What We Believe

Collierville Bible Church could be described as an evangelical, doctrinally conservative church.  CBC is an independent congregation – it is neither part of a larger organization nor a representative of a particular denomination. When we say its “evangelical,” that word describes lots of different kinds of churches who share a common vision:  They proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe it is essential to do so.  To say that CBC is doctrinally conservative means that we’re not interested in innovation, novelty, or creativity when it comes to interpreting the Bible.  We strive to be faithful to the timeless truths taught in God’s word.
 
The following nine statements capture what Collierville Bible Church believes to be the essential truths of our faith.
 
  1. We believe in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and believe that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
  2. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  3. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.
  4. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God.  We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word and deed.
  5. We believe that the Lord Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who embrace Him as their personal Lord and Savior are justified on the ground of His shed blood.
  6. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate.
  7. We believe that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will personally return and set up His Kingdom wherein He will rule and reign in righteousness.
  8. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
  9. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the blessedness of the saved, and the retribution of the lost.
 

Distinctives

At CBC, we recognize that sincere and careful students of the Bible arrive at differing views about some of the things that the Bible teaches.  So we ought to be humble enough to admit we don’t have all the answers!  But we are also unapologetic about telling you what we believe the Bible does teach.
 
Women’s role in the church, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and church organization and leadership are important and the Bible has a LOT to say about them.  CBC is different from some other churches because of its views about these issues.  So we want to be clear and up-front about what we believe.   The Doctrinal Distinctives of Collierville Bible Church represent the teaching position of the church.  These are “distinctives,” understandings that distinguish us from other followers of Jesus.  They are not a litmus test of whether someone is a “true believer.”  We strive to serve, pray, and worship with anyone who loves Jesus as his Savior even though they might have a different take on these issues.
 
These distinctives are reflected in the ministry, especially the teaching ministry, of CBC.  If you cannot enjoy unhindered fellowship at CBC because of a difference over one of these issues, this may not be the place for you.  The members of CBC are not expected to subscribe to every aspect of the teaching position, but they must respect it and not use any disagreements with it to become a justification for undermining the health and effectiveness of the church.
 
  1. We believe that all believers are enabled by the Holy Spirit for various works of ministry.  We believe that all believers have been identified with Christ through the Spirit’s ministry of baptism.  Baptism with (in or by) the Spirit is something that occurs at salvation and may occur without any external evidence.
  2. We believe that the local church is be led by a plurality of godly elders who share responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the fellowship.
  3. We believe that the order of headship and submission is God’s design for male-female relationships in the home and in the church.  In the church, this order prohibits women from becoming elders/pastors or from teaching men in assemblies of believers.
  4. We believe that God intended marriage to be a permanent, singular commitment between a man and a woman.
  5. We believe that the Church has not replaced Israel in God’s plan and the promises made to Abraham and David await a future fulfillment for their progeny.  We believe that the Church does, however, receive benefits which are associated with these promises by right of her association with Christ.  We believe that there will be a literal, future, earthly kingdom established when Christ returns and that this kingdom will last for a thousand years.  Prior to the establishment of this kingdom, believers will be supernaturally protected from the wrath of God.
  6. We believe that our most fundamental responsibilities are to grow in our conformity to Jesus’ likeness, to convey the good news of salvation to a lost world, and to encourage others to do likewise.
  7. We believe that the process of being conformed to Jesus’ likeness is only realized as we, through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, make earnest use of the resources He places at our disposal – study of God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.
  8. We believe that water baptism serves as the means by which one publicly identifies himself as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Baptism does not save (wholly or in part) but represents an act of obedience enjoined upon all those who would follow Jesus and declare their trust in Him for salvation.
  9. We believe that giving is a privilege. It is not a tax or something to be coerced from people. As people regularly reflect on how God’s goodness has been shown to them, their gratitude should be expressed in regular giving. Although there is no set percentage for such gifts, tithing is a healthy minimum.
  10. We believe that salvation is freely and genuinely offered to every man and that whoever calls on the name of the Lord for salvation will be saved. We also believe that all who come to Christ do so because God has called them to himself. Although these two sentences seem to conflict with each other, they both capture what the Bible clearly teaches and oppose blaming God and praising oneself: The man who is lost has only himself to blame; the man who is saved has only God to thank.
  11. We believe that all who genuinely come to Christ as Lord and Savior will persevere in Christ and cannot lose their salvation. Some who have never genuinely known Christ as personal Savior might give the appearance of being saved. When such persons turn away from the Lord, they have not “lost their salvation,” but simply made obvious what was previously unknown, namely, they never really belonged to Christ in the first place.