At Buffalo Bible Community Church we seek to worship God, and seek to grow in our relationship with Him. We also
seek to become Christians who reflect the very nature of Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior.
Our Statement of Faith:
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin, the race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen, 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23, 5:12; Eph. 2:1–3, 12)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; Eph. 2:5–10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37–40, 10:27–30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 1 Peter 1:5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as on occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provisions made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Rom. 6:13, 8:12-13; Gal. 5:16–25; Eph. 4:22–24; Col. 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 John 3:5–9)
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord, and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and occasions is commanded of God. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14, 7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1–5; 1 John 2:15–17 )
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and word of the truths of the Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
The Ministry of Spiritual Gifts
1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts, that every true believer has been given a spiritual gift for the edification of the body of Christ, that the gift of evangelists, pastors -teachers using the Word are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today, furthermore, the gift of speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles as well as the gift of prophecy gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. We believe that use of these sign gifts was intended by God for the purpose of revealing His Word as well as authenticating the ministry of the apostles and prophets. (1 Cor. 12:4–11; 1 Cor. 13: 8-10; 2 Cor 12:12; Eph. 4:7–12)
2. We believe that God hears and answers the prayers of His children, according with His perfect will. (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)
The Church
1. We believe that the Church,
which is the Body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up
of all born-again persons of the present age. (Eph 1:22-23, 5:25–27; 1 Cor.
12:12–14; 2 Cor. 11:2)
2. We believe that the local New Testament Church is to be composed of regenerated, baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, ordinances, fellowships, and service; that the officers of the local church are elders and deacons whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; that the mission of the Church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity, in the local community, and to the uttermost part of the earth; that the local church has the absolute right to self-government, free from the interference of any individuals or organizations, religious or political; that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, with each local church as the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; and that on matters of membership, policy of government, discipline, benevolence, etc., the decision of the local church is final. (Acts 2:41-47; Acts 20:28-31; Romans 1:7; Colossians 1:2; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-5)
Dispensationalism
We believe that the scriptures interpreted in the natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these — the age of Law, the age of the Church, and the age of the Millennial Kingdom — are subjects of detailed revelation in scripture. (John1:17; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9–18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10, 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25; Heb. 7:19; Rev. 20:2-6)
The Person of Satan
We believe in the person of Satan, he was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty God, he fell, and drew after him a host of angels. He is the author of sin and the cause of the fall, that he is the Prince of the Powers of Darkness, the accuser of the saints, that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Is. 14:12–17; Matt. 4:2–1, 25:41; Rev. 12:9-10, 20:10)
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the “blessed hope”,
the personal, imminent, and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His
redeemed ones, and the establishment of His millennial Kingdom with His saints
on earth. (Zach. 14:4–11; 1 Thess. 1:10, 4:13–18, 5:9; Rev. 3:10, 19:11-16,
20:1–6) in the bodily, personal, premillennial, and imminent coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ into the air to catch away all believers unto Himself before the
tribulation period; and in the personal, visible, and glorious return of Christ
to the earth, with believers, at the close of the tribulation period to judge
the nations and to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth. (Matthew 24:42-44;
John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25- 26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8, Phil. 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:1 Rev. 20:4–6; 6-17 )
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers after death remain in conscious misery until the second resurrection when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne of Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matt. 25:26–41; Mark 9:43–48; Luke 16:19–26; 2 Thess. 1:7–8; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11–15)
Ordinances
We recognize two ordinances of the Church for this age – the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Water Baptism. They are not to be regarded, however, as a means of salvation nor a means of grace by which special merit is obtained, but of obedience.