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Our Doctrine

What we believe

Protestant, reformed, and evangelical.

In a nutshell

We believe the Bible is absolutely true, that Christ died for our sins and is the only hope of salvation, that God gives His grace freely, that faith is the only way to receive it — and that God deserves all the glory.

Below are seven commitments that define what we believe and guide how we worship, live, and labor together as a church.

Christ and Kingdom Focused

At Clearnote Church, everything centers on Jesus Christ: His gospel, His Kingdom, and His reign. We confess plainly and boldly that Jesus is King, not only in heaven, but over all the earth.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. All things were made through Him and for Him. He was born of a virgin, lived without sin, obeyed the Father perfectly, and willingly laid down His life for His sheep. He was condemned unjustly, crucified, buried, and raised from the dead on the third day. After appearing to His disciples, He ascended into heaven, where He now reigns with all authority. His enemies are being placed under His feet.

One day, Christ will return to judge the living and the dead and make all things new. Until then, the Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit to build the Church, gather the nations, and advance the Kingdom of Christ throughout the world.

Biblical

At Clearnote Church, we stand on the Word of God. The Bible is not just an old religious book. It is the living, unchanging, and authoritative Word of the living God.

We believe all Scripture is God-breathed. It is infallible, inerrant, and always true. The Bible does not merely contain truth. It is truth. God’s Word speaks with authority over every part of life: how we worship, what we believe, how we obey, how we raise our families, how we order the Church, and how we live in the world.

Because of this, we are committed to preaching, teaching, believing, and obeying the whole counsel of God. We do not bend the Bible to fit the spirit of the age. We bend our lives to the Bible because the Word of God stands forever.

Creedal and Confessional

We believe the Church should say plainly what it believes from the Word of God. We do not want vague religion. We want clear doctrine rooted in Scripture. Throughout history, Christians have used creeds and confessions to do this.

A creed is a short statement of the basic Christian faith. It helps the Church confess the big truths every Christian must hold, such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, His death and resurrection, and the hope of eternal life. A confession is a fuller statement of doctrine.

We affirm the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, and we subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These documents are not equal to Scripture. The Bible alone is our final authority. But creeds and confessions help us hold the line, guard sound doctrine, and stand with the faithful Church throughout history.

As a confessional church, we do not hide what we believe. We want you to know where we stand, and we encourage you to read these statements for yourself.

Catholic

No, we are not Roman Catholic. The word catholic means universal. When we confess belief in the “holy catholic Church,” we mean the one true Church of Jesus Christ, made up of all true believers in every age and every place.

At Clearnote Church, we want to stand with Christ’s people, both in our own congregation and with the faithful saints who have gone before us. We are not trying to invent a new kind of Christianity. We want the old paths. We want the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

This also shapes how we handle baptism. Christians have disagreed for a long time over who should be baptized. The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that the children of believers ought to be baptized. Some in our church hold that view. Others believe baptism should be given only to those who have made a credible profession of faith. We do not divide over this issue. We have real convictions, but we also have real charity. We are united in Christ, under Scripture, and committed to loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Reformed

To be Reformed means we stand with the churches of the Protestant Reformation. In that time, God brought His people back to the clear teaching of the Bible: sinners are saved by God’s grace, not by our works, not by our willpower, and not because we are good enough.

At Clearnote Church, we believe God rules over all things. Nothing happens outside His holy, wise, and good will. That includes salvation. God does not wait for sinners to make themselves worthy. He saves dead sinners by His grace and makes them alive in Jesus Christ.

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Faith is how we receive God’s saving grace, and even that faith is a gift from God, so that no man can boast. To God alone be the glory.

Presbyterian

To be Presbyterian means we believe Christ rules His Church through qualified elders. The word comes from the Bible’s word for elder. A Presbyterian church is not run by one man doing whatever he wants, and it is not run by every opinion in the room. It is shepherded by elders who are accountable to God, to Scripture, to one another, and to other faithful churches.

At Clearnote Church, we believe churches should not stand alone. Lone-ranger Christianity is dangerous, and lone-ranger churches are dangerous too. We need brothers who can encourage us, correct us, help us, and hold us accountable.

That is why we are a member of Evangel Presbytery, a body of churches and church plants committed to standing together in sound doctrine and faithful practice. Through this brotherhood of churches, we labor together for the Kingdom of Christ, standing firm in the truth and helping one another stay faithful to the mission God has given us.

God’s Law for all of Life

Christ’s rule is not limited to Sunday morning. Jesus is King over all things. There is not one square inch of creation where He does not reign. Because Christ is King, His Word speaks to all of life — the standard for men, women, families, churches, schools, businesses, and civil rulers.

At Clearnote Church, we want every part of life brought under the Word of God. That includes how we worship, how we raise our children, how we order our homes, how we work, how we speak, how we serve, and how we live as men and women.

God created mankind male and female. Men and women are both made in the image of God, equal in dignity and worth, and co-heirs of the grace of life in Christ. But God did not make men and women the same. He gave us different callings, responsibilities, and glories. Men are called to lead, protect, provide, sacrifice, and take responsibility in the home, the church, and society. Women are called to embrace their God-given glory as helpers, life-givers, nurturers, wives, mothers, and faithful servants of the Lord according to their station and calling.

We also affirm that marriage is ordained by God as the covenant union of one man and one woman for life. Children are not burdens to avoid, but blessings to receive, cherish, train, and disciple.

Go Deeper

Resources & declarations

Various resources and declarations adopted by our church. The confessional standards are hosted by Evangel Presbytery.