This church has been around for a long time. One thing that helps us keep our bearings is a summary statement of our belief. If you are curious about what we believe, here are our articles of faith:
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| Articles of Faith |
1. We believe in one God, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, and in the Holy Ghost; and that these three bear record in heaven, and that these three are one. (1 John 5:7 KJV).
2. We believe that man, as a human creature, is separated from God and through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ has been offered reconciliation if he will only believe that Jesus Christ died for him. (John 1:29).
3. We believe in the necessity of regeneration and the influence of the Holy Spirit in affecting it; and that no person without it is qualified for membership in the Church of Christ. (John 3:5).
4. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be a revelation of God, and are to be received as our guide and the rule of our faith and practice; and that the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20 and perpetuated to the Christian Church by our Lord (Matthew 5:18, 19; Matthew 19:17), and by Paul (Romans 3:31), is still obligatory on Christians; and that the Seventh Day of the week is still the Sabbath of the Lord.
5. We believe in the ordinance of baptism by immersion and that believers are the only proper subjects. We also believe in the laying on of hands, the right hand of fellowship, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper with such as are endeavoring to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
6. We believe in the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment, and that the righteous will be rewarded.
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We are members of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference. This conference is a group of churches that has agreed to work together for the good of God's kingdom. In order to help us know that we can work together, these churches have also pulled together a statement of belief. It is more comprehensive than ours, but it still demonstrates the desire of Seventh Day Baptists to provide room for God to work on the conscience of each believer.
Seventh Day Baptist1987 Statement of Belief |
What Do Seventh Day Baptists Believe?
2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:15; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:3-6, 15; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Seventh Day Baptists consider liberty of thought under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be essential to Christian belief and practice. Therefore we encourage the unhindered study and open discussion of Scripture. We uphold the individual’s freedom of conscience in seeking to determine and obey the will of God.
The following statement is not intended to be exhaustive, but is an expression of our common belief, which is derived from our understanding of Scripture.
God
1 Timothy 1:17; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Kings 8:27; 1 John 1:5; Genesis 1:1-2; Acts 17:24-25, 28; Psalm 90:1-2; Matthew 28:19; John 3:16; Isaiah 57:15; 2 Peter 3:9
We believe in one God, infinite and perfect, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe who exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and desires to share His love in a personal relationship with everyone.
—The Father
1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; John 5:24; John 3:16-18
We believe in God the Father, who is sovereign over all, and is loving and just as He forgives the repentant and condemns the unrepentant.
—The Son
John 1:34; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:14-18; Romans 1:3-4; 1 John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 10:10-14; I Corinthians 15:20-21; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6; 1 John 2:1-2
We believe in God the Son, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He gave Himself on the cross as the complete and final sacrifice for sin. As our Risen Lord, He is the mediator between God the Father and mankind.
—The Holy Spirit
John 14:16; 3:5-8; 14:17; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:7-11
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who gives spiritual birth to believers, lives within them, and empowers them for witnessing and service. We believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, convicts of sin and instructs in righteousness.
The Bible
2 Peter 1:20-21; Romans 3:2; 2 Peter 3:14-17; Matthew 5:17-19; Psalm 119:105; John 20:30-31; Hebrews 1:1-2
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is our final authority in matters of faith and practice. We believe that Jesus Christ, in His life and teachings as recorded in the Bible, is the supreme interpreter of God’s will for mankind.
Mankind
Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:3-9; Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:44-48; 1 John 1:3; John 1:12
We believe that mankind was created in the image of God and is therefore the noblest work of creation. We believe that human beings have moral responsibility and are created to enjoy both divine and human fellowship as children of God.
Sin and Salvation
1 John 3:4-5; Romans 3:23-25; Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:8-10; Romans 5:6-8; 6:23; Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16-18, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; Matthew 25:41-46; Romans 5:10
We believe that sin is disobedience to God and failure to live according to His will. Because of sin all people have separated themselves from God. We believe that because we are sinners, we are in need of a Savior. We believe that salvation from sin and death is the gift of God by redeeming love accomplished by Christ’s death and resurrection, and is received only by repentance and faith in Him. We believe that all who repent of their sin and receive Christ as Savior will not be punished at the final judgment but enjoy eternal life.
Eternal Life
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-23; John 14:1-3; Matthew 24:30; Titus 2:13; John 17:3; 1 John 5:11-13; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; John 10:27-28; John 6:40
We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally with the Father, and that He will come again with power and great glory. We believe that eternal life begins in knowing God through a commitment to Jesus Christ. We believe that because he died and lives again, resurrection with spiritual and imperishable bodies is the gift of God to believers.
The Church
Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 14, 27; Romans 12:4-5; Colossians 1:18; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 2:19-22; Romans 15:5-7; Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25
We believe that the church of God is all believers gathered by the Holy Spirit and joined into one body, of which Christ is the Head. We believe that the local church is a community of believers organized in covenant relationship for worship, fellowship and service, practicing and proclaiming common convictions, while growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe in the priesthood of all believers and practice the autonomy of local congregations, as we seek to work in association with others for more effective witness.
Baptism
Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:11; Galatians 3:26-27
We believe that baptism of believers in obedience to Christ’s command is a witness to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe in baptism by immersion as a symbol of death to sin, a pledge to a new life in Him.
The Lord’s Supper
Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-30
We believe that the Lord’s supper commemorates the suffering and death of our Redeemer until He comes, and is a symbol of union in Christ and a pledge of renewed allegiance to our risen Lord.
Sabbath
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16:23-30; Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 5:17-19; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14, 42-44; 16:11-13; 17:2-3; 18:4-11; Ezekiel 20:19-20; Hebrews 4:9-10; John 14:15; Isiah 58:13-14; Luke 23:56
We believe that the Sabbath of the Bible, the seventh day of the week, is sacred time, a gift of God to all people, instituted at creation, affirmed in the Ten Commandments and reaffirmed in the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles. We believe that the gift of Sabbath rest is an experience of God’s eternal presence with His people. We believe that in obedience to God and in loving response to His grace in Christ, the Sabbath should be faithfully observed as a day of rest, worship, and celebration.
Evangelism
Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-6; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 6:14-20
We believe that Jesus Christ commissions us to proclaim the Gospel, to make disciples, to baptize and to teach observance of all that He has commanded. We are called to be witnesses for Christ throughout the world and in all human relationships.