Harvest Bible Church is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and thereby affirms the EFCA statement of faith. That statement can be found here: efca.org/sof.
The following doctrinal statement represents the basic and essential teaching positions of the leadership of Harvest Bible Church. Additionally, we affirm the truths expressed in the early church creeds.
The Bible
We teach that the Bible is the Spirit-inspired word of God. Comprised of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, it is the complete written revelation of God—inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient for our faith, life, and godliness.
(Matt. 5:18; John 10:35, 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Heb. 4:12)
God
We teach that there is only one true and living God. He is a personal, holy, sovereign, eternal, infinite, transcendent, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His divine attributes.
(Deut. 6:4; Ps. 139:2-18; Isa. 45:5-7; John 4:24; 1 Cor. 8:4)
The Trinity
We teach that God is one, yet He exists eternally as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is truly and fully God, equally deserving of worship and obedience.
(Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3-14, 4:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2; Jude 20-21)
God the Father
We teach that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption, doing all things for His own glory. Before the foundation of the world, according to the kind intention of His will, He chose and predestined all those who would belong to Him by faith. In salvation, He redeems all who come to Him through Jesus Christ and adopts them as spiritual sons and daughters, thus becoming their Heavenly Father.
(Gen. 1:1-31; Ps. 145:8-9; Hab. 1:13; John 1:12; 8:38-47; Rom. 8:14-15; 1 Cor. 8:4; 2 Cor. 6:18; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:4-6, 11; 3:9; Heb. 12:5-9)
Jesus Christ
We teach that Jesus Christ is God incarnate—truly God and truly man—possessing all the divine essence and attributes. As the second person of the Trinity, He is coequal and coeternal with the Father and with the Spirit. Born of the Virgin Mary, He is perfectly sinless, yet He bore the sins of His people by dying on the Cross; He resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, mediating as our Advocate and High Priest until He returns in glory and judgment.
(Isa. 7:14, 52:13-53:12; John 1:1-5, 14, 10:30, 14:9; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:3-4; 7:25-26, 9:24)
The Holy Spirit
We teach that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. He is eternal, omniscient, and holy. As the supernatural Agent in regeneration, He baptizes all believers into one body in Christ; He indwells, sanctifies, teaches, and empowers them for service, sealing them until the coming of the Lord. He also administers spiritual gifts to the church for the purpose of the edification of the body, all of which are in operation today, with the exception of the apostolic sign gifts of prophecy, tongues, and the working of miracles.
(John 14:15-17, 16:7-15; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:5-11, 26-27; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 13:8-10; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:3, 5:18; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
Creation
We teach that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, whether visible or invisible, in the span of six twenty-four-hour days, by His own powerful word. As the Creator, God ordains, preserves, and governs all things according to His eternal decree and providence.
(Gen. 1:1ff; Ex. 20:11; John 1:2-3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2-3)
The Sovereignty of God
We teach the sovereignty of God over all things, including foreknowledge, election, salvation, sanctification, the church, world events, and the future. The will of God is not held captive to the course of natural events or the will of humanity but is asserted over all things. In the exercise of His will, however, God affords a measure of human responsibility, especially in the area of decision-making, but ultimately, all of creation is subservient to His will, and He does all things for His ultimate glory.
(Gen. 50:20; Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Isa. 46:10; John 6:65; Rom. 8:28; 11:36; Eph. 1:3-14; 2:8-9)
Man and Sin
We teach that Man (also known as “humanity”) was made in the image of God, created male and female, to display His glory on earth. God created man free from sin and corruption, morally responsible to the Creator. However, in Adam’s sin of disobedience at the Fall, he lost his innocence and incurred the penalty of physical and spiritual death; and not only Adam, but all his physical descendants; and that the present state of all unregenerate persons is that of total depravity. Man, in his depravity, is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition, but God makes His chosen people alive; by His grace they are saved.
(Gen. 1:26-27, 2:7, 3:1-19; John 3:36; Rom. 3:23, 5:12, 6:23; 9:22, 23; Eph. 1:5; 2:1-3; 1 John 1:8)
The Gospel
We teach that the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners from the wrath of God through His substitutionary death on the Cross. We believe no human effort, no personal integrity, no church affiliation, nor any human institution can justify a person in the sight of God. In order for sinners to be reconciled to God, atonement must be made for their transgressions, which according to the sovereign plan of God this atonement is accomplished and applied to His people. His people are those who have repented and believed in Christ alone for salvation. By the resurrection of Christ, His victory is complete, and believers likewise are granted new life in Him.
(Isaiah 64:6, John 1:12-13, 3:5, 3:16-17, 10:11, 14-18; Rom. 6:23, 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 23)
Justification
We teach that justification is the legal act of God whereby He credits to the believing sinner the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, forgiving and pardoning their iniquity and unrighteousness, declaring them to be righteous in His sight, thus acceptable to God and delivered from all condemnation. This act occurs at the moment when saving faith is exercised; it then brings forth but is in no way enacted by righteous works.
(Rom. 3:24-28, 5:1, 8:1, 28; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9)
Sanctification and Christian Living
We teach that, as new creations in Christ Jesus, believers are called to live consecrated lives of holiness. Through the transformative power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the process of spiritual growth in Christlikeness, begun at regeneration, will progress until we are made complete in Him at glorification.
(Rom. 6:1-22, 8:5-30; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 4:22-24; 1 Thess. 4:3-4; 1 Pet. 1:14-16)
The Church
We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ has established His church, of which every Christian believer is a member, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and regulated by the Scriptures, to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world; united in love, preaching the gospel, administering the ordinances, and exercising discipline. The church is the pillar and support of the truth. God calls qualified men to lead the church as Elders, living as godly examples, exercising oversight, and shepherding the flock in all areas of church life, in submission to Jesus Christ. Additionally, the church may call servant leaders, known as Deacons, for the purpose of meeting the physical needs of the body.
(Matt. 16:18-19, 18:15-18, 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-29, 12:12-31; Eph. 4:1-16; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 8-13; 3:15; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We teach that Jesus Christ gave to the church two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Table. We teach that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water to show forth in a beautiful emblem our faith and union to the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. We teach that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial service in recognition of the death of Christ and its effect on the life of the Christian. This ordinance is to be observed only by those professing Christians and after self-examination. We participate in these ordinances as an obedience and not as a saving grace.
(Matt. 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:26-32)
Eternal Security and Assurance
We teach that God’s power preserves eternally all those redeemed by Christ and that they are thus secure in Him forever. While personal sin cannot sever that relationship, it can negatively affect their joy, and bring about God’s chastening until they bear the fruits of repentance. God has given His saints the assurance of their saving relationship with Him through the knowledge of their eternal security. This assurance finds its basis in the certainty of the gospel promises in Scripture, the integrity and perfection of God, and the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit.
(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 8:16; 38-39; 1 Cor. 11:30-33; 2 Cor. 5:1; Heb. 10:22; 12:5-11; 1 John 1:9; 5:13)
The Future
We teach that, at the end of this age, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth suddenly, visibly, bodily, and gloriously. At that time, He will establish His earthly millennial kingdom, after which He will reconcile all things to Himself, reward the saints, judge the wicked, and establish the new heavens and the new earth.
(Matt. 24:3-25:46; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 19:11ff.)
Marriage, Family, and Sexuality
We teach that, in the beginning, God created both Adam and Eve in His image, thus decreeing all humanity to be either male or female, both equal in worth yet distinct in their roles, for His glory. Marriage is a divinely designed institution; a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union between one man and one woman, meant to signify the loving relationship between Christ and His church. Furthermore, Scripture regards all sexual activity outside the marriage covenant as sinful and immoral.
(Gen. 1:26-27, 2:18, 24; Matt. 19:3-9; 1 Cor. 7:1-24, 11:7-9; Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Tim. 2:12-14)
Ethnicity, Race, and Social Justice
We teach that God created one human race, which is displayed in a beautiful multitude of ethnicities. Any animosity or hatred against other ethnicities violates the commands of God to love others and is thereby sinful. However, the solution to all earthly divisions is the gospel of Jesus Christ, who reconciles the redeemed to Himself and thus to one another in unity. Any attempt to manufacture unity by worldly philosophy is error and destructive to true Christian unity.
(Gen. 1:26; 10:1-32; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-22)
Civil Government
We believe civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society, and that those in authority are to be remembered in prayer, honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed to the expressed will of our Lord Jesus Christ. When government attempts to usurp the reign of Christ over the church, believers are called to obey God rather than man.
(Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:13-17)
