Here are some things that make us distinctive!
Church Covenant
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Jn 1:12, Eph 2:8, II Thess 2:13, Isa 12:2, Jn 3:16, Acts 16:31,
And, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Acts 8:36-38, Matt 28:19, Mk 16:16, Acts 10:48, 16:31-34,
We do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ; I Cor 12:14-27, Rom 12:4-8, Eph 2:19-22,
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; I Cor 1:10, Rom 15:5-6, II Cor 3:5, Amos 3:3, I Jn 2:10,
To strive for the advancement of this New Testament Church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; Heb 10:24, Gal 5:13, I Sam 12:23, Jas 5:16, II Pet 3:18,
To promote its prosperity and spirituality; I Thess 5:14, Mt 18:17, I Cor 16:2, Eph 4:11-12,
To sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; Heb 10:25, Acts 2:42, Rom 6:3-14, I Pet 2:9, Mt 18:15-17,
To contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel to all nations; II Cor 8:14, 9:7, I Thess 5:14, Mal 3:8-10, Heb 13:17, Gal 6:6, Lk 10:7,
We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; II Cor 8:5, Mt 6:6, 7:7, Lk 18:1,
To religiously educate our children; Eph 6:4, Deut 6:7-12, Prov 22:6, II Tim 3:15,
To seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; Mt 5:16, 28:19-20, Rom 9:3, Rom 10:1,
To walk circumspectly in the world; Eph 4:1-3. I Thess 5:15, I John 2:15, Col 3:17,
To be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our deportment; I Pet 2:12. Heb 13:21. Phil 3:16-18
To avoid all tattling, backbiting, and fleshly anger; Mt 12:36, Prov 26:20, Rom 1:30, Eph 4:26, Prov 6:16-19,
To abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage; Prov 20:1, 23:29-32, Eph 5:18, I Thess 5:22,
To abstain from membership in Lodges and secret organizations and to avoid taking secret oaths which are contrary to Scripture; II Cor 6:14-18, Ps 1:1, Eph 5:11-12, II John 9-11, Matt 5: 34-37, James 5:12, Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 5:4-6,
And to be zealous in our efforts to advance the work of the Saviour; Jn 15:16, I Cor 15:58, II Cor 5:20.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; Gal 6:2, I Cor 5:13, Rom 14:7, II Thess 3:14-15,
To remember each other in prayer; Heb 13:18, Eph 6:18.
To aid each other in sickness and distress; Rom 12:15, Phil 4:16,
To cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; I John 3:17-18, Jas 3:13, Col 3:17, 4:6
To be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the laws of our Saviour, to secure it without delay; I Cor 6:7, Mt 18:15, 21-22, Rom 14:19,
We, moreover, engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with another New Testament Church of like faith and practice where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Work; Acts 9:19, 18:27 Rom 16:1-2, Heb 10:25, Gal 1:9.
We believe the Holy Bible is a supernatural book, that it is the very Word of God, that the sixty-six books of the Bible constitute the full, final and complete revelation of God's will to man. We believe the author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit Who gave the Scripture by Verbal (by means of words) plenary (full and complete) inspiration; that Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Pet 1:21............. holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
We believe that the Authorized Version otherwise known as the King James translation is the inspired, inerrant, preserved Word of God for the English speaking world. We believe and teach that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
II Tim 3:16-17
Heb 4:12
II Peter 1:19-21
Isa 8:20
Psalms 119:89
Romans 15:4
We believe and teach that there is one, and only one, true and living God. He is absolute in nature, perfect in His attributes, holy in His character, and is revealed in the Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity subsist in the same divine nature, essence and being. They are co-existent and co-equal and each one has a distinct office in the work of Redemption.
Eph 4:6
I Tim 1:17
Exodus 20:2-3 Romans 11:33
John 4:24
Psalms 90:2
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is co-eternally existent as the second person of the Trinity, is co-equally existent with the Father, and thus, has neither beginning nor end. He manifested God visibly to the world, through the theophanies (Christophanies) in the Old Testament, and through the Incarnation in the New Testament. He was born of the virgin Mary and is the only Saviour for this lost world. His death on the cross was voluntary, substitutionary and sufficient for the salvation of all men for all times. He is coming again to receive unto Himself all the saints at a time in the future known only by God the Father. We use the word “rapture” to set forth this teaching.
Matt 28:19
Isaiah 53:5,6
John 1:1-2
II Corth. 5:21
Genesis 18:1-22, 33
I Tim. 4:10
John 1:14
II Peter 2:1
Luke 23:46
I John 2:2
John 10:17-18
The Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature and was active in the creation. In relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the “evil one” until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, judgment and righteousness. He is the agent of the New Birth and indwells, seals, guides and directs the Believer.
John 14:16-17
John 14:26
John 15:26-27
Romans 8:16
Eph 1:13-14
Romans 8:26-27
We believe that the Devil is an actual being and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he, through pride, evil ambition and self will betrayed God and as a result brought down upon his head the judgment of God. He operates today as the god of this world and the Prince of the Power of the air; that he is the arch deceiver, and father of all lies. He is the greatest enemy, the most enormous tempter and the greatest combatant the saints have to face. His final abode shall be the lake of fire, which is the eternal place of punishment, prepared for the Devil and his angels.
Isa 14:12-15
Jude 6
I John 3:8
Ezekiel 28:14-17
I Peter 5:8
John 8:43-44
We believe the Genesis record of the creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the Heaven and the earth in a direct act; that He brought forth all original matter out of nothing. We believe that man was created directly in God's own image and not by any form of evolution. God's established law is that all species shall bring forth "after their kind”.
Gen 1:1, 26-27
Acts 17:23-26
Romans 1:20
John 1:1-3
Heb 11:3
We believe that man was created in innocence and holiness but by voluntary transgression of the Lord's command, fell from the state in which he was created and as a consequence became a sinner, alienated from God and brought upon himself and all mankind deserved condemnation. Man is, therefore, by virtue of his fallen nature, void of holiness, positively inclined to evil and actually condemned to eternal ruin without excuse.
Gen 3:6-24
Romans 5:19
Eph 2:1-3
Romans 5:12
Romans 1:18
Romans 1:28
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of the Virgin Mary as no other man has been born or can be born of woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
Luke 1:35
Gen 3:15
Isaiah 7:14
Matt 1:18-25
John 1:14
Mark 1:1
We believe that the lost sinner is guilty and under just condemnation and is by nature alien to God and because of sin condemned to die. We believe that the provision for sin’s atonement was provided completely through the Son of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, by divine appointment freely took upon himself our nature, yet without sin, and during His earthy walk He personally honored the divine law by keeping it fully, and through His death on the cross actually satisfied the Law for the penalty of sin. His obedience and sacrificial death made full and vicarious atonement for all sin.
Romans 3:25
I John 1:7
Isa 53:12
Heb 9:22
John 10:17-18
Heb 12:2
We believe and teach that salvation is by God's grace and that salvation is free to all through the Gospel; that it is the duty of all to accept, by faith, that salvation and those who voluntarily reject salvation will face eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. When a sinner repents of sin and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour he receives eternal life. The eternal purpose of God in Salvation is to preserve the believer forever in Christ; i.e. the believer is saved eternally. It is also the eternal Purpose of God that the believer will conform to the image of His Son. This salvation, wrought by grace, assures us that we are preserved in Christ by the power of God and no man can pluck the saved from the Father's hand. Salvation is everlasting and the glorious truth "once in Grace, always in Grace," is true.
John 3:15-16
I Peter 1:5
John 1:12
John 10:27-30
Romans 10:1-13
John 5:24
We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and inseparable prerequisites for salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. As the sinner is convicted of his guilt and helplessness he turns in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, surrendering himself wholeheartedly and receiving Him as personal Saviour and Lord, he is immediately born again.
Acts 3:19
II Corth 7:9-10
Mark 1:15
Acts 2:37-38
Acts 20:21
Matt 3:1-2
We believe and teach that the local, visible assembly of called out believers into a public place of worship and service is the only one found in the New Testament. We do not believe in the invisible or universal church theory. The local New Testament Church has been given the exclusive and solemn charge of carrying out the great commission. The first Church was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ during His own personal ministry. Entrance into the local church is by scriptural baptism. We believe and teach that the Scriptural Church is an independent congregation and is not governed or controlled by an ecclesiastical hierarchy; i.e. the will of the Local Church is final.
Eph 3:21
Acts 2:47
I Tim 3:15
Matt 16:18
Col 1:24
Eph 1:22
Acts 16:5
Acts 11:22
Acts 8:1
We believe that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only two ordinances established in the local church by the Lord Jesus Christ. Scriptural Baptism began with the ministry of John the Baptist. i.e. John’s baptism was New Testament Baptism. Our Lord Jesus Christ approved this Baptism himself and accepted those whom John baptized into the church that He, Jesus, organized during His own personal ministry.
- Believers Baptism- to be scriptural it must include:
- The Proper Candidate: the one who has been saved or Born Again.
- The Proper Mode: immersion.
- The Proper Design; setting forth the death, burial and resurrection of the believer in Christ.
- The Proper Administrator: The local New Testament Church.
- The Lord's Supper-
We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial supper administered by the authority and instruction of the local Church; it symbolizes the broken body and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the ordinance is “closed” i.e. to be observed in and by the members of the particular local church that is conducting the service. Furthermore, the Scriptures teach that only members of the local church whose spiritual lives are in a right relationship are qualified participants in the Lord's Supper service. We neither believe nor teach that that there is saving power or grace in either Baptism or the Lord's Supper.
Matt 3:13-17
Matt 28:19-20
I Corth 11:23-34
Acts 8:36-39
Romans 6:3-5
Matt 26:17-30
We believe and teach that the Lord Jesus Christ arose bodily from the grave. We also believe and teach that this resurrection assures all believers the same bodily resurrection when the Lord returns for the Saints at the time of the Rapture. There will also be a resurrection of the unsaved to stand in judgment before the Lord, known in the Scriptures as the great white throne judgment.
Matt 28:6-7
John 20:27
I Corth 15:42-52
Heb 9:27-28
I Thess 4:13-18
I Corth 15:1-11
We believe and teach that the Lord Jesus Christ shall catch away all believers before the great Tribulation Period. At the close of the great Tribulation period the Saints will return with Christ to the earth and shall live and reign with Him 1000 years. The Rapture of the Saints is an imminent event (at any moment).
I Thess 4:13-18
I Thess 3:13
I Corth 15:51-55
Rev 19:11-16
Jude 14-15
Rev 20:1-6
Zech 14:1-5
Titus 2:13
We believe and teach that God's method of financing His work of spreading the Gospel is by the tithes and offerings of His people in and through the Scriptural storehouse; the local New Testament Church. The Scriptures teach that the tithe is one-tenth of all (gross) income. This method (tithing) was instituted before the law and by Christ in the New Testament.
Matt 23:23
Lev 27:28-34
I Corth 16:1-2
Luke 6:38
II Corth 9:6-15
Gen 14:17-20
Mal 3:7-10
II Corth 8:1-8
We believe that churches and governments should be completely separate. By this we mean that the government should neither make laws respecting the establishment of religion nor prohibit the free exercise thereof. We believe that the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from interfering with religion. The Constitution does not prohibit religious people from participating in the political process. The Bible Baptist Church, as such, takes no position politically but encourages its members to participate in the political process. We believe that civil officers should be prayed for and conscientiously honored and obeyed.
Rom 13:1 ff.
1 Tim 2:1
1 Tim 2:2
Proverbs 8:15
I Peter 2:9-20
We believe that diligence should be exercised in seeking the will of God in all local church matters; that all missionary endeavors should be carried on within the confines of the local church; that mission boards are neither necessary nor Scriptural for the church to carry out its command to evangelize the nations. We believe that it is the privilege and right of the local churches to cooperate with each other in carrying out the great commission. This cooperation, however, should be carried on in such a manner as to preserve the sovereignty of each local body in all matters of faith and practice.
Matt 28:19-20
Christ's Return
John 14:3
I Corth 15:51-55
Acts 1:11
James 5:8
I Thess 4:16-17
Phil 3:20-21The Rapture
Matt 24:1-51
Zech 14:1-8 II
Thess 2:1-12
Mark 13:27-31
Luke 21:25-31
Luke 21:8-19
Tribulation Period
Dan 12:1
II Thess 2:1-12
Matt 24:21
Rev 6:16-17
Luke 21:25-26
Rev 14:10-16
Rev 16:11-21
Conversion of the Jews
Zech 12:10-14
Zech 13:6-9
Matt 24:38
Romans 11:1-26
Battle of Armageddon
Rev 16:12-16
Rev 19:11-21
Ezekiel 38:1-23
Zech 12:1-4
The Millennium
Rev 20:1-6
Jeremiah 23:5
Rev 11:15-17
Isaiah 32:1
Isaiah 11:9
Isaiah 2:1-5
The Great White Throne Judgement
Rev 20:11-15
Everyone needs to be saved
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
No one can save himself
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
God has made it possible for all to be saved
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
God wants to save everyone
2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Repentance from sin and faith are inseparable conditions for salvation
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
God can save you now
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.