What We Believe

We believe that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture.

We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings—historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical as they appeared in the original manuscripts.

We believe that all Scripture centers about the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work, in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read or understood until it leads to Him.

We also believe that all Scriptures were designed for our practical instruction. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Luke 24:27, 44Luke 24:27, 44
Romans 15:4; 2 Peter 1:20-21.

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10-11.

We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power; that He concerns Himself mercifully but righteously in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from eternal death and hell all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 40; Psalms 22:3; 1 Peter 3:12; Romans 16:27; 1 Peter 1:16.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God, that in His first advent to earth He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. This means we believe in the absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His perfect humanity, and that as such it was impossible for our Lord to have sinned. Luke 1:30-35; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-8 Luke 2:40; Hebrews 4:15.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, that He convicts individuals of their sinful condition and their need of a Savior; that He imparts new life through the new birth to all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ; that He indwells, enlightens, instructs, guides, and keeps the born-again believer until the day of redemption of the body which will be when the Lord returns for His church. John 16:7-15; John 14:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:30.

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but spiritual death as well which is separation from God; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and, in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed. We believe that all men are totally depraved and that salvation for any is wholly and solely of grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in virtue of His redemptive work on the cross; and that neither baptism nor observance of the Lord’s supper, nor any rite, ceremony, nor work can avail any merit for a sinner’s salvation. Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:17; Psalms 51:5 Romans 5:12; Romans 3:10-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:4-5

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified and declared righteous on the ground of His shed blood. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, His ascension into heaven, and that He appears there for us as our High Priest and Advocate. John 1:29; Romans 3:25-26; John 20:20; Acts 1:9-11; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25.

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ began at Pentecost; that it is composed solely of believers; that it is the Body and Bride of Christ; that it is distinct from Israel; and that its basic mission is to make Jesus Christ known to the unsaved and thus win many to the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Colossians 1:24; Acts 1:8; Luke 24:46-48.

We believe that our Lord instituted the Lord’s supper for believers to commemorate His death till He come. We believe that water baptism by immersion, while having no saving merit, is a testimony portraying the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Romans 6:4-5.

We believe that we are called with an holy calling, to walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, and so to live in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. But the flesh with its fallen, Adamic nature, which in this life is never eradicated, being with us to the end of our earthly pilgrimage, needs to be kept, by the help of the Holy Spirit, constantly in subjection to Christ, or it will surely manifest its presence in our lives to the dishonor of our Lord. Romans 8:2-4; Galatians 5:16-23; Romans 6:11-13; Ephesians 4:22-24.

We believe that divine, enabling gifts for service are bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon all who are saved. While there is a diversity of gifts, each believer is energized by the same Holy Spirit, and each is called to his own divinely appointed service as the Spirit may will. In the apostolic church there were certain gifted men, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers— who were appointed by God for the perfecting of the saints unto their work of the ministry. We believe also that today some men are especially called of God to be evangelists, pastors and teachers, and that it is to the fulfilling of His will and to His eternal glory that these be sustained and encouraged in their service for God. We believe that, wholly apart from salvation benefits which are bestowed equally upon all believers, rewards are promised according to the faithfulness of each believer to His Lord, and that these rewards will be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ after He comes to receive His own to Himself. 1 Peter 5:4; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; Ephesians 4:4-13; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25.

We believe that because of the eternal purpose of God toward the objects of His love, because of His freedom to exercise grace toward the meritless on the ground of the propitiatory blood of Christ, because of the prayer of the Son of God while here on earth, because of the verity of the divine gift of eternal life, because of the present and unending intercession and advocacy of Christ in heaven, because of the immutability of the unchanging covenants of God, because of the regenerating and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are saved, all true believers everywhere, once saved shall be kept saved forever. We believe, however, that God is a Holy and righteous Father, and that since He cannot overlook the sin of His children, He will when they persistently sin, chasten them and correct them in infinite love; but having undertaken to save them and keep them forever apart from all human merit, He who cannot fail will in the end present everyone of them faultless before the presence of His glory and conformed to the image of His Son. John 5:24; 10:27-28; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:13; 1 Corinthians 11:32; John 17:11; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:29; 1 John 2:1-2.

We believe that God’s promises always are fulfilled and therefore believe His covenant people, Israel, now scattered among the nations shall be regathered to Palestine and that under the personal (thousand year) reign of Christ upon David’s throne in Jerusalem, they shall become the head of the nations. Deuteronomy 28:13; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Romans 11:1; Ezekiel 40-48; Isaiah 14:1-8; Isaiah 51; Isaiah 62:66; Isaiah 11; Zechariah 8:18; 20-23.

We believe that Satan is a personality, a fallen angel, the adversary of Christ and his church, and that he transforms himself as an angel of light to entice and deceive. We believe that he counterfeits the works of God by fostering religious movements and systems of doctrine, which systems in every case are characterized by denial of the efficacy of the blood of Christ and of salvation by grace alone. We believe his destiny is eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire. 1 Timothy 4:1-3; Isaiah 14:12-17 Ezekiel 28:11-19; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Revelation 20:10.

We believe that at death the spirits and souls of the saved are absent from the body and present with the Lord in Heaven where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection; that at death the spirits and the souls of the unsaved are in Hades in conscious misery until the second resurrection. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:23-24.

We believe in the resurrection of all men when the body shall be reunited with the soul and spirit. The first resurrection will occur at the coming of the Lord Jesus in the air for all believers who have died and for those believers who are living at the time of His coming. We believe that this is the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy and for which we should be constantly looking. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Luke 17:34-36; Matthew 24:39-42; Titus 2:13.

We believe that immediately after the saved people are caught up to Heaven to be with the Lord that on earth shall occur the tribulation period which will last seven years. It will be a time of terrible judgment for those left on the earth and the last half of this period will be the great tribulation and will end with the great battle of Armageddon. Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6:1-19, 21; Matthew 24:15-22.

We believe that the tribulation period will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with His saints to reign with Him on the earth during the Millennium (thousand year) reign. We believe that during this period Satan will be bound in the abyss and that the curse which now rests upon the whole creation will be lifted. We believe that the universal righteousness will not be realized until this time. Isaiah 11:9; Revelation 20:1-3; Zechariah 14:9; Micah 4:1-5.

We believe that at the close of the thousand year reign of Christ on earth, that Satan will be loosed and will go out and deceive the nations and cause them to march against Jerusalem and the saints. God will then cause fire to come down upon Satan and his hosts and devour them. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire (Hell). Revelation 20:7-10.

We believe that after the doom of Satan shall occur the second resurrection. All the bodies of the unsaved shall be resurrected and united with their souls and spirits to appear before God at the great white throne judgment. Every unsaved person (body, soul, and spirit) will be consigned alive to everlasting and conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire (Hell). Revelation 20:11-15.

We believe that after the great white throne judgment that God will make a new heaven and a new earth where the saved will live with Him forever in glory. Revelation 21; Revelation 22.

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. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5;Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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. (Matt 15:18-20;1 Cor 6:9-10.)

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the Chambersburg Bible Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Chambersburg Bible Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons joining with, or employed by the Chambersburg Bible Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)

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; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 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 the Chambersburg Bible Church.