We Believe
Statement of Faith
Crossroads Bible Church
1022 York Road
Dillsburg, PA 17019
Gregory Sheffer, Pastor 717-448-1920
What we believe about... The Bible (BIBIOLOGY)
We believe that the Bible, consisting of 66 books are the Word of God. That it was written by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:20-21). We believe that the Bible is plenarily and verbally inspired (II Timothy 3:16). It is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
God (THEOLOGY)
We believe there is one infinite, changeless, holy God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.1. God the Father - We believe in God the Father who is perfect in holiness, boundless in love, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. (John 2:20; Genesis 17:1; I John 4:8).
2. God the Son - We believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son; therefore, He is God (Col. 2:9), and that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him. (John 1:1; John 8:58, Luke 1:35;I John 3:5; I Peter 1:18; Gal. 3:13; Romans 3:25).3. God the Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He has all the attributes of deity, including a personality (John 14:26; Eph. 4:30; I Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit indwells believers upon acceptance of Christ (Romans 8:9), regenerates (John 3:5), and seals them unto eternal life. (Eph. 4:30)
Mankind (ANTHROPOLOGY)
We believe that man is a direct creation of God (Genesis 2:7). Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3). Man is now born in sin, alienated from God, totally depraved, and unable to merit salvation by human activity.
Salvation (SOTERIOLOGY)
We believe that salvation is by God's grace and will - not through man's deeds or power (Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5). The individual receives salvation when he realizes that he is a sinner, that Jesus is his Savior, and then places his trust in Jesus as he rejects his sinful past, and repents. (I Peter 1:18-21; Acts 3:19)
Angels (ANGELOLOGY)
We believe that angels are personal beings which were created by God. We believe that angels are incorporeal (Psalm 104:4), wiser (II Samuel 14:20), and stronger (II Peter 2:11) than men. We believe that before the fall of man an angel called Lucifer rebelled against God along with other angels. (Ez. 28:11-19).
The Church (ECCLESIOLOGY)
We believe that the Bible distinguishes between the universal and local church. The universal church is defined as consisting of every person who has placed their faith in Christ, and are therefore, baptized into the body of Christ (I Pet. 1:3,22-25; I Cor. 12-13).The church is a spiritual organism made up of believers who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God. The local church is seen as a group of believers assembling in one locality for worship and the practice of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The purpose of the church is as follows:1. Glorify God (I Corinthians 6:20)
2. Disciple believers (I Peter 5:1-4)
3. Evangelize the world (Matthew 28:19-20)
The End Times (ESCHATOLOGY)
We believe in the Second Coming of Christ. The first part of the Second Coming will be the Rapture. (I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:13-18) He will then pour out the righteous judgements of God upon the unbelieving world (Rev. 6:16). He will afterwards descend with His church and establish a literal kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years. (Rev. 19:11-19).We believe that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven (II Cor. 5;4; Phil. 1:23). We believe the spirits of the unsaved dead descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgement (Luke 16:23-29; Matt. 25:30). They will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire which is the place of final and everlasting judgement.(Rev. 20:11-15)