Why do we need this?
Christianity is different from every other religion in this way: The Christian isn’t saved by ‘doing’, rather, the Christian is saved by ‘believing’. It is his belief in particular truths taught in the Bible that ultimately saves him, the chief of which is his belief in Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever *believes* in him should not perish but have eternal life…Whoever *believes* in him is not condemned” (John 3:16, 18). In fact, that’s why Christians are oftentimes referred to as ‘believers’. The Bible, more than any other religious text, puts a premium on right belief. But not only are Christians supposed to believe the right things, we’re also supposed to “contend” for these right beliefs: “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
For all of these reasons, throughout church history Christians have found it helpful to summarize the Bible’s teaching on the most crucial topics for salvation and the Christian life and then compile these doctrinal summaries into confessions of faith. In this tradition, Grace Bible Church has agreed on the following confession of faith. These are the doctrines about which we believe the Bible is abundantly clear and which are central to Christianity.