Our Beliefs

Doctrinal Statement

Bible

I believe that the whole Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, is verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings, is supernatural in its preservation as well as in its origin, and is the supreme and final authority in faith and life.

God

I believe in one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth; eternal, almighty, infallible and unchangeable, infinitely wise, just and holy, and that God eternally exists and manifests Himself to us in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word manifested in flesh. I believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary and is, therefore, true God and true Man. I believe in His vicarious, substitutionary and redeeming death, Christ receiving in Himself the penalty of man's sin. I believe in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension, and in His personal, imminent, and pre-millenniel return for His redeemed ones.

Holy Spirit

I believe in the Holy Spirit, in His personality, that He is God; and that His work is to "reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, and that He will guide me into all truth."

Man

I believe that Man was created in the image of God, after His likeness, but the whole human race fell in the fall of the first Adam. All men, until they accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, are lost, darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, hardened in heart, morally and spiritually dead through their trespasses and sins. They cannot see nor enter the Kingdom of God until they are born again of the Holy Spirit.

Salvation

I believe that men are justified on the simple and single ground of the shed blood of Christ and upon the simple and single condition of faith in Him Who shed the blood, and are born again by the quickening, renewing, cleansing, work of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God.

Heaven

I believe that all those who receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour and their Lord and who confess Him as such before their fellow men become children of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. At death their spirits depart to be with Christ in conscious blessedness and at the second coming of Christ their bodies shall be raised and transformed into the likeness of the body of His Glory.

Hell

I believe that all those who persistently reject Jesus Christ in the present life shall be raised from the dead and throughout eternity exist in a state of conscious, unutterable, endless torment and anguish.

Church

I believe that the Church consists of all those who, in his present dispensation, truly believe in Jesus Christ. It is the body and bride of Christ, which Christ loves and for which He has given Himself up.

Satan

I believe that there is a personal devil, a being of great cunning and power. "The Prince of the power of the air." "The Prince of this world." "The god of this age." He can exert vast power only so far as God suffers him to do so. He shall ultimately be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever.

Ordinances

I believe that Jesus Christ instituted the two sacraments [or ordinances]; first, the Lord's Supper commemorating His death till He come; second, water baptism as a symbol of the believers' union with Christ in His death and in His resurrection.

Practices

Music

Many churches believe that in order to reach the world, worldly music must be used. The argument given is that all music is amoral (neither inherently good or evil); it is the message which makes the song good or bad. We believe that music, like other cultural expressions, can have a good or bad connotation. Some music styles are specifically used as an expression of rebellion. It is not appropriate to worship a holy God with music which culturally expresses rebellion. For this reason, we use traditional hymns in our church services. We are not opposed to new music which is appropriate for true worship, but we recognize that some modern music styles would be inconsistent with a Christian message.

Bible Versions

Because of the multiplicity of Bible versions in our society and the confusion and division which they have caused, the issue of Bible versions must be addressed. We believe that God has preserved His Word in the traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text and in the Greek Received Text. We will only use an English translation that accurately reflects the preserved original language texts. The King James Version is a proven and reliable translation of these texts. Though some of the newer versions may be the work of capable translators, they are based on faulty Greek and Hebrew texts. For this reason we use the King James Version in our church services. While we take seriously the warning of God concerning His Word in Revelation 22:18, 19, we do not seek to make this an issue of proud divisiveness as some have done, but we desire to do whatever we can to encourage confidence in the preserved Word of God.

Charismatic Movement

The Pentecostal/Charismatic/Vineyard movements have had a huge affect on churches around the world. This has caused much confusion and debate concerning charismatic gifts such as healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc. We believe that there were miraculous sign gifts in operation while the foundation for the Church was being laid. These sign gifts were used to authenticate the message of the apostles. After the Word of God was completed, the sign gifts were no longer needed. The Word of God needs no outward authentication, since it authenticates itself. Because we believe that the sign gifts are no longer in operation today, some people would accuse us of not being baptized with the Spirit. We believe that all believers have been enlightened and indwelt by the Spirit of God. They are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit is actively involved in empoweing believers for service and Christian character.

Calvinism

While not all the members of Bible Baptist Church hold to Calvinistic beliefs, the pastor does teach a moderately Calvinistic view of salvation. By this we mean that men are dead in sin and left to themselves would never choose God. Therefore God must choose them to be saved. God must draw men to Himself, and when He does they turn to Christ for salvation. We believe that the doctrine of election does not relieve Christians of the responsibility to evangelize, that Christ bore the sins of both the elect and non-elect, and that one's election should be certain through faith, not through an examination of works. We are reluctant to use the label 'Calvinism' because of all the wrong assumptions that often come with it. We hold to this view of salvation because we believe it is biblical, not because John Calvin taught it.

Eternal Security

We believe that all who trust in Christ for salvation are secure in Him forever. The Scripture is clear that all believers are held by God (John 10:27-29), loved by God (Rom. 8:35-39), and kept by the power of God (1 Pet. 1:5). This doctrine should not lead to reckless or lawless living. Those who use eternal security as an excuse for sin have never known the reality of the doctrine. Assurance of secure salvation leads to freedom and gratitude and love. No person has ever lost his salvation, though some who have only pretended to trust in Christ have fallen away from their profession.

Separation & the Ecumenical Movement

There is a major push among many churches today to overlook all denominational differences for the sake of unity. Biblical unity is always centered on the truth. Unity that is sought at the expense of the truth is really a mockery. The Bible is the truth of God, and God’s truth causes division between those who believe it and those who refuse to believe. We believe that believers are supposed to keep themselves separate from sin, doctrinal error, and apostasy. As a church, we cannot cooperate in fellowship with unbelievers who are in rebellion to our God. We also cannot cooperate with Christian brothers whose doctrinal errors or sinful practices are hindering the work of God.

Eschatology

Many true believers hold different views on what the Bible says about future events. We have come to certain conclusions that we believe are clear from the Word of God. We believe in a pre-tribulational rapture of the Church, in which all true believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Following this will be seven years of tribulation, in which God will judge the nations. At the end of the tribulation will be the second coming of Christ, in Many true believers hold different views on what the Bible says about future which He will return to the earth to set up His kingdom. This kingdom is referred to as the Millennium, since Christ will reign for one thousand years. Because we hold to these beliefs about future events, our eschatology would be classified as pre-tribulational and pre-millennial.

Creation & Evolution

The idea of evolution is the accepted norm in the secular scientific world. The Bible teaches that God created the universe in six literal days. This would mean that the earth is young being only thousands of years old, rather than millions or billions of years old. Through the chronology of the biblical genealogies we can figure out the true time frame of the creation of the world. Evolution is a philosophy that is contrary to Scripture and good science in many ways. As a church, we believe that there is no contradiction between the Bible and true science.

Psychology

Because of the influx of psychology into the church, the Christian Psychology Movement has developed. We believe that there is a conflict between secular psychology and biblical anthropology. Secular psychological beliefs such as the inherent goodness of man, the necessity of self esteem, and a materialistic view of man are inconsistent with the truths of God’s Word. The Bible clearly tells us that the counsel of the ungodly is unreliable (Psalm 1) and that the beginning of true knowledge is the fear of God (Prov. 1:7). Should we seek counsel from psychologists who do not believe the Bible? Should Christian counselors base their opinions on the work of ungodly men? We believe that the problems of the soul can be dealt with through biblical discipleship and growth in Christ.

Marriage

The institution of marriage is under attack in our society today. We believe that marriage was instituted by God, and that God alone can say what constitutes a marriage. Marriage is always only between one man and one woman. The Bible says that marriage is for life. God joins a couple together and only He can say when the marriage is over. The only biblical ground for divorce and remarriage is unrepentant adultery. If a person gets divorced, he or she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to the spouse. Remarriage for any ground other than adultery constitutes a form of adultery in the eyes of God. We desire to uphold the institution of marriage and devote ourselves to helping those whose marriages are in trouble.