ROUND HILL CHURCH

STATEMENT OF FAITH with Scripture References

 

God

We believe in the one true, holy and living God, Eternal Spirit, who is Creator, Sovereign

and Preserver of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice,

goodness and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of

men, to the glory of His name. We believe the one God reveals Himself as the Trinity:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.

(John 6:27; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:3,4; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew

28:19; Isaiah 48:16)

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Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, in whom the divine and human

natures are perfectly and inseparably united. He is the eternal Word made flesh, the only

begotten Son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. As

ministering Servant, He lived, suffered, and died on the cross. He was buried, rose from

the dead and ascended into heaven to be with the Father, from whence He shall soon

return. He is eternal Savior and Mediator, who intercedes for us, and by Him all men will

be judged. (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 11:33; John 8:40; Hebrews 1:8, 2:14)

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The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in being with the Father and

the Son. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He leads men

through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts,

sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth. (1 Corinthians

2:10-11, 12:11, 13; Isaiah 40:13-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18)

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The Holy Bible

We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it

is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule

and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy

Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to

salvation. (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13;

1 Timothy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

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The Church

We believe the Christian Church is the community of all true believers under the Lordship

of Christ. We believe it is one body being built one living stone upon another (1 Peter

2:5). It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached by people

divinely called, and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ's own

appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the Church exists for the

maintenance of worship, the edification of believers and the redemption of the world.

(Acts 14:23, 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

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The Sacraments

We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges of the

Christian's profession and of God's love toward us. They are means of grace by which God

works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening, and confirming our faith in Him. Two

Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

We believe Baptism signifies entrance into the household of faith and is a symbol of

repentance and inner cleansing from sin, a representation of the new birth in Christ Jesus

and a mark of Christian discipleship.

Round Hill Church recognizes baptism as an act of faith after making a clear decision to

follow Jesus. Therefore, our church does not baptize children, instead we dedicate

children to the Lord with commitments from their families and the church to raise the

child in a setting of love and understanding of who Jesus is and with the support to set

that child toward becoming a follower of Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38; Mark

16:16; 1 Peter 3:21)

We believe the Lord's Supper is a representation of our redemption, a memorial of the

sufferings and death of Christ, and a token of love and union which Christians have with

Christ and with one another. Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the broken

bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and blood of Christ in a spiritual

manner until He comes. (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 4:4-6; Acts 1:5, 11:15-16; Matthew

26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26, 28)

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Sin and Free Will

We believe man is fallen from righteousness and, apart from the grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ, is destitute of holiness and inclined to evil. Unless a man is born again, he cannot

see the Kingdom of God. In his own strength, without divine grace, man cannot do good

works pleasing and acceptable to God. We believe, however, man influenced and

empowered by the Holy Spirit is responsible in freedom to exercise His will for good.

(Genesis 1:26-27, 2:17, 3:6; Romans 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-5; Mark 7:20-23;

John 2:24-25)

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Reconciliation Through Christ

We believe God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The offering Christ freely

made on the cross is the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world,

redeeming man from all sin, so that no other satisfaction is required. (2 Corinthians 5:14;

Mark 10:45; Romans 3:24-26; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 5:8-9)

Justification and Regeneration

We believe we are never accounted righteous before God through our works or merit,

but that sinners are justified or accounted righteous before God only by faith in our Lord

Jesus Christ.

We believe regeneration is the renewal of man in righteousness through Jesus Christ, by

the power of the Holy Spirit, whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature and

experience newness of life. By this new birth the believer becomes reconciled to God and

is enabled to serve Him with the will and the affections.

We believe, although we have experienced regeneration, it is possible to depart from

grace and fall into sin; and we may even then, by the grace of God, be renewed in

righteousness. (Romans 3:21-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12-13;

Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-21)

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Good Works

We believe good works are the necessary fruits of faith and follow regeneration, but they

do not have the virtue to remove our sins or to avert divine judgment. We believe good

works, pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, spring from a true and living faith, for

through and by them faith is made evident. (Ephesians 2:3-10; Philippians 3:2-3;

James 2:14-26, 4:4,10, 5:20)

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Sanctification and Christian Perfection

We believe sanctification is the work of God's grace through the Word and the Spirit, by

which those who have been born again are cleansed from sin in their thoughts, words,

and acts, and are enabled to live in accordance with God's will, and to strive for holiness

without which no one will see the Lord.

Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness, and true holiness which

every born-again repentant believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin,

by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and by loving one's neighbor as

oneself. Through faith in Jesus Christ this gracious gift may be received in this life both

gradually and instantaneously and should be sought earnestly by every child of God.

We believe this experience does not deliver us from the infirmities, ignorance, and

mistakes common to man, nor from the possibilities of further sin. The Christian must

continually guard against spiritual pride and seek to gain victory over every temptation to

sin. They must respond wholly to the will of God so that sin will lose its power over them;

and the world, the flesh, and the devil are put under His feet. Thus, He rules over these

enemies with watchfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 10:28-30;

John 14:16-17; 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 2:1; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians

5:5; Colossians 3:3)

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The Judgment and the Future State

We believe all people stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and

in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, the righteous to life eternal

and the wicked to endless condemnation. (Matthew 13:30,42, 16:27; Luke 11:29-32;

John 12:48; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 4:17; Revelation 2:12)

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Public Worship

We believe divine worship is the duty and privilege of people who, in the presence of

God, bows in adoration, humility and dedication. We believe divine worship is essential to

the life of the Church, and that the assembling of the people of God for such worship is

necessary to Christian fellowship and spiritual growth.

We believe the order of public worship need not be the same in all places but may be

modified by the church according to circumstances and the needs of the people. It should

be in a language and form understood by the people, consistent with the Holy Scriptures

to the edification of all, and in accordance with the order and Discipline of the Church.

(1 Chronicles 9:22-34; Isaiah 29:13-14; Jeremiah 7:2-3; 1 Corinthians 14:26-40;

Colossians 2:16-17; Revelation 22:8-9)

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The Lord's Day

We believe the Lord's Day is divinely ordained for private and public worship, for rest

from unnecessary work, and should be devoted to spiritual improvement, Christian

fellowship, and service. It is commemorative of our Lord's resurrection and is an emblem

of our eternal rest. It is essential to the permanence and growth of the Christian Church,

and important to the welfare of the civil community. (Exodus 31:12-13; Matthew 12:8,

Mark 2:24; John 9:14-16; Acts 20:7)

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The Christian and Property

We believe God is the owner of all things and that the individual holding of property is

lawful and is a sacred trust under God. Private property is to be used for the

manifestation of Christian love and liberality, and to support the Church's mission in the

world. All forms of property, whether private, corporate or public, are to be held in

solemn trust and used responsibly for human good under the sovereignty of God.

(Exodus 35:21-22, 39:42, Deuteronomy 17:1, Proverbs 6:1-5, Malachi 1:6-8, Matthew

23:23-24; John 6:12-13)

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Civil Government

We believe the civil government derives its just powers from the sovereign God. As

Christians we recognize the governments under whose protection we reside and believe

such governments should be based on, and be responsible for, the recognition of human

rights under God. We believe it is the duty of Christian citizens to give moral strength and

purpose to their respective governments through sober, righteous, and godly living.

(Matthew 17:24-27; Luke 20:20-26; Romans 13:1-14; 1 Timothy 2:2)

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Traditional Definition of Marriage

We believe that the Traditional Definition of Marriage is a sacred covenant between one

man and one woman and God. We believe that their respective roles of love and

submission are to reflect Christ’s sacrificial love to the church and the church’s

submission to the will of God the Father. Marriage is the only accepted basis for sexual

activity; all other sexual activity outside of marriage amounts to immorality and is sin.

We believe that because God our Creator established marriage as a sacred institution

between one man and one woman, the idea that marriage is a covenant only between

one man and one woman has been the traditional definition of marriage for all of

human history the Church hereby creates this positional statement, which shall be

known as the “Marriage Position.”

Under this Church’s Marriage Position and the Traditional Definition of Marriage no

ordained Pastor or Pastor of which has an ordination is accepted by this church or

corporation, organization, or entity under the direction of control, which is employed or

in the service of this Church shall commit any act or omission, or make any decision

whatever, that would be inconsistent with or that could be perceived by any person to

be inconsistent with the full support of this Church’s Marriage Position and strict

adherence to the Traditional Definition of Marriage rather than any alternative to the

Traditional Definition of Marriage.

This Church’s Marriage Position specifically prohibits acts or omissions including but not

limited to permitting any Church assets or property, whether real property, personal

property, intangible property, or any property or asset of any kind that is subject to the

direction or control of the Church, to be used in any manner that would be or could be

perceived by any person to be inconsistent with this Church’s Marriage Position or the

Traditional Definition of Marriage, including but not limited to permitting any church

facilities to be used by any person, organization, corporation, or group that would or

might use such facilities to convey, intentionally or by implication, what might be

perceived as a favorable impression about any definition of marriage other than the

Traditional Definition of Marriage. (Genesis 2:18-24; Malachi 2:14-15; Matthew 19:4-8;

Mark 10:5-9; 1 Corinthians 7:12-15, 11:3; Ephesians 5:21-33; Hebrews 13:4)

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Sexuality

Sexuality and the divinely prescribed boundaries for the expression thereof is covered

clearly in the Holy Scriptures, which limit sexual expression to the marital relationship of

one man with one woman. All forms of fornication are categorically condemned in the

Holy Scriptures. Furthermore, the Church believes that a person’s sexual and gender

identity (male or female) God determines at conception. (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus

20:10-21; Deuteronomy 5:18, 23:1; Proverbs 5:3-5, 8-13; 7:21-27; Matthew 5:27; Luke

18:20; Romans 1:26-27, 13:9; 1 Corinthians 6:18, 10:8; Galatians 5:19;

1 Thessalonians 4:3; 19:18; James 2:11; Jude 7.)