Doctrinal Statement

We believe there is only one God, the Creator, who is infinite and personal. He exists eternally in
the three distinct persons, revealed to us in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is holy.
God is love. God is just. God is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. He is the source of all
that is good and is the only rightful object of worship.
(Gen. 1:1; Deut. 6:4; Job 42:1-2; Ps. 96:9, 115:3; Prov. 15:3; Isa. 6:3, 43:10-11, 44:6, 45:22,
66:1; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1, 4:24, 5:26, 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 3:26, 1 Cor. 3:16, 8:4; Heb.
4:13; 1 John 3:20, 4:8-10)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son who has neither beginning nor end. The Old
Testament contains numerous prophecies of His coming. He was conceived in the flesh by the
Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary, and is fully God and fully man. Jesus lived a sinless life
that perfectly revealed God’s love and truth. He died for our sins, was buried, and arose bodily
from the dead on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of
God the Father as our only mediator, high priest, and advocate.
(Gen. 3:15; Ps. 110:1-4; Isa. 9:1- 7, 53:1-12; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 1:20-25; Luke 24:27; John 1:1, 17,
10:30, 14:3-6; Acts 1:11, 4:12; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:3-5, 20; Col. 1:16-19; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim.
2:5-6; Heb. 1:3, 4:14-15; 1 Pet. 2:22-24; Rev. 1:18)

We believe the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. He is a person, not a force. The
Holy Spirit’s ministries include convicting all people of sin; calling, regenerating, indwelling, and
baptizing believers into the Body of Christ at conversion; setting them apart to a holy life; and
guiding, teaching, keeping, and empowering them day by day. The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual
gifts to each believer according to His will for the building up of the church. We believe the
primary evidence of the presence and filling of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit rather than
a miraculous sign.
We believe that some spiritual gifts used to establish the authority of Christ’s church have
served their purpose and should not be expected as normative in the church today.
(John 3:5-8, 16:5-15; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4, 16:7-14; 1 Cor. 2:9-12, 3:16, 12:3-13, 13:8- 11; Gal. 5:16-
25; Eph. 1:13-14, 5:18; Heb. 2:3-4)

We believe that both man (Adam) and woman (Eve) were created in the image of God to enjoy a
personal relationship with Him. As a result of deliberate disobedience, they fell from their sinless
state, and they and all their descendants became sinners. Consequently, no one can save
himself or herself, and apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ, all are condemned to eternal
torment. All humans still bear the image of God and are therefore intrinsically valuable, but all
humans are now broken image-bearers, in need of the restoration found in Christ. God

distinguishes between the sexes, equally valuing men and women, who both reflect His image.
God ordained marriage to be between one man and one woman as part of his design that some
roles within the family and the church be distinctly male or female.
(Gen. 1:26-27, 2:18-25, 3:1-24; Matt. 19:3-9; John 3:16-18, 36; Rom. 2:12-16, 5:12-21, 6:23,
7:14-21; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:9-10; Jas. 3:9; Rev. 20:13-15)

Value of Human Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of
inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or
mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death.
We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139.)

Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
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 Crete Berean Church as the
local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the members of Crete Berean Church
and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Crete Berean 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 Crete
Berean Church.

We believe we are saved solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ alone. This salvation
was purchased through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ who, by shedding his blood for
sin, offers salvation as a free gift to every person without distinction. God is sovereign over
salvation and yet each person is fully accountable for his or her response to the gospel. The
person who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior is eternally secure and can enjoy the
assurance of salvation as guaranteed by Christ’s victorious resurrection. We believe that at

death those who have trusted in Jesus enter eternal glory and those that have not enter eternal torment.
(Matt. 25:46; John 1:12, 3:16, 10:27-28; Acts 16:31, 20:20-21; Rom. 3:21-28, 8:31-39,
10:9,12-15, 17; 1 Cor. 15:3-4, 17-22; Eph. 1:7, 2:4-9; Phil. 1:6; Heb 2:14; 1 John 2:2)

We believe that every believer has been set apart with a perfect standing before God. As
believers yield themselves to the Holy Spirit, they will experience spiritual growth in holiness but
not perfection in conduct in this life. Believers will battle the world, the flesh and the devil, but
living by faith in Christ results in transformation of the heart and authentic righteous living.
Future rewards are determined primarily by what motivates Christian behavior. Those whose
behavior is an outflow of finding their identity in Christ will be rewarded.
(John 15:1-8; Rom. 6:13-19, 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 3:8-15, 10:13; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; 5:10; Gal. 5:16-25;
Eph 2:1-3; Phil. 1:6, 3:12; 1 Thes. 4:3; Heb. 10:10)

We believe that Christ is the Head of the Church, which is His body, established to bring God
glory. All who have trusted in Christ as Savior are members of this body. Christians should
commit themselves to worship, prayer, instruction, fellowship, stewardship, and service in a local
church. The church is responsible to represent Jesus Christ in the world through godly living and
evangelism. All believers are commanded to participate in two church ordinances: believers’
baptism, by immersion if possible, and the Lord’s Supper; the bread and cup symbolizing Christ’s
body and blood.
(Matt. 26:26-29, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8, 2:41-42, 8:35-39; Rom. 12:9-13; 1 Cor. 11:23-34, 12:12-
13; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 3:6-11, 4:11-13; Col. 1:18; Heb. 10:23-25; 1 Pet. 2:9-10)

We believe that Satan was created as an angelic being. Rebelling against God, he became the
author of sin, our adversary and accuser, and the great deceiver of the nations. He was defeated
by Christ’s death and resurrection but continues to wield power in this world under God’s
sovereign control. In the end, he will be completely overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ and suffer
eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
(Gen. 3:1,15; Job 1:6-12; Matt. 4:3-11; John 8:44; 1 Cor. 15:24; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-2; Col.
2:13-15; 1 John 3:8, 5:19; Rev. 12:7-12, 20:10)

We believe in the imminent, bodily, personal return of Jesus Christ. On a day known only to God,
Jesus will return for his Church. God will reunite all human souls with resurrected, imperishable
bodies. This will be followed by the final judgment of the wicked into the lake of fire and eternal
life for God’s children in a new heaven and a new earth, restoring all creation to a joyful, God
honoring state.
On a day known only by God, Jesus will rapture His Church to deliver it from the judgments
that God will pour upon the earth. After this terrible period, the Lord Jesus Christ will return
in glory to establish His Millennial Kingdom on the earth.
(Matt. 24:27-36; John 5:28-29; 14:3; Acts 1:7, 11; Rom. 8:1, 18-25; 1 Cor. 15:20- 26, 35-57; 2
Cor. 5:1-10; Col. 1:19-20; 1 Thes. 4:15-5:3; Rev. 11:15, 19:11-21:5).