MRBC is a Reformed Baptist Church. We adhere to a strict/full subscription to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. We do not view the confession as equal to, or as a replacement for, the Bible. Rather it a statement of theology that we believe best summarizes the teachings of Scripture. We desire to worship God in the manner that He has taught us in His Word.
We hold to the Great Reformation principles (the Five Solas) of: Sola Scriptura, meaning that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture alone; Sola Fide, we are justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ; Sola Gratia, salvation is by the Grace of God alone; Solus Christus, salvation comes through Christ alone; and Soli Deo Gloria, we should live for the glory of God alone.
We uphold the tenants of Covenant Theology and the rich Calvinist beliefs of the 17th century post-Reformation church. We believe in the Doctrines of Grace, often referred to as the Five Points of Calvinism: Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Total Depravity, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.
We uphold and practice the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW), which means we do not have contemporary music, nor bands, nor anything that might be construed as entertainment, nor other practices outside the Scriptures. A RPW is “a principle stating that Scripture prescribes or “regulates” the permissible elements of public worship. In contrast to the “normative principle”... affirming that whatever Scripture does not prohibit is permissible, the regulative principle requires that elements of worship must be explicitly commanded, clearly exemplified or necessarily inferred from Scripture.”1
1 Kapic, K. M., & Vander Lugt, W. (2013). In Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition (p. 101). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
What is a Reformed Baptist?
1. A Reformed Baptist church is a local church which acknowledges the supreme authority of Holy Scripture. In all matters of faith (that is in the things we believe) and of practice (that is the things which we do) our sole authority is the Word of God.
2. Reformed Baptists believe in the pre-eminence of the preaching of the Word of God. We believe that the preaching of the Bible must have the central place in our services.
3. Reformed Baptists unashamedly declare their belief in those doctrines which are sometimes called the “Doctrines of Grace." By this expression we mean in particular the doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, definite atonement, effectual calling, and the perseverance of the saints.
4. Reformed Baptists believe in the necessity and responsibility of evangelism. We do not believe that there is an inconsistency between God’s sovereignty in the salvation of His chosen people and His command to us to preach the gospel to every creature and to make disciples.
5. A Reformed Baptist church is a local church with a serious approach to worship. We believe that when we come together to worship this great and glorious God of the Bible, we ought to do so with reverence and with godly fear. We believe that there ought to be a sense of AWE in our hearts when we gather to worship this God!
6. Reformed Baptists are reformed in that we believe that all of orthodoxy and orthopraxy (matters of faith and practice) are biblically, and therefore rightly, viewed through the lens of the Sovereignty of GOD. For more information, click on the below link.