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STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs
of this church and its members.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The
Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the
final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and
New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The
Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal
grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning
shall be determined by the pastor. The King James Version of the Bible
shall be the official and only translation used by the church.
(2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
DISPENSATIONALISM
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in
their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules
of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These
dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered
stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Berean
Baptist Church believes that God's word clearly reveals seven dispensational
ages. Three of these; the age of law, age of the church, and the age of
the kingdom, are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.
(Gen. 1:28; John 1;1-17;1
Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25; Rev.
20:2-6)
THE GODHEAD
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing
in three persons ―- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ―- each co-eternal in being,
co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same
attributes and perfections.
(Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God,
became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and
redeem sinful men.
(Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil.
2:5-8)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption
through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary
sacrifice; and , that our justification is made sure by his literal, physical
resurrection from the dead.
(Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now
exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the
ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
(Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the
Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of
Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
(John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to
understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and
duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit.
(Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
We believe
that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts
to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelist, pastors, and teachers
to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the
ministry.
(Rom. 12:3-8; i Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking
in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues
was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy
Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits
the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently
chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing.
(1 Cor. 1:22: 13:8; 14:21-22)
THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN
We believe that man was created in the image and
likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a
sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved
and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
(Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to
man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose
precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We
believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable.
(John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; 1 John 1:9)
THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power
and are thus secure in Christ forever.
(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
We believe
that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the
assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which,
however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as a n occasion to the
flesh.
(Rom. 12:12-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused
bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons.
(1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches
is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.
(Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external
authority or control.
(Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet.
5:1-4)
We recognize water baptism and the Lord's Super as the Scriptural
ordinances of obedience for the church n
this age.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a
manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands
His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and
sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all
immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings.
(Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John
9-11; Lev. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)
THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST
We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal,
imminent return of Christ Who will rapture hHis Church prior to the seven-year
tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulatin, Christ will personally
and vivbly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kinggdom
which was promised to the ntion of Israel.
(Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:13-18;
Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to
eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
(Matt. 25:46; john 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
We believe
that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from
the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily
resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever
with the Lord.
(Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in
conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul
and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne
of Judgment, and shall be cast into the
Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious
punishment and torment.
(Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev.
20:11-15)
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN
We believe that Satan is a person, that author of sin
and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of
God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.
((Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
CREATION
We believe that God created the universe in six
literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the
Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
(Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority
consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the
church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities,
but all including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and
governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical
responsibilities and balanced those home, the church, and the state are equal
and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of
responsibility under God.
(Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet 2:13-14)
HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe
that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside
of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form
of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication,
adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We
believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender
by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev.
18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4
We believe
that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
(Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
We believe
that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God
has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in
the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and
men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church.
Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church.
(Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
We believe
that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human
society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church.
The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as
the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage
from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children
spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle
example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction.
(Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15;
23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb.
13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7)
DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
We believe
that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until
one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery.
Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions
of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service,
they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal.
2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
ABORTION
We believe
that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living
human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of
unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that
abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection,
birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the
mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 129:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1,
5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
LOVE
We believe
that we should demonstrate love for
others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are
not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who
oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the
stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of
violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal
justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are
to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions.
(Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21;
13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS
We believe
that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits agains other
Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the
church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes
between members. We do believe; however, that a Christian may seek
compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long
as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph.
4:31-32)
MISSIONS
We believe
that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all
nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe,
ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign
nations and not wait for them to come to us.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:36-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
GIVING
We believe
that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted
to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe
that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every
Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the
support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the
Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights t direct the
use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20;
Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1
Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17) |
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