Articles of Faith
Article I:
The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible is a supernatural book, that it is the very Word of God, that it is in the 66 books the full, final and complete revelation of God’s will to man at this time. We believe the author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit and by inspiration we mean the plenary (meaning complete in all respects) verbal inspiration, that Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit as revealed in 2 Peter 1. We believe the KJV is the preserved Word of God in the English language. We reject the modern paraphrased versions, the modern common version and others which delete the pure meaning of redemption and do injustice to the Deity of Christ. Many other versions leave out verses or parts of verses because of flawed ideas of textual criticism. We hold to the text that was handed down through the ages, the Textus Receptus. We believe and teach that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith & practice.
2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 4:12; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Isa 8:20; Psa 119:89; Rom 15:4
Article II:
The True God
We believe and teach that there is one, and only one, true and living God. He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributions, holy in character, & is revealed in the Trinity which is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity subsist in the same divine nature, essence and being. They are co-existent & co-equal & each has a distinct office in the work of Redemption. The family unit of Father, Mother, and Children being separate yet one is a type of the Trinity.
Eph 4:6; 1 Tim 1:17; Exodus 20:2-3; Rom 11:33; Jn 4:24; Psa 90:2
Article III:
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is co-eternally existant as the second person of the Trinity, is co-equally existant with the Father, and thus, has neither beginning nor end. He manifested God visibly to the world, through the theophanies (Christophanies) in the O.T., and through the Incarnation in the N.T. He was born of the virgin Mary and is the only Savior for this lost world. His death on the cross was voluntary, substitutionary, and sufficient for the salvation of all mankind of all times. He is coming again to rapture the saints at a time in the future known only by God.
Matt 28:19; Isa 53:5-6; Jn 1:1-2, Jn 1:14, Jn 3:16, Jn 10:17-18; 2 Cor 5:21; Gen 18:1-22,Gen 18:33; 1 Tim 4:10; 2 Pet 2:1; Luke 23:46; 1 Jn 2:2
Article IV:
The Holy Spirit
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 creation. In relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; He also convicts of sin, judgment and righteousness. He is the agent of the New Birth and indwells, comforts, seals, guides & directs the Believer. He is the person that helps us in our spirit, even when we do not have the words that we need. He is also the Administrator of the N.T. church. He gives members the gifts that they need, and places them in the body, the local church.
Jn 14:16-17, Jn 14:26, Jn 15:26-27; Rom 8:16, Rom 8:26-27; Eph 1:13-14; 1 Cor 12:3-13
Article V:
The Devil
We believe that the Devil is an actual created being and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he through pride, ambition and self will betrayed God and as a result brought down upon his head the judgment of God. Satan took 1/3 of the heavenly host that was assigned to him when he was cast out of heaven, and are referred to as his demons. He operates today as the god of this world and called the Prince of the Power of the air; that he is the arch deceiver, and father of all lies, he is the greatest enemy of God, the biggest tempter and the greatest opposition to the saints. His final abode shall be the Lake of Fire, which is the eternal place of punishment, prepared for the Devil and his angels. He is not omniscient nor omnipresent.
Isa 14:12-15; Jude 6; 1 Jn 3:8; Ezekiel 28:14-17; 1 Pet 5:8; Jn 8:43-
Article VI:
The Creation
We believe the Genesis record of the creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the Heaven and the earth through the direct act of spoken word, and that He brought forth all original matter out of nothing. We also believe that earth is “young” meaning around 6000 years old. As God created man as full grown, we can believe that God created with a time element inherent to design. We believe that man was created directly in God’s own image and not by the hypothesis of any kind of evolution. We believe that the word “day” refers to a literal 24 hr period. God’s established law says that all species shall bring forth “after their kind,” which becomes a pattern for all reproduction.
Gen 1:1, Gen 1:26-27; Acts 17:23-26; Rom 1:20; Jn 1:1-3; Heb 11:3
Article VII:
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence and holiness and 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 just condemnation. Man is now, 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; Rom 1:18, Rom 1:28, Rom 5:12, Rom 5:19; Eph 2:1-3
Article VIII:
The Virgin Birth
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 was born or can be born of woman. Since sin nature is within the seed of man, it was necessary that He was born of a virgin. Mary was not sinless. Jesus is both the Son of God and God the Son. The Bible never refers to Joseph as his father. Mary will go on to have children that were from her marriage with Joseph.
Luke 1:35, Gen 3:15, Isa 7:14, Matt 1:18-25, Jn 1:14, Mk 1:1
Article IX:
The Atonement for Sin
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; that the atonement for sin was provided through the mediatorial office of the Son of God who by divine appointment freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, that He through obedience during His earthly walk personally honored the divine law by keeping it, 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.
Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 1:7; Isa 53:12; Heb 9:22, Heb 12:2; Jn 10:17-18
Article X:
The Grace of Salvation
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 each individual to accept, by faith, that salvation; and those who voluntarily reject salvation will face eternal separation from God in a literal place of punishment called Hell. When a sinner repents and receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior he receives eternal life. The eternal purpose of God in Salvation is first of all to preserve the believer forever in Christ; 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 then 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, not by effort but my the plan of God.
Jn 3:15-16, Jn 5:24, Jn 10:27-30; 1 Pet 1:5; Rom 10:1-13
Article XI:
Repentance & Faith
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, and as the sinner is deeply convicted of his guilt and helplessness he willingly turns in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, surrendering himself wholeheartedly and receiving Him as personal Savior and Lord. At that moment he is immediately born again.
Acts 2:37-38, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21; 2 Cor 7:9-10; Mark 1:15; Matt 3:1-2
Article XII:
The Church
We believe & teach that the local, visible assembly of called out believers into a public place of worship & service is the only one found in the N.T. We do not believe in a mystical, invisible or universal church. The local N.T. Baptist Church, as traced by history, is the only one authorized to carry out the Great Commission. The 1st N.T. Baptist Church was founded by Jesus Christ during His own personal ministry & entrance into the local church is by scriptural baptism. We believe & teach the Local N.T. Baptist Church is an independent congregation & is not governed or controlled by any Ecclesiastical Hierarchy; which includes boards, Fellowships, or Conventions. The will of the Local Church is final.
Eph 1:22, Eph 3:21; Acts 2:47, Acts 8:1, Acts 11:22, Acts 16:5; 1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18; Col 1:24
Article XIII:
The Ordinances
We believe that Baptism & the Lord’s Supper are the only 2 local church ordinances set forth in the local church by Jesus Christ. We do not believe in Sacraments. Scriptural Baptism began with John the Baptist. John’s Baptism was not O.T. dispensation or an intermediate dispensation but N.T. Baptism. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the 1st Pastor, accepted this Baptism Himself & accepted those that John baptized into the church that He organized during His own personal ministry. Baptism: Believers Baptism to be scriptural must be: THE PROPER CANDIDATE, the one who has been Born Again & can give clear testimony to their conversion. It must also be THE PROPER MODE or method which is immersion. It must also be THE PROPER DESIGN or motive. This design is to show forth a truth which is the property of the believer & the local church into which the believer is Baptized, which sets forth the death, burial & resurrection of the believer to a new life in Christ. It is also THE PROPER ADMINISTRATOR or authority, and the Local N.T. Baptist Church is the only church with the authority to administer scriptural baptism. No individual or pastor has the authority within themselves. The Lord’s Supper: We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper administered by the authority & instruction of the local Baptist Church to those only within their membership. It symbolizes the broken body & the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, & that only members of the administering local church whose spiritual lives in a right relationship are qualified participants in the Lord’s Supper service. The leadership of the church must do their best to make sure all members that partake are worthy for the health of the entire church body. We also teach & believe that there is no saving power or grace in either Baptism or the Lord’s Supper.
Matt 3:13-17, Matt 26:17-30, Matt 28:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-34; Acts 8:36-39; Rom 6:3-5
Article XIV:
The Resurrection
We believe & teach that Jesus Christ arose bodily from the grave. We also believe & 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 later 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; Jn 20:27; 1 Cor 15:1-11, 1 Cor 15:42-52; Heb 9:27-28; 1 Thes 4:13-18
Article XV:
The Rapture & Return of Christ
We believe & teach that Jesus Christ shall catch away all believers before the great Tribulation Period. He will not return all the way back to earth at the Rapture. The Rapture of the true Church is an imminent truth. At the close of the great Tribulation Period the Saints will return with Christ all the way to the earth & shall live & reign with Him 1000 yrs.
1 Thes 3:13, 1 Thes 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51-55; Rev 19:11-16, Rev 20:1-6; Jude 14-15; Zech 14:1-5; Titus 2:13
Article XVI:
The Grace of Giving
We believe & teach that God’s method of financing His work of spreading the Gospel is by the tithes & offerings of His people in & through the local N.T. Baptist Church which is the storehouse. The time to tithe is upon the 1st day of the wk & that everyone is accountable to the Lord for 1/10 of his income & that tithing was instituted before the law & by Christ in the N.T. Baptist Church.
Matt 23:23; Lev 27:28-34; 1 Cor 16:1-2; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor 8:1-8, 2 Cor 9:6-15; Gen 14:17-20; Mal 3:7-10
Article XVII:
Separation of Church & State & Authorities
We believe that churches & govts should be completely separate in civil authority; yet civil officers should be prayed for & conscientiously honored & obeyed; that diligence should be exercised in seeking the will of God in all local church matters. (The phrase “Separation of Church & State” has been greatly misused by liberal media & revisionists of history.) Also that all missionary endeavor should be carried on within the confines of the local church; that mission boards & mission hierarchies historically end up corrupting & usurping the authority of the local church. We believe that it is the privilege & 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 & practice.
Prov 8:15; 1 Pet 2:9-20; Rom 13:1-7
Article XVIII:
The Last Things
- CHRIST’S RETURN:
Jn 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thes 4:16-17; 1 Cor 15:51-55; James 5:8; Phil 3:20-21. - THE RAPTURE:
Matt 24:1-51; 2 Thes 2:1-12; Luke 21:8-19, Luke 21:25-31; Zech 14:1-8; Mark 13:27-31. - THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST:
Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 3:12-15; 2 Cor 5:10-11; 1 Pet 1:13-21; 2 Pet 4:17. - THE TRIBULATION PERIOD:
Dan 12:1; Matt 24:21; Luke 21:25-26; 2 Thes 2:1-12; Rev 6:16-17, Rev 14:10-16, Rev 16:11-21. - THE CONVERSION OF THE JEWS:
Zech 12:10-14; Matt 24:38; Zech 13:6-9; Rom 11:1-26. - THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON:
Rev 16:12-16, Rev 19:11-21; Ezekiel 38:1-23; Zech 12:1-4. - THE MILLENNIUM:
Rev 11:15-17, Rev 20:1-6; Isa 11:9; Jer 23:5; Isa 2:1-5, Isa 32:1. - THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT:
Rev 20:11-15
Article XIX:
The Plan of Salvation
- You need to be saved: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Rom 3:23.
- You cannot save yourself: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,” Titus 3:5.
- God has provided for your salvation: “Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb 7:25
- Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jn 14:6
- God wants to save you: “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.” 2 Pet 3:9
- God can save you now: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom 10:13