SHILOH COMMUNITY CHURCH
Statement of Faith and
ACCEPTED DOCTRINAL THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE
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I. Tradition
A. Historic Christian Belief in a Sovereign God
1. Affirmation of the One True God of Israel
a. The same God who promises protection for His children [Psalm 121]
b. The God who promises that His love will never fail [l Chron 16:34]
c. The God who promised Israel that their sins could be forgiven [Il Chron 7:14]
2. Adoption of the first century message of the apostles of Jesus Christ
a. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God
b. Christ washed away our guilt through the blood that he shed on the cross
c. The message of the apostles is the authoritative message for the Church
d. The teachings of the apostles are the commands of the Lord [1 Thess 2:13]
e. Any deviation from this message is accursed from God [Gal 1:8-9]
f. The final authority of the Church is the apostolic message and doctrine [Gal 1:11-12]
3. Acceptance of the canon of Christian Scripture through the creeds of the early church of Nicaea
a. The doctrine of the Church is based on Holy Scripture as the inerrant word of God
b. The Church professes belief in the triune God, in Jesus Christ as true God and true Man, in His birth by the Virgin Mary, in the sending of the Holy Spirit, in the church, in the sacraments, in the expectation of the return of Christ, and in the resurrection of the dead
c. The Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed conform to the doctrine of Christ and His Apostles and serve as a confession that is binding for the faith of our congregation and thus also for the individual believer
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B. Fundamental Christian Acknowledgements
1. Belief in the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
a. We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit [Matt 3:16]
b. These three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience [Matt 28:19]
2. Absolute faith in the gospel as it relates to salvation through and only through Jesus Christ
a. There is no other name under heaven by which one may receive eternal life [Acts 4:12]
b. Jesus Christ alone provides the way to salvation [l Tim 2:51
c. God's love for us is made manifest in His sacrifice through His only son [John 3:16]
d. Everlasting life comes through the son of God [John 3:36]
3. The Holy Bible is the inerrant word of God and is not to be altered by addition nor deletion
a. All scripture from the Bible is directly from God's word and is God's word [Il Tim 3:16]
b. God's word cannot be changed either directly or indirectly [Rev 22:18-19]
4. The one true God reigns holy, sovereign, from the eternal past, now, and forever over all creation
a. Recognized as holy by man [Ex 3:6]; by Heaven [Rev 4:8]; and by God Himself [Lev 20:7]
b. It is He who made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding
stretched out the heavens. [Jer. 10:12-13]
C. Doctrinal Standards of Practice
1. Confession of our sins to Jesus Christ as the only means to salvation
a. Necessitated by the influence of the Holy Spirit [l Cor 12:3]
b. Our confession is evidence of our union with God [l Jn 4:15]
c. Our deep unashamed personal conviction leads to our open confession of faith [Ro 10:9-10]
2. Adoption of the rite of Baptism as our outward confession of faith in Jesus Christ
a. As the spiritual body of Christ we are all immersed by Christ with the Holy Spirit [l Cor 12:13]
b. This outward sign depicts our union with Christ in His death and resurrection and oneness with the Holy
Trinity [Eph 4:4-6]
c. Has been appointed as an ordinance of the Church [Matt 28:19]
3. Continued observance of communion with bread and fruit of the vine as commanded of our Lord in
remembrance of Him [l Cor 11:23-26]
4. Use of basic Christian affirmations of our faith such as the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed (see paragraph l.
A. 3. c.)
5. The confession that we are justified in our faith through grace and grace alone
a. We are not justified by our own merit or our works [Gal 2:16]
b. Our justification is imputed through the righteousness of Christ [Il Cor 5:21]
6. Recognize that the Church was established by and is made one through Jesus Christ and Him alone
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ll. Articles of Faith
A. We Confess our Faith in the One True and Living God in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
1. God is the creator of all things, both of this earth and universally
2. Jesus Christ is the author of salvation and it is through Him that we confess our faith
3. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the source of our knowledge and wisdom
B. The Holy Scriptures, the Bible, is Sufficient for the Understanding of our Faith
1. The Old Testament reveals God's Word in Law as is testified to by the prophets
2. The New Testament reveals God's Grace in the person of Jesus Christ as testified to by the Apostles
C. Man and Woman Were Created by God in His Image as a Perfection to the Rest of His Creation
1. That perfection that God sought was corrupted by the choice of sin of mankind over righteousness
2. We are accounted as righteous before God only through the merit of His Son and not of ourselves
3. We cannot offer ourselves as perfect through our own good works, but good works are pleasing and
acceptable to God
4. We believe in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception
D. We firmly believe in the existence of both heaven and hell and that God has control over both
E. The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are Certain Signs of God's Grace Conferred upon Us
1. Baptism is our sign of a new birth in our Lord Jesus Christ
2. Participation in the Lord's supper serves as a reminder of our redemption via His wonderful grace of salvation
F. Rites and Ceremonies
1. Marriage is a sacred covenant established by God between one man and one woman [Gen 2:24]
2. We recognize the ordination of members or others into the common order of the church
3. We believe that death on this earth is the celebration of life
4. The dedication of a child is a responsibility of his/her parents until the child is of age to decide
G. We Believe the Church is the community of true believers under the Lordship of Jesus Christ
1. We profess and seek to practice to be members of that Church
2. We encourage others, with no distinction, to be members of this church as well by joining with us in the
acceptance of this Doctrine and Practice
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