RBF Statement of Faith

1. God. We believe in the only true God (John 17:3) – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). He created all things (Revelation 4:11) and upholds all things by His powerful Word (Hebrews 1:3). In Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He is a God of truth and without iniquity; He is just and right (Deuteronomy 32:4); and He shall judge the world (Psalm 9:8).

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Matthew 28:19-20).

2. Jesus Christ. We believe in the total deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of the world and the only path to God. We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe Him to be fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 1:14, 1 :18; John 14:8-10; Timothy 3:16).

3. Holy Spirit. We believe in the total deity of the Holy Spirit. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner the moment he believes and accepts Christ by faith, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts, and empowers the believer for godly living (Mark 13:11; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3: 16). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, God's righteousness, and coming judgment (John 16:8-11).

4. Scriptures. We believe the Scriptures – the Old Testament and the New Testament – are inspired by God and are inerrant and infallible in their original writings. We believe the 66 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament are God's complete and sufficient revelation and, therefore, carry God's authority for the total wellbeing of mankind (Psalm 119:97-104; Psalm 119:160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46-47; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16).

5. Man. We believe man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker but, by voluntarily transgressing, fell from his sinless and happy state. Consequently, all mankind is sinful. All people are sinners not only by inheritance but by their own choice and, therefore, are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. We believe that, without exception, every human being needs the Savior (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, Romans 1:32; Romans 5:1-2).

6. Salvation. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that each person who by faith and repentance receives Him as personal Savior is justified on the basis of Jesus Christ's shed blood on Calvary. Each person who receives Christ as personal Savior is born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes eternally secure as a child of God. We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes each believing person into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. We believe that the evidence of salvation is shown through a life of obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).

6. Resurrection. We believe in the resurrection of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ and His ascension into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as High Priest and Advocate for all believers (Acts l :3; Acts I :9; Hebrews 7:25-26).

8. Heaven, Hell, and the Return of Christ. We believe in the "blessed hope" – the personal, premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in heaven (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7), and the lost are raised to eternal torment in hell in conscious separation from God (Matthew 8:12; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47- 48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8).

9. The Church
   1. The church exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20). The commission is fulfilled as sinners are evangelized and those who put their faith in Christ are discipled in order to grow in their relationship with Him. God is glorified as we manifest His presence as we do His will (2 Timothy 2:2; I Corinthians 10:31).
   2. Upon accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, a believer becomes part of His body, which is the church. There is one church universal, composed of all those throughout the world who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scriptures command believers to gather in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances (baptism and communion), fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world in fulfillment of the command of Christ to make disciples of all believers (Ephesians 5:23; Romans 12:1; Acts 2:42-46; l Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20).
   3. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church – under the oversight of elders and other supportive leadership. The church's members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).

10. Missions. Realizing that the cause of Christ extends beyond any local fellowship, we commit ourselves to an ongoing ministry of extending the call of Christ to make disciples around the world. In light of this, we will support missionaries and other Christian Organizations (Matthew 28:19- 20).

11. Human Sexuality. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between one natural-born man and one natural-born woman. God has defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman, and because of this, we believe that the only scriptural marriage is the joining of one natural-born man and one natural-born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).

      L.    Family Relationships

1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors, elders, and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12).
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm. 127:3-5; Proverbs. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13- 14; Mark. 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Colossians 3:18- 21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7).

13. Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage are regarded as adultery except on the grounds of marital unfaithfulness. We acknowledge that God's grace is life changing; therefore, divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used by God for Christian service. The positions of service may exclude the offices of Pastor, Elder, and Deacon. The leadership will prayerfully consider each candidate for Pastor, Elder, and Deacon in light of God's Word and His standards of divorce and remarriage (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; Titus! :6-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-16).

14. Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental wellbeing of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalm 51 :5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1 :5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

15. Lawsuits between Believers. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (1 Corinthians 6:1- 8; Ephesians 4:31-32).

16. Giving. We believe that every Christian as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Ephesians 4:28; 1 John 3: 17).