Detroit Bible Institute is built upon the shared support and partnership of local churches committed to sound Biblical teaching and discipleship.

Classes are held at Rockpointe Community Church — 38100 Utica Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48312.

Randy Tomko is the Teacher of Record at Detroit Bible Institute.

THE BIBLE

We believe that the Bible (the 66 books which have been historically accepted by the Protestants as Canon) is, in the orginal manuscripts, the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God and is totally trustworthy in all matters it addresses. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine author of all Holy Scripture and that He superintended the human authors as they penned the Word of God, employing their own unique literary styles and vocabularies. We attest to the sufficiency of the Bible, its being the believer’s final authority, and that within it is deposited all that is needed for Christian faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Mat. 5:18; Ps. 119:11) Apart from the Bible there are no writings that are divinely inspired.

GOD

We believe that within the One Supreme Being that is God, there eternally exist three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – otherwise known as the Trinity. We believe that God is spirit and is uncreated and infinite; perfect in his holiness, justice and righteousness; all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, all-loving and immutable (Gen. 1:1; Matt. 28:19; Jn. 10:30; John 4:24; Ps. 90:2; Mal. 3:6; Ps. 11:7; Gen 18:25).

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that God the Son (the second person of the Trinity) came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, God incarnate (fully God and fully Man); that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died as a substitutionary sacrifice, atoning for the sins of all humanity, and was buried; that on the third day He arose bodily and immortally from the grave; that He ascended into heaven; and that He sits at the right hand of the Father in authority. (Is. 7:14, Matt. 1:23; Lk. 1:35; Jn. 10:33, Heb. 4:15, 7:26; 1 Cor. 15:3; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 2:9; Mark 16:19) He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end (Matt. 16:27; 25:31-46; 2 Tim. 4:1; Titus 2:13; Rev. 11:15-19).

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) shares equally with the Father and the Son all the attributes of deity. He has spoken through the writers of Holy Scripture. He personally indwells the believer in Christ to sanctify and empower him/her to live a godly life (2 Cor 3:17-18; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 6:11, 12:1-11).

SALVATION

We believe that humanity was created in a state of goodness but has inherited a fallen and sinful nature from Adam and Eve, the original human beings created by God. We believe in the Ggospel, namely, the message of good news that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and arose bodily from the dead. The only way for a person to be saved and receive eternal life is through genuine faith (i.e, trust) in the person and work of Jesus Christ on his/her behalf and acceptance of His Lordship over all. Finally, we believe that salvation is completely a free gift of God’s grace (apart from meritorious works of any kind) and is available to all who embrace Christ as Lord and Savior (Jn. 3:16-19, 5:24; Rom 3:23-24, 5:8-9; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7).

THE CHURCH

We believe that the Church is comprised of the community of believers in Jesus Christ throughout all times, and that for all eternity God’s divine plan was to establish the church as His bride and His body, for His glory. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded, and confirmed through His apostles, that His Church maintain two specific ordinances:  Water Baptism and Holy Communion. We are committed to the Church universal and through local assembly, and believe that the Church was intended to operate as a diverse and multi-faceted people, effectively ministering the saving Gospel to the local communities of people they live among. (Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 2:19-22, 4:11-12; Matt. 28:19-20)

THE FUTURE

We believe that at the death the spirit of the believer departs the body and immediately passes into the joyful presence of Christ (Lk 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). Living believers await the return of Christ when they will be gloriously transformed and the bodies of departed believers will be resurrected (1 Cor. 15:23; Phil 3:20-21). We believe the spirit of the unsaved who dies departs the body to a place of punishment (Lk. 12:22-23; 2 Pet. 2:9). We believe that Jesus Christ will return bodily to judge the living and the dead at the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. For the saved it will be a resurrection to eternal life and for the lost a resurrection to eternal punishment (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 2 Cor. 5:10; Jn. 5:28-29; Rev 14:11; 20:15).

Additional Theological Positions

Detroit Bible Institute strives to maintain a balance on important doctrinal issues that have a diversity of understanding within the Church, which are specified below.  These positions are binding on DBI board members and instructors.

Prosperity, poverty & stewardship:  The teaching that God guarantees health & wealth in this life through faith (prosperity gospel), or that godliness can only be found in willing poverty (poverty gospel), are considered aberrations of Scripture. The proper interpretation of Scripture on financial matters is stewardship, which is a recognition that God is the owner of everything and in His sovereignty materially provides as He wills for each person, and that each person is accountable for how he/she honors God with all that God has given to him/her. While we may teach about the above aberrations, we do not endorse them as a scriptural position. (1 Tim. 6:3-10; Prov. 30:7-9; Gen. 13:2; Matt. 8:20).

Human life & sexuality:  Scripture teaches that mankind (i.e., all humanity as biological male and female) is made in the image of God, and that God designed mankind expressly for uniting in marriage to a woman and reproducing other image-bearers. Innocent human life is sacred and therefore should not be terminated by humankind (i.e., murder), and human sexuality is designed to be expressed between one man and one woman in the bonds of marriage. Any teaching or practice that contradicts or compromises these truths is an aberration of Scripture. While we may teach about these aberrations, we do not endorse them as a scriptural position. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:13; Ps. 139:13-16; Lev. 18:22; Matt. 19:4-6; Rom. 1:24-27; 1 Cor 5:9-11, 6:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 12:16, 13:4; Rev. 21:8, 22:15).

Calvinism & Arminianism:  Whether or not salvation is irresistible & irreversible (the Calvinist position) or can be resisted & repudiated through apostasy (as in the Arminian position), along with various other characteristics of these positions, are views respected as held within the historic Christian Church, provided that the heresy of Pelagianism (that human beings are able to receive salvation because of their own moral strength or efforts) is not embraced, which is expressly denied by Scripture (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7). We seek to inform students that the Calvinist/Arminian positions are in-house questions that the Church can debate, but need not divide over.

The perpetuity of spiritual gifts:  Whether the gifts & manifestations stated in Scripture and given by the Holy Spirit to believers are continuing (continuationism) or have ceased (cessationism), are respected as various views held within the historic Christian Church. We seek to inform students that this is an in-house question that the Church can debate, but need not divide over.

Role of Men and Women in the Church:  The positions of complementarianism and egalitarianism, particularly in regards to roles within the Church (Pastor, Teacher, etc.), are respected as various views held within the historic Christian Church. We seek to inform students that this is an in-house question that the Church can debate, but need not divide over.

Eschatology:  The Church is historically united on the essential elements that Jesus Christ will return, call His Church, and judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 2 Cor. 5:10). Beyond these, the Church has held various views on the nature of the rapture, the millennium, and other aspects of the end-times. We seek to inform students that these various views represent an in-house issue that the Church can debate, but need not divide over.