A vibrant, living, and most importantly—biblical—church is also a confessing church. It’s a church that hears the gospel, is sent out each week equipped with the gospel, and uniquely expresses worship together each week as we rehearse the gospel.
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel confessed their faith in their own context: “Yahweh, One God, Yahweh, Our God” (Deut. 6:4). This confession protected true Jehovah-worship from the entangled abomination of the countless Canaanite gods. And the early church confessed that “Jesus is Lord” (Rom. 10:9) to protect the gospel from the constantly recited public doctrine that bound together the Roman empire—“Caesar is Lord.”
At Fellowship Church Lubbock, it’s often repeated that we are a “reformed church.” Among other things, primarily this declares that we stand upon these five core truths:
- We believe that “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is our only source of authority. Sola Scriptura. Scripture Alone.
- We believe that “Christ is the image of the invisible God… by Him all things were created…in Him all things hold together…and he is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:15-18). And we look “…to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” (Heb 12:2). Christ alone is the author of our salvation, and it is found in no other. Solus Christus. Christ Alone.
- We believe that “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… in love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace… In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:4-7). Salvation only comes by the sovereign grace of God. Sola Gratia. Grace Alone.
- We believe that “…since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:1-2). Our justification before God is only received by the gift of faith, through no works of our own. Sola Fide. Faith Alone.
- We believe that “…whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). All glory is due to God alone, the Creator and Sustainer of all things and the Author and Finisher of our faith. Soli Deo Gloria. Glory to God Alone.
This is much of what identifies us as a church and as individual believers. The Gospel faces as many threats today as it did 600 years ago. We are united with believers throughout history, born in a life and death struggle for truth and biblical authority.
Rooted+Relevant 