What We Believe, Teach & Sing

The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture

The Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s inspired written Word, true and trustworthy in all it affirms. It is our final authority for what we believe and how we live. Through Scripture, God makes known the way of salvation through faith in Christ and equips His people for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21).

We believe that God’s written revelation is complete in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We hold firmly to the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). No teaching, tradition, or personal experience may add to, contradict, or stand above God’s Word (Proverbs 30:5–6).

We depend on the Holy Spirit to help us understand and obey what God has revealed (Ephesians 1:17–18). Scripture is sufficient to guide our faith and godly living, and its truth sanctifies us (2 Timothy 3:16–17; John 17:17).

The One True God

There is one living and true God, who eternally exists as three distinct, coequal, and coeternal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is fully God, yet there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

He created and sustains all things and rules over them with perfect wisdom (Acts 17:24–25; Psalm 103:19). He is holy, righteous, loving, merciful, and faithful. He alone is worthy of our worship, love, and obedience (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 145:8–17; Revelation 4:11).

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who became man without ceasing to be God. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He is truly God and truly man (John 1:1, 14; Luke 1:34–35).

He lived without sin and died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, bearing the judgment our sins deserve and fully satisfying God’s justice (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:5–6; Romans 3:25–26). He rose bodily from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now reigns at the Father’s right hand, where He intercedes for His people (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Acts 1:9–11; Romans 8:34). Jesus is the only Savior and the only mediator between God and humanity (Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is fully God, the third Person of the Trinity (Acts 5:3–4; Matthew 28:19). He glorifies Jesus Christ, convicts the world of sin, and gives new life (John 16:8, 14; Titus 3:5).

He lives in every believer and works through God’s Word to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:9; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18). He empowers us to put sin to death, helps us pray, and equips us to serve others (Romans 8:13, 26; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7). He assures us that we are God’s children and seals us as His own, guaranteeing our future inheritance (Romans 8:15–16; Ephesians 1:13–14).

Humanity and Sin

God created human beings, male and female, in His image, to know Him and live for His glory. Every person therefore has God-given dignity and should be treated with love and respect (Genesis 1:26–27; James 3:9–10).

Through Adam’s disobedience, sin and death entered the world. We are all sinners by nature and by choice, guilty before a holy God and unable to save ourselves (Romans 5:12–19; 3:23; Ephesians 2:1–3). Our sin deserves God’s righteous judgment, and our only hope is His mercy in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23; Titus 3:4–7).

Salvation by Grace

Salvation is God’s free gift, received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It rests entirely on Christ’s saving work and can never be earned by religious practices, personal goodness, or good works (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 14:6). God takes the initiative in saving us, drawing us to His Son and granting repentance and faith (John 6:44; Acts 11:18; Philippians 1:29).

Everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ is forgiven and declared righteous before God. This righteousness is received through faith alone and rests on Christ’s obedience, never our own merit (Acts 20:21; Romans 3:24–28; 5:19; Philippians 3:9). Saving faith is accompanied by repentance, turning from sin to God, and produces a changed life. Our obedience is the fruit of salvation, never the basis of our acceptance before God (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11–14).

God adopts believers into His family and keeps all who truly belong to Christ, sustaining them in faith to the end. Our assurance rests in His faithfulness and Christ’s finished work (Romans 8:15–17; John 10:27–29; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:5).

The Christian Life

God calls His people to grow in holiness, love, and obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 22–23). Although we continue to struggle with sin, we confess it, turn from it, and seek to become more like Christ (1 John 1:8–9; Romans 8:13).

We grow through God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with His people. We are called to love and forgive one another, serve others, and make Christ known in our words and conduct (Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:12–17; Matthew 28:18–20). Our obedience flows from gratitude for God’s grace and love for our Savior (1 John 4:19; 5:3).

Our Future Hope

Jesus Christ will return personally, bodily, and visibly. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness (Acts 1:9–11; John 5:28–29; Acts 17:31). Those who remain apart from Christ will face eternal punishment, while those who belong to Him will enjoy eternal life with God (Matthew 25:46).

God will make all things new. His people will dwell with Him in a new heaven and a new earth, free from sin, suffering, and death. This certain hope strengthens us to trust Him and live faithfully today (Revelation 21:1–4; 1 John 3:2–3).

The Church

All who belong to Jesus Christ are part of His body, the church, and He is its head (1 Corinthians 12:12–13; Colossians 1:18). God calls believers to gather in local churches for worship, biblical teaching, prayer, fellowship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and mutual care (Acts 2:41–42; Hebrews 10:24–25).

Indian Bible Fellowship complements the local church. We encourage everyone who participates in our fellowship to be committed to a faithful local church, growing under its teaching and care and using their gifts to serve others (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 4:10).