A CONCISE DOCTRINAL DECLARATION Of
NORTHWOODS BIBLE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH
Bible
We believe that the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God, in whole and in part, error-free in the original writings and serve as the supreme authority of faith and practice. We believe that there is but one true interpretation of any Biblical text and this is only found when one applies the literal-grammatical-historical-contextual method of interpretation. Regarding translations, we reject the KJV controversy.
2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21
Godhead
We believe there is only one true God, eternally existing in three uncreated Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; known as the Trinity. These three are of one and the same essence though distinct in personality, equal in every attribute, and function in perfect harmony.
Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity, Who sent the Son into the world, and Who, together with the Son, sent the Holy Spirit. While these three persons are identical in essence and equal in every divine perfection, there is an economical order or priority of function among them.
John 17:5; John 3:16-17; John 15:26
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He is both God and man, the two natures being inseparably united in one Person through the incarnation. We believe in His virgin birth, His vicarious atonement, His bodily resurrection, and His ascension into heaven as the believer's High Priest and Advocate before the throne of God.
Is. 9:6; Is. 6:1-6; John 12:31; John 1:14
Holy Spirit
We believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to convict of sin, bear witness to Jesus, and baptize the repentant, believing sinner into the Body of Christ. At salvation the Holy Spirit regenerates the soul, permanently indwells the believer, and equips the believer with gifts for ministry. We believe that the Spirit fills or controls the believer in proportion to the believer’s obedience to the Word which then becomes evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit.
John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 3:16; John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 1:13-14; Gal. 5:16-23
Mankind
We believe that man was created directly by God on day six of the creation week, in His image, and in a state of sinlessness. We believe that originally man freely chose to transgress the will of God and thereby incurred sin, condemnation, and both physical and spiritual death, so that man is a sinner by nature and by choice, and is totally depraved, destitute of any moral good, and utterly unable to merit God's favor or contribute to his salvation. We also believe that mankind’s life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion, no matter the circumstances, constitutes the unjustified taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We also believe that because human life is a sacred gift of God, euthanasia is sin.
Gen. 1:26-31; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12, 19; Is. 64:6; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5; Ps. 51:5, 139:13-16
Salvation
We believe in the salvation of sinners through Jesus, Who is the only Savior of men by virtue of His substitutionary death. We believe that salvation is completely dependent on the grace of God, that man cannot earn his salvation in any way, and is applied by the work of the Holy Spirit. We maintain that salvation comes by means of a repentant faith whereby the guilty sinner cries out to God for cleansing out of a broken and contrite spirit. We hold that in salvation the believer is called, regenerated, justified, forgiven, adopted, sanctified, and glorified. We believe that the genuine believer will persevere finally in his faith until he meets the Lord. We wholeheartedly reject the concept and teachings of “No-Lordship Salvation” or “Easy-believism.” Salvation comes as we trust in the finished work of Christ and surrender to His position as the new Lord of our life.
John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Eph 1:7; Is 53:4-6; Acts 26:20
Marriage
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct genders reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union. With regard to sexuality, we believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex.
Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-33; Heb. 13:4; Rom. 1:21-29; 1 Thes. 4:1-8
Sanctification
We believe that the sanctification of the believer means to be separated from sin and set apart unto God, and has three aspects.
(1) Positional Sanctification: by which the believer is given a perfect standing before God.
(2) Present Sanctification: by which the believer is cleansed of the daily defilement of sin.
(3) Final Sanctification: will take place at the rapture when the believer is granted a new glorified body.
Rom. 6:11-14; Titus 2:12-14; 1 Thes. 4:13-17
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that a spiritual gift is an ability to serve the Lord through the local church given by the Holy Spirit. Gifts were given for the common good of the church, the edification of the church, and the accreditation of God's messengers and their new revelation for the church age. We believe that certain gifts in the first century were miraculous in nature, such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and the working of miracles. They were foundational and transitional. These gifts have ceased. We maintain that the spiritual gifts are for the purpose of edifying the body and are not to be used for self-edification.
Rom. 12:6; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:11-12
Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan as a distinct personality, who, having been created in a state of perfection, was prompted by pride to rebel against God and fell from his original state, leading a multitude of angels in his revolt. Satan is the acknowledged god of this world whose purposes include the accusation and opposition of believers, inciting persecution against believers, sowing counterfeits among the believers, and tempting believers to sin. As believers we are to resist him and his efforts to derail us, and we are to walk in truth, obedience, and submission to Christ and His Word.
Is. 14:12-15; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 5:8
Church
We believe that the church is made up of genuine believers in the Lord and serves as His visible body here on the earth where Christ is the Head. We believe that a local church is an organized body of immersed believers, sharing a common faith, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, engaging in worship, preaching and teaching, fellowship, prayer, evangelism, and whose biblical offices are Elder(s) or Pastor(s) and Deacons. We believe that the local church is an autonomous body led by the Elders. We believe that the institution of the local church is God's ordained instrument for His work and witness in this age.
Eph. 1:22-23; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-32, Acts 1:8; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1-2; 1 Tim. 3:1-15
Future Events
We believe in the literal return of the Lord that will take place in two stages.
(1) Is the Rapture where He comes for His bride in the clouds.
(2) Is the Second Coming, which is His public coming at the close of the Tribulation Period to establish His Kingdom on the earth when Israel will be restored to covenant favor with God and to her land.
We reject the teaching of Replacement Theology which maintains that the Church replaces Israel. We believe that God will literally fulfill all of His promises to Israel.
1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes. 4:16-17; Zech. 14:1-4; Jer. 30:31-34; 31:28
Resurrection
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. The souls of those who trust in Christ go immediately into His presence at death where they remain until the resurrection of the just, at which time they will receive their glorified bodies. The souls of unbelievers go immediately into a state of conscious punishment at death, where they remain until the resurrection of the unjust, when they will be cast into the lake of fire to endure eternal suffering as a just retribution for their sin.
Phil. 1:21-23; Matt. 8:12; Matt. 25:41, 46
We believe that the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God, in whole and in part, error-free in the original writings and serve as the supreme authority of faith and practice. We believe that there is but one true interpretation of any Biblical text and this is only found when one applies the literal-grammatical-historical-contextual method of interpretation. Regarding translations, we reject the KJV controversy.
2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21
Godhead
We believe there is only one true God, eternally existing in three uncreated Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; known as the Trinity. These three are of one and the same essence though distinct in personality, equal in every attribute, and function in perfect harmony.
Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity, Who sent the Son into the world, and Who, together with the Son, sent the Holy Spirit. While these three persons are identical in essence and equal in every divine perfection, there is an economical order or priority of function among them.
John 17:5; John 3:16-17; John 15:26
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He is both God and man, the two natures being inseparably united in one Person through the incarnation. We believe in His virgin birth, His vicarious atonement, His bodily resurrection, and His ascension into heaven as the believer's High Priest and Advocate before the throne of God.
Is. 9:6; Is. 6:1-6; John 12:31; John 1:14
Holy Spirit
We believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to convict of sin, bear witness to Jesus, and baptize the repentant, believing sinner into the Body of Christ. At salvation the Holy Spirit regenerates the soul, permanently indwells the believer, and equips the believer with gifts for ministry. We believe that the Spirit fills or controls the believer in proportion to the believer’s obedience to the Word which then becomes evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit.
John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 3:16; John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 1:13-14; Gal. 5:16-23
Mankind
We believe that man was created directly by God on day six of the creation week, in His image, and in a state of sinlessness. We believe that originally man freely chose to transgress the will of God and thereby incurred sin, condemnation, and both physical and spiritual death, so that man is a sinner by nature and by choice, and is totally depraved, destitute of any moral good, and utterly unable to merit God's favor or contribute to his salvation. We also believe that mankind’s life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion, no matter the circumstances, constitutes the unjustified taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We also believe that because human life is a sacred gift of God, euthanasia is sin.
Gen. 1:26-31; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12, 19; Is. 64:6; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5; Ps. 51:5, 139:13-16
Salvation
We believe in the salvation of sinners through Jesus, Who is the only Savior of men by virtue of His substitutionary death. We believe that salvation is completely dependent on the grace of God, that man cannot earn his salvation in any way, and is applied by the work of the Holy Spirit. We maintain that salvation comes by means of a repentant faith whereby the guilty sinner cries out to God for cleansing out of a broken and contrite spirit. We hold that in salvation the believer is called, regenerated, justified, forgiven, adopted, sanctified, and glorified. We believe that the genuine believer will persevere finally in his faith until he meets the Lord. We wholeheartedly reject the concept and teachings of “No-Lordship Salvation” or “Easy-believism.” Salvation comes as we trust in the finished work of Christ and surrender to His position as the new Lord of our life.
John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Eph 1:7; Is 53:4-6; Acts 26:20
Marriage
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct genders reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union. With regard to sexuality, we believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex.
Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-33; Heb. 13:4; Rom. 1:21-29; 1 Thes. 4:1-8
Sanctification
We believe that the sanctification of the believer means to be separated from sin and set apart unto God, and has three aspects.
(1) Positional Sanctification: by which the believer is given a perfect standing before God.
(2) Present Sanctification: by which the believer is cleansed of the daily defilement of sin.
(3) Final Sanctification: will take place at the rapture when the believer is granted a new glorified body.
Rom. 6:11-14; Titus 2:12-14; 1 Thes. 4:13-17
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that a spiritual gift is an ability to serve the Lord through the local church given by the Holy Spirit. Gifts were given for the common good of the church, the edification of the church, and the accreditation of God's messengers and their new revelation for the church age. We believe that certain gifts in the first century were miraculous in nature, such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and the working of miracles. They were foundational and transitional. These gifts have ceased. We maintain that the spiritual gifts are for the purpose of edifying the body and are not to be used for self-edification.
Rom. 12:6; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:11-12
Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan as a distinct personality, who, having been created in a state of perfection, was prompted by pride to rebel against God and fell from his original state, leading a multitude of angels in his revolt. Satan is the acknowledged god of this world whose purposes include the accusation and opposition of believers, inciting persecution against believers, sowing counterfeits among the believers, and tempting believers to sin. As believers we are to resist him and his efforts to derail us, and we are to walk in truth, obedience, and submission to Christ and His Word.
Is. 14:12-15; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 5:8
Church
We believe that the church is made up of genuine believers in the Lord and serves as His visible body here on the earth where Christ is the Head. We believe that a local church is an organized body of immersed believers, sharing a common faith, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, engaging in worship, preaching and teaching, fellowship, prayer, evangelism, and whose biblical offices are Elder(s) or Pastor(s) and Deacons. We believe that the local church is an autonomous body led by the Elders. We believe that the institution of the local church is God's ordained instrument for His work and witness in this age.
Eph. 1:22-23; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-32, Acts 1:8; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1-2; 1 Tim. 3:1-15
Future Events
We believe in the literal return of the Lord that will take place in two stages.
(1) Is the Rapture where He comes for His bride in the clouds.
(2) Is the Second Coming, which is His public coming at the close of the Tribulation Period to establish His Kingdom on the earth when Israel will be restored to covenant favor with God and to her land.
We reject the teaching of Replacement Theology which maintains that the Church replaces Israel. We believe that God will literally fulfill all of His promises to Israel.
1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes. 4:16-17; Zech. 14:1-4; Jer. 30:31-34; 31:28
Resurrection
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. The souls of those who trust in Christ go immediately into His presence at death where they remain until the resurrection of the just, at which time they will receive their glorified bodies. The souls of unbelievers go immediately into a state of conscious punishment at death, where they remain until the resurrection of the unjust, when they will be cast into the lake of fire to endure eternal suffering as a just retribution for their sin.
Phil. 1:21-23; Matt. 8:12; Matt. 25:41, 46
