What Does CBF Believe?

THE BIBLE

Inspiration and Authority

The Bible in the original autographs is the verbally inspired (God-breathed) Word of God, inerrant, infallible, and the final authority for faith and life. We believe the written content of the Bible was revealed by God in order to unveil Himself and His eternal plan to mankind, and points to the Lord Jesus Christ and the only way of Salvation through Him, to the praise of His glory. The Scriptures are to be understood through the literal grammatical-historical hermeneutic, as modeled in Genesis 1-12. 
[Genesis 1-12; Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2-3; 18:28; 26:22-23; 28:23; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; Ephesians 1; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21]

Canonicity

The canon of Scripture is a closed collection of all and only those writings inspired by God. The 39 books of the Old Testament (or the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh) and the 27 books of the Greek New Testament comprise the whole canon of Scripture. Because Scripture affirms it is God’s only written revelation to men, it is the sole authoritative source of infallible guidance for faith and practice. The apocryphal books are not canonical. [Matthew 5:17–18; 2 Timothy 3:16; Jude 3; Revelation 22:18–22]

Sufficiency

Scripture states that it is able to equip believers for every good work, and that God has given to believers all things that pertain to life and godliness through the body of knowledge wherein God’s great and precious promises are recorded. Consequently, the Bible is authoritative and sufficient to prepare believers for life in Christ. [2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:3–11]

Interpretation

There are clear indications throughout Scripture that the literal grammatical-historical hermeneutic is the normative method of interpretation. Consequently, understanding the Bible requires (1) close observation of its grammatical and historical components, (2) recognition of but one sense or meaning for each passage of Scripture, (3) recognition of the use of poetry, figures of speech, illustrations, and symbols, in their contexts, and (4) an acknowledgement of the progress of revelation (that the New Testament is to be understood through the lens of the Old Testament, as the Holy Spirit revealed truths in a progressive fashion throughout Biblical history). [Luke 1:1-4; 24:35; 44-46, 48; John 21:20-23; Acts 10:8; 17:11-12; 26:6-7; 26-27]

GOD

The one Triune God exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are supremely holy, eternal in being, equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. [Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14]

GOD THE FATHER

The Father is the first Person of the one, Triune God – a self-existent being, who shares essential unity with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and who possesses the same attributes of holiness, omniscience, omnipotence, love, truth, righteousness, and goodness. [Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 5:46; 6:26; 7:28; 14:9–10; 15:9; 17:11, 25; Matthew 6:8, 32; Ephesians 3:20; James 1:17]

The Father receives worship and is the One to whom human beings relate through Christ, having sent Jesus Christ and together with Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the earth (John 4:23; 8:42; 14:6, 26). The Father resurrects the dead, and that heaven belongs to Him (John 5:21; 14:2; Romans 6:4). He controls the timeline for eschatological events (Acts 1:6–7). He draws the elect to Christ, having chosen them before the foundation of the world (John 6:44; Ephesians 1:3). He predestines believers to adoption as sons and preserves them in their relationship to God (John 17:11; Ephesians 1:5). The Father is to be the focal point for believers in their Christian lives and in their fellowship (Romans 6:11; 1 John 1:3). He cares for them, comforts them, hears and answers their prayers, honors believers that serve Jesus Christ, leads them, and gives them gifts. [John 12:26; 15:1; 16:23; Romans 6:11; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 3:11; James 1:17; 1 John 1:3]

JESUS CHRIST

The Lord Jesus Christ, eternally God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 2, 14). The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. [Romans 3:24–25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3–5; 2:24]

The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. [Acts 1:9–11; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1–2]

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is a Person, sent to earth by the Father and Son, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, revealing Christ to men and enabling them to believe. He is the supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption, and filling believers as they submit to His word. [John 16:8–13; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13–14, 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27]

CREATION AND MAN

The book of Genesis presents a historically accurate account of creation, of the origin of mankind, the fall of Adam and Eve – and consequently the entire human race, the worldwide flood, the call of Abraham, and the origin of God’s chosen people, Israel. Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God, but when Adam sinned the human race fell and became alienated from God. Consequently, humanity is utterly unable in its own power to remedy that lost condition. [Genesis 1:26–27; 5:2; Psalm 51; Romans 3:22–23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–3, 12]

SATAN

Satan was created as an angel, he sinned, and he tempted Eve to sin. He is the devil – the accuser, who roams about seeking to devour. He is the father of lies, the great dragon, the serpent of old. His works were defeated by Christ on the cross, and Satan will one day be cast into the lake of fire. [Genesis 3:1–4, 14–15; Job 1:6–7; Ezekiel 28:12–19; Matthew 4:2–11; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9, 20:11] 

SALVATION

Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by belief in Jesus the Christ, who died to pay for the forgiveness of sins, who was buried, and who was raised from the dead. The believing one in Christ has eternal life. [John 6:47; 1 Corinthians 15:1–5; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8–10; 1 Peter 1:18–19]

THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS

It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their certain salvation through the testimony of God’s word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. [Romans 13:13–14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11–15: 1 John 5:10–13] 

THE TWO NATURES OF THE BELIEVER

The regenerated person retains the corrupt, sinful, depraved nature, but at the moment of salvation also becomes a partaker of the divine nature, capable of pleasing God through the ministries of the indwelling Holy Spirit. [Romans 6:13; 8:12–13; Galatians 5:16–25; Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 3:9–10; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 John 3:5–9] 

THE CHURCH, MINISTRY, AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS

God is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts. Apostles and prophets were given as foundational to the church, and evangelists, and pastor-teachers are given to the church for the equipping of the saints today. For the purpose of ministry to others, each believer has a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, such as the gifts of ministry, helps, leadership, administration, exhortation, giving, mercy, and teaching. The gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the working of sign miracles ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established.  [Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:20, 4:7–12; 1 Peter 4:10]

Plurality of male leadership (elders/pastors/overseers) under the singular headship of Christ is the Biblical model of government for the otherwise autonomous local church. [Acts 13:1–4; 20:28; Romans 16:1; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4–7; 1 Peter 5:1–4]

Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are scriptural means of testimony for the church today. [Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 2:41–42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26] 

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP

It is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture, to proclaim the Gospel, and to be about the ministry of making disciples.  [Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19–20; 2 Timothy 2:2]

THE RAPTURE, SECOND COMING, TRIBULATION, AND MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

Our blessed hope is the personal, imminent, pretribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air for His church; and in His subsequent premillennial return with His saints to the earth after the tribulation, to establish His Millennial Kingdom – which will begin only after His second advent. [Zechariah 14:4–11; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13–18; 5:9; Revelation 19:11–16; 20:1–6]

THE ETERNAL STATE

All humanity will experience bodily resurrection: the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. The spirits of the saved are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await the first resurrection, when spirit and body are reunited in order to be glorified forever with the Lord. The spirits of the unsaved are, at death, absent from the body and from fellowship with the Lord as they consciously await judgment at the white throne, and the eternal consequence of the second death, the lake of fire. [Isaiah 66:24; Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:47–48; Luke 23:43; John 5:28–29; 11:25–26; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:32; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 20:4–6, 14–15, 22:12]