Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known
PBCC’s main focus is on knowing Jesus and making him known. We know Jesus through being attentive to his Spirit and abiding in his Word. We make Jesus known through living his way on a daily basis. His way primarily consists of a love that imitates his self-giving love, a love that seeks the good for others ahead of self. In pursuit of this focus, we have developed 4 family values by which we strive to live and be guided:
- Life in the Spirit through grace
- Ultimately, the Spirit is who connects us to Jesus, enables us to know him and empowers us to make him known.
- Devotion to the Word
- This is both devotion to Christ as the Word, and devotion to the revealed Word as found in Scripture. Everything we do at PBCC revolves around Christ and the Word of God.
- Participation in God’s work
- We are never called to participate for God. We are always called to participate with God in what He is doing in the world.
- Discipleship through relationships
- At PBCC, we aim to be a discipling community, building relationships with each other as we all journey with Jesus “who is with us always to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
The Board of Elders of PBCC has adopted the following doctrinal statement:
Concerning the Bible
The original writings of both Old and New Testaments were inspired by God by means of the Holy Spirit, who chose the words employed. These writings were without error and are of supreme and final authority in the lives of believers in any age. The Bible says everything God intended to say to mankind regarding redemption. [1 Cor 2:12-13; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21]
Concerning God
There is but one true God, who eternally exists as three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who share in the work of creation, maintenance of the universe, sovereign control of history, redemption of believers and judgement of angels and mankind. [Gen 1:1; Isa 40:15-17, 22-24; Matt 3:16-17; John 1:1-3; 1 Cor 12:4-6; Eph 4:4-6; Col 1:15-20]
The Father
God the Father is unique in nature. He is eternal, having no beginning or end. He is the Father of Jesus Christ whom He sent in bodily form. He is our Creator by virtue of our physical creation, and becomes our spiritual Father by election and adoption. He created mankind for the express purpose of fellowship with us as His children, to the praise of his Glory. [Gen 1:1; Ps.102:12,25; 139:13-14; Acts 17:29; Eph.1:3-6]
The Son
By miracle of the virgin birth, the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God in order to reveal God and to redeem man. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. He is the means of Creation, and the visible expression of the invisible God. No man comes to reconciliation with God the Father except through Jesus Christ. [Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; 2:7-12; 4:17-21; 24:25-27; John 1:1-2; 3:16; 14:6-12; Phil 2:5-12; Col 1:15-20; Heb 1:1-2]
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, sent by the resurrected Jesus to reveal and glorify Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit living in the believer is the proof guaranteeing our inheritance in Jesus Christ. He provides spiritual gifts to all believers, and indwells, guides, teaches, empowers and comforts them. He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement.
[John 14:16-17; 16:5-16; Acts 2:1-4,16-21; Rom 8:26-27; 1 Cor 2:12-16; Eph 1:13-14]
Concerning Man and his need
Man was created in the image of God and is loved by Him, but, through an inherited sinful nature and his own choice, is alienated, separated from God. In this condition, man is enslaved to the world, the flesh and the devil, and is under God’s present wrath and ultimate righteous judgement. [Gen 1:26-27; 3:1-7; Rom 1:18-21; 2:5-6; 3:23; 5:12-21; 6:23; Eph 2:1-3]
Concerning Redemption – God’s Solution to Man’s Need
Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life on earth, voluntarily gave his life as a sacrifice for all the sins of mankind, was buried and rose bodily from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father as Lord. He uniquely satisfied the just requirement of God for death as the penalty for sin. All who believe in Him are forever reconciled to God solely through Jesus’ death on the cross. Everyone who is called into this relationship by God is granted every spiritual blessing that is in Christ, and will be perfected with Him. Nothing can separate the believer from the love of Christ. [Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 2:32-36; Rom 3:21-26; 8:29-39; 10:8-11; Eph 1:3-12; Phil 1:6; 1 John 2:2]
Concerning Man’s Response to God
Every person has the opportunity and the obligation to respond to God. All response to Him is initiated by God as he draws people to Himself. Those who repent of their sinfulness, and trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as full payment for their sin, receive Him as Lord and Savior, are forever reconciled to God the Father, and become a new creation in Jesus Christ.
[John 1:9-13; 3:16; 6:44; Acts 13:48; Rom 1:18-20; 10:8-9; Eph 2:8-9; 2 Cor 4:6; 1 John 5:11-13]
Concerning the Christian’s Responsibility
The Christian life is a transformation, in which Christ Himself lives His life through the believer. All believers are still capable of responding to the urges of the flesh, and when they do so they do not please God. They can choose, rather, to rely continually upon the indwelling Holy Spirit’s power and love, and thus glorify and please the Father. Believers are to be baptized by water symbolizing their full participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [Acts 2:37-39; Rom 6:15-18; 8:1-17; 12:1-2; 2Cor 3:5-6,18; 5:17; Eph 2:10; 5:3-10]
Concerning the Church
The Church is the body of Christ on earth, and consists of all who have been regenerated by God. This body finds expression as local churches, operating under the direction of Jesus Christ as Lord and Head of His body, through elders, pastor-teachers, and evangelists, who equip the saints for the work of the ministry. All believers are responsible to utilize their spiritual gifts for the common good. All believers are His witnesses in the world and are to further the task of making disciples of all nations. All believers are to remember the sacrifice of the Lord on their behalf by observing the Lord’s Supper until His return. [Matt 28:18-20; Rom 5:10; 8:16-17; 12:3-8; 1 Cor 11:23-34; 12; Eph 4:11-12; 1 Pet 2:4-5, 9-10; 4:10-11]
Concerning the Future
There will be the imminent, bodily and visible return of Jesus Christ to this earth to bring to completion His kingdom, to judge the world in righteousness, to fulfill His prophetic promises to Israel and to the rest of mankind concerning the future, and to create a new heaven and a new earth. All people who have died will be raised from the dead, and those who have been redeemed will participate in eternal life in the presence of God, but those who have rejected Christ will suffer eternal punishment and separation from God. [Matt 25:31-34, 41; 1 Cor 15:22-26, 40-44, 50-58; 1 Thess 5:1-11; 2 Thess 2:1-12; Rev 3:5; 20:12; 21:1-22:5]
Still want to know more? Bernard Bell taught a class called What We Believe: A study of the PBCC doctrinal statement as a Sunday elective.