Doctrine really matters.
Here's what we believe.
Teach what accords with sound doctrine.
- THE APOSTLE PAUL
Jerusalem Church is an independent Reformed church. We stand firmly upon the five solas of the Reformation: sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide (faith alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola scriptura (Scripture alone), soli deo gloria (glory of God alone).
The Bible is God's Word and therefore is our final authority. That being said, everyone brings presuppositions to interpreting the Bible. Everyone has a creed. Everyone has a theological framework. We want to be open and honest about our doctrinal presuppositions and framework. We strive to study, interpret, teach, apply, and enjoy the Bible in the context of what the Church has affirmed for centuries.
We encourage you to read the following articles which will help you better understand why we think historic Christian creeds are necessary and useful.
Why Creeds and Confessions? - By David Hall
The Role of Creeds and Confessions in Doing Theology - By R. Scott Clark
Our official doctrinal statement is composed of three historic creeds and one Reformed catechism:
Though not part of our statement of faith, we also recognize the usefulness and sound doctrine expressed in other Reformed confessions such as: the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Standards (Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism, and Shorter Catechism).
One of the beautiful distinctives of Reformed Theology is covenant infant baptism. The popular view of baptism in evangelical Christianity today is called credo-baptism which is by far the minority report of Christian history. Infant baptism is by far the majority report of history. Even so, many Christians reject covenant infant baptism before understanding what the Bible says about it. Have you ever considered why the majority of Christians throughout history have practiced infant baptism and why Reformed churches find great comfort in it? Begin to explore and understand the Reformed view of baptism HERE.