What We Believe
Here's a summary of our doctrines at Disciples Road Church:
The Bible
We believe all the words of the sixty-six books of the Bible were written by men, but inspired by God in their original writings without error. As the inspired words of God, they are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This makes the Bible the supreme, ultimate source of truth. It is the authority for our beliefs.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Exodus 24:4; Isaiah 34:16; Jeremiah 30:1; Zechariah 7:12; Psalm 119; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 5:17-18; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; John 17:17; Matthew 22:29; Acts 17:10-11
God
We believe there is only one God, and He eternally exists in three distinct persons. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are One. He is the Creator and Ruler of all creation. He is eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-present, all-seeing, and all-knowing. In His vast complexity He exhibits: holiness, love, wrath, mercy, vengefulness, forgiveness, grandeur, humility, anger, compassion, jealousy, tolerance, might, meekness, hatred, longsuffering, justness, and grace.
Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; James 2:19; 2 John 2:3; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 28:19; 1 John 5:7; Psalm 90:1-2; Malachi 3:6; Genesis 18:14; Psalm 139:1-16; Hebrews 4:13; Job 37:16; Isaiah 6:1-5; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 19:15; Lamentations 3:22-23; Deuteronomy 34:36-43;
2 Chronicles 7:14; Revelation 4:1-11; Matthew 21:5; Psalm 76:7; Psalm 111:4; Exodus 34:14; Acts 17:30; 2 Chronicles 20:5-6; Matthew 11:29; Revelation 2:6; 2 Peter 3:9; Deuteronomy 32:4; Genesis 6:8
Angels
We believe that God created an almost unimaginable number of powerful supernatural spirits called angels. He created them to do His bidding in regards to ministering to human beings. However, the beautiful, mighty angel Lucifer led a sizable group of these angels in a rebellion against God. God put down the rebellion and banished Lucifer and his angels from His presence.
When God created humans, Lucifer and the other fallen angels set themselves to the task of deceiving the human race and bringing about the same kind of rebellion and damage that had marked their existence. Lucifer is now known as “Satan” or “the Devil.” The other fallen angels are now known as “demons” or “unclean spirits.” Satan and his angels will all spend eternity in a place called the “lake of fire,” which has been prepared for them.
Psalm 104:1-4; Revelation 5:11; Hebrews 12:22; Hebrews 1:13-14; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:3-4; Luke 10:18; Revelation 20:2; Matthew 25:41; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Job 1:6-7; Job 2:1-2; Ephesians 6:10-12; Matthew 12:22-29; Acts 8:6-7; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10
The Fall Of Man
We believe that God created man (Adam) and woman (Eve) on day six of the creation week that is described in the first two chapters of Genesis. They were created in a state of sinless perfection. However, through the tempting of Satan, Adam and Eve transgressed the command of God and fell from that sinless perfection.
At the moment of their transgression, they became spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” and destined for eventual physical death. Even worse, Adam’s sin meant that this spiritual death and physical death would be passed down to all his posterity. Each member of his race would be conceived and born with a nature of sin, and this nature would inevitably lead each one to commit acts of sin. Thus, all people are sinners by nature and by choice.
Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:7,15-25; Psalm 8:4-6; Hebrews 2:6-8; Genesis 3:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27; Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 2:13; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-18,23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8,10
The Plan Of Salvation
Jesus (God the Son) left heaven, took upon Himself human form, was conceived in the womb of a virgin, was born without the Adamic effects of sin, lived a totally sinless life, performed many miracles and gave great teachings as proof of His divinity, shed His blood in dying as a substitutionary sacrifice for all the sins of every person who had ever lived or would ever live, arose from the dead on the third day, and ascended back to heaven.
He now sits at the right hand of God the Father and offers salvation (total forgiveness of all sin, entrance into heaven, eternal life) to all who will in repentance of sin believe (place faith) in Him as their personal Savior. Salvation is a gift that God offers to mankind based upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As such it can never be “earned” by any amount of “good” works.
John 1:1-5,14; Philippians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Colossians 2:9; John 6:33; 1 John 4:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Peter 2:21-22; John 20:30-31; John 7:46; Matthew 27:27-56; Mark 15:21-39; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:17-37; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 1 John 2:1-2 ; Isaiah 53:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-13; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-29; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 1:4-11; Hebrews 4:14; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:1-3; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 20:21; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:16-17; John 6:35; 1 John 5:12-13; Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7; Romans 6:23
What Salvation Brings To The Believer
We believe that the moment a person places saving belief (faith) in Jesus, God the Holy Spirit comes to take up permanent residence inside that person’s body. This creates the “born again” experience within the person, makes the person a child of God, regenerates the person spiritually by providing spiritual life, grants the person eternal life, and allows the person to truly be called a “Christian.”
At that moment, the person is also forgiven, redeemed (bought back), justified (declared righteous), sanctified (set apart), saved from the eternal penalty of sin, guaranteed entrance into heaven, “baptized” into the body (the Church) of Christ, gifted with at least one spiritual gift (a skill to be used in service to Christ), and empowered to live a life of victory over sin.
Romans 5:5; Romans 8:5-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5:5; John 3:1-8; 1 John 5:1; John 1:11-13; Galatians 3:26; Titus 3:5; 1 John 5:10-13; Romans 6:23; Acts 11:26; Colossians 2:13; Galatians 3:13; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Matthew 18:11; 1 Peter 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:17-22
Eternal Security
We believe the saved believer can never lose his or her salvation. Salvation, once received, will never and can never be rescinded. The believer is eternally secure, and no amount of sin, transgression, or backsliding will change that.
John 10:27-30; Romans 4:1-8; Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:30; 1 Peter 1:5; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-4; Jude v.24; John 5:24; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Hebrews 7:22-28; 2 Timothy 1:12; Ephesians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; John 10:28; John 3:16; John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17
Afterlife Abodes
We believe that God created the two afterlife abodes called heaven and hell. Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty, glory, and bliss. It is the place where God dwells and where the souls of the saved go immediately following death. Hell is a place of indescribable torment, heat, and anguish. It is the place where the souls of the lost go immediately following death.
According to Bible prophecy, there is coming a time when the heaven and hell that are currently in use will be replaced by a greater heaven and a greater hell. The greater heaven is known as the “new heaven” (Revelation 21:1) and the greater hell is known as the “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15). This is the same "lake of fire" where Satan and the other fallen angels will spend eternity. Furthermore, a glorious new city will come down out of the “new heaven.” This heavenly city is called the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). The saved will spend eternity as citizens of New Jerusalem. The lost will spend eternity suffering in the flames of the "lake of fire."
Job 22:12; Psalm 11:4; Matthew 6:20; Luke 23:39-43; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11; John 14:1-3; Philippians 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 13:41-42,49-50; Luke 13:28; Matthew 16:18;
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 21:1-2; Revelation 21:9-27; Revelation 22:1-5; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 19:20; Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:9
The Church
We believe the Church is the sum total of all those who have believed in Christ as Savior and, consequently, been “born again” by the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. The "Church age" began on the Day of Pentecost that is described in Acts chapter 2. It will end at the moment of the Rapture that is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.
Every born-again believer who lives between that Day of Pentecost and that moment of the Rapture makes up the Church. This is the so-called “universal” Church. A “local” church is a body of believers from a specific area who meet together. God automatically makes each Christian a part of the “universal” Church, but He expects each Christian to voluntarily become part of a “local” church. Jesus is the head of the “universal” Church and each “local” church. The “universal” Church is His “bride.”
Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:1-39; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 3:14-15; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:22-32; Revelation 2:1-7; Revelation 2:8-11; Revelation 2:12-17; Revelation 2:18-29; Revelation 3:1-6; Revelation 3:7-13; Revelation 3:14-22
The Ordinances Of The Church
We believe that scripture commands the Church to practice two ordinances: water baptism and the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Neither ordinance produces or maintains salvation. Rather, each ordinance is observed by the Christian as a way of outwardly showing that he or she is indeed a Christian.
Water baptism is a two-fold object lesson. First, it associates the Christian with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Second, it conveys that the Christian has died to the old, sin-dominated way of life, been buried to it, and is now raised to a new way of life in Christ. This object lesson is properly portrayed by full immersion in water. Full immersion shows a death (going into the water), a burial (being immersed under the water), and a resurrection (coming back up from underneath the water).
The observance of the Lord’s Supper is centered around a two-fold symbolism that serves as a remembrance of Christ’s death. The two elements are bread and wine (or grape juice, the “fruit of the vine”). The bread symbolizes the body of Christ, that body that was given in death for the sins of all mankind. The wine (juice) symbolizes the blood of Christ, that blood that was shed so that all sins could potentially be cleansed.
Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:1-14; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:26-39; Acts 3:40-41; Acts 16:30-33; Acts 9:18; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 16:14-15; Acts 18:8; John 3:23; Mark 1:9; Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20;
1 Corinthians 11:23-34; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Prophetic Events
We believe that the chronological order for the unfulfilled events of Bible prophecy is as follows:
1. The Rapture Of The Church
The Rapture is that moment in time when Jesus will step out of heaven and into earth’s sky. He will then snatch up the bodies of all Christians and transport them to heaven. The bodies of deceased Christians will be resurrected, glorified, and reunited with the souls that once inhabited them. Jesus will bring these souls with Him from heaven. The bodies of living Christians will be glorified.
The Rapture will take place in a “moment” (the Greek word atomos), in the “twinkling of an eye.” We understand this to mean that the entire event will play out in less than a second. The Rapture could take place at any moment.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 John 3:2; John 14:1-3; Titus 2:13
2. The Judgment Seat Of Christ
Following the Rapture, each Christian will take a turn standing glorified body and soul before Christ’s Judgment Seat in heaven. This judgment is not about salvation or damnation. All who stand at this Judgment Seat are saved forevermore. It is about eternal rewards gained and lost. Good works done in faithful service to Christ will be rewarded. Bad works will result in loss of reward.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11
3. The Rise Of The Antichrist
After the Rapture, the man the Bible calls “the Antichrist” will rise to world prominence. Initially, he will act as a man of peace. Ultimately, though, he will play his role in bringing about much war, destruction, persecution, and death. The one the Bible calls “the false prophet” will serve as his right-hand man.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 6:1-2; Revelation 13:1-10; Daniel 7:8-11, 23-25
4. The Seven-Year Tribulation Period
Sometime not long after the Rapture and the Antichrist’s rise to world prominence, the Antichrist will sign a seven-year peace treaty with the nation of Israel. This treaty will, in God’s eyes, serve as the time clock for the seven-year Tribulation Period.
The Tribulation Period will be an awful, horrific time such as the world has never known. It will be marked by war, famine, catastrophic events in nature, highly increased demonic activity, religious persecution, a one-world economic system, and a staggering number of deaths. It will also be a time of pervasive world evangelism as 144,000 Jewish converts to Christ go into all the world and preach Jesus. They will win millions to Christ.
Daniel 9:26-27; Revelation chapters 6 through 19; Matthew 24:3-28; Luke 21:7-36
5. The Battle Of Armageddon
The seven-year Tribulation period will end with a great battle. Since the word “Armageddon” refers to Mount Megiddo, the battle will be fought on the outstretched plain underneath Mount Megiddo in the holy land. All of the armies of the world will be gathered for war on that plain.
Revelation 16:12-16; Revelation 19:17-19
6. The Second Coming Of Christ
The Battle of Armageddon will be easily won by Jesus as He returns to the earth to walk it again. By merely speaking the word, He will slay all the soldiers of the armies of the world. He will also put down forever the Antichrist and the False Prophet by casting them body and soul into the lake of fire. They will become its first occupants.
Jesus will then imprison Satan and the other fallen angels in that place called “the bottomless pit” and send out His angels to separate the world’s remaining population into the appropriate categories of “saved” and “lost.” Furthermore, He will resurrect and glorify the bodies of not only the believers from the Old Testament but also the saved martyrs from the Tribulation Period. The saved will be welcomed into Christ’s thousand-year reign upon the earth. The lost will be slain and their souls banished to hell.
Revelation 19:11-21; Matthew 24:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Daniel 2:44-45; Daniel 7:9-12; Revelation 20:1-3; Matthew 8:28-29; Luke 8:26-31; Isaiah 24:21-22; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 13:36-43; Matthew 13:47-50; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31-46; Daniel 12:1-3,13; Job 19:25-26; Revelation 20:4-6
7. Christ's Thousand-Year Reign
Following Christ’s Second Coming, He will usher in a time of worldwide peace and establish His kingdom upon the earth. He will rule over the earth for one thousand years, reigning from Jerusalem. This time period is known as “the Kingdom Age” or “the Millennial Reign.”
At the beginning of this age, Jesus will restore the earth and the animal kingdom back to a pristine condition. He will also cure all of the diseases, sicknesses, and infirmities of the believers who got saved in the Tribulation Period and lived all the way through it. This will allow them to live in their earthly bodies for hundreds of years into the one thousand years. They will build houses, plant vineyards, and even produce offspring in the Kingdom Age. The Age will also be marked by a Millennial Temple, complete with Millennial Temple observances, in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:6-10; Isaiah 35:1-10; Isaiah 65:19-23; Jeremiah 3:17-18; Jeremiah 16:19-21; Daniel 2:44-45; Micah 4:1-8; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 3:9-20; Zechariah 14:8-11; Matthew 8:11-12; Romans 8:18-23; Ezekiel chapters 40-46; Zechariah 14:16-21
8. Satan's Final Revolt
After Christ’s thousand-year reign is completed, Satan and the other fallen angels will be released from their incarceration in the bottomless pit. Satan will then immediately start back up with his old ways by going out to deceive the nations. These nations will consist of the offspring of those Tribulation believers who entered into the Kingdom Age in their earthly bodies.
Surprisingly, millions of these people, who will have lived their entire lives under the Millennial reign of Christ, will side with Satan. He will gather them together for one more battle against Christ and they will come from the four corners of the earth to surround Jerusalem. At that point, however, God the Father will cast fire down from heaven and consume them. Their bodies will go to the grave and their souls will go to hell. Satan will then eternally join the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:7-10
9. The Great White Throne Judgment
Following Satan’s final revolt and his banishment to the lake of fire, the hell that exists now will be emptied of the souls it holds. The bodies these souls once inhabited will all be resurrected (but not glorified), and each soul will reunite with its body so that the individual can stand body and soul before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. This judgment will be more or less just the person’s eternal sentencing to the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
10. The New Heaven, The New Earth,
and The New Jerusalem
Bible prophecy closes with the official dawning of eternity and the changes that come with it. First, the heaven that exists now will pass away and be replaced by a “new heaven.” Second, the earth that exists now will pass away and be replaced by a “new earth,” one without any sea. Third, a new city of Jerusalem, called "New Jerusalem," will come down out of the "new heaven."
This glorious, majestic city of "New Jerusalem" will be the eternal home of all of history’s saved. Its dimensions will be large enough to cover most of the current east coast of the United States. It will be surrounded by a great wall that has twelve gates within it. The throne of God will sit in this city and a crystal clear river of life will flow from that throne. The tree of life will also be there, bearing twelve different kinds of fruit, a different fruit for each month. There will be no night in "New Jerusalem," and the city will be illuminated by the glory of Jesus.
Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-5; Hebrews 11:8-10
The Resurrection Of The Dead
We believe that when everything is said and done, each body will be resurrected and reunited with the soul that inhabited it in life. There are two broad categories of resurrection. Category #1 is described as the first resurrection, the resurrection of the just, or the resurrection of life. Category #2 is described as the second resurrection, the resurrection of the unjust, or the resurrection of condemnation. With the first category, the body is not only resurrected but also glorified. With the second category, the body is merely resurrected.
There isn't one, all-encompassing resurrection day. Instead, there are various times of resurrection. The bodies of the saved believers from the Church age will be resurrected at the moment of the Rapture. The bodies of the saved believers from the Old Testament age, as well as the martyred believers from the Tribulation Period, will be resurrected at Christ’s Second Coming. The bodies of the saved believers who go into the Kingdom Age in their earthly bodies will be resurrected upon death in the Kingdom Age. The bodies of all of history’s lost will be resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment. All told, when God is finished with these different times of resurrection, each body will have been resurrected.
Matthew 22:23-32; Luke 14:12-14; Luke 20:34-38; John 5:28-29; John 11:24-25; Acts 24:10-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 6:1-2; Hebrews 11:35; Daniel 12:1-3,13; Job 19:25-26; Revelation 20:4-6