Articles of Faith
1. OF THE SCRIPTURE
We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is truth without any admixture of error for its matter. God is its Author, salvation is its end, it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and is therefore,and shall remain to the end of the world, the center of true Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1: 19-21).
2. OF THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, sovereign Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Ex. 20: 2-3, 1 Cor. 8: 6, Rev. 4: 11, 1 John 5: 7).
A. God, the Father
We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all that come to Him through Jesus Christ (Isa. 6: 3, Psa. 139: 1-6, Job 38-41, John 6: 37).
B. God, the Son
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem man (John 1: 14).
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 (1 Pet. 2: 4, Eph. 1: 7).
We believe that our 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 Intercessor and Advocate (Heb. 7: 25, 1 John 2: 1).
C. God, the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts 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 seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer (John 14: 16-17, Matt. 28: 19, Heb. 9: 14, John 14: 26, Luke 1: 35, Gen. 1 1-3, John 16: 8-11, Acts 5: 30-32, John 3: 5-6, Eph. 1: 13-14, Mark 1: 8, John 1: 33, Acts 11: 16, Luke 24: 49, Rom. 8: 14, 16, 26, 27).
3. OF THE DEVIL, OR SATAN
We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the ruler of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matt. 4: 1-11, 2 Cor. 4: 4, Rev. 20: 10).
4. OF CREATION
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative Acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man, spirit, soul, and body, was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race (Gen.1&2, Col. 1: 16-17, John 1: 3).
5. OF THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men all are totally depraved, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct; and therefore are under just condemnation without defense of excuse (Gen. 3: 1-6, Rom. 3: 10-19, Rom. 5: 12,19, Rom. 1: 18, 32).
6. OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son (Gen. 3: 15, Isa. 7: 14, Matt. 1: 18-25, Luke 1: 35, John 1: 14, Heb. 1: 8).
7. OF THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him 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 atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sin 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 tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior (Eph. 2: 8, Acts 15: 11, Rom. 3: 24-25, John 3: 16, Matt. 18: 11, Phil. 2: 7, Heb. 2: 7, Isa. 54: 4-7, 1 John 4: 10, 1 Cor 15: 3, 2 Cor 5:21).
ARTICLES OF FAITH
8. OF GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life (John 3: 3,8, 2 Cor. 5: 17,19, 1 John 3: 6-7, 5: 1, Acts 16: 30-33, 2 Pet. 1: 4, Rom. 6: 23, Eph. 2:1, Col. 2: 13).
9. OF JUSTIFICATION
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares us to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God’s righteousness. It is not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood (Acts 13: 39, Isa. 53: 11, Zech. 13: 1, 2 Cor. 5: 18-21, Rom. 5:1,9, 8).
10. OF REPENTANCE
We believe that repentance is a changed mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit; that it is characterized by godly sorrow for sin as offensive to God and ruinous to the soul; and that true repentance is inseparably related to true faith (Luke 13: 1-3, 15: 7, Acts 8: 22, Rom. 2: 4, 2 Cor. 7: 10, Acts 20: 21).
11. OF FAITH AND SALVATION
We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation (Acts 16: 31, Eph. 2: 8-10, John 3: 16-18).
12. OF SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God, accomplished in a threefold manner: (1.) an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; (2.) a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; (3.) the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return for the believer in the rapture (Heb. 10: 10-14, John 17: 17, 2 Cor. 3:18, 1 Cor. 1: 30, Eph. 5: 24-27, 1 Thes. 4: 3-4, 1 John 3: 2, Jude 24-25).
13. OF THE SECURITY OF THE SAINTS
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ (Phil. 1: 6, John 10: 28-29, Rom. 8: 35-39, Jude 1).
14. OF THE CHURCH
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ, which was established on the Day of Pentecost, and that all believers, from Pentecost to the Rapture, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that this Church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of immersed 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 invested in them by His Word; and that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe 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 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 the method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Eph. 3: 1-6, 1 Cor. 12: 12-13, Acts 2: 41-42, 1 Cor. 11: 2, Eph. 1: 22-23, 4: 11, Acts 20: 17-28, 1 Tim. 3: 1-7, Col. 1: 18, Eph. 5: 23-24, Acts 15: 13-18).
15. OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that there are two church ordinances; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and that the participants are believers. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior. It pictures our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism 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 and the Lord’s Supper, and that participants should be immersed believers. (Acts 8: 36,38,39, John 3: 23, Rom. 6: 3-5, Matt. 3:16, Col. 2: 12, 1 Cor. 11: 23-28, Matt. 28: 19-20, Acts 2: 41-42).
16. OF THE MINISTRY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors and teachers are sufficient for the perfection of the saints today. We believe that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Eph. 4: 7-12, 1 Cor. 13: 8-13).
17. OF SEPARATION
We believe that all believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Lord. Separation from all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations; and from all religious apostasy (departure from the Bible faith), both apostate persons and organizations, and from brethren who co-operate with them, is commanded of God (Rom. 12: 1-2, 2 Cor. 6: 11-7: 1, 2 Tim. 3: 1-5, 2 Thes. 3: 6,14, Rom. 16: 17, 2 John 7-11).
18. OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our 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. This distinction holds among men both in life and after death, in the everlasting happiness of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire (Mal. 3: 18, Gen.18: 23, Rom. 6: 17-18, 1 John 5: 19, Rom. 7: 6, 6: 23, Prov. 14: 32, Luke 16: 25, Matt. 25: 34-41, John 8: 21, Rev. 20: 14-15).
19. OF ISRAEL
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land, and after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second coming of Christ (Gen. 13: 14-17, Rom. 11: 1-32, Ezek. 37).
20. OF 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, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the Earth (Rom. 13: 1-7, 2 Sam. 23: 3, Exod. 18: 21-22, Acts 23: 5, Matt. 22: 21, Acts 5: 29, Acts 4: 19-20, Dan. 3: 17-18).
21. OF THE RAPTURE AND SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
We believe in the imminent, premillennial return of Christ for His Church, and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seventieth week of Daniel (1 Thes. 4: 13-18, 1 Cor. 15: 42-44, 51-54, Phil. 3: 20-21, Rev. 3: 10).
We believe that the Great Tribulation will be culminated by the personal, visible return of Christ to earth with His Saints, in power and great glory to judge the nations and set up His Millennial Kingdom and reign upon the throne of David (Acts 1: 11, Matt. 24: 27-51, 25: 31-46, Jude 14-15, Rev. 19: 11-21, 20: 1-6).
New Testament Distinctives of a Baptist Church
1. The authority of the Scriptures alone for faith and practice.
We are to organize and operate our churches according to the Word of God and not by traditions or man-made creeds (2 Tim. 3: 16-17).
2. The soul liberty of a believer.
Each believer is directly accountable to God and is subject to the Word of God. No man or woman can force their beliefs on another person or church without being contrary to God’s Word (Acts 5: 29, Rom. 14: 5).
3. The Priesthood of the believer.
Each believer as a priest can draw near to God in full assurance of faith in our tasks for God, prayer, in worship, and in confession of sins (1 Pet.2:5).
4. A regenerate, baptized membership.
The word of God clearly indicates that only regenerate (saved), immersed believers should be received into the local church (Acts 2: 41, 8: 36-38).
5. The two church ordinances of baptism and Lord’s Supper.
They were ordained by Christ, observed by the churches of Acts, and organized as symbols in the Epistles (Acts 2: 41-42, 1 Cor. 11: 23-34).
6. The sovereignty of the local church.
Each church is independent and governed by the people (Acts 2: 42).
7. The separation of the church and the state.
God’s Word gives no indication of one having authority over the other, but each one’s duties or authority is given separately (Matt. 18: 15-17, Rom. 13: 1).
