our beliefs

hfc’s theological and doctrinal foundations

southern baptist with distinctions

We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and affirm The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 with the addition of three specific distinctions for Harvestfield Church:

Whereas the BF&M 2000 describes man as “inclined” to sin and only culpable based upon “moral action,” HFC teaches that man is born in sin—a condition passed down to him from Adam. People are not sinners because they sin; people sin because they are sinners. (Genesis 8:21; Psalms 14:2-3, 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3)

Whereas the BF&M 2000 speaks of the two offices of the local church as being pastors and deacons (and whereas the statistical norm for SBC churches is to be led by a single pastor), HFC teaches that there is to be a plurality of pastors/elders in every local church. A church should not have unitary leadership whereby only one man has ultimate authority. Instead, a church is to have multiple pastors who share leadership and authority. This pattern is the norm for the New Testament church. (Acts 14:23, 20:17-18; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-2)

Harvestfield Church uses the Five Solas that emerged from the Protestant Reformation as a means of describing our framework for theology and doctrine. The Solas help us promote a God-centered gospel (as opposed to a man-centered gospel) while underscoring our high view of the sovereignty of God over all things, including salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification), discipleship, and eternal focus.

The Five Solas are: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone): The Bible is the sole written divine revelation and our only infallible rule for faith and life. The Word of God alone can bind the conscience of believers absolutely. (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16) Sola Fide (Faith Alone): Justification is by faith alone. By God’s free grace, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us by faith. Faith is the sole basis of our acceptance by God and the only means by which our sins are pardoned. (Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-10) Solus Christus (Christ Alone): Jesus Christ is the only mediator through whose work we are redeemed. (John 3:16, 14:6) Sola Gratia (Grace Alone): Our salvation rests solely upon the work of God’s grace for us. (Romans 2:4; Ephesians 2:8-10) Soli Deo Gloria (God’s Glory Alone): Salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God. Therefore, the glory belongs to God alone. (Isaiah 42:8; Colossians 3:17)

If we could add a sixth Sola, it might be Solus Spiritus (Spirit Alone): The Holy Spirit alone draws people to the gospel, enabling them to be born again and to act in accordance with their transformed nature. (John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 6:11)

our statement of faith

Harvestfield Church strives to teach what is in accordance with sound doctrine. We have compiled a summary of our beliefs for your information. If you need clarification regarding our position on specific theological or doctrinal matters, please feel free to contact us.

the bible

We believe the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, without error in their original documents. The Bible is our final source of revelation and knowledge concerning the Kingdom of God and God’s plan of redemption.

the trinity

Within the Godhead, there is a unity of three distinct yet fully divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one eternal God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory.

god

God is a Spirit–infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. God is fully omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

jesus christ

Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, having two natures inseparably united in one divine person without confusion, mixture, separation, or division. Each nature retains its own attributes. In the incarnation, Jesus was born of Mary (a virgin); lived a sinless life among us; was crucified, dead, and buried; rose on the third day; ascended to heaven; and will come again in glory and judgment. He is the only mediator between God and man.

the holy spirit

The Holy Spirit is of one substance with the Father and the Son. He eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son, and He dwells in the hearts of believers, effecting their regeneration monergistically and operating in their sanctification synergistically.

creation

God, by the word of His power, created from nothing the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He further preserves and governs all of His creatures and all of their actions according to His most holy, wise, and powerful providence.

man

After God made the other creatures, He created man–both male and female–in His own image, but because Adam sinned and woefully fell in his responsibility, he and his posterity entered into a state of moral corruption and inability, thus becoming estranged from their Creator and deserving of death as the punishment for sin. If left alone, man would remain separated from God. He is dead in sin and incapable of seeking or understaning God without divine help.

atonement

Because all have sinned, atonement is needed for man to be reconciled to God. Jesus Christ made complete atonement for His people through His substitutionary, atoning death on the cross. He imputes His righteousness to all believers, securing full redemption for all who repent of their sin and trust in Him alone for salvation.

the gospel

We believe that before the foundation of time, God had determined a plan to save the elect from the corruption of sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, His divine Son. We believe that Jesus left his heavenly throne and came to earth both fully human and fully God. This gospel is the good news of Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial atoning death, and bodily resurrection for the forgiveness of the sins of the elect. In love, God commands all men to repent through Christ.

the church

Christ has established a visible Church who is called to live in the power of the Holy Spirit under the regulative authority of Holy Scripture–preaching the gospel of Christ, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper, and exercising church discipline.

the ordinances

We follow the Lord’s command and example in baptism and the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is a believer’s obedient immersion in water, which symbolizes the death of the old man and new life in Christ. In observing the Lord’s supper–the elements symbolizing Christ’s body and blood–we remember His death until He returns.

the end of the age

We believe in the future, personal, bodily return of Jesus Christ. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, and the eternal reign of Christ.

spiritual gifts

We believe that the ongoing ministry of Christ continues through the local church by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit determines both the needs of the church’s ministry and the distribution of specific spiritual gifts to meet those needs. HFC believes that certain gifts were unique to the apostles and prophets in the New Testament and are no longer normative for Christians today (e.g., signs and wonders). We also believe that there are gifts that continue and are normative for believers today (e.g., service, wisdom, exhortation). We do affirm that God works miraculously through His providence and provision in order to bring about His planned intervention into the course of our lives and history. The elders oversee the operation of spiritual gifts at HFC with the objective of building up the body for service, worship, and evangelism.