Statement of Faith
Preamble
Redeemer Christian Church Manila (RCCM) is fundamentally a fellowship of believers – disciples of Jesus Christ, sinners who have been redeemed by the sovereign grace of God. We are deeply committed to preaching and practicing our faith in the gospel of Christ, and to ministry practices that conform fully to the Scriptures.
The articles laid down here are the foundation of beliefs on which RCCM is based. They are what we believe to be the substance of biblical Christianity, and these beliefs will be the cornerstone truths of our church as guided by Scripture. This Statement of Faith also shows unity in Christ and guards the church against error.
As far as the spirit of this statement and as we value unity in the church, we agree on the following:
- We do not believe that all things in this statement of faith are of equal weight, some being more essential, some less. We do not believe that every part of this statement 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 God. Our aim is to encourage adherence to the Bible, the fullness of its truth, and the glory of its Author. We believe Biblical doctrine stabilizes the church in the midst of confusion and strengthens the church in her mission to meet worldly systems, false gospels, and secularism. We believe that church unity and love in the community is nourished and strengthened by God-centered doctrine. 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, strong, and joyful knowledge of God and His Word.
- We believe that unity in the church is best served – not by finding the lowest common denominator of doctrine, around which all can gather – but by still elevating biblical truth. We can state biblical doctrines in this church and its ministries, and then seek unity that comes from these biblical truths. We can then demonstrate to the world how Christians can love each other across boundaries of doctrine rather than by removing boundaries. In this way, the importance of truth is served by the existence of these doctrines and the necessary borders they create, and unity is served by the way we love others across these borders.
- We do not claim infallibility for this document, and the church is open to refinement and correction of this statement from Scripture. 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 so. As gracious and truthful conversation takes place in the community, it may be that we will learn from each other, and the boundaries will be adjusted. But more than that, it is also possible that formerly disagreeing groups can come into closer fellowship.
All who join RCCM as members are required to affirm this Statement of Faith. This statement registers our belief in historic Christianity, biblical Christianity, believer’s baptism, and congregational polity. Once we as members agree to the statement, we are responsible for believing and living in accordance with it.
Article 1: Word of God
God has graciously disclosed His existence and power in the created order, and has supremely revealed Himself to fallen human beings in the person of His Son, the incarnate Word. Moreover, this God is a speaking God who by His Spirit has graciously disclosed Himself in human words: we believe that God has inspired the words preserved in the Scriptures, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, which are both record and means of His saving work in the world. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and without error in the original writings, complete in its revelation of His will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us to believe and do, and final in its authority over every domain of knowledge to which it speaks. We confess that both our being limited and sinful prevent the possibility of knowing God’s truth exhaustively, but we affirm that, enlightened by the Spirit of God, we can know God’s revealed truth truly. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. The Bible is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises. As God’s people hear, believe, and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
Article II: God
There is one, and only one, living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. We believe that God eternally exists in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – that they are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians 4:5,6
A. God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. As God the Father, He reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1,2 & 2:5,6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with humankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Genesis 18:1; Psalms 2:7; 110:1; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12- 15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13- 16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit applies God’s gift of salvation – attested in all Scripture and secured by Jesus Christ – to His people. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and, as the other Paraclete, is present with and in all believers. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and by His powerful and mysterious work regenerates spiritually dead sinners, awakening them to repentance and faith, and in Him they are baptized into union with the Lord Jesus, such that they are justified before God by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. By the Spirit’s agency, believers are renewed, sanctified, adopted into God’s family, and receive His sovereignly distributed gifts. The Holy Spirit is Himself the guarantee of the promised inheritance, and in this age indwells, guides, instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16- 17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
Article III: The Gospel
The gospel is the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to reconcile sinners to God. The one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from Him. In His great love, God sent His Son Jesus to come as king and rescue His people from their own sin. Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of many; then He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted His sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.
This Gospel is best summarized in this pattern: God, Man, Christ, Response.
- God. We believe that God is the creator of all things. He is perfectly holy, worthy of all worship, and will punish sin. (Genesis 1:1, 1 John 1:5, Revelation 4:11, Romans 2:5-8)
- Man. All people, though created good, have become sinful by nature. From birth, all people are alienated from God, hostile to God, and subject to the wrath of God. (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm51:5, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-3)
- Christ. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to bear God’s wrath in the place of all who would believe in Him, and rose from the grave in order to give His people eternal life. (John 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:26, Romans 3:21-26, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
- Response. God calls everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and trust in Christ in order to be saved. (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21, Romans 10:9-10) God calls everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and trust in Christ in order to be saved. (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21, Rom. 10:9-10)
Article IV: Salvation
We believe that salvation – the free gift of God – is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and his substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him. He is justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin, an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes his child. The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and, via the miracle of regeneration, liberated from the law of sin and death into the freedom of God’s Spirit.
Salvation involves the redemption of humanity – all of whom are depraved and sinful from birth – and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Man’s response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for his own pleasure and glory. It is also true that the message of the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God’s grace, put saving faith in Christ. This gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all humanity in all nations. Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving faith is evidenced by kingdom service or works. While neither repentance nor works save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ, he cannot become his disciple.
In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is solely the work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.
B. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification includes the pardon of sin, and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteousness. A sinner’s acquittal is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood – Jesus Christ’s propitiation for our sins. By virtue of this faith, God freely imputes to us Christ’s perfect righteousness, and it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God.
John 1:16; Ephesians 3:8; Acts 13:39; Isaiah 53:11-12; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 5:9; Zech 13:1; Matthew 9:6; Acts 10:43; Romans 5:17; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 2:25; Romans 5:21; Romans 4:4-5; Romans 6:23; Philippians 3:7-9; Romans 5:19; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 4:23-25; 1 John 2:12; Romans 5:3; Romans 5:11; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 4:8
C. Sanctification — The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word and deed. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship – both personal and corporate – and confession, are a vital means of grace in this regard. Nevertheless, the believer’s ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve His people until the end which is most certain.
D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Article V: The Freeness Of Salvation
We believe that salvation – and all the blessings, graces, and mercies that come with it – are made free to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept this salvation by an affectionate, repentant, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth, but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel. This rejection consigns the sinner to the condemnation described in the Bible for the unrepentant.
Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17; Romans 16:25-26; Mark 1:15; Romans 1:15-17; John 5:40; Matthew 23:37; Romans 9:32; Prov 1:24; Acts 13:46; John 3:19; Matthew 11:20; Luke 10:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:8
Article VI: The Church
We believe that a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated to each one by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges graciously invested in them by His Word.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3; Matthew 18:17; Acts 5:11; Acts 8:1; Acts 11:21-23; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 14:23; 1 Timothy 3:5; Acts 2:41-42; 2 Corinthians 8:5; Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 5:12-13; 1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; Romans 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:6; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Matthew 28:20; John 14:15; John 15:12; 1 John 14:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:2; 2 John 6; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 14:12; Philippians 1:1; Acts 14:23; Acts 15:22; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1
A. Offices. The church’s only scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. 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 gospel.
B. The Local Church Congregation. We believe in the local church, consisting of a community of believers in Jesus Christ. These believers are baptized because of their credible profession of faith, and are associated to each other for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
C. The Lord’s Day. We believe that the church should set aside one day of the week as the Lord’s Day, or Christian Sabbath; and it is to be kept sacred to religious purposes by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both private and public.
Acts 20:7; Genesis 2:3; Col 2:16-17; Mark 2:27; John 20:19; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Ex 20:8; Revelation 1:10; Psalm 118:15, 24; Isaiah 58:13-14; Isaiah 56:2-8; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 11:26; Acts 13:44; Lev 19:30; Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2-3; Psalm26:8; Psalm87:3
D. Discipleship. We believe that the essence of disciple-making was taught by our Lord Jesus Himself in the Great Commission – to teach believers to follow and obey Jesus as you yourself are doing. In its most basic sense, discipleship means that church members are to point each other to Christ, which results in both the reminder of the Gospel among the community and the sanctification of the body unto Christ-likeness. As we have mentioned, a Christian’s devotion to the spiritual disciplines – like Bible study, prayer, worship, and confession – is a vital means of grace for church members in their discipleship. We make disciples who have been saved by the Gospel, know the Gospel, live the Gospel, and preach the Gospel to others.
Matthew 28:18-20
Article VII: The Ordinances
A. Believer’s Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to His faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
B. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine — and always accompanied by solemn self-examination — memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
Article VIII: The Great Commission
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 age. This task is to proclaim the Gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation, baptizing them, teaching them the words and ways of the Lord, and gathering them into churches 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 obedience, bound together by the Gospel in community. 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.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42- 48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39- 12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.
Article IX: Church Cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with other Gospel-affirming churches, denominations, and organizations. Such affiliations exist and function by the will of the church. Cooperation with these organizations is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.
Acts 15:36,41; 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1–3; Revelation 1:4,10,11
Article X: The Last Things
We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, we also believe in the personal, glorious, and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels, when He will exercise His role as final Judge, and His kingdom will be consummated. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the
unjust—the unjust to judgment and eternal conscious punishment in hell, as our Lord Himself taught, and the just to eternal blessedness in the presence of Him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the new heaven and the new earth, the home of righteousness. On that day the church will be presented faultless before God by the obedience, suffering and triumph of Christ, all sin purged and its wretched effects forever banished. God will be all in all and His people will be enthralled by the closeness of His majesty and holiness, and everything will be to the praise of His glorious grace.
Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.