What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

Core Beliefs

The following are the core beliefs of Waipio GBC based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible.  All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

The Bible

The Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21).

God

The One True God existing eternally as three persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Lord Jesus Christ

His preexistence and deity (John 1:1-13), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-23); sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), substitutionary death (2 Corinthians 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Hebrews 4:14-16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).

The Holy Spirit

His personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4); and His work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9); and filling (Ephesians 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Ephesians 3:16; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22-23).

* Creation

We believe God created the universe and all that it contains (Genesis 1:1-2:1; Psalms 102:25-27; Job 9:8; Job 26:13; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:12; Isaiah 45:18; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; Hebrews 11:3) in six consecutive and literal twenty-four hour days (Genesis 1:5; Genesis 1:8 ; Genesis 1:13 ; Genesis 1:19 ; Genesis 1:23 ; Genesis 1:31-2:4; Exodus 20:11; Exodus 31:17; Hebrews 4:2-5) through the power of God’s spoken commands (Genesis 1:3; Genesis 1:6; Genesis 1:9; Genesis 1:11; Genesis 1:14; Genesis 1:20; Genesis 1:24; Genesis 1:26; Genesis 1:29; 2 Peter 3:5-7). When God had completed His work, He declared all was very good (Genesis 1:31).
We believe that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are the literal history of the early Earth (Matthew 19:4; Matthew 24:37).

Man

His direct creation (Psalm 139:13-15; Job 10:9-12; Job 31:15; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:12) in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 5:1; James 3:9), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).

Marriage

We believe that marriage was ordained by God at creation as the sacred union of one genetic male and one genetic female and that this union (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:1-10; Mark 10:1-10; 1 Corinthians 11:9; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-7) is evidenced by a marriage ceremony. The purpose of marriage is for fellowship and mutual aid (Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 18:22; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), reproduction (Genesis 1:22; Genesis 1:28) and sexual intimacy (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Therefore, all sexual relations are to be reserved for and are to exist exclusively within the marriage union. Hence, sexual activities such as, but not limited to, adultery, fornication (pre-marital sex), incest, polygamy, homosexuality, transgenderism, bisexuality, cross-dressing, pedophilia, bestiality, lascivious behavior, the creation and/or viewing and/or distribution of pornography, and efforts to alter one’s physical gender or gender related appearance are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and are incompatible with a true Biblical witness and are therefore recognized as improper (Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:1-30; Deuteronomy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; 1 Timothy 1:9-11; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe the Christian marriage is a representation of Christ’s relationship to His Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). We also believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. Thus all human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:24; Psalm 127; Psalm 128; Psalm 139:13-16; Job 10:9-12; Job 31:15; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:12; Matthew 18:2-6; Luke 18:15-17; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).
Accordingly, this ministry or its ministers will not perform nor will this church’s facilities be used to perform any marriage ceremonies between individuals that are determined to be outside the Biblical description found in this article. As such, we believe that Marriage is an act of Christian worship. Therefore, the couple will also be required to attend pre-marital counseling that is provided by or approved by this ministry, and the couple would need to be in full agreement with and willingly submitted to the this church’s Statement of Faith marriage article.
A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by this church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in this article.

Salvation

A complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

* The Church

One true Church, the body and the bride of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:25-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2), composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Corinthians 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local Churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world wide gospel witness, each local Church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Acts 13:1-4; Acts 14:27; Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:1; Romans 16:4; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7; 1 Corinthians 5:13; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

The Christian Life

A life of righteousness, good works, and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Romans 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Ephesians 5:22-6:4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 Corinthians 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Romans 12:7-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the Church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).

* Ordinances

The Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are:
Baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matthew 28:19).
The threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saints' feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20-22; 1 Corinthians 11:33-34; Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Satan

His existence and personality as the great adversary of God and his people (Revelation 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Revelation).

The Second Coming

The personal, visible and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church from the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) before the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:6).

Future Life

The conscious existence of the dead (Philippians 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).
An asterisk "*" means this doctrine is NOT ESSENTIAL to the Christian faith. However for each doctrine there are essential aspects that one must adhere to. However, anyone in a teaching position is subject to removal from said teaching position if they contradict the Statement of Faith or teaching anything that the Elders see as being divisive in nature with the rest of this local body. Below are the specific essential matters for each doctrine:
Creation: One needs to demonstrate how they reconcile a differing creation account while maintaining Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Word of God.
Church: One may believe that the Church is composed of all true believers in all time.
Ordinances: One must subscribe to immersion, but the method of immersion is traditional and not doctrinal. One must subscribe to the Communion, but the essential element of communion is The Lord’s Supper.
Second Coming: One must subscribe to the view of Christ’s imminent return of Christ, but Rapture (removal of His Church from the Earth) before Tribulation is not essential. Additionally, one does not have to subscribe to the Pre-Millennial view described either.

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