I. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments of the King James Version of the Bible to be verbally inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. (I Corinthians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20, 21)
II. THE GODHEAD
A. GOD:
We believe in one God Who is Creator of Heaven and earth; who is spirit, light, love and truth; eternal, almighty, infallible and unchangeable, infinitely wise, just and holy; and that God eternally exists in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:1, 14; 10:30; II Corinthians 13:14)
B. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
1. We believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the eternal word manifested in the flesh. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin, Mary, and that He is true God and true man. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1, 14, 18, 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8)
2. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice and that all who receive Him as Savior are justified on the ground of His shed blood and literal, bodily resurrection from the dead. (I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5)
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father where He fulfills the ministry of High Priest, Intercessor, and Advocate for each and every believer. (Acts 1:9,10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1; I Timothy 2:5)
4. We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent, pre-tribulational coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the air for all the redeemed ones in Christ, both those that are alive and remain, and those that are asleep in Him. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:51-57; Titus 2:13)
5. The Second Advent of Christ: We believe in the premillennial, personal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints to earth in order to conquer His enemies and to establish His kingdom on earth; to rule and to reign in righteousness and peace for one thousand years as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Zechariah 14:1-5; Revelation 19:11-16; I Thessalonians 3:13)
C. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe that the Holy Spirit, being the Third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals and sets apart to a Holy Life; that He keeps and empowers believers day by day. We believe that He is the teacher of the Word of God and our Guide for daily life. (John 16:7-11; 3:6; 14:17; I John 2:30-27; Romans 8:2,4,9,12,14)
III. THE PERSONALITY AND REALITY OF SATAN:
We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man. We believe him to be the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, the god of this age, the accuser of the brethren, adversary of Christ and His Church, and that he transforms himself as an angel of light to entice and deceive. We believe that he counterfeits the works of God by fostering religious movements and systems of doctrine, which systems in every case are characterized by denial of the efficacy of the blood of Christ and of salvation by grace alone, and is destined by God's judgement to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 12:7,9; Isaiah 14:12-15; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:10; I Peter 5:8; II Corinthians 11:14, 15; Revelation 20:10)
IV. MAN, HIS FALL, AND HIS REDEMPTION
A. We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, for His own pleasure, and that he fell through sin, and, as a consequence of his sin, lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and that he became subject to the power of the devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race of man, the man Jesus Christ alone being excepted; and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but is essentially corrupt in body, mind, and soul.(Genesis 1:26; 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; Romans 3:10-19; Ephesians 2:1-3; I John 3:8)
B. We believe that all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, are born again, justified and declared righteous on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We also believe that neither baptism, the Lord's Supper, not any other rite, ceremony or work can help one whit for sinner's salvation. Jesus Christ alone save by His grace. (Acts 16:31; John 3:3; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12)
V. THE ETERNAL SALVATION AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
A. We believe in the eternal life and everlasting blessedness of the saved and the eternal conscious punishment of the lost. (John 5:24; 10:28-29; Romans 8:28-39; Hebrews 7:25; I Peter 1:5; Jude 24; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15)
B. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word; which however, clearly forbids the use of Christian Liberty as an occasion to the flesh and since God cannot overlook sin of His children, He will, when they persistently sin, chasten them and correct them in infinite love. (Hebrews 12:5-11; I Corinthians 11:30-32; Titus 2:11-15; I Corinthians 8:9; 10:23; Galatians 5:13)
VI. SEPARATION AND SANCTIFICATION
A. We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach non-conformity to the world for every believer; that born-again people should be separated from the world unto Christ. It is clearly commanded of God to all believers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and to be holy as He is holy.
B. We believe that positional sanctification occurs at the moment of regeneration and that practical sanctification is to be progressive throughout the entire life span of a believer here on earth. God's provision for holy living is in the believer's identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension; the indwelling person and power of the Holy Spirit and the believer's yieldedness to Him; and by the powerful Word of God. We believe also that separation includes departing from all apostasy; that is, all previous religious beliefs. (Colossians 3:1-4; II Corinthians 6:14-17; Titus 2:14-15; I Peter 1:14-16; Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17)
VII. THE TWO NATURES OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. All claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (I John 1:8; Romans 7:15-24; Colossians 3:9-10; Galatians 5:17)
VIII. THE CHURCH
A. We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is a called out assembly, composed solely of those who have been redeemed and washed in His precious blood, regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that they are saved to worship and to serve.
B. We believe that the Church is the body and the espoused bride of Christ and that the Church is a spiritual organism, which began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven, and will end at the coming of Jesus Christ in the air, just prior to the tribulation period. (Ephesians 5:25; I Corinthians 12:12-14; 5:9; I Corinthians 15:51-57; I Thessalonians 4:14-17)
C. THE CHURCH AND ITS PURPOSE
We believe the true mission of the church is to evangelize the world through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and so edify, teach, rebuke, exhort, and discipline the saints. (Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 5:1-13; I Timothy 6:2; II Thessalonians 3:6-15; II Corinthians 5:14-21; II Timothy 4:1-5; Ephesians 4:11-18)
D. CHURCH ORDINANCES
1. WATER BAPTISM:
While recognizing the water baptism has no saving merit, we believe that the believer should be baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - portraying to the world the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Acts 8:35-39; 9:18-19; 10:47; 16:33-34; Matthew 28:19)
2. THE LORD'S SUPPER:
We believe that the Lord's Supper is a memorial service in which the elements symbolize the broken body and shed blood of Christ at Calvary and is to be partaken of after solemn selfexamination - by believers only who are walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.(I Corinthians 11:23-33).
IX. RESURRECTION AND FUTURE EVENTS:
A. We believe that at death the spirits and souls of the saved are absent from the body and present with the Lord in Heaven where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection; that at the death the spirits and the souls of the unsaved are in Hell in conscious misery until the second resurrection. (II Corinthians 5:6; Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:23-24)
B. We believe in the resurrection of all men when the body shall be reunited with the soul and spirit. The first resurrection will occur at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air for all believers who died and for those believers who are living at the time of His coming. We believe that this is the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy and for which we should be constantly looking. (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; John 5:28-29; I Corinthians 15:51-57; Matthew 24:29-42; Titus 2:13)
C. We believe that immediately after the saved people are caught up to Heaven to be with the Lord that on earth shall occur the tribulation period which will last seven years. It will be a time of terrible judgment for those left on earth and the last half of this period will be the great tribulation and will end with the great Battle of Armageddon. (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6:1-19; and Chapter 21; Matthew 24:15-22)
D. We believe that the tribulation period will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with His saints to reign with Him on the earth during the Millennium or thousand year reign. We believe that during this period, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit and that the curse which now rests upon the whole creation will be lifted. We believe that universal righteousness will not be realized until this time. (Isaiah 11:19; Revelation 20:1-3; Zechariah 14:9; Micah 4:1-5)
E. We believe that at the close of the thousand year reign of Christ on earth, that Satan will be loose and will go out and deceive the nations and cause them to march against Jerusalem and the saints God will then cause fire to come down upon Satan and his hosts and devour them. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire which is Hell. (Revelation 20:7-10)
F. We believe that after the doom of Satan shall occur the second resurrection. All the bodies of the unsaved shall be resurrected and united with their souls and spirits to appear before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. Every unsaved person; body, soul and spirit; will be consigned alive to everlasting and conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire, Hell. (Revelation 20:11-15)
X. OUR AGREEMENT
A. That we will "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)
B. That we will "put off concerning the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of our minds; that we will put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness and that we will put away lying; and speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another. That we will let no corrupt speech proceed out of our mouths, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Thus we will grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. That we will let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and evil speaking be put away from us, with all malice; and we will be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us." (Ephesians 4:22-25; 29-32)
C. That we will "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is." (Hebrews 10:25)
D. That we will "honor the Lord with the first fruits of all our increase and upon the first day of the week lay by as the Lord has prospered us, every man according as he purposeth in his heart to give, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." (Proverbs 3:9; IICorinthians 9:7; I Corinthians 16:2)
E. That we will "obey then that have the rule over us, and submit ourselves; for they watch for our souls, as they must give an account." (Hebrews 13:17)
F. That we will "follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord; looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:14-15)
Bible Baptist Church
11166 Livermore Road
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 333-4645
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