Our Vision
The vision of Highlands Bible Church is to love God and love people.
Our Purpose
The purpose of Highlands Bible Church is to glorify God by making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ.
Helpful Creeds and Statements
Even though we are a non-denominational church, we stand on the beliefs of historical, orthodox, Protestant Christianity which the church has believed in since its inception. Here are some other creeds and statements that we align with and find helpful in clarifying doctrinal beliefs:
Our Doctrinal Statement
Below is the full doctrinal statement of Highlands Bible Church:
The Scriptures
We believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures. Meaning, the Bible (the sixty-six books of the Old & New Testaments) is complete in every respect, and is the verbally inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). We believe it is without error in the original writings, true, authoritative and sufficient for faith and life (Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:17).
The Godhead
We believe in the trinity, meaning, that there is one living and true God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). We believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all active in the creation of the universe. We believe each Person of the Godhead is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfections (John 1:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Ephesians 4:5-6).
God the Father
We believe in the deity of God the Father, meaning He is holy, almighty, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, infinite in wisdom (Exodus 34:6-7; Isaiah 6:1-3; Romans 11:33; Revelation 4:8). He hears and answers prayer, and He saves all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ from eternal death in Hell, which is His just wrath for sin (Psalm 10:17; John 3:16-18).
God the Son
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, meaning He is truly God and truly man (John 1:1, 14). We believe in His virgin birth, His substitutionary death through the shedding of His blood, as the atonement for the remission of sins, and His bodily resurrection and ascension (Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 24:1-12; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21). We believe He is presently ministering as our high priest in heaven, that He is the only sufficient mediator between God and man, and that He will one day physically return to earth to judge the living and the dead. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:1-2).
For a great overview on Jesus the Son, check out our 4 part Advent Series from 2023 titled “Portraits of Christ.”
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, who is truly God and the agent of the new birth (John 3:5). We believe He empowers, guides, teaches and enables believers to live a set-apart life primarily through illuminating the Word of God to believers (John 6:63; John 14:16-17, 26; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13). We believe He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment, and that at conversion He baptizes all true believers into the body of Christ (John 16:7-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at the moment of conversion when Jesus sends His Spirit to regenerate a person (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5, 11:16; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe that He assigns gifts for the common good, and that He indwells, seals, sanctifies and secures believers until the day of redemption (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:2).
Man
We believe in the total sinfulness all human beings, meaning that God created Adam and Eve in His image and in a state of sinlessness but, through willful rebellion against God, they sinned and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-19, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). We believe that, through the fall of Adam and Eve, all human beings, while still bearing the image of God, are now born with a sinful nature (Romans 5:12) and under the wrath of God. (Ephesians 2:1-3). Moreover, every person is a sinner in thought, desire, motive, word, and deed, absolutely guilty and lost and incapable of saving themselves and is in need of being regenerated (born again), through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. (John 3:3, 7; Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 2:8-9). Therefore, every person is a sinner, both by nature and by choice.
Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality
We believe that God created humanity “male and female” (Genesis 1:27). As God intentionally created humanity with gender distinction, rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of God’s prerogative and purpose as Creator (Genesis 1:26-27). To assert that God created a person with the “wrong” biological sex is idolatrous because it implies that we know better than God regarding His creation.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological (i.e., a male by birth) and one biological woman (i.e., a female by birth) in a single, exclusive union (a covenant), as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 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 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 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 since the fall of mankind (Genesis 3) we all still struggle with sin and its effects. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, either in desire or action, is sinful and offensive to God. This includes but is not limited to: adultery, formication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, pedophilia, incest, and use of pornography (Matthew 5:27-30; 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). Furthermore, every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31).
Salvation
We believe that salvation from God’s wrath for sin is wholly through grace alone, by faith in Christ alone, whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that neither baptism, the Lord’s Supper, nor any other rite, ceremony, or work contributes to the sinner’s salvation (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; 1 Peter 3:18). We believe that any person who repents of their sin and puts their faith and trust in Jesus is forgiven of their sins (Mark 1:15).
We believe the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, by virtue of His redemptive work on the cross, was sufficient to pay for the sins of all who have lived or shall ever live, but that it effectively applies only to those who have or will put their faith and trust in Him (John 3:16; Acts 20:28).
We believe we are justified by Christ’s obedience, death, and resurrection, His righteousness having been credited to us and our guilt being credited to Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Upon justification, the believer is adopted into the family of God, and is made a coheir with Christ (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 3:25-29; Ephesians 1:5).
We believe that all believers are regenerated by the Holy Spirit who raises them from being dead in their sins to being alive with Christ (John 3:5, Ephesians 2:1, 5). Believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit and kept secure in Christ forever (Ephesians 1:13-14). We reject the teaching that a saved man can lose his salvation (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 27-30, 38-39).
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification refers to both the state of being set apart as holy and the process of growing into Christlikeness. Upon regeneration, God immediately puts the believer in a state of holiness (Acts 20:32, 26:18; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11; Hebrews 10:10). This means that, in God’s sight, all Christians are viewed as holy.
We believe sanctification also refers to the ongoing process of the believer’s growth in being set apart for God, according to the will of God. Due to the believer’s remaining sin nature, sanctification is progressive (Romans 6:13-16, Hebrews 12:14, 1 John 1:8-10, 3:5-9). Sinlessness cannot be achieved in this life, and the believer must consciously strive toward Christlikeness to the end of earthly life (Ephesians 4:20-24, Philippians 3:12).
We believe the process of sanctification is carried on in the believer by means of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every believer and guarantees the completion of their sanctification (Philippians 1:6). To sanctify the believer, the Spirit makes use of the ordinary means of grace, such as the preaching and reading of the Word, baptism, corporate worship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer (John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Ephesians 5:25-26). The process of sanctification is, therefore, simultaneously the work of God and of the believer (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:12-13).
The Local Church
We believe the local church is an autonomous outpost of God’s kingdom, made up of regenerated believers who are committed to living out the gospel in faith. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the authoritative Head.
We believe the true Church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers (1 Corinthians 16:19; Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). The local church’s mission is to glorify God by making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The local church shall be led by biblically qualified elders, who shepherd the church and safeguard doctrine, and deacons, who serve the church (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). The church should be devoted to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe baptism is the immersion of a professing believer in water as a declaration of their faith in and allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; Romans 10:9). Baptism demonstrates the cleansing of the believer’s sin through faith in Jesus and signifies the believer’s salvation (Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21). In baptism, the believer declares identification by faith with Jesus’ death and resurrection (Colossians 2:12). Baptism reminds us that our faith in Jesus results in newness of life (Romans 6:4). We believe that all believers must be baptized in obedience to Jesus’ command (Matthew 28:19).
We believe the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s body and blood being offered as an atoning sacrifice for all believers. We believe it is to be celebrated regularly in the gathered worship service by believers in Jesus, until the Lord’s return. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
The Last Things
We believe that “God in his own time and in his own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.” [Quoted from Baptist Faith and Message 2000]
We believe in the personal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ, after which He will bind Satan and establish his eternal reign upon the new heaven and new earth. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 21:1-4). We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, the eternal joy of the righteous in the presence of the Lord, and the endless suffering of the wicked in the lake of fire (Romans 2:5-7; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).
We believe the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will immediately enter into the presence of the Lord at physical death (Luke 23:43; John 14:3; 2 Corinthians 5:8). We believe that, after death, the souls of unbelievers shall remain in conscious torment until the final judgment (Matthew 25:41-46; Luke 16:24-26).
We believe the heavens and the earth will pass away and be replaced with a new heavens and new earth where only the righteous dwell. In this new creation, the saints will dwell with the Lord in the New Jerusalem forever (Revelation 21:1-27).
Separation of Church and State
We believe that the local church is established by God and is an autonomous, independent, and self-governing outpost of the Kingdom of God on Earth. The church is lead by biblically qualified elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) answerable ultimately to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. (Ephesians 1:22, 5:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3) Therefore, the church is to operate free from government influence and control, in pursuit of the mission to bring glory to God, by the making and maturing of disciples of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we are called to honor the government, unless they are causing us to disobey the Word of God. (1 Peter 2:17; Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29).
The Lord's Day
We believe that the first day of the week [Sunday] is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matthew 28:1-6) and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Exodus 20:8-11).” [Quoted from Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Additional Note: Though we cite a reference from the Old Testament, written to Israel and applicable on their Sabbath Day (Saturday), the biblical principle still applies as it is renewed and transformed by Jesus in the New Testament. See Matthew 12:1-8] To read more, see this blog post…also check out this sermon.
Satan
We believe Satan is a distinct and real personality (John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2). We believe that he is a fallen angel, the god of this age, the adversary of Christ and His church, and that his destiny is eternal punishment in the lake of fire (John 13:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10).
Authority of Doctrine
The final authority for dealing with matters of church doctrine is the Word of God, the Bible, as summarized in this Doctrinal Statement.
Revised doctrinal statement as approved at the January 24, 2021 Member Meeting.
