1. The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We believe the Word of God speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, and is the sole and final authority of all that we believe (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). For purposes of Jesup Bible Fellowship’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy and discipline, our Pastor(s) and Elders are Jesup Bible Fellowship’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
2. The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God eternally existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity is equal in all divine perfection and they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-2; 1 Corinthians 8:6).
3. God the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 1:8; Psalm 90:2; Leviticus 19:2; Romans 8:28; 1 John 4:8). We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer (Matthew 6:8-13; Hebrews 4:14-16), and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-26; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15).
4. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-14). We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 3:5). We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth (Matthew 28:10-12; John 3:16; Acts 1:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-10; Hebrews 8:16; Revelation 21-22).
5. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide (John 7:37-39; John 14:16-17; John 16:8-15, Romans 8:26-27 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 1:13).
6. Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation (Romans 3:23; 5:12). We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16).
7. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members (Ephesians 1:22-23). We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship (Ephesians 4:1-13). We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
8. Universal Priesthood of Believers
We believe it is the privilege of each individual to have direct access to God through Jesus Christ and that there is no distinction between clergy and laity with regards to this direct access to God. We believe no human being or human agency can interfere with a person’s relationship to God (1Timothy 2:5; 1 Peter 2:7-10).
9. Christian Conduct
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
10. The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 1:10; Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:11-12). We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
11. Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith (Acts 4:16-20); that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.
12. Church Cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary basis.
13. The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-16). We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked (Revelation 20:11-22:6).
14. Marriage, Gender and Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders, together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that marriage was created and ordained by God and confirmed by Jesus Christ (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:4-5). We believe that the parameters of marriage are defined by God and the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as shown in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25).
Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, Jesup Bible Fellowship will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the Pastors and staff of Jesup Bible Fellowship shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of Jesup Bible Fellowship shall only host weddings between one man and one woman.
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between one man and one woman who are united in marriage to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Jesup Bible Fellowship.
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We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Jesup Bible Fellowship as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the Jesup Bible Fellowship members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Jesup Bible Fellowship in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to abide by this Statement of Faith.