I. THE WORD OF GOD

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and there is, and will remain to the end. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. 

 

II. THE TRINITY

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator,  Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy  Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. 

 

III. GOD THE FATHER

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing all-loving, and all-wise. God is  Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. 

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IV. JESUS CHRIST

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross. He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God,  fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord. 

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V. THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens, equips, and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

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VI. REGENERATION

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.  It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior. 

 

VII. THE CHURCH

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers,  associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by  His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages,  believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. 

 

VIII. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.  Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of  God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice,  and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.

 

IX. THE ORDINANCES

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an 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. 

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. 

 

X. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

I Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9,12

 

XI. CHURCH COOPERATION

Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involved no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word. 

 

XII. THE LAST THINGS

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus  Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. 

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For our full Statement of Faith,

please see the Baptist Faith and Message 2000