Distinctives

How Elders Lead

The church has a body of pastors/elders who teach and shepherd the flock. In accordance with Hebrews 13:17, they keep watch over the congregation as men who must give an account to God. They oversee the different ministries of the church. Our pastors/elders must meet the qualifications set forth in I Timothy 3:1-7, and they exercise authority over the church only to the degree that they teach and lead according to the Scriptures.

How Deacons Serve

According to the teachings of Jesus, the life of every Christian is to be marked by service (Mark 9:35). However, the New Testament also speaks of the specific office of deacon. The word deacon (gk: diakonos) denotes a helper or servant who serve. Before a man may be appointed as a deacon, he must be tested for the qualifications found in I Timothy 3:8-13.

The tasks of a deacon are primarily that of meeting the physical and material needs of individual believers and the congregation as a whole. If the deacon serves faithfully, he obtains for himself a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus (I Timothy 3:13).

How the Congregation Affirms

The duly appointed pastors/elders use patience and wisdom in decision making for unity’s sake. Affirmation from the congregation is sought as God’s confirmation on the matter.

Therefore we are not an elder rule church, we are an elder led church (Matthew 18:15-17, Acts 6:2-5, I Corinthians 5:4-5, II Corinthians 2:6). Even though our pastors/elders lead and make many decisions for the church, this does not mean that they have a rubber stamp to rule, but they are to lead by appealing to the congregation’s affirmation within the capacity of their leadership position as pastors/elders.

Theological Distinctives

Everything below is characterized as theological distinctives in Sovereign Grace Church, but it doesn’t mean that it should be distinctive. Each of these theological distinctives are biblical, therefore they should be embraced in every church that claims Christ as its leader and the Bible as its rule of faith. We hope that through the faithfulness to God’s word that all churches everywhere, including Sovereign Grace Church, will commit to a stronger devotion to keeping the standards of God’s word in life and practice.

I. The Glory of God

God is truly glorious and majestic within Himself, but God desires to be praised for His greatness and goodness. He wants to be adored and honored for who He is. At SGC we seek to cherish and uphold God’s honor and reputation in all things—beliefs and practices.

“to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” ~ Ephesians 3.21

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” ~Romans 11.36

We believe that all of life’s activities, whether at home, at church, in the world, must be pursued with the aim of giving God glory, honor and pleasure in every aspect of our lives.

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10.31

II. The Sovereignty of God

The assertion of God’s absolute sovereignty in creation, providence, and grace is basic to biblical belief and biblical praise. We are constantly told in explicit terms that the LORD (Yahweh) reigns as king, exercising dominion over great and tiny things alike (Packer, J.I., Concise Theology).

“For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. He chooses our Inheritance for us….For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.” ~Psalm 47.2-4, 7-8

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.” ~Proverbs 21.1

“For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What hast thou done?’” ~Daniel 4.34-35

God’s dominion is total: He wills as He chooses and carries out all that He wills, and none can stay His hand or thwart His plans.

III. The Providence of God

“God’s works of providence are His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures, and all their actions” (Westminster Shorter Catechism).

The providence of God is a continued divine exercise of causing the world to be, whereby the Creator, according to His own will, keeps all creatures in being, involves Himself in all events, and directs all things to their appointed end.

God is in complete control of His world. His hand may be hidden, but His rule is absolute. The Bible clearly teaches God’s providential control:

1. over the universe at large

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all the universe.” ~Psalm 103.19

2. over the physical world

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth.” ~Psalm 104.19

“….for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” ~Matthew 5.45

3. over the affairs of nations

“He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.” ~Job 12.23

“and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.”~ Acts 17.26

“For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as

4. over the protection of the righteous with a shield.” ~Psalm 5.12

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8.28

The nature of God’s involvement in all that occurs in His world is sometimes mystery to us, but the consistent biblical teaching about God’s involvement is as stated above. The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new opportunity to trust, obey, and rejoice in God knowing that all is for one’s spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8.28).

IV. Holy Spirit Regeneration

The doctrine of Holy Spirit Regeneration is God renovating the heart; the core of a person’s being, by implanting a new principle of desire, purpose, and action. It is a new nature dynamic that finds expression in a positive response to the gospel and its Christ.

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” ~Ezekiel 36.26-27

Regeneration is monergistic: that means, it is entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit raises a person who is spiritually dead to new life in Christ.

“But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (for by grace you have been saved),” ~Ephesians 2.4-5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” ~1 Peter 1.3

V. The Doctrines of Grace

Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, and the Holy Spirit makes Christ’s death effective by bringing the sinner to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the gospel. The entire process of election, redemption, and regeneration is the work of God and is by His grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation. Thus God, not man, receives all the glory for a person’s salvation and new life in Jesus Christ.