.

We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith17 express their union with Christ18 in His death and resurrection19, by being immersed in water20 in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit21. It is a sign of belonging to the new people of God and an emblem of burial22 and cleansing23, signifying death to the old life of unbelief, and purification from the pollution of sin.

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord24 in which gathered believers25 eat bread, signifying Christ’s body given for His people, and drink the cup of the Lord, signifying the New Covenant in Christ‘s blood26. We do this in remembrance of the Lord, and thus proclaim His death until He comes. Those who eat and drink in a worthy manner partake of Christ‘s body and blood, not physically, but spiritually, in that, by faith, they are nourished with the benefits He obtained through His death, and thus grow in grace27.

We believe that each local church should recognize and affirm the divine calling of spiritually qualified men to give leadership to the church through the role of pastor-elder in the ministry of the Word and prayer. Women are not to fill the role of pastor-elder in the local church, but are encouraged to use their gifts in appropriate roles that edify the body of Christ and spread the gospel28.

1Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:15-16; Ephesians 5:23
2Ephesians 3:10; Matthew 5:14-16
3Revelation 5:9-12
4Acts 8:1; 1 Corinthians 16:19
5Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-2
6Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:15-16
7Matthew 28:19
81 Corinthians 11:23-26
91 Corinthians 12:4-7; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Romans 12:6-8
10Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20; 1 Corinthians 5:7, 11-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
11Colossians 4:5-6; Romans 15:24; 3 John 7-8; Matthew 28:18-20
121 Corinthians 12:13-18
13Ephesians 2:20-22
141 Timothy 3:15
15Galatians 2:10; Romans 15:26; Luke 14:13-14
16Matthew 5:14-16
17Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 2:38; Acts 18:8; Matthew 3:6
181 Corinthians 12:13
19Romans 6:3-4
20Acts 8:36-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:4
21Matthew 28:19
22See note #19
23Hebrews 10:22
24See note #8
251 Corinthians 11:17-20, 22
26See note #8
271 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:53-57, 63
28Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 5:17; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:12-13

Christ’s Commission to Make Disciples of All Nations

We believe that the commission given by the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations is binding on His Church to the end of the age1. This task is to proclaim the Gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation2, baptizing them, teaching them the words and ways of the Lord3, and gathering them into churches4 able to fulfill their Christian calling among their own people. The ultimate aim of world missions is that God would create, by His Word, worshippers who glorify His name through glad-hearted faith and obedience5. Missions exists because worship doesn‘t. When the time of ingathering is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and the goal of missions.

1Matthew 28:18-20
2Revelation 5:9
3See note #1
4Acts 14:23
5Romans 1:5; John 4:23; Romans 15:8-11

Death, Resurrection, and the Coming of the Lord

We believe that when Christians die they are made perfect in holiness1, are received into paradise2, and are taken consciously into the presence of Christ, which is more glorious and more satisfying than any experience on earth3.

We believe in the blessed hope4 that at the end of the age Jesus Christ will return to this earth personally5, visibly6, physically7, and suddenly8 in power and great glory9; and that He will gather His elect10, raise the dead11, judge the nations, and establish His kingdom12. We believe that the righteous will enter into the everlasting joy of their Master13, and those who suppressed the truth in unrighteousness14 will be consigned to everlasting conscious misery15.

We believe that the end of all things in this age will be the beginning of a never-ending, ever-increasing happiness in the hearts of the redeemed, as God displays more and more of His infinite and inexhaustible greatness and glory for the enjoyment of His people.16

1Hebrews 12:22-23
2Luke 23:43
3Philippians 1:23; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:1-9; Revelation 6:9-11. On the issue of whether Paul conceives of the body and soul as separable, see 2 Corinthians 12:2-3
4Titus 2:13
5Acts 1:9-11
6Mark 14:61-62
7Philippians 3:20-21; Luke 24:39-43; Titus 2:13
81 Thessalonians 5:2-3
9Luke 21:27
10Matthew 24:31
111 Thessalonians 4:15-17
121 Corinthians 15:22-24; 2 Timothy 4:1; Luke 22:28-30
13Psalm 16:11; Matthew 25:23; Matthew 25:46; Matthew 19:29; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Jude 24-25
14Romans 1:18
15Daniel 12:2; Matthew 3:12; see also Matthew 18:8, 10:28, 12:32, 25:41, 46; 26:24; Mark 3:29, 9:43-48; Luke 16:26; Jude 12-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 14:11; see also Revelation 19:3, 20:10
16Ephesians 2:6-7; Psalm 16:11; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Corinthians 2:9

The Spirit of This Affirmation and the Unity of the Church

We do not believe that all things in this affirmation of faith are of equal weight, some being more essential, some less. We do not believe that every part of this affirmation must be believed in order for one to be saved.

Our aim is not to discover how little can be believed, but rather to embrace and teach ―the whole counsel of God1 Our aim is to encourage a hearty adherence to the Bible, the fullness of its truth2, and the glory of its Author. We believe Biblical doctrine stabilizes saints in the winds of confusion3 and strengthens the church in her mission to meet the great systems of false religion and secularism. We believe that the supreme virtue of love is nourished by the strong meat of God-centered doctrine4. And we believe that a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ is sustained in an atmosphere of deep and joyful knowledge of God and His wonderful works5.

We believe that the cause of unity in the church6 is best served, not by finding the lowest common denominator of doctrine, around which all can gather, but by elevating the value of truth, stating the doctrinal parameters of church or school or mission or ministry, seeking the unity that comes from the truth, and then demonstrating to the world how Christians can love each other7 across boundaries rather than by removing boundaries. In this way, the importance of truth is served by the existence of doctrinal borders, and unity is served by the way we love others across those borders.

We do not claim infallibility for this affirmation and are open to refinement and correction from Scripture8. Yet we do hold firmly to these truths as we see them and call on others to search the Scriptures to see if these things are so9. As conversation and debate take place, it may be that we will learn from each other, and the boundaries will be adjusted, even possibly folding formerly disagreeing groups into closer fellowship.

1Acts 20:27
2Titus 1:1; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 1 Timothy 4:1
3Ephesians 4:13-14
41 Timothy 1:5
5Psalm 9:10
6Ephesians 4:4-6
7John 13:34-35
81 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Peter 3:18
9Acts 17:11

Supplemental Statements on Sexuality, Marriage and Life

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Ballard Creek Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to its members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Ballard Creek Church or members, agree to and abide by this Statement on Sexuality, Marriage and the Sanctity of Human Life1.

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ2.

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity3. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Ballard Creek Church.

A. Statement on Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God4. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of God’s design.

B. Statement on Marriage
We believe the term “marriage”, as delineated in Scripture5, has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union. We believe that marriage between one man and one woman, for life, uniquely reflects Christ’s relationship with His Church6. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other7.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God8.

C. Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of invaluable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are, therefore, called to defend, protect, and value all human life9.

1Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22
2Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
3Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31
4Genesis 1:26-27
5Genesis 2:18-25
6Ephesians 5:21-33
71 Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4
8Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9Psalm 139:1-24

Endnotes

NOTE: The many Biblical descriptions of God’s work in salvation are diverse. Therefore, similar or identical terms may be used differently in different contexts. Our aim in this affirmation of faith is not to limit how Biblical writers can use the terms we use here, or to say that the terms of this affirmation may not be used differently by the Biblical writers in various contexts, but rather our aim is to claim that the reality described here is in fact Biblical reality.

*Ballard Creek Church’s belief statement is taken with permission from Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN. *Some changes have been made.