What We Believe

Argyle Bible Church's Foundational Doctrine

While we embrace any church that believes the Bible and declares that “Jesus is Lord!”, we also understand that each house of God has its own style, its own ministries, its own focus, and its own structure.

In this section, we share a bit about who we are, what we believe, and what we value, in the hopes that it will give you a little more understanding of what Argyle is all about.

As a fellowship of believers professing to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, Argyle Bible Church takes its doctrinal beliefs directly from the teachings found in God’s Word, the Bible. In an effort to promote the purity of biblical teaching and the unity of the body of Christ, we adhere to the following beliefs:

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13.)

We believe the triune God, by a free act and for His own glory, without the use of existing materials or secondary causes, brought into being — immediately and instantaneously in six literal days by the word of His mouth — the whole visible and invisible universe (Genesis 1:1-27; Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 104:25,26; Isaiah 40:21-31; John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:16,17).

We believe the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations which define man’s responsibility in successive ages. A dispensation is not a way of salvation, but a divinely ordered stewardship by which God directs man according to His purpose. These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God’s method of dealing with mankind, or a portion of mankind, in respect of the two questions of sin and of man’s responsibility. Each dispensation may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment — marking mankind’s utter failure. (John 1:17; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10 & 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24,25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6).

We believe salvation is always by grace through faith regardless of the dispensation in which the believer may have lived. God’s purpose of salvation by grace through faith alone has always been based upon the substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross (Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:6; I Peter 1:10-12).

I. The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13.)

II. The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

III. The Person and Work of Christ

A. We believe that the Lord God became a 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. (John 1:1, 2, 14; Luke 1:35)

B. We believe that the Lord’s redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24, 25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7)

C. We believe that 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, 10; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:24; 1 John 2:1, 2)

IV. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

A. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:36; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:13, 14)

B. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher Who guides believers into all truth and it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13; I John 2:20-27; Ephesians 5:18)

V. The Total Depravity of Man

A. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 3:22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)

VI. Salvation

A. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19)

VII. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

A. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1-5; 1 John 5:13)

B. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their 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)

VIII. The Two Natures of Believers

We Believe that every saved person possessed two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:13; 8:12,13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 14-16; 1 John 3:5-9)

IX. Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and the Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, *worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1, 2; 14:13; I John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14, 7:1)

*Note: We define “worldly” as deriving from the Greek word “kosmos” meaning that world system of evil that is directly against all that is godly and is dominated by Satan.

X. Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by lifestyle and by word to the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind.

XI. The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

A. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of evangelist, and pastor/teacher are sufficient gifts/offices given to the local church today for use in perfecting the saints. It is our belief that miraculous and temporary sign gifts (those being: direct healings, miracles, tongues and the interpretation of tongues) served their greatest purpose in the days of the early church to authenticate the message of the apostles, to evangelize the lost, and to edify the body of Christ. Although God in His sovereignty may choose to bestow any of His gifts to His children by faith at any time and in any age by the very virtue of Who He is, it is our position that miraculous sign gifts are temporary in nature and are not meant to continue indefinitely. Further clarification and explanation on this position may be provided upon request.

B. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15)

XII. The Church

A. We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused Bride of Christ is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of this present age. (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2)

B. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

C. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free from any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4: 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

D. We recognize the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

XIII. Dispensationalism

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these–the age of law, the age of the church, and the age of the millennial kingdom—are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (John 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:17: 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24, 25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6)

XIV. The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Job 1:6, 7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25-41; Revelation 20:10)

XV. The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in the “Blessed Hope” the personal imminent, pretribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His millennial kingdom. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10)

XVI. The Eternal State

A. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11: 25, 26; Revelation 20:5, 6, 12, 13)

B. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await their first resurrection, when body, soul, and spirit will be reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

C. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6, 7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15)

The Covenant of Faith

In subscribing to these articles of faith, we by no means set aside, or undervalue, any of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; but we deem the knowledge, belief and acceptance of the Truth as set forth in our doctrinal statement, to be essential to sound faith and fruitful practice, and therefore requisite for Christian fellowship.

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5135 N. 1250th Rd.
Colchester, IL 62326
(1 mile north of Argyle Lake State Park)