We Believe
We believe and seek to proclaim the truth in love.
Many people say they are Christians, including Roman Catholics and Mormons. And some protestant and evangelical Christians say they “just follow the Bible.” Still, even this statement demands a further explanation as to what they understand the Bible to teach.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOUND DOCTRINE
To promote the love of God and the truth about Jesus Christ, it is vital to set out clearly what we believe the Bible teaches, just as Christians have done throughout history. From the time of the Apostles to today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements, called “creeds” and “confessions.” We also believe it is necessary to set forth the cornerstone truths of our church concisely, as guided by Scripture.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORIC CONFESSIONS
Our Statement of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, showing our unity in Christ with other Christians, and guards the church against error. We are convinced that the most robust, historical expression of what the Bible teaches is found in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (abbreviated as “2LCF”). All who join IBC affirm this statement of faith.
The full text of the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith is found in its original text at The 1689 Confession.
The 2LCF registers our belief in historic Christianity, reformed (Protestant) Christianity, believer’s baptism, and congregational polity. Thus, you can summarize our beliefs, as articulated in the 2LCF as first Christian, then Reformed, Puritan, and Baptist.
Christian
We affirm what orthodox Christians have confessed throughout the history of the church. Chapters 1-8 and 31-32 summarize these beliefs within the 2LCF.
Reformed
We hold to the foundational conviction of the Protestant Reformation that the Scriptures alone are the final authority for faith and practice as they proclaim that our salvation is in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and to God’s glory alone. These convictions are summarized in chapters 9-20 of the 2LCF.
Puritan
We identify with the Puritans in their aim to apply all of Scripture to all of life under the lordship of Jesus the Christ. These beliefs are summarized in chapters 21-25 of the 2LCF.
Baptist
We aim to be loving and humble in how we communicate God’s truth, yet we are convinced that the Scriptures teach what are called “Baptist” doctrines. These are not doctrines that determine what one must believe to be an orthodox Christian. Still, they are nevertheless significant in that they are directions given by God in Scripture for ordering his church here on earth. Chapters 26-30 in the 2LCF outline these baptistic teachings.
Our identity as a Reformed and Baptist congregation is secondary to our commitment to and declaration of the gospel.
As a local church, we joyfully seek fellowship with all true Christians who are committed to the same historical, evangelical gospel of Jesus Christ that has marked biblical orthodoxy throughout church history.
We put a high premium on biblical catholicity and desire to engage in the service of Christ at as broad a level of kingdom work as we can.
