Shreveport Bible Church
Doctrinal Statement

1. BIBLE -- The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety (66
books), is the inspired Word of God and therefore without error in the
original writings. It is our authority for doctrine and practice.

2. GOD -- There is one God who exists eternally in three persons:
The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

3. MAN -- Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, but
in Adam all mankind fell into sin with the result that all men are born
sinners (except the man Jesus Christ), totally depraved in themselves,
apart from the Grace of God.

4. JESUS CHRIST -- The eternal Son of God became flesh in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He was born of the virgin Mary, died for our sins, and
rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is now with the Father.
He is true God and true man.

5. SALVATION -- By God's Grace, salvation from eternal judgment is
received by faith alone in Christ alone. It is freely given to all who
believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose from the dead.
Once a sinner is saved, his position in Christ is eternally secure.

6. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION -- The assurance of eternal salvation is
based only on the promises God makes in His word that everyone who
trusts in Jesus Christ alone possesses eternal life.

7. SANCTIFICATION -- Sanctification means 'being set apart.' All
believers have been set apart by God for salvation, and are now involved
in a process of sanctification which has as its ultimate goal
Christlikeness. The believer's responsibility in sanctification is to
walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.

8. HOLY SPIRIT -- The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the
Godhead, who convicts men of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and
seals all believers in Christ and fills those who are submissive to God.

9. SPIRITUAL GIFTS -- Every believer receives at least one spiritual
gift from God when he/ she becomes a Christian. Spiritual gifts are
divine enablements for service and are to be used for the edifying of
the body of Christ. While we recognize that God may give any gift to the
church at any time, we believe that the current resurgence of the
practice of tongues and healings is not what is described in the
Scriptures.

10. THE CHURCH -- The church is composed of all believers, it is the
body and bride of Christ and it exists in two aspects: universal and
local. The universal church is that spiritual organism of which Christ
is the Head and all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture are the
members. It is completely distinct from Israel. The local church is an
assembly of professing believers voluntarily joined together and
organized to do God's will. Christ is the Head of the local church.
Elders are the principle leaders while deacons help the elders serve the
church more effectively. The two ordinances of the local church are
baptism and the Lord's Supper.

11. ANGELS -- Angels are personal beings who were originally created
holy, but now exist as unfallen and fallen. Satan is the ruler of the
fallen angels.

12. DISPENSATIONS -- God has revealed different dispensations or
stewardships by which He administers His purposes on the earth. The
present dispensation, the age of grace, is not to be confused with the
dispensations of the Law of Moses or the millennial kingdom.

13. THINGS TO COME -- The blessed hope of the imminent return of the
Lord for His church is to be followed in order by: the tribulation; the
second coming of Christ to the earth after the tribulation; the
establishment of the reign of Christ on the earth for 1,000 years; the
eternal state of punishment for the unsaved; and the eternal state of
blessing for the saved.



Taken from the Doctrinal Statement of the Grace Evangelical Society

Salvation
The sole condition for receiving eternal salvation from hell is
faith (trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died a substitutionary death
on the cross for man's sin and rose from the dead.

No act of obedience, preceding or following faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, such as commitment to obey, sorrow for sin, turning from one's
sin, baptism, or submission to the Lordship of Christ, may be added to,
or considered as a part of, faith as condition for receiving eternal
salvation. This saving transaction between God and the sinner is simply
the giving and receiving of a free gift.

Assurance

The assurance of eternal salvation is based only on the promise God
makes in His word that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ alone
possesses eternal life. Good works, which can and should follow
regeneration, are not necessary to a firm assurance of eternal life even
though they may have a secondary, confirmatory value.

Discipleship

The ultimate goal of the Holy Spirit's work in the believer's life
is to produce spiritual maturity reflected in consistent Christ like
behavior and attitudes. Therefore, obedience to the Word of God, while
not necessary for obtaining eternal salvation from hell, is the
essential responsibility of each Christian. However, the Bible does not
teach that this obedience will be manifested in all believers or to the
same degree in all believers. If a believer does not yield to the
ministry of the Holy Spirit in his experience, failure will result,
evidence by sinful acts or even prolonged disobedience.