Beliefs

As our very foundation, we believe in the sovereignty of God and the sufficiency of Scripture. 

In simple words, this means that we believe God is in charge of everything and that instruction from Scripture is all that we need to live a life devoted to Him.
The Five Solas:
Scripture Alone
Grace Alone
Faith Alone
Christ Alone
To God Alone Be Glory
Our Statement of Scriptural Beliefs
For additional reference as to the Scriptural beliefs of Greene Community Church, we encourage you to read The Baptist Faith & Message.

God (The Trinity):

There is only one God (Isaiah 45:5, Deut. 6:4). The Only Creator (Genesis 1:1) and Savior (Isaiah 45:21).  He is perfect in Holiness (Exodus 15:11), Eternalness (Isaiah 63:16), Immutability (Malachi 3:6), Spirituality (John 4:24), Power (Psalm 62:11), Knowledge ( Psalm 147:5), Presence (Psalm 139:7-12), Immanence and Transcendence (Jeremiah 23:24), Righteousness (Psalm 19:7-9), Justice (Isaiah 61:8), Truthfulness (Hebrews 6:18), Faithfulness (1 Thess. 5:24), Love (1 John 4:8,16), Grace and Mercy (Exodus 34:6) and in all of His Nature and Being.

He has revealed Himself as One Triune God (Deut 6:4) in three distinct persons without any separations of nature, essence or being – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
God the Father:
God is the Father of The Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:17). He is the Heavenly Father of those who have trusted in The Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (Matthew 23:9).  He is Sovereign over all of the affairs of His creation – past, present and future. (Psalm 93)

God the Son:  
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God the Father (John 17:1-5).  He was sent into this created world by the Father, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, who was perfectly virgin (Luke 1:26-38).  He is fully God (John 1:1, 14) and fully man (Luke 24:36-40).  Jesus perfectly did His Father’s work and will (John 4:34); He fulfilled God’s Law (Matthew 5:17); and did so without sin (Hebrews 4:15).   His atoning, substitutionary death on a cross made way for sinful man to be redeemed from sin (Romans 5:6-11).  He was raised from the dead on the third day following His crucifixion (Matthew 28:1-10) in order to defeat death, hell and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54-58) as well as to give to those who trust in Him – Life – Eternal Life (John17:3).  He commissioned us to be His witnesses as He ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:4-11).  He now sits at the Right Hand of the Father making intercession for those who have trusted in Him (Hebrews 1:13; 7:25).  He will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1) and to fulfill His redemption for the glory of the Father and for the sake of the elect (Revelation 22:12-13, Matthew 24:31).  Until then, he indwells all Believers as Lord and Savior (Ephesians 3:17).

God the Spirit: 
The Holy Spirit is the Eternal Spirit of God (Acts 5:3-4).  He convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11).  He regenerates the spiritually dead man (John 3:8).  He seals the saved man until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).  He conveys the gifts to the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).  He teaches Believers all things – guides them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13).  He speaks the things He hears from the Father (John 16:13). He sanctifies Believers for obedience (1 Peter 1:2).  He glorifies The Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14).
The Scripture (God’s Word)

God’s Word is His complete, Divine revelation of Himself to man most fully revealed in Jesus Christ (John 1:1, John 20:30-31).  God is the Author, salvation is its end (Acts 1:16; 3:18-21). Since God is Truth, and His Holy Spirit speaks only Truth, His Word can be no less – so the Scripture is complete truth without any errors whatsoever (Hebrews 6:18; John 16:13). The Scripture is the authority by which the Church lives out Her obedience to Christ in the world and Her witness of Christ to the world (1 Peter 1:22-25; Acts 8:35).  Scripture has been given to us by God that we would know sound doctrine, that we would be admonished and corrected unto righteousness that we may be complete and equipped (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

The Church:

The Church is made up of only those who have trusted The Lord Jesus Christ as Savior – those accepted in the Savior by His good pleasure which He has purposed (Ephesians 1:3-14).  She has been called out and separated from the world and its ideologies and philosophies (1 Peter 2:9-10; Romans 12:1-2).  The Church lives, functions and is governed only by The Lord Jesus Christ – Who is the head of the Church (Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:18).  The Church lives out Her obedience to Christ in the world and Her witness of Christ to the world only through the authority of the Scripture (1 Peter 1:22-25; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:35).

Though each local congregation is autonomous, the Church is governed and functions by Theocratic process (Colossians 1:18).   Each member is accountable to Christ (1 Peter 1:10-11).  The Church is accountable to each member – within congregational accountability to Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; John 15:12; 1 John 2:3-11).  Its Scriptural officers are Apostles {which have ended}, prophets and pastors, teachers (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; James 3:1)), elders and deacons (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 2:8-13) – the texts speak for themselves as to the male and female qualifications and restrictions of each office.

The Church carries out Her Biblical functions through worshipping, preaching, praying, teaching, equipping, evangelizing, fellowshipping and ministering (Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47).

The Church is Biblically mandated to observe two ordinances:
The Lord’s Supper (Communion): A symbolic memorial to the death, burial and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ.  It is based on the Passover – a memorial to the Jews of the Exodus from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-28).  The bread is symbolic of his Body and the wine is symbolic of His shed blood (Luke 22:14-20).

Baptism by Immersion:   Christian baptism is the immersion of a Believer in water as an act of complete obedience to faith in the crucified, buried and risen Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:9-11).  It is a public testimony of one’s conversion from spiritual death unto spiritual life (Romans 6:1-14).  It is a prerequisite for the privileges of membership (not salvation) and the Lord’s Supper (Communion).
Salvation:

Biblical salvation is the grace of God granted to only those who have a regenerate heart (John 3:8), repent of their sins, believe in, trust in and confess The Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:8-13).  It is the Gift of God’s Gracious Nature -- given only because of God’s Loving and Merciful Nature toward the sinner – [it is not by any merit nor work of a person’s will or goodness] (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).  The Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood (by being whipped, punched, hair plucked out, thorns impressed in His head, crucified, and side pierced) and rose again from the dead on the third day (1 Peter 1:13, 18-21).  Salvation is only found, by grace through faith, in The Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).  There are four Biblical aspects of God’s salvation:

1. Regeneration  -- Granted by God, it is the quickening of a spiritually dead man’s heart and mind, brought about by the Holy Spirit, through conviction of sin, whereby the man repents, believes, and confesses faith and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ. (John 3:8; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 1:12-13).

2. Justification -- Granted by God, it is the full pardon (acquittal) through God’s Righteousness of the sinner who comes to The Lord Jesus Christ in faith.  God’s justification brings the Believer into a righteous relationship of peace and favor with Him. (Romans 3:20-31; Acts 13:36-40; Romans 5:1).

3. Sanctification -- Granted by God, it is the experience by which God sets a Believer apart to His wonderful purposes and enables the Believer by the Holy Spirit to progress, throughout the Believer’s life, toward moral and spiritual maturity.  (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Peter 3:17-18; Ephesians 4:11-16).
4.   Glorification -- Granted by God, it is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of His Church – those redeemed by grace through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ. (Revelation 21:1 – 22:5)
End Times:

God, in His Own predetermined time and His Own predetermined way, will bring the world to an appropriate end (Acts 1:7).  According to God, as promised, The Lord Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth (Acts 1:9-11); the dead will be raised (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and all men (who have ever lived) will be judged by the Righteousness of Christ (2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 1:18).  The unrighteous (those who reject to trust in The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation) will be cast into Hell – the place of everlasting torment and punishment (Revelation 20:14-15).  The righteous (those who have trusted in The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation) in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Triune God (Revelation 20:1 – 22:13).

A Southern Baptist Church

Greene Community Church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.  While the name indicates a geographic region, Southern Baptists are far from “southern.”  Instead, you’ll find SBC congregations in 153 nations of the world.  Today, there are more than 16 million SBC members who worship in more than 42,000 churches in the United States.

Other Voluntary Affiliations

The Baptist Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania












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