What We Believe
Our church is committed to the uncompromising preaching and teaching of every truth in the inerrant Word of God. The Bible is our law, creed, and final authority in all matters relating to faith and practice.
Articles of Faith
We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consisting of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, was given by divine inspiration and is the inerrant and authoritative Word of God; that it reveals man’s state by nature and presents the only means of his salvation; that it constitutes the only perfect rule and final authority in all matters pertaining to the Christian faith and practice; and that it sets forth the principles by which man will be judged.
Isaiah 8:20; Acts 4:12, 17:11; Romans 2:1-3, 3:10-12; 1st Thessalonians 2:13; 2nd Timothy 3:16, 17; 2nd Peter 1:19, 20, 21.
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; 1st John 5:7.
a. God the Father
We believe in God the Father, creator, and sustainer of all things visible and invisible, who is true holiness, eternal power, infinite love, perfect justice, absolute truth, the Alpha and Omega, the “I AM THAT I AM.”
Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14, 20:2-3; Leviticus 19:2; Romans 1:20, 3:26; Titus 1:22; 1st John 4:8-9; Revelation 22:13.
b. God the Son
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He ever liveth to make intercession for His saints, in His premillennial coming for His saints and in His return to earth to reign in power and glory.
Zechariah 14:4-9; Matthew 1:18, 22, 23, 28:6; John 1:14; Acts 1:9-11, 10:38; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1st Peter 1:19; Hebrews 4:15, 7:25.
c. God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who moved holy men of God to write the Scriptures, who convicts of sin, who quickens in the new birth, who baptizes and is the earnest of our inheritance, and who indwells the believer with power for holy living and service.
John 14:16-17, 16:8-9; Romans 2:11; 1st Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2nd Peter 1:21.2
We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God in His own image as given in the Genesis account and not by process of evolution; that through disobedience to God, lost his first estate and thereby became a sinner in need of a Savior, and that since that time all men are born sinners, spiritually dead, alienated from God, and stand in need of personal redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-24; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23-24, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1, 4:18; Colossians 1:14, 21, 2:13; Hebrews 9:12.
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace. That the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, shedding His blood on the cross as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who repent and believe in Him, receiving Him by faith as personal Savior, are thereby justified on the grounds of His shed blood.
Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 19:14; John 1:12; Acts 10:45, 13:38-39, 17:30; Romans 4:4-5, 5:9; 1st Corinthians 15:3, 5:6; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; Colossians 2:6.
We believe that in order to be saved, all men being sinners must be born again. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again. We believe that this new birth is instantaneous, not a process; and that it is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We believe that in the new birth God justifies the believer and writes his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life and that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer with power for holy living and service. We further believe that every believer stands as a priest before God.
John 1:12-13, 3:3-8, 16:7-8; Acts 16:30-34; Romans 3:10, 23, 8:33; 1st Corinthians 6:19-20; 2nd Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23; Titus 3:5-7; 1st Peter 1:23, 2:5; Revelation 1:6, 3:20, 21:27.
We believe that justification is a judicial act of God by which He imparts to the born-again believer complete pardon of sins, the gift of eternal life and imputes to the believer His own righteousness. We believe that justification is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which the believer has done, but solely because of his faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:24, 6:47; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:21, 22, 25, 3:25, 4:5-8; Philippians 3:8-9; Titus 3:5.
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and wicked. We believe the righteous to be those who have been born of the Spirit of God through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wicked to be those who have never been born of the Spirit of God. We believe that the righteous are assured of eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ whereas the wicked are destined to everlasting conscious suffering in a real and literal hell, eternally separated from God.
Psalm 1; Malachi 3:18; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; John 1:19-23, 3:3, 5, 18; Romans 8:9; Galatians 3:26; 1st John 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15.
We believe in the reality of Satan, a living personality who is the unholy prince of this world, the author of all powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.
Matthew 4:1-3; 2nd Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10.
We believe that all who are truly born again are eternally secure since they have been saved by believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and are kept by the power of God unto salvation, and can never be lost.
John 10:26-29; Acts 16:31; Romans 8:31-39, 10:9, 10, 13; 2nd Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 1st Peter 1:3-5; 1st John 5:1.
We believe that the true church is the body of Christ, a living organism made up of born-again believers including those who have gone to be with the Lord and that this spiritual body is made manifest through the local church, a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; His Word; that its officers are pastors and deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.
Acts 2:41-42, 47, 29:17-28; 1st Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11, 5:30; Colossians 1:18; 1st Timothy 3:17; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18.
We believe that Christ as the Head of the church commanded two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper:
a. Baptism
We believe that baptism, as taught in the Scriptures, is by immersion, is not necessary for salvation, yet it is the privilege and duty of every child of God to follow the Lord in baptism as an open confession of his identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Mark:9; Luke 23:39-43; John 3:23; Acts 8:38-39, 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-5.
b. The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed by the born-again believers in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ and that its observance shows forth His death until He comes and should always be preceded by self-examination.
Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20; 1st Corinthians 11:17-34.
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His bodily ascension into heaven where He now is at the right hand of God as our High Priest, Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate.
Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:36-40, 24:50-51; John 20:27; Acts 1:9; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 9:15; 1st John 2:1.
We believe in the imminent, personal, visible, pretribulational, premillennial return of Christ. This will be accomplished in two stages: First, the rapture – Christ’s coming for His saints when Christ will descend into the air to catch away his waiting bride, the Church. Second, the revelation – Christ’s descending with His saints, to establish the long-promised kingdom and to reign upon the earth for a thousand years. Between these two stages, the great tribulation judgments are visited upon the apostate and rebellious world.
Daniel 7:13, 14; Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:34-37; Luke 1:32, 33; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10, 11; Romans 8:16-19; 1st Corinthians 15:12-58; Jude 1:14; Revelation 3:11, 5:9, 10, 6:19, 19:14, 20:4-6.
We believe that civil government is ordained of God for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the protection of the good. We, therefore, consider it our duty to pray for rulers and magistrates and to be submissive and obedient to their authority, except in things opposed to the will and Word of God. We believe in the separation of Church and State.
Matthew 23:10; Acts 4:19, 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1st Peter 2:13, 14.
Bible Baptist Church Covenant
Having been led by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior; and on the profession of our faith having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We engage therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to its local and missionary program.
We also engage to maintain family and private devotions; to seek the salvation of our loved ones and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world, to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, to avoid all appearance of evil; to avoid all worldly practice which might bring reproach to the cause of Christ, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We will be present at all of the services of this church unless providentially hindered; support the work of the church with tithes, offerings, and prayer; honor and esteem our pastor, pray for him fervently and daily, submit to him in Scriptural exercise of his official authority, manifesting a proper consideration for his reputation.
We also will serve willingly and faithfully in any office to which we might be elected or appointed, and seek opportunities for active participation in the ministry of this church, manifesting at all times a spirit of true Christian humility, endeavoring to advance the real interest of the church as a whole and those of each fellow-member in particular.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling, and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always be ready for reconciliation, and mindful of our Savior’s admonishment to secure it without delay.
Finally, we engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like precious faith, where we can continue to carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.