Grunthal Evangelical Bible Church
(formerly Grunthal EMB)
A member of the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches

We teach that the Bible, the 39 books of the Old Testament, and the 27 books of the New Testament, are the word of God. They are in their entirety the inerrant, infallible, sufficient, very words of God revealed through divine inspiration. The Holy Scriptures provide everything pertaining to life and godliness. We teach that the bible is to be understood and is understandable through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit and through a literal, historical, and grammatical hermeneutic. (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:3, 20-21; 1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Cor. 2:12-16; Ezra 7:10)

We deny all attempts to add or take away from the word of God, to adjust and malign. We deny the teaching of contemplative prayer and continual revelation, the mystical idea that God speaks outside of His word with new revelation directly to those who are tuned in rightly. (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19)

We teach that the creation account is to be understood as literal in its entirety as recorded in the bible. That the earth was created by God in 6 days and upon completion He took the 7th day to rest from His work. (Genesis 1,2; Exodus 20:11; John 1:3)
We deny any attempts to amalgamate the creation account with evolutionary theory. We deny the absurd accusation that the Genesis account is fictional or allegorical. 

We teach that there is only one true, living, personal God, who is perfect, infinite, eternal, and who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is truly sovereign, truly self-existent, and truly immutable. We believe in the attributes of God as seen in the scriptures and hold fast to the unchanging definition of these attributes as defined by the Character of God Himself. (Isaiah 45:21; Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14; Acts 17:28; Eph. 1:11; Malachi 3:6; John 5:26)

 

We deny that God can be defined individually by His attributes, or that His attributes in any way hold Him captive.

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We teach that Jesus Christ is fully God. That He existed in all eternity past, creator of all things who appeared throughout the Old Testament in Theophanies. Jesus Christ is the eternally begotten (filiation) son of God, who came in the flesh through the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary, thus being fully God and Fully man, to fulfill the redemptive promise of God being the seed of the woman. Jesus Christ the perfect sacrificial Lamb, He is the perfect priest, He is the perfect King, He is the perfect Prophet. Jesus Christ has ascended to the right hand of God upon the resurrection from the dead and victory over sin and death, to intercede on behalf of the saints, presenting them holy and blameless through His death on the cross. (John 1:1-5; Genesis 18; Rev. 17:14; Heb 3:1; Mark 1:15; Col. 1:22; Gen. 3:15; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; John 1:29; Phil. 2:5-8; Rev. 1:8)

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We deny that Christ ceased to be God in any way while on earth, and we deny the belief that He only appeared to be a man. We deny that Mary received any form of deification through her obedience to the plan of God and that she in any way has an intercessory role to God by which humanity must go. (1 Tim. 2:5-6)

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We teach that the Holy Spirit is fully God, the third member of the triune God. The person of the Holy Spirit is he who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Godhead and of one subsistence. He was active in creation and in all eternity past. He is the regenerator of the soul, He who brings about transformation in those who call upon the name of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the Helper who indwells the believer, sealing, guiding, teaching, gifting, sanctifying, testifying with, leading, and producing good fruit. The Holy Spirit is He who convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit is to be honored and submitted to, not to be grieved, or quenched. We believe that the sign gifts ceased at the end of the apostolic age as the canon of scripture was complete and the church was born and given the completed written word of God. However, God is a miraculous God and moves as He sees fit. Therefore, the believer should ask the Lord, that He move in the midst of life doing the miraculous for His glory. (Gen. 1:2; Isa. 11:2; John 14:16-17, 26, 16:7-15; Acts 5:3, Rom. 8:9-17; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 1:13, 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19; Titus 3:5-7)

We deny the new age charismatic movement attributed to the Holy Spirit. God is a God of order, and all glory is due His name. 
We teach that hell is a real eternal place for the wicked. We teach that the bible clearly defines and purposes the reason for hell and the judgment that is due to those who transgress and deny the holy God. We teach that Satan is a real being, created as an angel who rebelled against God. Therefore, was cast out of heaven along with a third of the heavenly host. Satan, the Devil, is a supernatural being of great force and might. Full of cunning and wickedness. He is the archenemy of God seeking to destroy that which is holy and good, the work of Christ, and to eternally ruin mankind. But Satan has been defeated, by Christ’s death and resurrection and is doomed one day to be cast into the eternal lake of fire. (Isa. 14:12-15; Eze. 28:11-19; Matt. 13:19,39; Mark 1:13, 9:43; John 13:2; Col. 2:15; 2 Peter 2:4; Rev. 20:10)
We deny any new age teaching on annihilationism, re-thinking hell, or second chance theories. These views distort and diminish the holiness of God. 

We deny that the believer has any power in and of himself to address and command the Devil and his angels. God is the one we must address and call upon in times of  struggle and oppression.

 

We teach that man was created perfectly as God intended, by God, male and female in His image. We teach that biblically and scientifically there are only two genders as designed by God. We teach that Sin is anything that goes against the character and word of God. Sin is lawlessness. Sin is the shortfall of humanity towards a holy God and His holiness. Man sinned in the garden and thereby incurred the consequence of that sin, physical death, and even more so, spiritual death which is separation from God. Man in his natural state is totally depraved, dead in his trespasses, and lacking the ability and desire to correct his course. This is the position in which every human being since the garden finds themselves, we are born with the same sinful nature as our predecessor Adam. This sinful nature produces sin and does not please God for it cannot. Humanity is in a desperate position needing redemption and salvation which it cannot find in itself nor in the ideologies, and religions of this world. (Gen. 1:26-27, 3:1-24; Isa. 64:6; Rom. 1:19-2:16, 3:23, 6:23, 5:12, 8:7; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 John 3:4)

We deny gender fluidity and that gender dysphoria is a natural condition.

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We deny that humanity is inherently good, even the best of us.

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We teach that salvation is found in no other name under heaven but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only answer to humanity’s sinful state. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Salvation is in the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross where He bore our sins, our yesterday, today, and tomorrows, paying the consequence of death that was ascribed to sinful man. He is our substitution. Because of His reconciliation on our behalf, we can be justified towards God by believing in Him. The Bible declares that if we confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. We teach that the gospel is a “whosoever gospel”. We teach that upon repentance and belief, the synonymous act of truly believing, we become children of God washed and new in Christ, a new creation, transformed. We teach that salvation is an act of the grace of God, the call of God, the gift of God, and the work of God. (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; 2 Cor. 5:17,21; Rom. 5:8-9, 10:9-10,17; Eph. 1:4-6, 2:8-9; James 2:17; 1 John 2:4-5) 
We deny universalism, that all are saved.

We deny that man can work out his own salvation through right living.

We deny that man is a mechanical creature without responsibility. Rather, that man must and has to cry out to the Lord for salvation.
We Teach the eternal bodily resurrection of all humanity. The eternal kingdom of the new heaven and earth for the redeemed, in the presence of God, and the eternal punishment of hell, the lake of fire, for the Devil, his angels, and for all who have denied Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe in the personal, pre-millennial, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (John 5:28-29; 1 Thessalonians. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:10-15; Matt. 25:13; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:50-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3; Rev. 20:1-6) 
We deny an amillennial view, that Christ won’t reign literally on earth for 1000 years.

We teach that the universal church is visible, the body of Christ made up of all believers, the elect, those who through repentance and regeneration have come to Christian faith having received the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the foundation of the church, the Chief Cornerstone. The local church is characterized by its commitment to the scriptures as the very word of God, its practice of the ordinances, and its practice of church discipline. The local church is characterized as well by submission to godly leadership. This is to be provided by men who are called by God to the office of Elder. The universal church will be preserved by Christ till the end of the age. (Matthew 16:18,18:15-17; Eph. 1:22-23,4:1-16; Col. 1:18; Gal. 3:26)

We deny the multiplicity of the church fundamentally, ecumenism. We realize there may be minor differences between local bodies.
We teach that the church and Israel are separate according to God’s covenant to national Israel. Israel needs to accept the Messiah, the one true way to salvation like all of us becoming part of the church. However, God still has a specific plan for Israel as promised to Abraham and David. God will one day fulfill His covenant with Israel fully and personally. This will be accomplished through God’s work and timing. God will indeed turn His attention to Israel once again completing that which He has promised. (Rom 9-11; Daniel 9:24-27; Jer. 31:35-37, Revelation 7:1-8; Deut. 30:1-6; Ezekiel 37:21-29; Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:29-30) 

We deny that the church has replaced Israel.

We deny that God has accomplished all He has in store for Israel.

We teach that believers are to be baptized and as such, we practice the ordinance of baptism. Upon confession of faith and in accordance with Christ’s command all born-again believers should obediently be baptized as a statement and sign of what Christ has done in their lives. (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:27)

We deny that baptism somehow makes a person more spiritual or in any way furthers their salvation.

We deny the baptism of any unbeliever. 

We deny that baptism in any way is linked to the unpardonable sin.

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We teach that the ordinance of the Lord’s supper is to be carried out by the church regularly. The Lord’s supper, or communion, is to be viewed as a privilege and responsibility for the believer. Communion is a memorial celebration of the death and suffering of Christ our Savior; as well it is for the communal fellowship of the believer. Communion is available for all believers who are walking rightly with God, this includes a right love for one another. Self-examination is a pre-requisite for communion and communion should not be taken if there are hindrances in one’s life. (1 Cor. 11:23-30; Matt. 26:26-30)

We deny the doctrine of consubstantiation or transubstantiation, the belief that the elements of communion become truly or spiritually the blood and body of Christ.  

We deny that there is a specific age at which communion is to be taken, instead we encourage all parents to truly consider the importance of this ordinance and consider the true state of their child.

We teach that church discipline is a necessity in every God-fearing church and that the lack of true discipline in the church directly reflects a low view of submission to God’s word. Church discipline is part of the guardianship of the church entrusted to the Elders of a specific body but encouraged participation by all believers in the right order to their fellow man as a call and plea to be made right with God. (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 6:1-7; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Thess. 3:11-15; Titus 1:9-14,3:10-11; Gal. 6:1)

We deny that unity is found in “getting along”, rather unity is in obedience to the word of God above all else. 

We deny that problems go away if left alone and that we can just agree to disagree on serious issues.

We teach that marriage is a life-long covenant relationship instituted by God. It is clearly defined as between one man and one woman. The scriptures also clearly teach that there is to be unity between a couple prior to marriage; one that constitutes equality in the union. This speaks to faith, ambition, character, and compatibility. We teach that God hates divorce and marriage is to seek reconciliation as the primary goal of every relationship. (Gen. 2:18-25; Mal. 2:14-16; Matt. 19:1-9; 1 Cor. 7)

We deny that marriage can be altered to fit any other standard than that which is declared in scripture. 

We deny the union between same-sex couples to be anything less than an abomination to the sanctity of the act of marriage.

We teach that we have been called with a holy calling to live a life of separation from the sins of this world. To abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against our souls. (Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:15,2:11-12; Col. 1:22)

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