We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man having been conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of virgin Mary. He died on the cross; a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, where at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now High Priest and Advocate.
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age to convict men of sin, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for Godly living and service.
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.
We believe the shed Blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for the justification and salvation for all who believe, and that only such as receive Jesus Christ by faith are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become the children of God.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead; of believers to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to everlasting, conscious punishment.
We believe that the true Church is composed of all such persons, who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head.
We believe that water baptism is a Scriptural witness of an inward regeneration. All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior shall be urged to make this step in their Christian life.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial service setting forth in sacred and symbolic manner the death of the Lord Jesus Christ which all believers and only believers should share in.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Burley Bible Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Burley Bible Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Burley Bible Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality.
Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and uglorify your Father in heaven.
Philippians 2:14-16 – Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 – Abstain from every form of evil.
We believe in the personal, pre-millennial, and the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that this “blessed hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost; only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Acts 3:19 – 21 – Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Romans 10:9 – 10 – that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
1 Corinthians 6:9 – 11 – Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity.
Mark 12:28 – 31 – then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: q‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shallrlove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Luke 6:31 – And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Burley Bible Church.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
Genesis 2:18–25 – And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she wasetaken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.)
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.
Matthew 15:18-20 – But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.