While God reveals Himself through His creation so that everyone is without excuse, He also reveals Himself through the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word to all mankind. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is complete in its present form, and we should not add to it or subtract from it. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truthful, inerrant and infallible – the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.

Romans 1:20; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:13; Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He eternally exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These three comprise the Trinity, are co-equal and are one God. God the Father is the First Person of the Trinity. The Son and the Holy Spirit are equal with the Father, but voluntarily submit to His will. The Father is an invisible spirit who is all-knowing and present everywhere at all times.

Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 1:20

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory where He sits at the right hand of the Father. We teach that Jesus will return for His Church before the Great Tribulation and before His Millennial Kingdom, at which time He will return again to Earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:27, 34; John 1:1-5; John 14:10-31; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make mankind aware of our need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with sanctification – power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.

2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-14; John 14:25-26; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Because the first man Adam disobeyed the revealed will of God in the Garden of Eden, he passed down to mankind a sinful nature. All people are sinners by nature and by choice and are therefore spiritually dead, in need of salvation.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

Salvation is by God’s grace – a free gift to us; but we must accept it in order to obtain eternal life – thus avoiding eternity in hell. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we repent, turn from our self-ruled, sin-filled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one trusts Jesus Christ as Savior by faith.

John 3:16-17; Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; John 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is justified and secure in his or her salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and power of God that gives this security.

John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5

Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading. The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to full-time Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. The Holy Spirit endows each believer with spiritual gifts. Woodside Bible Church does not encourage the use of “sign gifts”. Instead, we seek to emphasize the more excellent way of love as well as zeal for the more edifying gifts.

1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Timothy 2:5; Matthew 4:4; 1 Corinthians 2:15; John 14:15; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, 12:11-13, 12:19, 12:31; Galatians 5:25

Christ is the recognized head of our Church, not any person, group or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control. In relating to any “daughter” churches that we may sponsor, we shall encourage each congregation to determine its own strategy, structure and style.

Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:19b-23, 4:3-10; Colossians 3:14-15

Water baptism is the symbol used to describe our salvation experience and to publicly declare our commitment to Christ. We practice baptism by immersion – in the manner Jesus was baptized and in the manner the Bible commands.

Acts 8:36-38; Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:11-12; Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22

The Lord’s Supper consists of two elements; the bread and the cup. The bread symbolizes the broken body of Jesus, and the cup represents the blood He shed. We as believers are to take the bread and cup in a worthy manner, after a period of self-examination, to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Marriage is a covenant relationship designed and ordained by God from the very beginning of creation as a union between one man and one woman. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by this church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” as found in this Article.

Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33

Human sexuality is part of God’s plan and a gift to be expressed only within the context of marriage. God has commanded abstinence from any form of sexual activity outside of a marriage between one man and one woman and that any other expression is a perversion of God’s created order. God created human beings male and female; therefore we hold the distinction between the two sexes to be sacred. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to change the appearance or identity of one’s biological sex by medical, surgical, non-binary acts, conduct, or by any other means.

Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:18–32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-19

Angels are spirit beings, made by God before the creation of the world. They are personal, powerful and highly organized. The good angels perform God’s will including providing special care for believers. Satan was created holy but fell through pride and evil ambition. Those angels who followed Satan’s rebellion became agents for evil in the world in opposition to God, His work and His people.

Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 148:2,5; Job 38:4-7; Revelation 22:8,9; Psalm 103:20; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Matthew 25:41 Acts 5:3; Zechariah 3:1