BIBLE: We believe that the Bible, consisting of both Old and New Testaments, is God’s infallible, inerrant Word, written by men who were uniquely moved by the Holy Spirit, and that it is our sole authority in all matters of faith and practice.* We affirm our belief in the verbal and plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures in their original writings. (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:20-21)
GOD: We believe in one God, creator of heaven and earth, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19).
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GOD THE FATHER is perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice 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. Exodus 33:19, Jude 24, 25.
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GOD THE SON: Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, born of a virgin, sinless in life, who atoned for the sins of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His high priestly intercession for His people, His lordship* and His personal visible, return to the world according to His promise. (Colossians 1:13-18, Matthew 1:22-23, Hebrews 4:14-16).
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GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. His works in the believer include (but are not limited to): salvation, baptizing into the body of Christ, indwelling, sealing eternally, progressive sanctification,* gifting, filling, teaching, enabling; and glorifying. (John 16:8-13, Ephesians 1:13-14, I Corinthians 12:12-14).
MAN: We believe that man was created in the image of God and was originally without sin. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, all men are now sinners both by nature and by choice. Man is unable to remedy his own lost condition. Every believer is capable, under God, of deciding for himself in the matters of faith and life.* (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 5:12, John 3:16).
SALVATION: We believe that salvation is God’s gift to man in the person of Jesus Christ. Sinful man is saved from the eternal penalty of sin as a result of receiving Jesus Christ by faith, as his/her Savior and Lord of life. (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 6:23).
THE CHURCH: We believe that the church is the body of Christ, which is made up of every born-again believer since Pentecost regardless of race, sex, or national origin. The local church is an organized body of immersed* believers* voluntarily associated together for the worship of God, the fellowship of believers, the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world, and the observance of the Biblical ordinances (believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper). The Scriptural officers of the Church are described in I Timothy 3. The local church is independent and autonomous* and is free from all outside ecclesiastical* or political* interference. (2 Timothy 2:19, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:4-16, Acts 4:19).
CHRISTIAN PRACTICE: We believe Christians, individually and collectively, are salt and light in society (Matthew 5:13-16). In a Christ like spirit, they oppose greed, selfishness and vice; they promote truth, justice and peace; they aid the needy and preserve the dignity of people of all races and conditions (Hebrews 13:5; Luke 9:23; Titus 2:12; Philippians 4:8-9, 1 John 3:16-17; James 2:1-4, 14-17). We affirm the family as the basic unit of society and seek to preserve its integrity and stability (Genesis 2:21-25; Ephesians 6:1-4). Marriage is defined by God as being between one man (natural born) and one woman (natural born) (Genesis 1:27-28, 2:24; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27).
ANGELS: We believe God created an order of spiritual beings called angels to serve Him and do His will (Psalm 103:20; Colossians l:16). The holy angels are obedient spirits ministering to the heirs of salvation and glorifying God (Revelation 5:11-12).
SATAN: We believe that Satan is a person, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-17, Revelation 20:7-10).
LAST THINGS: We believe in the sudden, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His millennial Kingdom (Mark 13:32-37; Titus 2:13; Revelation 20:2-6). He will return with His saints from heaven with power and great glory, on a day known only to God (Matthew 24:30, 36; 25:31; Titus 2:13). We believe that those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, at the point of physical death, enter into God’s eternal glory (John 10:28; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Hebrews 9:27). They shall be resurrected and transformed to His body of glory, and they shall receive their inheritance of glory in the Kingdom of their Father (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; John 5:25-29; Acts 24:14-15; 1 Corinthians 6:14; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:5-6). They shall be made fully blessed in the presence and service of God, whom they shall see and enjoy throughout the ages (1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 22:3-5). We believe that all unsaved persons, at the point of physical death, are destined for eternal damnation (Hebrews 9:27, Matthew 25:44-46). They will be resurrected, separated from the righteous, judged, and cast into an existence of eternal punishment where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever when death and Hades are cast into the Lake of Fire (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:44-46; John 5:25-29; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8). We believe it is imperative for the Church to work and wait in sober watchfulness, that it may be found ready at His coming (Matthew 24:42-44; 25:13; Mark 13:33-37; Hebrews 10:25).
* This indicates an historic Baptist Distinctive.
Some Specific Distinctives of Pleasant Home Community Church
The Sufficiency of Scripture
We believe that God has provided us in the Scripture with everything necessary to nurture and sustain spiritual life. We believe that Scripture is central in the services of our church (1 Tim 4:13-16). Therefore, consecutive expository preaching is our normal and consistent approach to teaching the Scripture. We interpret Scripture using a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic. This means we are committed to teaching and to counseling directly and exclusively from the Word of God. Rather than seeking something more than God’s glorious revelation, Christians need only to study and obey what they already have. We do not believe secular psychology has any legitimate role in the sanctification of believers. Scripture is sufficient.
The Office of Elder
We believe the New Testament indicates, the words “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poimén) all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer (episkopos) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1:6-9 are unmistakably parallel. The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that each local body of believers is shepherded by a plurality of God-ordained elders.
A Changed Life
We believe that all those whom God has genuinely saved by grace through faith alone are new creatures in Christ and will demonstrate that new life by submission to Christ and obedience to God's Word. All Christians still sin, sometimes horribly, and sometimes for extended periods without repentance. But a decreasing pattern of sin and an increasing pattern of holiness will characterize every Christian's life. The saved will be dedicated to their Savior. A true Christian will not feel comfortable habitually living in unconfessed sin.
Gift of Tongues/Sign Gifts
We believe that the gift of tongues was the miraculous, God-given capacity to communicate the truth of God's Word in human languages the speaker had never learned or studied. It was a manifestation of God's power and blessing to validate the gospel message the apostles taught and to establish the early church. We believe that ecstatic outbursts and private prayer languages share nothing in common with the New Testament gift of tongues, and that they are patently unbiblical. Since there are no apostles today, there are no sign gifts to authenticate apostles. From the perspective of latter New Testament writers, the sign gifts had served their purpose and were all viewed in the past tense.
The Role of Women
We believe that both men and women bear the image of God and that those in Christ enjoy equal spiritual standing before God. But Scripture teaches that God has assigned different roles and responsibilities to men and women. In the home, the husband is to be the gracious, loving head and the wife is to submit to her husband's leadership. God has provided equally clear roles in the church. While there are many wonderful ways women can serve, We believe that Scripture forbids women from teaching and leading men, or in any way exercising authority over men in the context of the church.
Creation
We believe Genesis is a straightforward, literal presentation of the historical events it describes. We believe that God created everything in six literal days. We reject every form of theistic evolution.
Critical Race Theory & Social Justice
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a modern approach to social justice change, developed from a broader critical theory, which is derived from political Marxism. It approaches issues like justice, racism, and inequality with specific intent of reforming or reshaping society. In practice, it does nothing other than inverting the oppressed and the oppressor groups. We believe that critical race theory entirely violates a biblical worldview by suggesting that people are defined by their ethnicity or class, rather than by their individual acts and attitudes. It incorrectly emphasizes intersectional categories such as gender, race, sexual preference, and economic status above and beyond a person’s own choices and responsibilities (Galatians 3:28). Additionally, it conflicts with a biblical approach to absolute, objective truth by suggesting that an “oppressed” person’s feelings matter more than what the “oppressor” has actually done or intended (1 Corinthians 4:4; 10:29). We believe when and where prejudices are found in the church, they should be addressed according to sound doctrine, not according to inherently secular and unbiblical approaches.
For more on this, we refer you to The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel (https://statementonsocialjustice.com).