With practical Bible teaching, activities for all ages, a mix of traditional and contemporary music in our worship service and a family-friendly atmosphere we are sure you will find Shapleigh Baptist Church is a place for you to belong. Bible: We believe in the absolute authority, and inerrancy of the 66 books of the Bible, and in the full verbal inspiration and accuracy of the original manuscript
. We believe it is the all sufficient and final authority of the Christian rule of faith and practice. Proverbs 30:5; Isaiah 40:8; 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17; 2 Peter 1: 19-21.
2. God: We believe that there is but one God the Creator, Preserver and Ruler of all things. He is perfect in holiness and in love, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. Further more we believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He reveals Himself to us as three distinct entities- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:4; Nehemiah 9:6; 1 Chronicles 29:11 & 12; Exodus 15:11; 1 John 4:8b; Matthew 28:19.
3. Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is true God and true man, the only mediator between God and man. We believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal, visible, premillennial return from heaven. Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 12, 14; John 12:45 & 14:9; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
4. Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with
the Father and the Son, and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgement; that He bears witness to the church; that He is the agent of the new birth; that at conversion He baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies and helps the believer; that He indwells every true child of God. Joel 2:28-29; Mark 1:8; John 7:37-39; John 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 3:18
5. The Trinity: (Tri-Unity) We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that they are equal in every divine perfection; that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence (care and guidance of mankind) and redemption. Genesis 1:1-2, 1:26; John 14:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 4:1, 17:5, 28:19; Acts 5:3-4;
Hebrews 1:8.
6. Mankind: We believe that mankind was created in the image of God, by God; that mankind was originally in fellowship and communication with God; that by man’s choice, he sinned, breaking this fellowship and incurring both physical and spiritual death. Therefore, all mankind, by nature and by choice, are sinners and unable, by themselves, to re-establish fellowship with God; that those who repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that marriage is instituted by God between one man and one woman for a lifetime, and that one of its main functions is for the procreation and nurturing of children. We further believe that all human life is precious and should be protected from conception until death.
[life] Genesis 1:26, 5:21-22; Exodus 20:13; Isaiah 44:2; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Ezekiel 18:20a; Romans 3:23; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23. [marriage] Genesis 2:20-25; Hebrews 13:4.
7. Justification: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who repent and believe in Him are cleansed from their sins and made right with God on the grounds of His shed blood. Romans 3:28, 5:1, 10:10 (ESV); 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Revelation 1:5.
8. Salvation: We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works; that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit, and are therefore children of God. We believe in the eternal security of the believer. John 6:37-40, 10:27-29; Ephesians 1:13 & 14, 2:8 & 9, 4:30; 1 John 1:12, 3:3; Romans 8:14-17
9. Resurrection of Jesus: We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present ministry there for us as high priest and advocate. Matthew 28:1-10; John 10:17-18; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:25.
10. Resurrection of Man: We believe in a bodily resurrection of the saved to everlasting blessedness in the presence of God in heaven and a bodily resurrection of the unsaved to everlasting punishment in hell. John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 20:12-15.
11. The Local Church and Ordinances: We believe that the local church is the expression of the Body of Christ and is a voluntary association of baptized believers, equal in rank and privilege, subject to the Word of God. Authority for the governing of the local church resides within itself. We believe that the ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that God’s Word commands every believer to be baptized by immersion in water. Although baptism has no saving merit, it does show forth in solemn and beautiful symbolism the believer’s faith and union with the crucified, buried and risen Savior. We believe that the Lord’s Supper, also called communion, is to be regularly shared with fellow believers in remembrance of Christ.
[church] Matthew 18:15-17; Acts 2:41-47, 8:38, 15:4, 1 Corinthians 11:18, 14:35; 1 Timothy 3:5. [baptism] Acts 8:38; 18:8; Romans 6:3-5.
[communion] 1 Corinthians 11:23-28.
12. The Future: We believe in the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church. He will come in glory with the believers to set up His millennial kingdom upon the earth, followed by an eternal kingdom of a new heaven and earth. The saved will forever be in His presence in heaven, and the unsaved will forever be separated from God in hell. Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-15, 21:1-8.
13. Christian Conduct: We believe that our supreme task as believers is to glorify God in our lives and that our conduct should be blameless before the world. We further believe that we should be faithful stewards of God’s word, and all that God has entrusted to us. We should seek to realize our full stature of maturity in Christ Jesus. Psalm 1:1-3; Acts 17:10 & 11; 1 Corinthians 1:8, 4:2, 5:1-13; Ephesians 4:22-24; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:22. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. 1 Peter 3:15
