Bible Believers’ Baptist Church
Church Beliefs
DEPRAVITY
By nature, man is wicked and corrupt. All
are under sin. Romans 3:10 proves that all are alike under sin in an
unregenerate condition. (Genesis 6:5; Job 15:16; Psalm 14:3; Isaiah
1:6; Jeremiah 16:12; Matthew 23:27; Mark 9:41; Romans 1:24; II Peter
2:12)
HOLY SPIRIT
The
Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion concerning the tongues
movement of this church age. The Holy Spirit ministers to the
Christian. He regenerates, baptizes (not with water), indwells,
seals, and fills the believing sinner. The believer does not get
more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit more of the believer.
Therefore, these ministries of the Holy Spirit happen
instantaneously to the believing sinner. They all occur by faith and
are not in the least dependent upon one’s personal emotional
feelings at the time. (I Corinthians 14:33; Titus 3:5; Romans 5:3-4;
Acts 2:4; I Corinthians 3:16; II Corinthians 1:22)
SEPARATION FROM THE
WORLD
We believe that all the saved are called into a life of
separation from all worldly and sinful practices. A person, once he
has accepted Christ as Saviour, is a new creation in Christ and
should live a holy consecrated life. He should separate himself from
the world and all its lust in obedience to the command of God.
(Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Colossians
2:6; I Peter 2:9; II Corinthians 5:17; II Timothy 2:19)
RAPTURE AND SECOND
COMING
The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself,
is coming in the air at any moment to catch up as many as have
received Him as Savior. Though it is understood that it is not a
biblical term, for simplicity’s sake we fondly refer to this
catching away as the “Rapture of the Church.” It is incorrect to
refer to this as the Second Coming since the Lord does not “come” to
the earth, but only to the air, but also because the Second Coming
clearly refers to the Lord’s physical and visible return to the
earth at the end of the Tribulation. At the rapture, the dead in
Christ will be resurrected and believers who are alive will be
caught up together with them (1 Thess. 4:17) and we shall all be
changed (1 Cor. 15:51). At the rapture the Lord will not be seen by
anyone but the redeemed who meet Him in the air, who will proceed to
Heaven to stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards
for service to the Lord. The people who are left behind on earth
will go through a seven year period called the Tribulation, after
which Christ Himself shall return to the earth (Second Coming),
visible in body for all to see, to set up His kingdom of one
thousand years of righteous rule. After a thousand years the
unbelievers of all ages will stand at the Great White Throne to be
judged and cast into the Lake of Fire; separated from God forever,
while the believers spend eternity in the fullness of joy in Heaven
with the Lord. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation
19:11; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 25:31-34)
BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S
SUPPER
We believe there are two ordinances of the local church.
They are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is the
immersion of believers in water, in the name of the Father, of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, administered by the authority of a New
Testament Baptist Church and is prerequisite to the privileges of a
church relation and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a
memorial ordinance of the local church members according to the
individual examinations and teaching of I Corinthians 11:17-34. The
unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, grape juice, are to
commemorate the dying love of Christ. This is a local church
ordinance. Non-church members do not participate. (Acts 8:38; Mark
1:9-10)
DEVIL OR SATAN
We
believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the god of this
world, blinding the minds of them, which believe not, and the author
of all the power of darkness. We believe that Satan was once holy,
and enjoyed heavenly honors. But, through pride and ambition, to be
as the Almighty, he fell and drew after him a host of angels. Satan
is the author of all false religions, the chief power of
darkness—destined, however, to judgment of an eternal justice in
Hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Matthew 4:1-3;
Revelation 20:1-3; II Corinthians 4:3,4; Revelation 20:10; I Peter
5:8; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17)
RESURRECTION
We
believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
arose bodily “the third day according to the Scriptures” from the
tomb, ascended bodily into the heavens, and through His resurrection
a sure hope of immortality and everlasting life is given to all who
have been saved by His grace. He is at the right hand of God as our
“Mediator, merciful and faithful High Priest, and advocate.” (John
20; Hebrews 9:24; I Corinthians 15:12-28; Luke 24:1-7; Romans 4:25)
ETERNAL SECURITY
We
believe in the eternal security of all believers in our Lord Jesus
Christ. When a person is born again they have everlasting life,
which never ends, and cannot be taken away from them. Saved forever,
God’s children are kept by the power of God through faith unto
eternal salvation and sealed unto the day of redemption. (John
10:27-30; I Peter 1:5; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:35-39; John 5:24)
SOUL WINNING AND
MISSIONS
We believe that the Great Commission to evangelize the
world was given to the church by our risen Lord and that this
evangelization is the mission of the church. The Great Commission
was given to the local church who was commanded to “Go ye into all
the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Christ commanded
His church to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19-20;
Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
SANCTIFICATION
We
believe that sanctification is a personal separation from things
that are unclean to things that are holy, clean, and sacred.
Sanctification is a progressive work that is begun in regeneration
and carried on in the hearts of the believers by the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit. The sanctification of the believer will be
complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, and only
then, will we have entire sanctification or be sanctified wholly,
body, soul, and spirit. (I Thessalonians 4:1-10, 5:23; I Corinthians
6:11; II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 3:18; II Thessalonians 2:13;
Romans 8:5)
LOCAL CHURCH
We
believe that a scriptural church is a visible assembly of baptized
believers, covenanted together under New Testament law for the
purpose of carrying out the Great Commission, with an unbroken
history from the personal ministry of Jesus on earth to this present
day. This church is a self-governed independent body having Christ
as the head, the Holy Spirit for its guide, and the Bible as the
only rule of faith and practice. The only scriptural offices of the
church are bishop (or pastor) and deacons. The two ordinances of the
local church are baptism and Lord’s Supper. On all matters of
membership, policy, government, discipline, or benevolence, etc.,
the will of the local church is final. (Mark 16:15; Ephesians
1:22,23; I Timothy 3; Titus 1; Acts 20:17-20)