At Riverwood, we do not want to focus on what others are doing, but instead focus on what Jesus Christ
intended His Body to be. Our desire is to be faithful to the purposes taught in God’s Word. Accordingly,
our goal is balanced Biblical ministry, for maturing Christians, by exegetical teaching, under active Elder
oversight.
Riverwood Bible Church exists to proclaim God’s Word; to provide spiritual oversight to its members; to
encourage personal spiritual growth, and to evangelize the lost at home and through foreign missions.
The following basic doctrines contained in the Word of God, though not exhaustively treated, are
adopted, believed, and communicated by and among the Members:
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the thirty-nine Old Testament books and twenty-seven New
Testament books, is the verbally and plenarily inspired or “God-breathed” Word of God, His written
revelation to man, recorded by selected men without error in the original writings, and that it is,
therefore, the supreme and final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, morality, and life. (II Timothy
3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20, 21; John 16:12, 13)
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal in being,
identical in nature, equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14)
The Person and Work of the Father
We believe that God the Father exists eternally in perfect unity and equality with God the Son and God
the Holy Spirit. He is self-existent, depending on no other person or thing, and is sovereign in His rule
over all His creation. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient in administering His plan and
purpose for human history, revealing the perfect love of a father. No man has seen Him at any time, but
He has fully revealed Himself through the incarnation of His Son. (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:28; 46:9-10;
Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:18; 3:16; 14:9; 17:1-26)
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God,
having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God
and redeem sinful man; and that as the impeccable God-Man, He accomplished redemption for
humanity and propitiation toward God through His death by the shedding of His blood on the cross as a
substitutionary sacrifice; that our redemption is made sure to us by His literal physical resurrection from
the dead (John 1:1- 32,14; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24, 25; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Peter 1:3-5); that the Lord
Jesus Christ is now in Heaven, exalted at the right hand of God, whereas the High Priest for His people,
He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; I John
2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead Who convicts the world of the sin of
rejecting Christ as Savior, Who regenerates, indwells, baptizes and seals each believer at the moment of
salvation during the present Church dispensation, Who guides into all the truth of God’s revelation, and
Who desires to control the believer’s total life. (John 16:13; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13, 14; 5:18; I
Corinthians 12:12-24)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but because of Adam’s sin the race
fell and inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God, and a helpless slave to sin, self, and
Satan. Man is powerless to change this separation from God. His destiny is either bodily resurrection and
blessing in Christ, or bodily resurrection and judgment without Christ. (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-7; Romans
3:22-23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:12)
Salvation
Salvation is by the work of Jesus Christ alone! On the cross of Calvary, God carried out the full penalty of
sin upon His own Son. Jesus took our place! He was our substitute. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose absolutely priceless blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. The resurrection proves God’s “satisfaction” with what Jesus did. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7)
Dispensations
We believe that God structured His plan for the ages of human history in the form of Biblical
dispensations, beginning with the dispensation of Innocence with unfallen humanity and culminating
with the dispensation of the Millennium on earth, having the Lord Jesus Christ ruling as Lord of Lords
and King of Kings, and that the three major ages of the Mosaic Law (Exodus 19 – Acts 1), the Church
(Acts 2 – Rapture), and the Millennium (Revelation 19-20) must especially be clearly distinguished.
We believe that though one, and only one, plan of salvation exists in every dispensation, the Word of
God outlines a clear and different way of life for believers in each age. (Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-9; Colossians
1:25-27)
The Eternal Security of Believers
We believe that all who have received Christ as Savior are kept secure forever. (Romans 8:1, 38-39; John
10:27-30; I Corinthians 1:4-8)
The Church
Universal Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all
born-again persons of this present dispensation irrespective of their affiliation with Christian
organizations, and is God’s chosen vehicle of ministry in this age. The Church’s future is “Rapture” into
His presence to be His “Bride” for all eternity. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Local Church
We believe that God’s basic organizational plan for the instruction, training, worship, fellowship, and
ministry of believers in this dispensation is the local church, made up of born-again individuals, called
out to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known. We believe that every Christian should be a part of a
local church. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Hebrews 10:24-25)
Church Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper
to be observed by His Church until His return. (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26) The practice of
this Church is baptism by immersion.
The Normal Christian Life
We believe that every believer in this church age shares the same union with and position in Christ,
effected once-for-all by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of regeneration, and that it is the
privilege and the duty of each believer to be habitually filled, controlled, and dominated in his inner life
by the indwelling Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16; I John 1:7)
We believe that the basic conditions for the Spirit-controlled life are the attitude of dependence on
the Spirit to control every area of the believer’s life and obedience to the Word of God known by the
believer at that time. Should the believer sin, the one and only means of forgiveness and cleansing is the
confession or honest admission of that sin to the believer’s Heavenly Father. (Psalm 32:5; I John 1:7, 9)
We believe that each believer possesses at least one spiritual gift or ability for service and should
execute that gift with spiritual power. (I Corinthians 12:1-11)
We believe that every believer is a priest unto God and has the privilege and responsibility of spiritual
worship, sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and intercession. (Hebrews 13:15)
We believe that every moment in the daily life of a believer is equally important to God and that the
believer has been freed from the obligatory observance of holy days, holy seasons and Sabbaths.
(Galatians 4:10-11; Colossians 2:16-17; Romans 14:5-6)
We believe that every believer is to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ as directed by the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 1:8)
We believe that God has tailored a unique and perfect plan for the life of each believer and that it is
the responsibility of each believer to so learn and apply the Word of God as to discern and fulfill that
plan. (Romans 12:2)
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a spirit being, who is the open and declared enemy of God and man. We do not
believe that he is omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent but that he is permitted by God to be called
the god of this age. (Job 1:6, 7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; II Corinthians 4:4)
The Blessed Hope
We believe that the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord Jesus
in the air to receive to Himself the dead “in Christ” and believers who are alive at His coming – otherwise
known as the pre-tribulational rapture of the Church (I Corinthians 15:51-57; I Thessalonians 4:13-18;
Titus 2:11-14)
The Tribulation
We believe that the rapture of the Church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth (70th)
week, the latter half of which is the time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation. (Daniel 9:27; Jeremiah
30:7; Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 6:1 – 29:21)
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that the great tribulation will be climaxed by the (premillennial) return of the Lord Jesus
Christ to earth to set up His Kingdom on earth. (Zechariah 14:4-11; Matthew 24:15 – 25:46; II
Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:6)
The Eternal State
We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death
immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the
body at His coming, when soul and body reunited shall be with Him forever in glory. We believe that the
souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White
Throne at the close of the Millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire,
not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction by being cast away from the
presence of the Lord. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; II Thessalonians 1:7-9;
Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a
marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism,
bisexuality, bestiality, incest, adultery, pornography, and any other kind of sexual immorality, are sinful
perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter
one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus. 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-
29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
Marriage
We believe that the only legitimate form of marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
(Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)
Divorce
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the
spouses dies. Remarriage after divorce is regarded as adultery as long as the former marriage partner is
living. Although divorced and remarried persons, or divorced persons, may be members in the church
and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of Pastor,
Elder, or Deacon, or fill adult teaching positions. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1
Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.
Abortion therefore constitutes the taking of unborn human life. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah
44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
Leadership and Leadership Duties
We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained
distinct and separate roles and spiritual leadership functions for men and women in the home and in the
church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (Pastors, Elders, and
Deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the Church.
(Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12; I Peter 3:7)
The Family
We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The
husband (male as determined by birth sex) is to love his wife (female as determined by birth sex) as
Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the
church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are primarily
responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent
lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28;
Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; I
Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7).
Euthanasia/Suicide/Cloning
We believe that life is given and taken by God. Therefore we believe in the sanctity of human life in all its
dimensions including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically and mentally challenged, and every other
stage or condition from conception to natural death. We are therefore called by God to value, defend,
and protect all human life. We therefore oppose any form of euthanasia, suicide and assisted suicide,
cloning and any other similar type activity not condoned in the Bible. (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:13-16;
Romans 14:7-8)
Disputes Among Members/Lawsuits
Because we believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes
between members, we strongly discourage Christians from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians
or the church to resolve personal disputes. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek
compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued
without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
Child Abuse
We believe that all children are a gift from God and whenever they are attending Riverwood Bible
Church, or are involved in a Riverwood Bible Church sponsored activity involving supervision by
Riverwood personnel, they are under the protective hand of the Church, and the Church expects that all
people who attend Riverwood, member and non-member, adult and nonadult alike, will take all
reasonable precautions to protect the physical, mental, emotional, and sexual safety and well-being of
the children at Riverwood or under the care of Riverwood personnel. The Church considers all of its
children’s programs, from the Nursery, to Children’s Sunday School, to Children’s Church, to the Youth
Ministry, to the Awana program, to Youth outings and any other Church-sponsored programs, or
programs with which the Church is affiliated, such as Child Evangelism Fellowship, whether on premises
or off, where adults and children come together to worship, or learn about God, or join in Christian
fellowship, to be ministries. Accordingly, the Church has implemented a comprehensive Policy
concerning Child Abuse which applies to all such programs, activities and events and to all individuals at
Riverwood.
Other Doctrinal Matters
While it is impossible to know what issues may arise within secular society in the future which may
impact the Church, we believe that the Bible is a reliable guide to be employed in addressing any future
issues and that the Church may rely on its interpretations of the Scripture as its final authority in matters
of doctrine, policy, behavior, or any response that the Church may be required to make to any issue or
question in the future.