Our Beliefs
Our Beliefs
Why Baptist?
The title Baptist simply means that we embrace some foundational truths that we refer to as the "Baptist Distinctives." These distinctives can be defined through the following acrostic.
Bible authority
The Bible shall be our sole authority for both faith and practice. (II Tim. 3:16; I Thess. 2:13; II Pt. 1:20-21)
Autonomy of the local church
The local church is an independent body accountable directly to Christ. We are not a part of a denomination or hierarchy of human authority. (Col 1:18; II Cor. 8:1-
Priesthood of the believer
Every believer has direct access and a direct relationship with God Himself through Christ. (I Pt. 2:5-9; Rev. 5:9-10)
Two ordinances
The Local church has two specific rites recognizing the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ:
- Baptism (Mt. 28:19-20)
- The Lord’s Table (I Cor. 11:23-32)
Individual soul liberty
Every individual has the personal responsibility of direct accountability to God for his beliefs and practices (Rom 14:5, 12; II Cor 4:2; Titus 1:9)
Saved Baptized Church Membership
Conversion and Baptism are prerequisites to church membership (Acts 2:41-42)
Two Offices
The Bible mandates two officers for the local church: 1) The Pastor and 2) The Deacons (I Tim 3).
Separation
Biblical separation is three-fold:
- Personal Separation--The separation of individual believers from worldliness from the world. The life of the believer should be distinct in its identity from that of unbelievers (Rom 12:1-2).
- Ecclesiastical Separation--the separation of the church from false doctrine (II Jn 1:10-11).
- Separation of Church and State--We believe that God founded three institutions: family, government, and the church. Each institution has a specific, God-ordained purpose and those purposes should not be infringed upon by one another (Rom 13).
Statement of Faith
SCRIPTURE:
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally and plenarily inspired by God and inerrant, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
II TIMOTHY 3:16, II PETER 1:19-21, I THESSALONIANS 2:13
THE GODHEAD:
We believe in the one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being; co-equal in power and glory; and having the same attributes and perfections but executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption
THE PERSON AND THE WORK OF GOD THE FATHER:
God the Father is an infinite Spirit, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Eternal. He is the Creator and maintains in existence all things He has made. He is sovereign ruler of Heaven and earth and is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy and loving-kindness.
COLOSSSIANS 1:15, I TIMOTHY 1:17; JOHN 4:21; EXODUS 20:2-3; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:6; REVELATION 4:11
THE PERSON AND THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; He was active in the creation; in His relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgement; He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony. The Holy Spirit is the Agent in the new birth, and the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the Body of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit seals, endues, fills, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer.
JOHN 14:16-17; 26: 16-11; I CORINTIANS 12:12-14; EPHESIANS 5:18, JOHN 3:5-6; ROMANS 8:9,14,16
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.
JOHN 1:2,14; LUKE 1:35
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
I CORINTHIANS 15:3,4; I PETER 2:24; EPHESIANS 1:7; ROMANS 4:25
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ bodily ascended into Heaven, where He is now exalted at the right hand of God, and ministers as our High Priest and Intercessor.
ACTS 1:9,10; HEBREWS 4:14, 7:25; I JOHN 2:1
We believe in “A Blessed Hope”: the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to the earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom.
I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18; 1:10; ZECHARIAH 14:4-11; REVELATION 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6
THE FALL OF MAN:
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and become sinners in thought, word and deed.
GENESIS 1:26-27; ROMANS 3:23; 5:12; EPHESIANS 2:1-3
SALVATION:
We believe that eternal salvation is the gift of God, and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith alone are born again, indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and hereby become children of God. We believe that repentance and faith are the two inseparable conditions for salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirt that results in the confession of sin and turning to God.
JOHN 3:3-5; TITUS 3:5; EPHESIANS 2:8-10; JOHN 3:16
SANCTIFICATION:
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God, accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Saviour; second a continuing process in the saints as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return. The appointed means of sanctification are the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer.
I THESSALONIANS 5:23; 4:3-4; HEBREWS 10:10-14; 3:1; JOHN 17:17; II CORINTHIANS 1:30; EPHESIANS 5:25-27; I JOHN 3:2; JUDE 24:25; REVELATION 22:11
ETERNAL SECURITY:
We believe that all true believers are saved with an eternal salvation, are kept by God’s power, and are thus secure in Christ forever.
JOHN 6:37-39; 10:28; ROMANS 8:38-39; I CORINTIANS 1:4-8; PHILIPPIANS 1:6
SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of His gifts for the work of the ministry.
I CORINTHIANS 13; ROMANS 12; I CORINTHIANS 12
We believe and teach the fundamentals of the faith. We do not believe the charismatic or the neo-evangelical movements are fundamental. Therefore, we will separate ourselves from these teachings.
We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted.
JOHN 15:7; I JOHN 5:14-15; JAMES 5:13-16
SEPARATION:
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and that separation from all worldly and sinful pleasures and practices is commanded by God. We further believe that the Scriptures plainly teaches that Christians should not marry or have other entangling alliances with unbelievers.
ROMANS 12:1-2; 14:13; I JOHN 2:15-17; II CORINTHIANS 6:14; II TIMOTHY 3:1-5
THE CHURCH:
We believe that a local church is an organized congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges vested in them by His Word; and that it has officers, consisting of pastors and deacons, and elected positions whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.
We believe that the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only Superintendent is Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
I CORINTHIANS 11:2; ACTS 2:41-42; 20:17-28; I TIMOTHY 3:1-13
We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ.
I CORINTHIANS 12:12-13; EPHESIANS 1:22-23 3:1-6; 4:11; 5:23; COLOSSIANS 1:18; ACTS 15:13-18
ORDINANCES-BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER:
We believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our identification with the crucified, buried, risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to new life; that baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church; and that it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. We believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism first and the Lord’s Supper, and that the participants in the Lord’s Supper should be immersed believers.
ACTS 2:41-42; 8:36, 38, & 39; JOHN 3:23; ROMANS 6:3-5 MATTHEW 3:16; 28:18-20; COLOSSIANS 2:12; I CORINTHIANS 11:23-28
SECOND COMING:
We believe in that “Blessed Hope”: the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, and pre-millennial return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
REVELATION 20:4-6, I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18; ACTS 1:11; I THESSALONIANS 1:10, 5:9; REVELATION 3:10
ETERNAL STATE:
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting conscious blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.
JOHN 5:28-29; MATTHEW 25:46; REVELATION 20:11-15; II CORINTHIANS 5:8; PHILIPPIANS 1:23
CIVIL GOVERNMENT:
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for and conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of kings.
ROMANS 13:1-7; II SAMUEL 23:3; EXODUS 18:21, 22; ACTS 4:19, 20; 5:29; 23:5; MATTHEW 22:21; DANIEL 3:17, 18.
