1. A High View of God
All that we do at RGBC has God’s glory as its aim. We do not hide the fact that we teach a big God Who is the unrivaled majestic, sovereign of the universe. God is completely sovereign over all the affairs of men, including salvation. A proper view of God is essential to live a proper Christian life. With this in mind we teach:
- God alone is to be glorified, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made“-Isa. 43:7.
- God is the supreme, majestic, sovereign of the universe (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:10; Jonah 2:9; John 6:65; Romans 8:28–30; Romans 9:15–21; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:14-11; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2)
- God is holy, righteous, and just (Exodus 34:6-8; Isaiah 6:1-3; Jeremiah 9:24; Romans 11:33-36; Revelation 4:8-11)
- We then must be holy (1 Peter 1:14-16; Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 1:27)
- A failure to have a high view of God leads to:
- A toleration of sin
- A focus on man’s self-evaluation rather than God’s truth
- The church reflects a man-centered ministry that attempts to please peers rather than glorify God.
2. A High View of Scripture
We unashamedly teach that the Word of God is perfect in every way. A high view of God and His Word is absolutely necessary in order to live the Christian life God has called all believers to live. With this in mind we teach:
- Integrity of Scripture: The Word of God is fully inspired, that is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17), thus it is inerrant, that is without error (Ps. 18:30; 2 Sam. 22:31).
- Authority of Scripture: Whatever the Word says I must do! If we are to have a biblical philosophy of ministry, it must seek its sole authority from the Word of God. “Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ (Matt. 4:4).
- Sufficiency of Scripture: The Word of God is completely sufficient to save (Rom. 10:17) and to sanctify the believer in every way necessary (2 Pet. 1:3).
3. A High View of the Church
We teach that the church is composed of true believers only who are said to be the bride of Christ. Each believer is to be identified with a local body and to be serving the Lord for His glory. With that in mind we teach:
- The church exists to be a repository of divine truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
- The church exists to display the wisdom of God to all His creation (Eph. 3:10).
- The church exists to provide a context of loving fellowship with one another for the purpose of mutual edification, including the utilization of their spiritual gifts (Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:12-16).
- The church exists to be a light in this dark world, for evangelism (Titus 2:11-14).