The IBCV is a Bible-believing Church, striving to be a living example of the Gospel we proclaim. We believe in salvation only by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. We seek to bring others to Christ and develop them in faith. We commit ourselves to worship God, to serve God and others, and to extend God’s kingdom. We are committed to living by the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
I. The Scriptures
We believe the entire Bible, consisting of 66 books, is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the words of Scripture. The Holy Bible is without error in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible and it is the sole and final authority for faith and life, providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
II. God
We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and is totally worthy of our worship and service.
III. God the Father
We believe God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers.
IV. Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal Son of God Who became flesh to reveal God to man, to fulfill prophecy, and to become the Savior of the lost world. In becoming man Jesus did not cease in any way to be God so that He is fully God and fully man inseparably united in one person forever. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary (John 1: 1-5 & 14); lived a sinless life; died on the cross as the substitutionary, all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all humans of all time; was buried; bodily rose from the dead; physically ascended into heaven in His glorified, resurrected body; is seated at the right hand of the Father performing His ministry of intercession; will return in the air to claim His bride, the church; and will come again to earth in bodily form, personally and visibly, to conclude human history and consummate God’s eternal plan.
V. Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity Who specially came into the world on the day of Pentecost to glorify Christ and to enable humans to appropriate the salvation accomplished by Christ. He is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and for regeneration. Simultaneously with salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new life, baptizes the believer into the body of Christ, permanently indwells the believer, and securely seals the believer unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit fills those believers who are yielded to Him, enables believers to bear fruit, and empowers believers to live a life free from sin’s dominion. We also believe the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to each believer for the purpose of serving God, others and edifying the church.
VI. Humans
We believe humans were created in the image of God by the direct act of God. Humans were created to glorify God, worship and serve him, and have fellowship with Him. Humans fell into sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and spiritual death, which alienated them from God. Human nature was thus corrupted and they are utterly lost, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and totally incapable of saving themselves and coming back into right relationship with God by their own merit or effort.
VII. Salvation
We believe the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the only basis for forgiveness of sins and salvation, which is the free gift by God’s grace. Salvation is effected by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and cannot be secured by human works or personal merit. Salvation is only attained by a person placing his faith in the finished work of Christ. Repentance is a turning toward God and away from sin and is a part of but not separate from believing faith. “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” and those who receive Jesus Christ by faith are born again, have their sins forgiven, become children of God, are a new creation in Christ, and “are sealed by the Holy spirit unto the day of redemption” being kept by the power of God.
VIII. The Believer’s Baptism
IBCV upholds the biblical teaching of Believer’s Baptism, celebrating it as a public declaration of personal faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His command, symbolizing the believer’s new life in Christ and commitment to follow Him faithfully. We practice believer’s baptism by immersion as a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and we view the Lord’s Supper also as symbolic of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
IX. The Christian Life
We believe every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally involved in making disciples to fulfill the great commission; perform good works and bear fruit to the glory of God.
X. The Church
We believe the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose members are those who have truly received Christ by faith. The local church is a tangible expression of the body of Christ in a particular location. Since all members of the body of Christ are united in Christ by the same Spirit, they should live in love, harmony and unity, being intent on the same purpose and accepting practices which are based on a sincere interpretation of the Bible, which do not relate to substantive doctrinal matters, and which do not in practice cause disunity or hinder the ministry. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to lost people, to make disciples, and glorify God on earth.
XI. Ordinances
We believe that the local church observes two ordinances – baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe that baptism is a symbol of the believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, therefore, profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour is a prerequisite to baptism. We believe that the Lord’s Supper symbolizes the Lord’s death and should be observed in remembrance of Him by all who have received Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Luke 22:19