Our church subscribes to the doctrinal statement of “The Baptist Faith and Message” as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on June 14, 2000.
Listed below are the abbreviated forms of the Articles of Faith:
The Bible and God
The Scriptures
1. We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired; that it is truth without mixture of error; and that it is the standard by which all human conduct and creeds should be tried.
(II Timothy 3:15-17)
The True God
2. We believe that there is one, and only one true and living God; that in the unity of the God-head there are three persons: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
(John 4:24; 10:30)
The Fall of Man and Salvation
The Fall of Man
3. We believe that man was created in holiness, but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners and are under condemnation of eternal ruin.
(Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12)
The Way of Salvation
4. We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation comes by the grace of God through faith and not by our works.
(Ephesians 2:8; Romans 8:38-39; Isaiah 53:4-5; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 5:1-2)
The Freeness of Salvation
5. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner but his own depravity and rejection of the gospel.
(Isaiah 55:1; John 3:16)
Grace, Repentance & Faith
Grace In Regeneration
6. We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated or born again through the work of the Holy Spirit.
(John 3:3; II Corinthians 5:17)
Repentance and Faith
7. We believe that repentance and faith are inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, and are essential steps in salvation.
(Mark 1:15; Romans 10:9; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:1-5)
Justification
8. We believe that through justification the perfect righteousness of God is imputed to the believers in Christ Jesus.
(Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1-2)
Sanctification
9. We believe that sanctification is a progressive process by which the believer is made partaker of God’s holiness, and that this process begins in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
(Philippians 2:12-13; I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23-24)
God’s Purpose and Election
10. Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is a glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause of Christ, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
(John 10:27-29; Romans 8:28-39; I Peter 1:3-5; Ephesians 1:12-14)
A Gospel Church
11. We believe that a New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a congregation of baptized believers bound together in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; and that Jesus committed the ministry of His gospel to His churches. This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation members are equally responsible.
(Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 12)
Baptism
12. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior; the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
(Matthew 28:19-20; 3:13-17; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:35-39)
Lord’s Supper
13. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby Christians, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. Self-examination should always precede partaking of the
Lord’s Supper.
(I Cor. 11:23-29)
The Lord’s Day
14. We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It commemorated the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion.
(Acts 20:7; Exodus 20:8-11)
The World to Come
15. We believe at the last day Christ will descend from heaven; the dead will be raised; a solemn judgment and separation will then take place; and His judgment will fix forever the final state of men in Heaven or Hell.
(Acts 1:11; 24:15; Matthew 13:49; 25:31-46)