Biblical Distinctives
About Us
Our Biblical Distinctives
Expository Preaching:
We are committed to preaching God’s Word — not preaching about God’s Word, not preaching from God’s Word, not preaching based on God’s Word, but preaching God’s Word itself. This is the mandate given to us by God: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:1-3).
Expository preaching fundamentally means two things. First, it means that the subject of the sermon is a passage of Scripture. Our approach is not topical, but sequential, as we systematically preach through books of the Bible. Because of this, expository preaching is sometimes called, “verse-by-verse” or “sequential” preaching. Second, expository preaching ensures that the central message of the passage is the central message of the sermon. Expository preaching asks, “Why did God inspire this passage originally, and how does He intend for it to affect us?”
We are committed to expository preaching because we believe that every word of the Bible is God’s Word, and that real change and growth comes from understanding what God has said.
Biblical Counseling:
When we talk about Biblical Counseling, the critical issue at stake is the Sufficiency of Scripture: Is the Bible really sufficient to help us solve all of our spiritual problems? God’s unequivocal answer is yes: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Pet 1:3). The Bible gives us all the instructions required for us to live godly lives, equipping us with everything we need to confront and overcome issues such as anger, lust, fear, anxiety, disappointment, discouragement, and despair. These are fundamentally spiritual issues, and the Bible addresses them directly.
This does not mean that we reject science or medicine. We acknowledge that human beings are made up of two parts, a physical part and a spiritual part, which are designed by God to interact in complex ways. The physical part (our bodies, brains etc.) can indeed benefit from medical intervention. However, the spiritual part (our souls) receives its help from God and His Word.
We believe that every Christian can and should be equipped to help others with spiritual issues and that it is good for some to be specially trained to help in times of crisis. For this reason, we partner with NorthCreek Church and the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) to equip believers for this vital ministry. We desire to truly bless our community by providing people with real and lasting hope, help, and change that comes from God’s Word.
Truth-Driven Worship:
Worship is not an experience or an emotion. It is not something that is done to you, nor is it a particular feeling manufactured by music. Jesus told the woman at the well: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). We believe this means that worship is a heartfelt response to the truth of God’s Word. It is an act of choice prompted by God’s revelation in Scripture. Thus, worship extends far beyond singing on Sunday mornings. We should always be responding to the truth of God's Word with heartfelt joy, wonder, and obedience.
Indeed, worship should engage our emotions, and our emotions should often be stirred up in worship! However, these emotions must be a response to the truth about God, not merely to good music or catchy lyrics. Our theology of worship certainly also informs how we select songs to sing together on Sundays. We choose to sing songs that focus on who God is and what He has done in Christ and are designed to help us remember and respond to the truth of God’s word.
While we enjoy traditional hymns, we also sing many modern songs by groups like CityAlight, the Gettys, Sovereign Grace, Shane and Shane, Matt Boswell, and others.
Complementarianism:
Complementarianism is a bad word in our society. Admittedly, what God says about the roles of men and women has been twisted and misused throughout history in many shameful and tragic ways. But that does not negate the fact that true Biblical complementarianism is a beautiful and good thing. Biblical complementarianism asserts that men and women are equal in value but are designed by God to fulfill different roles in marriage and the church.
In the context of the local church, the Bible teaches that certain roles and positions are to be held by men. Paul tells Timothy, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man...” (1 Timothy 2:12a). Because of this, we do not believe that God calls women to serve as pastors or elders, or to teaching roles that involve giving authoritative spiritual instruction to men. We believe this not because we think women are less valuable, less gifted, or less competent than men. We believe this because we take God’s instructions in the Bible very seriously.
We believe that women are valuable as women, not because they are the same as men. We equip women to teach and train other women, and we desire to elevate the God-given role of women in the local church and in the home. We also believe it is important for men to step up and fulfill their God-given roles of sacrificial love and wise leadership.
Doctrines of Grace:
Often referred to as the Five Points of Calvinism or Reformed Soteriology, we embrace what we call the Doctrines of Grace. We believe that salvation is a gracious work of God from one end of eternity to another, and that we do nothing to deserve, earn, or accomplish it. This means that God is the center, the hero, the main Character of all of history, and our focus should be on Him, not on us. We exist for God, not the other way around.
We believe that God is sovereign and has ultimately planned all things for His glory. As God declares in the book of Isaiah, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
However, God’s sovereignty does not negate human responsibility. The Bible is clear that we make real choices based on our own desires, and thus we are accountable and responsible for our actions. In order to be saved, one must believe the gospel, repent of sin, and submit to Christ in obedience.
God’s plan for His glory is not disconnected from His love and care for us – in fact, through the cross of Jesus, His greatest glory is also our greatest good.