WHO WE ARE
We gather together in Carlsbad, CA every week to worship God and hear his word. Our greatest desire is for Jesus to rule our church by the clear directions he has given to us in the Bible and for people to come to know Jesus through our local body.
WHAT WE TEACH
As Chapter 1 Paragraph 10 of the 2nd London Baptist Confession clearly states, we believe that scripture alone is “the supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined…”
Along with the church throughout the ages, we confess as accurate summaries of the teaching of Scripture the following creedal statements:
Apostles’ Creed
Nicene Creed
Athanasian Creed
Definition of Chalcedon
In addition to these important formulations in our family history, we esteem and appreciate the Reformation Confessions such as the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity. The particular historic confession that best expresses our theological commitment is the 1689 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (abbreviated as 2LCF).
Finally, we have adopted some modern statements reflecting the Bible’s teaching on more recent controversies. These include the Danvers Statement and the Nashville Statement, and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.
OUR DISTINCTIVES
We seek to be...
1. Christ-Centered
Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, is the center of all things. All things were made through him and for him.(John 1:3, Colossians 1:16) He is the purpose and center point of all human history. (Ephesians 1:10) This means he is also the center of the entire Bible. (Luke 24:27) This is why the Bible speaks about preaching Christ, proclaiming him, and even not knowing of any other topic than "Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”(Colossians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 2:2) We believe that this means our entire worship service is to be focused on the person of Jesus. We sing about him, hear his word read, fellowship with him in the Lord’s Supper, and pray in his name. This also means that Jesus and his work must be the primary topic that we preach about and focus on in our sermons. We are committed to preaching Jesus Christ and his work because it is so easy to slip back into a relationship with God where we try to earn his favor instead of by faith alone in Jesus.
2. Verse-by-Verse
Ultimately, we want to be a church that hears from God. This is why we are committed to teaching the Bible verse by verse and line by line. God promises to speak to us every time the Bible is opened. (Isaiah 55:10-11) Verse by Verse teaching allows us as believers to hear the good news of the gospel and be challenged to be obedient to the commands of God’s law. This method of teaching saves us from hobby horses and pet topics. It allows God to encourage us and challenge us as he sees fit. Ultimately, verse by verse teaching allows us to rest in the fact that we are not hearing from men, but from God himself. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
3. Historically Connected
God has given the Holy Spirit to every believer throughout history. This means that we should seek to learn from and be shaped by our brothers and sisters in Christ from the past and not only the present. We must take it seriously when the Bible tells us to “guard the deposit” that has been entrusted to us. (1 Timothy 6:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:15) We must be very careful before moving the “ancient landmarks” that our fathers have set. (Proverbs 6:28) This desire can be seen more clearly in our document entitled “What We Teach”.
4. People-Focused
Besides loving God, our greatest purpose on earth is loving other people. (Mark 12:30-31, Philippians 1:24) This love for people means that it is one of our greatest desires that through our church, people from the North County San Diego area would come to know the Lord Jesus. This focus on people also means that we desire to be united as a church in the Lord. Our partnership is not based on shared interests or backgrounds but on the work of Jesus Christ for us and our desire to make him known together in our community. (Philippians 1:5-7) This means that we seek to know each other and love each other by encouraging and challenging one another. (Romans 12:10, 1 John 3:11, Hebrews 3:13)