What We Believe

our
doctrine Statement

Our beliefs are based on what the Bible says about Loving God, Loving One Another, and Loving the World.

We believe the Bible is God's Word, a holy, truthful, and completely accurate account of God's love for mankind. The purpose of God's Holy Word is to reveal who He is, how to know Him, worship Him, and follow Him (Ps. 19:7-10; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).

When a man asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). As a church, we believe

that our ultimate Goal is to bring God glory by loving Him above all else.

Loving God

We believe the Bible teaches that God is the Creater of all that exists, and He has

existed eternally in three person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Is. 64:8; Matt. 3:16-17;

Heb.1:1-3).

We believe that all of humanity was created to know God and to worship Him (Psalm 96:9; Matt. 4:10), but because of sin, we worship the created things instead of God (Rom. 1:18-23). Every human is guilty before a holy, just God and the punishment for our sin is eternal separation from God (Rom. 3:23, 6:23).

We believe that all of mankind is separated from God and helpless to be reconciled in our own power. Therefore, God provided a way of salvation for all of humanity through the person and work of Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7). Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born of a virgin (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-23), lived a sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22), gave Himself as a ransom for the sins of mankind on the cross (Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6), and was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-8). Salvation is by grace through faith alone (Rom. 4:1-5; Eph. 2:8-9). All who repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ will be saved from sin and death and to eternal life (John 3:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:9; Col. 2:13).

Loving One Another

We believe that through Jesus Christ, God has formed a people for Himself called the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ, which exists to display the gospel and glory of Jesus all over the world (1 Cor. 12:12-31; Colossians 1:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9).

We believe that God has formed the church for the purpose of carrying out His redemptive mission and building up believers into the image of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 3:12-25; 1 Pet. 2:9-12). While our church meets in a building, the Bible teaches that God's people are the church, not a structure. Therefore, while we meet together each week to worship together, grow together, and be equipped for ministry, we live as the church throughout our communities each week.

Loving the World

We believe that as the Church, we are called to show God's love to all people and to care for all of Creation. All Christians are called to be ministers of the gospel by caring for others through acts of service and the proclamation of the good news of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:9-12, 3:15, 4:8).

We believe that it is the responsibility and honor of every believer to make disicples of all nations. Because God's mission of redemption is for all people, we believe it is the responsibility of the church to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Is. 49:6; Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 10:13-15).

We also believe that God's restorative mission includes all of creation, not just humanity (Rom. 8:18-22; Rev. 21). As the Church, God has called us to continue His mission, which involves caring for all of Creation, just as God called Adam and Eve to do in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 1-2).

For a comprehensive view of What We Believe, please see the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

The gospel

Creation

In the beginning, God created all things good. Everything reflected His goodness, His beauty, and His glory. His crown jewel was Adam and Eve who He placed in the Garden to take care of it. Adam and Eve were created in God's image and were to rule over all of God's creation.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve had an intimate relationship with God. When tempted to disobey God, Adam and Eve rebelled against their Creator, causing all of Creation to fall under the effects of sin. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve's relationship with God, one another, and Creation was fractured. Now, all of Creation is in need of redemption.

Fall

Redemption

Before the Creation of the World, God had a plan of redemption to make all things new. This plan of redemption involved the Son of God taking on flesh, living a sinless life, offering His life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and being raised from the dead in victory over sin, death, and Satan. All those who repent of their sin and believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ will be adopted in the family of God, forgiven of their sin, and given the hope of eternal life.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ is making all things new through His saving work on the cross. At the end of time, God will restore Creation to its original goodness. All those who have trusted in Christ through faith will spend eternity with God in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Restoration

Germanton Baptist is a Southern Baptist Church voluntarily aligned with the Pilot Mountain Baptist Association.

GBC is a gospel-centered church. We believe the gospel is the key to true transformation in individuals, homes, schools, and communities. Whether we are singing songs, giving, listening to the Word of God proclaimed or serving others, we seek to keep the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection at the cente rof everything we do.

GBC is a Word-centered church. Because we believe the Bible is true, sufficient, and authoritative for all matters of faith and life, we seek to center all that we do on the Word of God. As a Word-centered church, we submit all aspects of our lives to God's Word. We value the Word of God and desire to study it individually and corporately.

GBC is also a Christ-centered church. We seek to exalt the name of Jesus Christ in everything we do. Whether we are worshiping Him together or on our own, we desire to make much of Jesus. We believe that everything in the universe was created by Him and for Him, including the church. Therefore, as the Bride of Christ, we want to be centered on our Lord and Savior in worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission.

our doctrine Statement