Baptist faith and belief:
THE BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God and that it is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. For reasons of unity within the church and textual reliability we choose to use the King James version of the Bible. II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21
GOD
We believe that God is a person, eternally existing as a Trinity in un
ity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three persons and yet one God. Deut. 6:4; Matt. 26:19; I Cor. 8:6
JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, eternally existing, who became a sinless man in order to redeem us. Luke 1:30-55; John 1:1-15; Phil. 2:5-8
MAN
We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell through sin, bringing not only physical death, but also spiritual death or eternal separation from God. Now all of mankind exists as a fallen race, with an inherited sinful nature. Gen. 1:26,27; Gen. 2:16; Gen. 3:16-19; Rom. 3:10-23; Rom. 6:23
SALVATION
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died as a substitutionary payment for the sins of the whole world. He physically arose from the dead and then ascended into Heaven. Simple faith in this sacrifice is the only way of salvation for mankind. Luke 24; Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 5:8-10; Eph. 1:20-23; I Peter 3:18
THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that the local church is a group of believers baptized by immersion, banded together for edification, exhortation, and evangelism as commanded by Christ in the Great Commission; preaching the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15; I Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:22,23
THE SECOND COMING
We believe that Jesus Christ Himself will soon come again in the air, to catch up the saved and to reward their service; the unbelievers left behind will go through a period called the Tribulation, after which Christ will return to the earth to set up His Kingdom of one thousand years of righteous rule; after this, 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.
