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Our Beliefs...
In essential beliefs-we have unity.
"There is one
Body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and
one God and Father of us all..." Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)
In nonessential beliefs-we have liberty.
"Accept him whose
faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters...Who are you
to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls...So
then each of us will give an account of himself to God...So whatever you
believe about these things keep between yourself and God." Romans
14:1,4,12,22 (NIV)
In all our beliefs-we show charity.
"...If I hold in
my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and
if I have the faith that can move mountains-but have no love, I am nothing
at all." 1 Corinthians 13:2 (Ph)
The Essentials We Believe
1. Concerning
the Bible--We
believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by
God and without error, and that they are our supreme and final authority in
all matters concerning faith and life.
2. Concerning
God--We
believe in one God, the Creator, eternally existing in three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Concerning
Jesus Christ--We
believe that Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God, conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the virgin Mary,
4. Concerning
the Holy Spirit--We
believe that the Holy Spirit Indwells and gives spiritual life to all
believers, enables them to understand Biblical truth, empowers them for
godly living, gives them spiritual gifts, and equips them for service and
witness.
5. Concerning
Human Beings--We
believe that God created Adam and Eve in His divine Image; that they sinned
resulting in the spiritual, physical, and emotional fall of humanity.
We believe that all people by their own decisions have chosen to sin and as
a result stand guilty before God and are in need of a Savior.
6. Concerning
Salvation--We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all
who believe in Him alone are justified on the basis of His shed
blood. We believe that all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ
are born again of the Holy Spirit and as a result become children of God.
7. Concerning
the Resurrection--We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of
our Lord Jesus Christ, in His bodily ascension into Heaven, and in His
present life there for us, as High Priest and Advocate.
8. Concerning
Christ's Return--We
believe in the personal and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
9. Concerning
Eternity--We
believe in the eternal nature of all humanity. The resurrection and
enjoyment of the presence of God for all those who receive His Son; and the
eternal punishment of the absence of God and His influence for those who
reject the gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
10. Concerning
the Church--We
believe that the New Testament church is the local body of baptized
believers with Jesus Christ as its head and the Holy Spirit as its
guide. New Testament churches promote God's work by cooperating
together for missions, which primarily involves making disciples of Jesus
Christ, but also can include many other joint efforts. The local
church is to be governed independently of outside persons, bodies, groups,
or authorities.
11. Concerning
the Ordinances--We
believe that the local church observes two ordinances--baptism and the
Lord's Supper. We believe that all who have received Christ as Savior
and Lord should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit; that baptism is by immersion as a picture of the death,
burial, and resurrection of Christ; and that the Lord's Supper should be
observed in remembrance of Him as a testimony to His death for our sins
until He comes again.
Why Are We Baptist?
Baptists are recognized for the
following characteristics:
Roots
Baptists stem from Christians in England and Europe who
sought freedom from Church that was wedded to the State. This is why
issues of individual freedom and church autonomy are so important to
Baptists. Many of these "separatists" saw an opportunity
for religious freedom in the New Word of North America. The
development of the ideas of Western democracy and Baptist church experience
grew up together.
Personal Response to God
We are convinced that every person has the opportunity
to know God directly through Jesus Christ. This is sometimes called
"the priesthood of all believers" or "soul competency."
We believe that what God has done for us in Jesus Christ is so profound and
complete that every believer can know and follow God. They have been
made competent in Christ and no other priestly mediation is necessary.
Freedom
This freedom enjoyed by individuals is extended also to
our churches, associations, and conventions. The autonomy of the local
church allows the membership of each church opportunity to discern and
follow the Lord without uninvited involvement from any other ecclesiatical
body or representative. Each congregation is encouraged to live
directly under the Headship of Christ. The voluntary working together
in local associations and a national convention is an important part of our
freedom and each of these bodies also enjoys the same democratic freedom
and autonomy.
Authority
As the freedom of Western democracies are guided by
constitutions, Baptists are guided by the Scriptures of the Old and New
Tesaments. All of our freedoms are guaranteed and shaped by the
authority of the Bible alone. Southern Baptists have found it helpful
to summarize biblical teachings through Confessions of Faith.
Confessions, however, are never held on the same authoritative level as the
inspired (God-breathed) Scriptures. The Baptist Faith and Message
adopted in 2000 is the confession by which this, and most, Southern
Baptist churches adhere to.
Cooperation
The Scriptures make clear every believer's and church's
freedom in Christ. Jesus also calls His followers to work together in
love for the sake of the Gospel. Interdependence, then, is as important a
value as independence. The unique contribution of Southern Baptists
to working together for the spread of the Gospel is the Cooperative
Program. Each congregation, no matter the size, can contribute to
this mission fund that pools money together which is then used to support
missionaries, staff, and projects that could never be supported by a single
congregation. This is really the primary purpose for us working together as
a denomination. We also seek to be cooperative with other Christian
groups in living out and declaring the love of God as revealed by the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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