Baptism is a commanded act for new believers (Matt. 28:18-20), signifying their new life with Christ. It is meant to publicly proclaim their inward transformation. Baptism does not save a person (Lk 23:39-43), but it is a public profession of faith and an act of accountability that demonstrates to others one's new life in Christ.
Jesus commanded this in the Great Commission, but it is not a requirement for salvation.
Communion is eating bread and drinking wine (or juice) in the name of Jesus, in fellowship with other believers, as a remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice (Mk. 14:22-25, Lk. 22:18-20, 1 Cor. 11:23-25). The bread represents the broken body of Jesus, who was beaten and crucified as He took the punishment deserved by the sinner. The wine or juice represents His blood, which was poured out as an atoning sacrifice for the unbeliever's sins.
Believers are to take each of these elements as often as they gather in Jesus' name, as a remembrance of the painful sacrifice Jesus made on their behalf. These elements are representative only and do not transform into the literal body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation).
Jesus commanded this at the Last Supper, but it is not required for salvation.
In His final command, Jesus told His disciples to continue His work by making and baptizing disciples. This command has no exceptions or excuses (Matt. 28:18-20). All believers, transformed by the power of the gospel, are to go, proclaim the gospel to the lost, train new believers in the teachings of Christ, and obey this commandment.
To begin, every believer is to work their way out from their closest sphere of influence and go to the ends of the Earth, seeking and saving the lost, just as those who did before them, so they hear and receive the gospel (Acts 1:8).
This is the purpose of the Christian life and how believers bring glory to God in this life, fulfilling their divine, created purpose. Only in obedience to this command (and God's other commands) can the believer find true joy and satisfaction. Additionally, this life is the only chance believers get to participate in this mission and join God in His work to save the world.
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone): Because salvation is entirely God’s work, all glory and praise are to be given to Him alone (Matt. 6:13b).
Jesus gave the Greatest Commandments as a summary of the entire Law and Prophets, presenting them as the most important commandments in the Bible (Mk. 12:28-32). This means understanding and obeying these commandments matters for anyone who claims faith in Jesus.
These commandments carry high expectations, starting with the recognition that God is God alone (Shema), followed by a command to love God that means a self-sacrificing, total inner orientation to God, demonstrated in the observance of God’s commandments and requiring great effort and sacrifice. This is not a conditional or sentimental love. God expects total and complete devotion to Him with all of one's being (heart, soul, mind, and strength), just as Jesus gave all of Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
Therefore, a believer is expected to give themselves wholly and completely to God, leaving nothing hidden or withheld from Him. Any excuse for disobedience indicates a love for self rather than for God. Obedience to this commandment is part of spiritual maturity, as the believer grows in obedience and prays for hidden idols to be revealed and removed so they can grow in their love for God.
The greatest example of these commandments fulfilled is Jesus, who lived totally and completely for God, giving His life in obedience to the Father's will. This is the believer's example of what it means to love God and to love others.
God created and designed marriage as a gift to humanity: a sacred, lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman before God. This marriage relationship alone provides the context for physical intimacy and child-bearing (Gen. 1:28).
Both husband and wife are equally valuable before God, but have equally important, complementary roles in marriage (Gen. 2:23). These roles are evident in their gender-specific differences and abilities. Cultural norms or stereotypes do not define these roles; only Scripture does.
The husband is the head of the house and is expected to lead his home and wife in sacrificial love, as Jesus did for His bride, living each day for her and giving Himself up for her, so that she would be blameless and holy (Eph. 5:25-27). The husband is not to dominate or suppress his wife, but serve her and lead her in Christlike humility and love.
The wife is to be the helper to her husband (Gen. 2:20-22), a perfect fit for the man in marriage. The wife is to submit to her husband as the Church submits to Christ (Eph. 5:22-24), respecting his role as the head of the family.
Marital success and joy come when each person submits to God's design and embraces their marital role.
Gender is binary and is based on the biological sex of the individual, being given parameters by God for the expression of each gender (Gen. 1:27). A person's gender is not fluid but is set by their biological sex, and gender expression is set by biblical expectations to maintain gender design and distinction. Any cultural norms or stereotypes that go beyond these biblical expectations do not change a person's gender or allow for a redefinition of it. An individual should live within their cultural gender customs, as biblically as possible, to maintain Godly gender distinctions and order as an act of glorifying God.
Sex is a sacred act between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage, and it is only in this context that physical intimacy is allowed and able to flourish. Sexual intimacy binds the marriage, creating spiritual, emotional, and physical connections between the man and woman, deepening their relationship. Any sexual activity outside of this is a sin, causing destruction to the individuals and their relationships, both in the present and in the future, and requires forgiveness in Christ (Rom. 1:24-27).
God is sovereign over the entire universe, with nothing happening apart from His will and knowledge. He can work all things together, both good and evil, for His purposes, leaving nothing to chance or accident.
God gives human beings free will to make choices, with the primary one being to worship Him. For genuine love and relationship, there must be a choice, and God grants this choice to us, unlike animals. This free will does not diminish God's sovereignty; rather, God grants this freedom to human beings as an expression of His sovereignty.
Genuine believers hold different views on these positions, as belief in these doctrines is not required for salvation, as long as they hold the primary theological positions.
Eschatology refers to prophecies about the end of the times, when God will finish His plan for the world, and Jesus will return to Earth a second time as the conquering Savior. Different eschatological views exist, each with a degree of biblical support. However, some aspects of eschatology cannot be known.
The main aspects of eschatology are as follows: The Rapture, the Tribulation, the Antichrist, the return of Jesus, the new Earth, the Millennial Reign of Jesus on Earth, and the Great White Throne and Bema Seat Judgment.
SJCC holds to a pre-tribulation rapture, premillennial eschatological view. Generally, this means that the rapture of God's people will take place before the seven years of tribulation, when God's judgments will be poured out on the Earth. The premillennial view states that Jesus Christ will physically return to Earth before a literal thousand-year messianic reign. Following the Millennium, unbelievers are resurrected, judged, and the eternal state begins.
There are a few other views concerning the end times, but this and the other positions are not required for salvation. This theology should motivate believers in their mission, as the future for the lost is eternal suffering.
This is the study of the local church, referring to the gathering of believers in local congregations, and how the church should be conducted. The Bible gives specific requirements for what a local church is and its purpose, as well as the purpose of the global Church, which refers to all believers in the world. Beyond these, pastors and leaders have freedom to apply the biblical requirements to their contexts, cultures, and creativity.
Requirements: The global Church is to witness to the glory and Truth of God in the world, living as examples of God's character as displayed in Christ, and carrying out His mission to seek and save the lost through preaching the gospel and discipleship (Acts 1:8).
The local church gathering should support this work and be defined by four (4) characteristics, as defined in Acts 2:42: The study of the Bible, Communion, Prayer, and Fellowship.
Leadership: Pastors and leaders of a local church must fit the expectations in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus.
Freedoms: The style of worship, teaching, and fellowship, the size and location of the church, building types, and other aspects that are not specified by the Bible are freedoms for the church, though all must be done in a way that supports the purpose of the church.
These positions are in opposition to each other, as the fundamental belief of both is the existence of God.
Creation begins with God, who eternally exists, which is the necessary precondition for the existence of anything. God is the uncaused cause and the unmoved mover. Nothing can come from nothing; therefore, there needs to be something or someone to start for there to be anything.
Creation is the biblical explanation for the origin of the Universe and everything in it, as described in Genesis 1-2. God created all things ex nihilo (from nothing) by speaking time, space, and matter into existence (Gen. 1:1). God created and organized all matter in the order detailed in Genesis 1, giving purpose and place to everything in the universe.
Scientific evidence, including archaeology and genetics, supports Creation, showing the complexity of information and distinction of plant and animal kinds throughout natural history (Gen. 1:21, 24). The archaeological evidence of fossils reveals greater complexity and diversity in the past than in the future, which refutes the idea that all life arose from a single origin and that greater complexity arises later in the fossil record.
Evolution rejects the idea of God and posits that all things came into existence by chance from nothing, and over billions of years, the universe organized itself into complex living organisms and micro and macro systems. Evolution assumes that complex, organic life arose from simple, inorganic matter, evolving piece by piece over millions of years into the complex organisms in existence today. The idea that life arose from a single, simple organism millions of years ago is refuted by the archaeological evidence.
Furthermore, Charles Darwin is credited with this theory; however, it was developed into the theory we know today by scientists after his death. Evolution is a theory that is unsupported by research and archaeology. Darwin, himself, stated in his book, On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection, that if "it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down" (140). There are hundreds of systems in the human body that prove that evolution is not possible by means of evolution.
Additionally, Theistic Evolution is an attempt to merge these two positions, claiming that God started the process and let natural forces take over. However, this is not what the Creation account teaches and is a syncretic belief that takes glory and honor away from God.