Our Message
The Gospel
The Bible teaches that all people by nature are spiritually and relationally separated from God because of sin, and are therefore deserving of God's eternal wrath and punishment (see Romans 1:18; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 2:12-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
The Bible teaches, however, that because God still loved the world, He sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the debt we owe to God for our sin by offering Himself as an acceptable sacrifice to God in our place(see John 1:29; John 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 4:10).
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died upon a cross, offering His sinless blood for the forgiveness of our sin, and that He rose bodily from the dead after three days in the grave, giving proof of His claim to be the Son of God and proof of His promise and ability to save all who trust in Him from the wrath of God (see Acts 17:31; Romans 5:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
The Bible teaches that it is the duty of every person to repent of sin and turn in faith to Jesus Christ alone by believing that He is the Son of God, and by affirming both that His shed blood was given for the forgiveness of sin and that God raised Him from the dead as proof of His power to save (see Mark 1:15; John 14:6; Acts 3:18-20; Acts 4:12; Acts 17:30).
The Bible teaches that in order to be saved you must personally believe in Jesus Christ by verbally confessing your sin to God, by acknowledging to Him that Jesus is the Lord, and by believing that God raised Him from the dead (see John 3:15-16; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-11; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 4:15).
The Bible teaches that when you personally trust in Jesus Christ that you are no longer under God's wrath and condemnation, but are forgiven of sin, have come to personally know Him as your loving heavenly Father, and have the assurance of eternal life (see John 17:3; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1-2; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 2:25).
To speak to someone about becoming a Christian, call us at 616-698-6279
Our Beliefs
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, which is uniquely God-inspired, without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it bears.
As the Bible teaches, there is one God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each possessing all the attributes of Deity.
God created humans to have fellowship with Him, but they defied God by sinfully going their own way. As a result, we need God's saving grace to end our alienation from God. Salvation comes only through God's saving grace - not human effort - and must be received personally by repentance and faith.
Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute. This accomplishes salvation for all who receive grace by trusting in Him alone. He rose from the dead and is the only mediator between us and God. He will return to earth to consummate history.
The Holy Spirit draws sinners to Christ and equips believers for personal growth and service to the church. The church's role is to glorify God and serve those in need. At the end, everyone will experience bodily resurrection and the judgment. Those forgiven through Christ will enjoy eternal fellowship with God. For more details, please ask for our complete Statement of Faith.
Our Mission
Our mission is to bring glory to God, by worshipping Him (John 4:20-24), building up believers (Ephesians 4:7-16), and evangelizing our world (Matthew 28:16-20).
Our Roots
Serving the Kentwood community since 1869.
To learn more about GARBC, press this link to go to the "Organizational Principles and Mission" page of the GARBC website.