Statement of Faith (Adopted on March 30, 2025)
Stone Chapel is an evangelical church with roots in the Protestant Reformation.
As such, we would affirm the Five Solas of the Reformation as defined in the Cambridge Declaration (Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 1996), which are:
Sola Scriptura [Scripture Alone] We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation (2 Tim. 3:14-4:2; Isa. 8:20; Ps. 19, 119; 2 Pet. 1:3, 20-21).
Solus Christus [Christ Alone] We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:13-2:17; Hebrews 1-13).
Sola Gratia [Grace Alone] We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature (Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-7; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 11:6).
Sola Fide [Faith Alone] We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice. We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church (Romans 4-5; Luke 18:9-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Soli Deo Gloria [The Glory of God Alone) We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for His glory alone. We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel. (Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:3-14).
In addition to the above affirmations, all of the teaching of this church will be in accord with the following points of faith and practice:
Scripture
We believe the Bible to be the written revelation of God. While God has indeed revealed himself generally in creation, it is only through the special revelation of His word that we find the knowledge of God and His will that is necessary for salvation. God’s word is the only sufficient, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. We believe the Scriptures to be “God-breathed” and therefore fully authoritative. This authority does not depend on the testimony of any person or church but on God the author alone, who is truth itself. The whole counsel of God concerning everything essential for His own glory and man, salvation, faith, and life is either explicitly stated or by necessary inference contained in the holy Scriptures.
God
We believe the Lord our God is one, the only living and true God. The Bible teaches that this divine and infinite Being consists of three real persons, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three have the same substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence without this essence being divided. All three are infinite, and without beginning, and are therefore only one God, eternally existing in the relationship described by the term “Trinity.”
God’s Sovereignty
We believe God is eternal, unchanging, unchangeable, almighty, in every way infinite, absolutely holy, perfectly wise, and wholly free. He alone is the source of all being, and everything is from Him, through Him and by Him. He works all things, according to the council of His own unchangeable and completely righteous will for His own glory. His knowledge is infinite and infallible. It does not depend on any creature, so for Him nothing is contingent or uncertain. He is absolutely holy in all His plans, in all His works, and in all His commands. All that comes to pass does so at the decree of God. All things will, in the end, result in the glory of God.
God’s Plan of Redemption
We believe that man was created upright and in the image of God. As image bearers, we were created to worship God and reflect him in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Man rebelled against His Creator, and fell into sin. As a result, man became spiritually dead, totally unwilling and indeed incapable of seeking after God. God, from eternity past, having foreordained all things, joined a certain people to Christ Jesus, so that He might redeem them from their sin and in so doing bring glory to Himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being truly man and truly God lived a sinless life, actively obeying the law of God. He died a substitutionary death, passively obeying the mandate of redemption, satisfying the wrath of God to make atonement for the sins of this elect people.
Salvation
We believe that God, in His sovereign grace, regenerates sinful men by the power of the Holy Spirit, making alive what was spiritually dead. God grants to them the gifts of faith and repentance, which they then exercise by believing in Christ and turning from their sins in love for God. As a result of this faith, based upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, God justifies (declares righteous) the one who believes. God’s gift of faith, and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the elect, will result in good works. These good works flow from true, saving faith; they are a necessary result of faith, but are not to be considered necessary to the gaining of justification, which is by God’s grace through faith alone, so that no man can boast.
The Church
We believe the Church consists of all the elect of God, drawn from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. All who believe in Christ are placed in His body. However, the idea of believers living independently of one another is a concept that is completely foreign to scripture. Therefore, this “invisible body”, of which Christ Jesus is the head, exists locally, and imperfectly, as the “visible church”. These local expressions of the Church gather regularly and exist to glorify God in the giving of themselves to Him and to one another.
Last Things
We believe Jesus Christ will return to earth personally, visibly, and bodily as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At His appearing the dead shall be raised, and the living and the dead will be judged.
Those belonging to Jesus will go into everlasting life and receive fullness of joy and glory in the presence of the Lord.
But the wicked and unbelieving will be thrown into everlasting torment and punished with everlasting destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
Until His return, believers are to live lives that bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. The Church is to be busy doing the work of evangelism and discipleship, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ by teaching the Word of God.
Distinctives: These are positions Stone Chapel holds that may not be immediately consequential to salvation. While there may be disagreement regarding the position, a member of Stone Chapel must agree that this is what will be taught and refrain from sowing discord regarding these issues.
Expository Preaching
The church is edified by the sufficient word of God. Revelation has ceased with the close of the canon, but the Holy Spirit illuminates truth to us from God’s Word and according to God’s word. Expository preaching asserts that the best sermon is when the main point of the message is the main point of the text. It is rooted in exegesis, rather than eisegesis. We draw the truth out of the text. We do not support good ideas, philosophies, or values using God’s word, rather, we derive those things from the text itself.
(1 Timothy 4:15-16)
Complimentarianism
In the created order everything has a role. Ultimately all of creation exists for the glory of God. It was not Eve’s sin that acted as a federal head, but Adam. Male headship is rooted in creation. It is expressed in the home by husbands charged to lead their wives with humility and sacrifice and wives charged with quiet submission. This emulates the gathering of the saints. Women’s souls are of equal value as men, but differ significantly in roles in church and family. It is inappropriate for a woman to teach the corporate gathering or hold an office of authority over men. This is God’s good design for both men and women.
(1 Timothy 2:12-14, 1 Corinthians 14:34, Ephesians 5, 1 Corinthians 11:3)
Ordinances
The Church is the gospel made visible. The church is comprised visibly of those that gather and partake of the Lord’s Supper. It is made up invisibly of those chosen by God and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The primary functions of the church is baptism and communion.
Baptism is an external act that is a means of spiritual grace to the believer. It is the mark that sets a believer apart as a converted believer appeals to God for a clear conscience by identifying with Christ’s death and burial in order to walk out in the newness of life.
Communion is the physical means of grace by which the sacred gathering of the saints remembers the body of Christ that was broken for the people of God’s forgiveness and His blood which was spilled as a covenant of grace making atonement for the sins of the Church.
(1 Corinthians 11:26, Matthew 26:26-28, and Luke 22:19-2, Acts 2:38, Romans 6, 1 Peter 3:21)
Congregationalism - Elder Led, Deacon Served, Congregationally Ruled
A church is to be led by qualified elders according to the qualifications in Paul’s letters. The Elders act as shepherds to lead the congregation by spiritual guidance, execution of ordinances, and most importantly teaching.
Deacons serve the body. They carry out the functions of the ministry and serve the needs of the sheep in a particular gathering.
The Congregation is the ruling governing body. While the elders have the power of persuasion, the congregation is to consent to the leadership of the elders while they carry out a commitment to the gathering, partake in the ordinances, carry out church discipline, and submit to the Word of God.
(Acts 20:28, Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Peter 5:2, 1 Timothy 3, Eph 4:11)
