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Faith Baptist Church Summary of Doctrine
For a more complete doctrinal statement, please see the 2nd London Baptist Confession of 1689
I.
The Scriptures
The
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by
inspiration of God. Therefore, all scripture is authoritative,
infallible and inerrant. The Scriptures are the only sufficient
rule for faith and practice (Ps. 19:7; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet.
1:20-21).
II. God.
There
is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things,
having in and of Himself, all perfections, and being infinite in
them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love,
reverence and obedience that springs from faith
(Deut.
6:4; Ps. 145:3; John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; l Tim. 1:17).
III. The
Trinity.
The
Scriptures reveal that the one God eternally exists in three
persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each person has
distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature,
essence or being (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)
IV. Providence.
God
from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass,
and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and
all events; yet so as not in any wise to be the author and
approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility
of intelligent creatures (Isa. 46:9-11; Prov. 16:33; Col. 1:17;
Heb. 1:3; Jas. 1:13-15).
V. Election.
Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto
everlasting life – not because of foreseen merit in them, but of
His mere mercy in Christ – in consequence of which choice they
are called, justified and glorified (Rom. 8:28-30; 1 Cor. 1:
27-29; Eph. 1:4, 11).
VI. The Fall of
Man.
God
originally created Man in His own image, and free from sin; but,
through the temptation of Satan, Adam transgressed the command
of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness;
whereby his posterity inherit a nature corrupt and wholly
opposed to God and His law. As a result they are under
condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action,
become actual transgressors (Gen. 1:26-27; 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-19;
Eph. 2:1-3).
VII. The
Mediator.
Since
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is fully God and
fully man, He is divinely appointed mediator between God and
man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He
perfectly fulfilled the law; suffered and died upon the cross
for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, and rose again the
third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He
ever lives to make intercession for His people. He will return
again visibly and bodily. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet,
Priest and King of the Church, and Sovereign of the Universe
(Isa. 53:10-13; John 1:1, 14; Acts1:9-11; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:34; 1
Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:1-3).
VIII. The Holy
Spirit.
We believe that God
the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Father and the Son. He
applies the work of Christ to believers and distributes
spiritual gifts to every believer according to His sovereign
good pleasure for the purpose of building up the body of Christ.
He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our
Salvation and Guarantor of our inheritance in Christ (John
14:16-17; 16:14; Acts 5:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1;13-14).
IX.
Regeneration.
Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to those dead in trespasses and sins,
enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand
the word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they
love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and
special grace alone (Eph. 2:1-6; Tit. 3:5; 1 John 5:1).
X. Repentance.
Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being by
the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin,
humbles himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it,
and self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before
God so as to please Him in all things (Acts 2:37-38; 11:18; 2
Cor. 7:10-11).
XI. Faith
Saving
faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatever is revealed
in His word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him
alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the
heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving
graces, and leads to a life of holiness (Rom. 3:37-28; 4:1-5;
4:17-25; 10:14, 17; Phil. 1:29; Eph. 2:8; Jas 2:14-26).
XII.
Justification.
Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners,
who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction
that Christ has made; not for anything wrought in them or done
by them; but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of
Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness
by faith (Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:34; 10:3-4; 2 Cor.
5:21; Phil 3:9).
XIII.
Sanctification.
Those
who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God’s word and
Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is positional in
that all who are in Christ are sanctified. This sanctification
is also progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which
all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in
cordial obedience to all Christ’s commands (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek.
36:27-29; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:13-24; 2 Pet. 1:3-11).
XIV.
Perseverance of the Saints.
All
those whom God has regenerated will never totally nor finally
fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere
to the end; and though they may fall through neglect and
temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair
their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the church, and
temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed
again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation (John 6:37-40; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:28-39; 1
Cor. 1:8-9;Phil. 1:6).
XV. The Church.
The
Lord Jesus is the head of the church, which is composed of all
His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power
for its government. According to His commandment, Christians are
to associate themselves into particular churches; and to each of
these churches He has given needful authority for administering
that order, discipline and worship which He has appointed. The
regular officers of a church are Elders (Pastors) and Deacons
(John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph. 1:22; 5:23; I1 Tim. 3:1-13;
5:17-18; Tit. 1:5-9; Heb.10:25).
XVI. Baptism.
Baptism
is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every
believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his
fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of
remission of sins, and of giving himself up to God, to live and
walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church membership
and to participation in the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; Acts
2:38; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13).
XVII. The
Lord’s Supper.
The
Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be
administered with the elements of bread and the fruit of the
vine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the
world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to
commemorate and proclaim His life, death, resurrection, and
ascension; and to be a bond, pledge and renewal of their
communion with Him, and of their church membership (Matt.
26:26-29; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-34).
XVIII. The
Lord’s Day.
The Lord’s Day is a
Christian institution for regular
observance and should be employed in exercises of worship and
spiritual devotion, both public and private (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor.
16:1-2; Rev. 1:10).
XIX. Liberty of
Conscience.
God
alone is Lord of the conscience; and He has left it free from
the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything
contrary to His word, or not contained in it. Civil magistrates
being ordained of God, subjection in all lawful things commanded
by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for
wrath, but also for conscience sake (Matt. 15:9; Rom. 13:1-7;
14:4; Acts 5:29; Col. 2:20-23).
XX. The
Resurrection.
The
bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits
return immediately to God – the righteous to rest with Him; the
wicked, to be reserved under darkness to the judgment. The
bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised
(John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:12-28; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 1:23).
XXI. The
Judgment.
God has
appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus
Christ, when everyone shall receive according to his deeds; the
wicked shall go into everlasting and conscious punishment; the
righteous, into everlasting life) Matt. 25:46; John 5:22, 27-29;
Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2 Tim.
4:8; Rev. 7:13-17; 14:9-11).
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