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A Bible
Baptist is one who believes in a supernatural Bible,
which tells of a supernatural Christ, Who had a
supernatural birth, Who spoke supernatural words, Who
performed supernatural miracles, Who lived a
supernatural life, Who died a supernatural death, Who
rose in supernatural splendor, and Who will one day
return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural
kingdom on earth.
Section 1 – The Bible
We
believe that the Holy Bible was written by men
supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any
admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and
shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete
and final revelation of the will of God to man, the true
center of Christian union and the supreme standard by
which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be
tried.
A. By
"The Holy Bible" we mean the collection of sixty-six
books, from Genesis to Revelation, which as originally
written and providentially preserved does not only
contain and convey the Word of God, but IS the very Word
of God. At times these words were spoken and later
written; at times they were simply written. Either way,
they are the words of God.
B. By
"inspiration" we mean that the books of the Bible were
written in such a definite way that those writings are
as certainly the words of God as they would be if God
had penned them Himself. No other writings can claim to
be inspired as the Bible is inspired. Inspiration is
not just a work of the past but is also a work of the
present. When the words of God are read or heard, the
Holy Spirit gives them by inspiration.
C. As
God inspired His Word, we believe that God preserved His
Word in the form of the Authorized King James Version.
We believe the King James Version to be the infallible
and inerrant Word of God.
We
believe that the absolute, sole, authoritative rule for
faith and practice is the perfect, preserved word of
God, which, for English speaking people, is the
Authorized King James Version.
Ps
12:6,7; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Jn12:48-50; Acts
1:16; Ps 119:89, 105, 130, 160; Jn 17:17; 1 Pet 1:23;
Matt 24:35; Lk 24:25-27; 44-45; Rom 15:4; Lk 16:31;
Prov 30:5-6; Rom 3:4; Ps. 19:7-11
Section 2 – Dispensationalism
We
believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their
natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined
dispensations or rules of life which define man's
responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations
are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs
man according to His purpose.
Gen
1:28; 1 Cor 9:17; 2 Cor 3:9-18; Gal 3:13-25; Eph 1:10;
Eph 3:2-10; Col 1:24-25, 27; Rev 20:2-6
Section 3 – The True God
We
believe that there is one, and only one, living and true
God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the maker and
supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly
glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor,
confidence, and love; and that in the unity of the
Godhead, there are three persons, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection,
and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the
great work of redemption.
Ex
20:2-3; Deut 6:4-5; Mk 12:30; Gen 17:1; Is 43:10-12; 1
Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6; Jn 4:24; Ps 147:5; 83:18; 90:2; Jer
10:10; Ex 15:11; Rev 4:11; 1 Tim 1:17; Rom 11:33; Matt
28:19; 1 Jn 5:7; Matt 3:16-17; 2 Cor 13:14; Jn
1:1, 14; 10:30; 7:5; Phil 2:5-6; Jn 15:26; 1 Cor 12:4-6;
Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 3:17; 1 Cor 2:10-11; Eph 2:18
Section 4 – Jesus Christ
We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of
God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been
conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin
Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem
sinful men. We believe that God manifested himself in
the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, who is both
the Son of God and the Son of man. We believe that he
lived a perfectly sinless life on this earth.
1 Tim
3:16; Is 7:14; Lk 1:35; Jn 1:1-2, 14; Mk 1:1; Matt 1:1,
Matt 9:6; Gal 4:4-5; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22
We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our
redemption through His death on the cross as a
representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice;
and, that our justification is made sure by His literal,
physical resurrection from the dead.
Phil
2:5-8; Eph 1:7; 2 Cor 5:19-21; 1 Pet 2:24; Rom 3:24-25;
1 Pet 1:3-5
We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven
and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as
our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of
Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
Acts
1:9-10; 2:31-36; Heb 9:24, 7:25; Rom 8:34; 1 Jn 2:1-2
Section 5 – The Holy Spirit
We
believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal
with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same
nature; that He was active in the creation; that He
reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment; that He bears witness to the Truth of the
Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent
in the New Birth; and that He indwells, comforts, seals,
fills, guides, teaches, sanctifies, helps and assures
the Believer; that he intercedes for the Believer,
reveals the scripture to him, and endues him with power.
We
believe that baptism by the Holy Ghost into the body of
Christ occurs at salvation and that there is no verse in
the Bible that commands believers that they must speak
in tongues or perform miracles in order to prove that
they are baptized by the Holy Ghost or filled with the
Spirit.
Matt
28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 3:17; Gen 1:1-3; Ps 104:30; Jn
16:8-11; 15:26-27; Acts 5:30-32; Jn 1 :33; Heb 9:14; Jn
3:5-6; Eph 1:13; Jn 14:16-17; Acts 4:31; Jn 16:13; Rom
8:14; Jn 14:26; 2 Thes 2:13; 1 Pet 1:2; Rom 8:16; Rom
8:26-27; 1 Cor 2:10-16; Lk 24:49; 1 Cor 12:13; Acts
11:16
Section 6 – The Devil
We
believe that Satan was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly
honors as the anointed cherub that covered the throne;
that through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty,
he fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is
now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and
the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man's
great tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, the
author of all false religions, the chief power back of
the present apostasy, the lord of the antichrist, the
accuser of the saints, and the author of all the powers
of darkness, though he is transformed into an angel of
light. We believe that he is destined, however, to
final defeat at the hands of God's own Son, and to the
judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire, a
place prepared for him and his angels.
Ezek
28:13-17; Is 14:12-15; Eph 2:2; Jn 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4; 1
Thes 3:5; Matt 4:1-11; Matt 13:25, 37-39; 1 Pet 5:8; Lk
22:3-4; Mk 13:21-23; 1 Jn 4:3; 2 Jn 7; 1 Jn 2:22; Rev
13:13-14; 2 Thes 2:3-10; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; Rev 12:7-10; 1
Jn 3:8; Rev. 19:20; 20:1-3, 10; Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4; Matt
25:41
Section 7 – Creation
We
believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it
is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or
figuratively; that man was created directly in God's own
image and after His own likeness; that man's creation
was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of
species or development through interminable periods of
time from lower to higher forms; and that all animal and
vegetable life was made directly and God's established
law was that they should bring forth only "after their
kind."
Gen
1-2; Jn 1:1-3; Mk 13:19; Heb 11:3; Col 1:15-17; Rom
1:20; Acts 17:28-29; Col 2:8; 1 Tim 6:20; Rom 1:22-27
Section 8 – Man
We
believe that man was created in innocence under the law
of his maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from
his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which all
men and women are now sinners, not by constraint, but of
choice, and are therefore under just condemnation
without defense or excuse.
Gen
3:1-6; Rom 5:12, 19; Rom 3:10-19; Eph 2:1-3; Gal 3:22;
Rom 1:18; Rom 1:32; Rom 1:20
Section 9 – The Atonement for Sin
We
believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of
grace; through the mediatory office of the Son of God,
who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon
Himself our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine
law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a
full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His
blood atonement consisted not in setting us an example
by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary
substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, the just
dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins
in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the
dead, He is now enthroned in heaven and uniting in His
wonderful person the most tender sympathies with divine
perfection. He is in every way qualified to be a
suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.
Eph
2:8; Acts 15:11; Jn 3:16; Matt. 18:11; 1 Tim 2:5; Heb
9:12-15; Phil 2:7; Heb 2:14; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; Is
53:4-7; Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 4:10; 1 Cor 15:3; Heb 9:22; Col
1:14; Eph 1:7; 2 Cor 5:21; Jn 10:18; Phil 2:8; Gal 1:4;
1 Pet 2:24; 1 Pet 3:18; Is 53:11-12; Heb 12:2; 1 Cor
15:20; Heb 7:25; 1 Jn 2:2
Section 10 – The New Creature
We
believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born
again; that the new birth makes us new creatures in
Christ Jesus; that the new birth is instantaneous and
not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in
trespasses and sins is made a partaker of the divine
nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God;
that the new birth is brought about in a manner above
our comprehension, not by culture, not by character, nor
by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power
of the Holy Spirit in connection with the divine truth,
so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel;
and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits
of repentance and faith and newness of life.
Jn 3:3;
1 Jn 5:1; Jn 3:6-7; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:1; Col 2:13; Rom
6:23; Jn 1:12-13; Gal 5:22; Eph. 5:9; 2 Pet 1:4;1 Jn
3:1-3; Phil 3:21
Section 11 – Free Salvation
We
believe in God's electing grace; that the blessings of
salvation are made free to all by the gospel; that it is
the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial,
penitent and an obedient faith; and nothing prevents the
salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own
inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the
gospel; which rejection involves him in an aggravated
condemnation. We believe in salvation by grace through
faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary
plus nothing. Therefore, we do not believe that works
are necessary for salvation, although once a person is
saved, he should be careful to maintain good works.
Rom
5:15-18; 1 Thes 1:4; 1 Pet 1:2; Tit 1:1; Eph 2:8-9; Tit
3:5; Rom 10:9-10, 13; Is 55:6-7, Jn 3:15-16; 1 Tim 1:15;
Heb 2:3; Jn 3:18, 36; Tit 3:8
Section 12 – Justification
We
believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ
secures to such as believe in Him is justification; that
justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift
of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it
is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of
righteousness which we have done, but solely through
faith in the Redeemer's blood as His righteousness is
imputed to us; and that the sinner is justified the
moment he receives Jesus Christ.
Acts
13:39; Rom 8:1; 5:9; 5:1; Tit 3:5-7; Rom 1:17; Gal 2:16,
3:11; Rom 4:1-8; 1 Cor 6:11
Section 13 – Repentance and Faith
We
believe that Repentance and Faith are solemn
obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our
souls by the quickening Spirit of God, thereby; being
deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, helplessness, and
of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with
unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for
mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord
Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and
all-sufficient Savior.
Acts
20:21; Mk 1:15; Lk 13:3, 5; 18:13; Acts 26:20; 1 Thes
1:9; Ps. 51:1-4; Is 55:6-7; Rom 10:9-10, 13; Lk 12:8
Section 14 – The Church
We
believe that the church, which is the body of Christ, is
a spiritual organism made up of all born-again
Christians. The Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation and
head of the Church and the head of every true local
church.
Eph
1:22-23; Col 1:18, 24; Eph 5:23-24, 30-32; 1 Cor 12:13
We
believe that a local Baptist Church is a congregation of
baptized Believers associated by covenant of faith and
fellowship of the gospel, said church being understood
to be the citadel and propagator of Divine and Eternal
Grace; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by
His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges
invested in them by His Word; that its officers of
ordination are pastors (also referred to in Scripture as
elders), and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and
duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; and we
believe the true mission of the church is found in the
Great Commission: first, to make individual disciples;
second, to edify the church; and third, to reach others
and instruct them as He has commanded. We do not
believe in the reversal of this order; we hold that the
local church has the right of self-government, free from
the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or
organizations; that the one and only superintendent is
Christ 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 every church is the sole and only judge of
the measure and method of its cooperation; and on all
matters of membership, of policy, of government, of
discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church
is final.
Acts
2:41-42; 1 Cor 11:2; Col 1:18; Eph 5:23-24; Acts 14:23;
Acts 20:17-28; 1 Pet 5:1-4; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Acts 6:5-6;
Eph 4:11-16; Matt 28:19-20; 1 Cor 12:4; 1 Cor 12:8-11
Section 15 – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We
believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water
of a Believer in the name of the Father, of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost, with the authority of the local
church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior,
with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to
a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of
a church relation and to the Lord's Supper, in which the
members of the church, by the sacred use of bread and
the fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the
dying love of Christ, preceded always by solemn
self-examination. We maintain an open communion. We
believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper constitute
the only two scriptural ordinances for the church, but
that neither has any saving power.
Matt
28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:36-39; Acts 10:47-48;
Matt 3:16; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor 11:23-33
Section 16 – The Eternal Security and Assurance of
Believers
We
believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by
God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We
believe that it is the privilege of Believers to rejoice
in the assurance of their salvation through the
testimony of God's word, which, however, clearly forbids
the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the
flesh.
Jn
5:24; Jn 6:37-40; Jn 10:27-30; Rom 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor
1:4-8; 1 Pet 1:4-5; Rom 13:13-14; Gal 5:13; Tit 2:11-15
Section 17 – The Righteous and the Wicked
We
believe that there is a radical and essential difference
between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as
through faith are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly
righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in
impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and
under the curse, and this distinction holds among men
both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of
the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the
lost
Mal
3:18; Gen 18:25; Prov 11:31; Rom 6:23; Rom 6:16-18; 1
Pet 1:18-19; Rom. 1:17; 1 Cor 15:22; 1 Jn 5:19; Gal
3:10; Rom 7:6; Prov 14:32; Lk 16:25; Matt 25:34,41, 46;
Jn 8:21; Matt 7:13-14
Section 18 – Civil Government
We
believe that God has ordained and created all authority
consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2)
the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to
these authorities, but all (including the authorities
themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His
word. God has given each institution specific Biblical
responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities
with the understanding that no institution has the right
to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and
the state are equal and sovereign in their respective
Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God.
Eph
5:22-24; 1 Cor 11:3; Eph 6:1-3; Col 1:18; 1 Pet 5:1-4;
Matt 18:17-18; 1 Cor 14:40; Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-14;
Matt 22:21; Acts 4:19-21; 2 Sam 23:3; Ex 18:21; Heb
13:17
Section 19 – Resurrection, Return of Christ, and Related
Events
We
believe in and accept the sacred Scriptures upon these
subjects at their full face value. Of the Resurrection,
we believe that Christ rose bodily the third day
according to the Scriptures; that He alone is our
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God; that “this same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen Him go into heaven” - bodily, personally, and
visibly; that at the rapture of the church the dead in
Christ shall rise first; that the living saints shall
all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump; that at the Second Coming of Jesus
the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His
father David; and that Christ shall reign a thousand
years in righteousness until He hath put all enemies
under His feet.
Matt
28:6-7; Mk 16:6, 19; Lk 24:2, 4-6; Lk 24:39; Jn 20:27; 1
Cor 15:4; Acts 1:9-11; Lk 24:51; Heb 8:1, 6; Rev 3:21;
Heb 12:2; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 Jn 2:1; Heb 2:17; 5:9-10; Jn
14:3; 1 Thes 4:16-17; 1 Cor 15:42-44; 15:50-55; Matt
24:27, 42; Heb 9:28; Lk 1 :31-33; Is 11:4-5; Ps 72:8;
Rev 20:1-4, 6; 1 Cor 15:25
Section 20 – Missions
We
believe that the command to give the gospel to the world
is clear and unmistakable and this commission was given
to the church. It is the church's clear responsibility
to carry out this commission by sending forth those whom
God has called. The equipping and supplying of these
"missionaries" is solely the duty of the church.
Matt.
28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Jn 20:21; Rom 10:13-15; Acts 1:8;
Acts 13:1-3
Section 21 – The Grace of Giving
We
believe that every Christian, as a steward of that
portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated
to support his local church financially. We believe that
God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but
that every Christian should also give other offerings
sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the
church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of
the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all
rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once
the gift has been made.
Gen
14:20; Heb 7:2-4; Lev 27:32; Prov 3:9-10; 1 Cor 16:1-2;
2 Cor 9:6-8; 2 Cor 8:8-12; Acts 20:35
Section 22 – Human Sexuality
We
believe that God has commanded that a man and a woman
shall not engage in intimate sexual activity outside of
marriage. We believe that any form of homosexuality,
lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest,
fornication, and adultery are sinful perversions of
God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of
and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery
or appearance. We believe that the only legitimate
marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
Gen
2:24; Heb 13:4; Eph 5:22-33; Rom 7:2-3; 1 Cor 7:10-11;
Gen 26:8-9; Lev 18:1-30; 1 Cor 5:1-5; 6:9-10; 1 Thes
4:1-8; 1 Cor 6:13-16; Gen 19:5, 13; Rom 1:26-28; 1 Cor
5:11-13
Section 23 – Family Relationships
We
believe that men and women are spiritually equal in
position before God but that God has ordained distinct
and separate spiritual functions for men and women in
the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader
of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and
deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are
eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. We
believe that God has ordained the family as the
foundational institution of human society. The husband
is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife
is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her
husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ.
Children are “an heritage of the Lord.” Parents are
responsible for teaching their children spiritual and
moral values and leading them through consistent
lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including
Scriptural corporal correction.
Gen
1:26-28; Gal 3:28; Col 3:18-19; 1 Pet 3:1-7; Eph
5:21-33; 1 Cor 7:1-16; 1 Tim 2:8-15; Mk 10:6-12; Ps
127:3-5; Eph 6:1-3; Ex 20:12; Col 3:20-21; Eph 6:4, Deut
6:4-9; I Tim 3:4-5, 12; Prov 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14
Section 24 – Divorce and Remarriage
We
believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and
intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies.
Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on
the defined grounds of the Scripture. These grounds are
fornication and desertion. These instances of divorce
clearly involve an innocent party. It must be noted
that there are many divorced who have since truly
repented of wrongdoing. The position of this church is
that in the above instances, the role of this church is
not punitive. Divorced and remarried persons or
divorced persons may hold positions of service deemed
appropriate by this church's leadership, including the
positions of pastor, assistants to the pastor and
deacons.
Mal
2:14-17; Matt 19:3-12; 1 Cor 7:1-16, 27-28, 39; Rom
7:1-4; Hos 2:1-2; 1 Tim 3:2, 12; Tit 1:6
Section 25 – Abortion
We
believe that human life begins at conception and the
unborn child is a living human being. Abortion
constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn
human life. Abortion IS murder. We reject any teaching
that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth
defects, gender selection, and birth or population
control are acceptable.
Job
3:16; Ps 51:5; Is 44.24; 49:1, 5; Jer 1:5; 20:15-18; Lk
1:44
Section 26 – Love
We
believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not
only toward fellow Believers, but also those who oppose
us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously,
gently, patiently, and humbly. Although God commands us
to abhor sinful actions and practices, we are to love
and pray for any person who engages in such. We further
believe that, in the instances of violent attack, war,
and assault, the Believer should react in an appropriate
manner to defend the innocent. This is also in keeping
with our responsibility to a God-ordained government.
Lev
19:18; Matt 5:44-48; Lk 6:31; Jn 13:34-35; Rom 12:9-10,
17-21; Rom 13:8-10; Phil 2:2-4; Titus 3:2; 1 Jn 3:17-18;
Lk 22:36-38
Section 27 – Lawsuits Between Believers
We
believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing
civil lawsuits against other Christian individuals or
the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe that
the church possesses all the resources necessary to
resolve personal disputes between members. We do
believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation
for injuries from another Christian's insurance company
as long as the claim is pursued without malice or
slander.
I Cor.
6:1-8; Eph 4:31-32 |
