The Old-Fashioned Baptist Church Statement of Faith
Section A: BIBLE. We believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, written by inspiration of God, by holy men of God. We believe the scriptures in entirety, both Old and New Testament, and hold to them as our only rule of faith and practice. We believe that God has preserved the scriptures in the Authorized (King James) Bible.
(Psalm 119:89; Matthew 4:4; II Timothy 3:16-17)
Section B: GOD. We believe there is one living and true God, an infinite and intelligent Spirit, Who is the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous Governor of all that is. He is inexplicable in glory and holiness, and is deserving of all our praise, honor, love, and confidence. God has revealed Himself in scripture to be distinct in three persons (the Godhead, or Trinity): the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; yet equal in power, harmony, holiness, and purpose.
(Genesis 17:1; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 83:18, 90:2; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:30; John 4:24, 10:30, 15:26; Romans 3:29, 11:33; Ephesians 2:18; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 1:17; I John 5:7; Revelation 15:3)
Section C: GOD THE FATHER. We believe in God the Father, holy in person, just in judgment, merciful to the repentant, and worthy of all worship. In past times, the Father revealed Himself first through His prophets, second by His only-begotten Son, and now through the Spirit of God and the scriptures. His sovereignty is everlasting, and His counsel shall forever stand. He has the power to save to the uttermost all who would come to Him by faith through His Son, and to reserve for the day of judgment all of the unjust.
(Isaiah 45:21, 46:10; Psalm 89:14; Zephaniah 3:5; John 5:30; Romans 3:26; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; II Peter 2:9; Jude 14-15; Revelation 4:11)
Section D: GOD THE SON. We believe Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God; in His human nature truly man. He existed before the incarnation, and is the Creator of all things. He is the virgin-born, sinless, begotten Son of God, once crucified, and is now risen and glorified, set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He is able to save all sinners by His shed blood and keep them saved by continually making intercession to God for them. He is the Eternal Word of God, LORD of Lords, and KING of Kings who shall in the days appointed judge the deeds of all men.
(Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 2:7; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4, 1:14, 5:22-23; Acts 1:22; Romans 3:25-26; I Corinthians 15:1-8; Philippians 2:5-11; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15, 7:25, 9:24; I Peter 3:18; I John 2:1; Revelation 19:13, 19:16.)
Section E: GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He acts in convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come; He is the supernatural agent in regenerating, indwelling, and sealing everyone who places their faith in Christ; and He is the Divine Teacher, Comforter, and Guide of every born-again believer. It is the privilege and duty of all who are saved to be lead and filled by the Holy Spirit.
(John 14:16-17, 14:26, 16:7-14; Romans 8:9, 8:26-27; II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18-19; Titus 3:5; I John 5:7)
Section F: THE DEVIL (SATAN). We believe that Satan is a created being, the author of sin, and he who influenced the fall of man. He is also the accuser of the brethren, declaring himself to be the enemy of both God and man, and shall be punished eternally in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.
(Genesis 3:1-6, 3:15; Isaiah 12:14-20; Ezekiel 28:11-19; John 8:44; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:7-10; Revelation 20:2, 20:10)
Section G: CREATION. We believe that all things, life and non-life, whether in the heavens, on the earth, or under the earth, were created by God. Contrary to evolution, life only reproduces after its own kind. God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days and rested from His creation on the seventh day.
(Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-25; Psalm 19:1-3, 33:6-7; Matthew 19:4; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-17)
Section H: HEAVEN. We believe that Heaven is a literal place for the saved. It is indescribable in beauty and the eternal reward that God has for all who have been born again. There the saved shall forever consciously enjoy God and His holy presence.
(John 14:1-3; II Corinthians 5:8, 12:2-4; Colossians 1:5; Hebrews 11:16, 12:22-23; I Peter 1:4-5; Revelation 21:1-2)
Section I: HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE. We believe that Hell and the Lake of Fire are literal realities for all who die in their sin. As Heaven is indescribable in beauty, Hell and the Lake of Fire are indescribable in horror. These are places of total separation from God, to which Satan, his angels, and the unredeemed shall go, forever to remain, with no hope of peace, rest, comfort, or escape. Hell shall be before the Great White Throne Judgment of God, and the Lake of Fire shall be after the Great White Throne Judgment.
(Matthew 10:28, 25:41; Luke 12:4-5, 16:19-28; Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15, 21:8)
Section J: THE SINFULNESS OF MAN. We believe that man was created innocent and in the image of God, but through unbelief in God’s Word he fell into a state of sin and condemnation. He passed death to all men, but we of our own free will choose to sin against God and become guilty before God, deserving of God’s holy wrath and damnation.
(Genesis 1:26, 3:1-24; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3)
Section K: ATONEMENT FOR SIN. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. He freely took on the nature of man, yet without sin. He was obedient to the pre-ordained counsel of God and voluntarily bore our sins in His body on the cross. The blood shed by His substitutional sacrifice on the cross provides atonement to God for our sins.
(Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 53:1-12; Romans 3:25; I Corinthians 15:3-4; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 2:9, 9:11-14, 9:22, 10:14; I Peter 3:18; I John 1:7; Revelation 5:9)
Section L: SALVATION. We believe that salvation is wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God through two inseparable graces: repentance and faith. Repentance is a change of one’s mind from unbelief to belief, and faith is the unreserved trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary. Salvation is provided by the grace of God and appropriated by faith, without any works performed by man.
(John 1:12-13, 3:5-6, 3:36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10, 10:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:1, 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 11:1; 11:6; II Peter 1:4)
Section M: ETERNAL SECURITY. We believe that the Word of God teaches that once saved, a person becomes a child of God, totally and eternally secured by the blood of Christ. Through the spiritual birth, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and placed in the hands of God, giving us assurance of salvation.
(John 10:28-30; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; II Thessalonians 3:3; I Peter 1:3-5, 1:18-19; Jude 24)
Section N: FREEDOM OF WILL. We believe the human will is free and self controlled, having power to yield to the influences of the truth and the Spirit and live or to resist them and perish.
(Isaiah 55:6; Romans 6:16-17, 10:3; Revelation 22:17)
Section O: CHRISTIAN WALK. We believe that we are called with a holy calling to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. All believers have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, including the fruit of the Spirit, which fruit is to be manifested in our lives. God expects us to live in such a manner as to not bring reproach upon the name of Christ, and God commands us to live separate from all religious apostasy, sinful pleasure, and worldly practices and associations.
(Romans 8:1-14, 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 4:22-24; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11)
Section P: CHURCH. We believe that a church of the Lord Jesus Christ is made up of all true believers and that until we all come together in unity (Eph. 4:13) as one body we assemble together as local independent congregations of baptized believers who are associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; which administers the ordinances of Christ [Section Q]; is supported by the free-will offerings of its people; is governed by His Word; is led by His Spirit; and is dedicated to His commission.
We believe the mission of the church is to follow the commission of our Lord Jesus Christ to His people, namely: the making and baptizing of disciples, the teaching and instruction of His people, and the support of missions at home and abroad. We believe the church has the right of self-government, free from the interference of ecclesiastical or secular institutions or individuals.
(Matthew 16:16-18, 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; II Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:11-12; I Timothy 3:15)
Section Q: GOSPEL ORDINANCES. (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) We believe the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church to practice: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; also expressing to the world the Christian’s death to sin and being raised into newness of life. It is an outward picture of what takes place on the inside when one trusts Christ as his Savior. Baptism does not impart grace from God to anyone and may only be performed after a person professes faith in Christ.
We believe the Lord’s Supper was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ as a commemoration and remembrance of His death. It should be preceded by a time of self-examination and confession of sin. The Lord’s Supper has no redemptive power, nor does it impart to anyone grace from God. However, those who eat and drink of the Lord’s Supper unworthily shall bare their guilt.
(Matthew 26:20-29; 28:19; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 8:36-38; I Corinthians 11:23-32; Colossians 2:12; I Peter 3:21-22)
Section R: THE END TIMES (RAPTURE, TRIBULATION, SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, MILLENNIAL REIGN, NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH). We believe in the bodily, pre-millennial, and imminent return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He will come in the air, before the revealing of the Anti-Christ, to catch away those believers who remain on this earth. The bodies of those believers who have died will be resurrected and glorified to be united with the spirits of those believers, and there shall we ever be with the Lord.
We believe that following this event shall be great tribulation upon the earth, after which the Lord shall return with all His saints to put down the Anti-Christ and establish His Kingdom on this earth for 1,000 years. Following His Millennial Reign shall be the resurrection of the unrighteous dead to be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire.
(Zechariah 14:1-11; Matthew 25:41, 25:46; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51-57; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9-10; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15)