AMENDED CONSTITUTION 2/10/19
WHAT WE BELIEVE – THEREFORE WHAT WE TEACH:
WE BELIEVE that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God. It is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it is without error in the original manuscripts. Since it is God's Word and not man's, it is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. (Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; I Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
WE BELIEVE in One God, who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These persons are co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential. But they exercise distinct yet harmonious roles in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Duet. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 10:30, 15:26)
WE BELIEVE in God the Father, an infinite, perfect and personal Spirit. Though He is sovereign over all, He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind. He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. (Matt. 6:9. John 14:6, James 1:17)
WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son. He shares precisely the same nature and perfection as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Further, we believe that in the fullness of time the eternal Son of God entered human history as a man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into Heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal, visible, pre-millennial return and reign on earth. (John 1:1, 14; 3:16; Luke 1:26-27; Matthew 1:18-25; Heb. 4:15; I John 2:2; John 20: 25-27; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:20; Zech. 14:4-9)
WE BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit who was sent by the Father and Son. He shares precisely the same nature and perfection as God the Father and God the Son. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to recognize their identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, yielding fully and continually to the person of the Holy Spirit, so that He might fill (control) the believer in order to manifest the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 15:26; 2 Peter 1:21; John 16:8; John 3:5; I Cor. 12:13; John 14:16; Eph.1:13; Romans 6:1-13, 8:1-13; Gal. 2:20; Romans 12:12; Phil. 2:12-13; I Peter 1:5)
WE BELIEVE that God created mankind; male and female, in His own image. Adam and Eve, the first couple, were created morally free from sin with the capacity to choose between good and evil. They chose to disobey God and by so doing plunged the whole human race into sin. Every descendant of that original pair has been born in sin with the result that we are all sinners by nature, spiritually dead and physically dying, cut off from God, and in desperate need of God's grace for forgiveness and life. Every individual must personally exercise faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior if they would inherit eternal life. Each individual is personally responsible to God for what he believes and how he lives. (Gen. 1:27, 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 19, 6:23; Gal. 3:11)
WE BELIEVE in salvation by grace through faith alone. Salvation is the free gift of God to mankind, purchased by Christ by His death on the cross for sin. Salvation is received solely by faith, apart from any human merit, work or religious ritual. All true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the promise that they shall never perish. (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12, 3:14, 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Phil.1:6)
WE BELIEVE that a Christian should live for the glory of God and in service to others. Not as a means of salvation, but as evidence of. Every Christian should seek to live their life and use their possessions in such a way that they will be a witness to the world and will build up one another in love. (Col. 3:17: Gal. 5:13; John 13:35; I Thess. 5:11; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:16; 2 Cor. 9:7)
WE BELIEVE in the existence of Satan, who was created by God originally good, but through Pride and wicked rebellion against God, he became utterly depraved in character, and is the adversary of God and His people. He is the leader of all wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world system. His power is great, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God. He was defeated and judged at the cross, and his final doom is certain. The Christian is able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Eph. 6:12; I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; Rev.12:9-11, 20:10)
WE BELIEVE that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. We believe that the true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies which gather for worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. We believe that each local church is autonomous (self-governing) but at the same time interdependent with other like-minded churches. The cause of Christ can be best promoted through voluntary cooperation with other churches in joint ministry whenever doctrinally and feasibly possible. We are associated nationally with the Conservative Baptist of America, regionally with the Northwest Conservative Baptist Association and locally with the Oregon Idaho Association of Conservative Baptist (I Cor. 12:13; Matt. 28:19-20; II Cor. 5:19-20; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:11-13; Rom. 12:8; Phil. 1:5; Acts 11:29-30)
WE BELIEVE that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every true believer has direct access into God's presence without the need of a human Priest. Each believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Bible as guided by the Holy Spirit. Each individual believer is uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit to minister as part of the Body of Christ. (John 14:6; Heb. 4:16: II Tim 2:15; I Peter 2:1, 5, 9; I Cor. 12:1-31)
WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus commanded that the local church observe two ordinances until His return: The Lord's Supper and Baptism. We believe the Lord's Supper is a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. We believe that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water symbolizing the believer's identification with Christ. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; 8:38-39; I Cor. 11:23-24; Romans 6:3-4)
WE BELIEVE in the personal, pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ to take to Himself His Bride, the Church. This return may take place at any time without forewarning. He will then pour out judgement upon the world and then descend with His Church to establish His literal kingdom over all the earth for a thousand years. (I Thess. 4:13-18; James 5:8; Heb. 10:37; Jude 14-15; Rev. 19:11- 16, 20:4-7)
WE BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection and eternal existence of every person. Those who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ for salvation unto eternal life, and those who have not unto eternal damnation. (I Cor. 15:11; II Cor. 5:8-10; Luke 16:19-23; Rev. 20:11-15)
WE BELIEVE: The Bible, as God’s Word, gives us the correct understanding and practice regarding the marriage relationship and the family (Eph. 5: 25, 33; 6: 1 -4; Deut. 6: 4- 7; Prov. 22: 6). Bible Baptist Church operates on a strongly held Biblical belief that the marriage relationship as established by God is the union between one man and one woman, with each spouse maintaining the biological gender appointed by God at conception (Gen.1: 27 -28; Psa. 139: 13 -16; Eph. 5:31), in a loving complimentary relationship with each other (Eph. 5: 25, 33; Tit. 2: 4; 1 Pet. 3: 7). Marriage is a picture of Christ enduring love for His church (Eph. 5: 31- 32), and is therefore a permanent enduring institution established by God (Gen. 2: 23- 24; Mk. 10: 7- 9).