Our name Sovereign Grace Baptist Church was chosen in an attempt to accurately represent the doctrinal distinctives of our fellowship. However, it may be that some explanation is still necessary. Some people may still wonder, "What is a Sovereign Grace Baptist Church?"
The Short Answer
We call ourselves a Church because that is the word the Bible uses to refer to a local congregation of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Baptist means that we hold to the Baptistic distinctives of believer's baptism (by emersion) and the autonomy of the local church.
Sovereign Grace refers to the fact that we believe that salvation is a sovereign work of God's amazing grace.
The Long Answer
There are four things here which characterize a New Testament church, a sovereign grace church.
I. A sovereign grace church adheres steadfastly to "the apostles’ doctrine." That is to say, we believe and regularly preach the doctrine of the Apostles, as much as is possible for us, as they did. Without question, the doctrine of the Apostles included all those glorious, God honoring, Christ exalting, flesh abasing doctrines commonly referred to as The Doctrines of Grace. We recognize that good Christian people can disagree about these things, but will steadfastly refuse to be disagreeable about them. We also recognize that we are not infallible; that at best we "see in a mirror dimly." ( 1 Cor 13:12) Our position is that if we are going to err in doctrine, we would rather err on the side of the doctrine that gives the most glory to God for His amazing grace in saving rebel sinners like us. We will not attempt here to prove or defend these doctrines; but it may be beneficial to some to simply state them and give some Scripture references which will demonstrate to any honest reader that these doctrines are the doctrines of the Apostles.
Our Almighty God is absolutely sovereign in all things, specifically in creation, providence, election, and salvation ( Col 1:16-17, Ps 115:3, Matt 19:26, Prov 19:21; Rom 11:33-36)
Everything that comes to pass in time was predestinated by God in eternity and is brought to pass by God in providence for His own glory and for the salvation and preservation of his elect ( Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:11).
Outside of time, God sovereignly chose some of Adam’s fallen race to eternal life in Christ before the world began (( Eph. 1:3-6;); ( 2 Thess. 2:13-14).
In time, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God - God the Son, died for those elect sinners chosen to salvation in eternity and called them to life and faith in him ( Heb. 9:11-14; Rev. 5:9).
God the Holy Spirit regenerates and calls every chosen sinner to life and faith in Jesus Christ by the irresistible power of his grace through the preaching of the gospel ( Rom. 1:16-17; Rom 10:13-17; 1 Cor. 1:21-23; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23-25).
Every sinner born again by God’s free, sovereign, irresistible grace is kept in life and faith in Christ by that same grace unto eternal glory, being sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit ( Eph. 1:13-14).
All who are born of God, being redeemed by Christ, are forever and entirely free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 6:14-15; 7:4; 10:4).
Yet, there is much, much more to a sovereign grace, New Testament church than adherence to these points of orthodox doctrine. We hold to, adore, and preach these doctrines as the works, and grace, and blessings of God in Christ. We recognize that the gospel is not a theory, but a person; and that person is our all glorious Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. To preach the Word of God is to preach the gospel ( 1 Pet. 1:25); and to preach the gospel is to preach Christ as Savior and Lord ( I Cor. 2:2; Heb 7:25; Rom 10:9).
This is what it means to continue steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine. It is to continue steadfastly in the preaching and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ as he is set forth in the pages of Holy Scripture. In the Book of Acts the words "preach," "preaching," and "preached" are used thirty seven times. Every time the subject preached is Christ. Therefore, preaching that does not have Christ as its subject, center, and focus cannot be considered gospel preaching, apostolic preaching, or biblical preaching.
II. A sovereign grace church is a fellowship of believers united to Christ and united to one another in Christ. It is not just a group of people with their names on the same church roll. It is a fellowship of believers committed to one another, committed to the furtherance of the gospel, committed to the glory of God and the will of God, and committed to the building of God’s church and kingdom, and the salvation of God’s elect. They are comitted to these things because they are committed to Christ. "Fellowship" is much more than getting together and having a good time. "Fellowship," as the word is used in Acts 2:42, is commitment to one another. It is such a total commitment that it caused those early believers to hold all their possessions in common, none considering that the things they possessed were there own. No wonder God used them so greatly!
III. A sovereign grace church is a church which lives in the remembrance and expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every time the church came together in the Book of Acts, they observed the Lord’s Supper. They ate the unleavened bread and drank the wine in remembrance of Christ’s incarnation, obedience, and death as their Substitute, and in expectation of his promised return. However, the constant observance of this blessed ordinance was much more than a religious ritual to them. Those saints observed the ordinance as a representation of their hearts’ attitude regarding these things. A sovereign grace, gospel church is a church whose very existence is the remembrance and expectation of Christ.
IV. A sovereign grace church is a worshipping church. A sovereign grace church, a gospel church, is a church of worshippers, a congregation of men and women who continue "in prayers," who continue in the worship of God. They worship God in all matters of public worship as He prescribed in His Word. But it is more than that - God’s saints worship him continually. When a sovereign grace, gospel church assembles on the Lord’s day, the people are doing publicly what they do every day of their lives – WORSHIPPING CHRIST.
When you find such a church, if you are a believer, unite with it. Devote yourself to it. Spend your life and the energies of your life building it for the glory of Christ and your own soul’s eternal good. No value can be put upon such a privilege. No cost can be compared to it.