DOCTRINE OF GOD
We believe there is only one living, true, and eternal God.
God the Father: We believe in the Father by whom are all things, from everlasting to everlasting, glorious and unchanging in all His attributes. He is the only proper object of worship. The mode of His existence is a subject far beyond human understanding. There is no thing in all of creation that can adequately represent Him. He is the source of all existence5, and the Scriptures teach that He is Spirit, present everywhere, all-knowing, all-powerful, independent, good, wise, holy, just, merciful, Redeemer, Savior, Sanctifier, Judge of humanity, and all other attributes ascribed to Him in the Scriptures.
God the Son: We believe there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things. He is the only begotten Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, and is truly God and truly man. God freely sent Christ Jesus into this world because of the great love wherewith He loved humanity, and Christ freely gave Himself a ransom for all, tasting death for every person. He was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended into Heaven. He will come a second time in the clouds of Heaven to judge both the living and the dead. We further believe that the Scriptures ascribe to Christ all the attributes of God.
God the Holy Spirit: We believe there is one Holy Spirit who is the precious gift of the Father through His dear Son. He is the divine presence in our lives who regenerates and sanctifies us and keeps us in perpetual remembrance of the truth of Christ, and from whom we find our help and strength. We further believe that the Scriptures ascribe to the Holy Spirit all the attributes of God.
The Trinity: We believe God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God, without beginning or end, who is indivisible in His nature or being.
DOCTRINE OF CREATION AND DIVINE CARE
We believe in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and all things visible and invisible. God continually works through His creation to sustain and to nurture it.
We believe all things are known by God, and He knows what can or cannot come to pass upon all conditions. His knowledge of these conditions does not in any sense cause them, nor does He decree all the events which He knows will occur.
DOCTRINE OF HUMANITY
We believe God created humanity in His own image. In the beginning He placed the man and woman in a state of glory and perfection. God has endowed humanity with free will and governs them by moral and divine laws. Humanity was separated from God by sin which brought upon all people the penalty of death.
We believe the human will is always active and may refuse or accept the call of Christ in His offer of salvation. Those accepting this offer by faith, through the grace of God, are saved.
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
We believe the Church is the body of Christ, all Christians everywhere.
We believe the local church is an organized body of believers in Christ who assemble to worship God, make disciples, and maintain and practice the ordinances of the Gospel. The local church does not exist in isolation; rather, those churches who believe and practice the Articles of Faith and Principles of Church Government for Original Free Will Baptists (of the English General Baptist Heritage) form a denominational church. Neither the local church nor the denominational church exists independent of the other.
DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures are the Old and the New Testaments, written by holy men inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are God’s revealed word to humanity and are a sufficient and infallibly true rule and guide to salvation and all Christian life, worship, and service.
DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the restoration of humanity to a right relationship with God.
General Provision: We believe God, through His Son Jesus Christ, provides salvation for all who repent and believe the Gospel. The grace of God is offered to all through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a gift of God that cannot be earned, nor is it deserved. We believe that sinners are incapable of saving themselves but are drawn to God the Father by the Holy Spirit through Christ His Son. It is only by accepting God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ that an individual can enter into a relationship with God. Failure to heed the Spirit’s call to salvation is one’s own choice and results in eternal separation from God in Hell.
We believe that God desires all to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth that they might be saved and not perish. To this end Christ has commanded the Gospel to be preached among all nations.
Faith: We believe that faith is the response of an individual in total trust and commitment to God’s provision in Christ, and by faith alone we are saved. The power to believe is the gift of God, but believing is an act of the individual which is required as a condition of salvation.
Repentance: We believe that the repentance that leads to salvation is a change of one’s heart, which includes a deep conviction, a penitential sorrow, a sincere confession, a decided hatred, and a forsaking of all sin. God has commanded all humanity to repent, and without repentance in this life the sinner will perish eternally.
Regeneration: We believe that regeneration is a person’s instantaneous spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit, whereby the penitent sinner receives new life and becomes a child of God.
Justification: We believe justification takes place when a person accepts by faith the atonement of Christ, is pardoned and absolved from the guilt of sin, and is placed in divine favor before God.
Sanctification: We believe sanctification is the setting apart of a believer for continual growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ for service to God and to humanity11 through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
DOCTRINE OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
We believe those who abide in Christ and remain faithful and true to Him, through grace, will persevere with the assurance of eternal salvation. Christians, however, retain their free will. If Christians willfully reject the Savior and Lord they earlier accepted, the salvation they once knew is no longer theirs. Therefore, they should remain faithful since it is possible for them to turn away from God and be eternally lost, making shipwreck of their faith.
DOCTRINE OF INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY
We believe all people are accountable to God. We believe that a child’s or an intellectually disabled person’s inability to profess faith in Jesus does not prevent God from saving him or her. We also believe that God, in His compassion and mercy, draws these individuals to Himself in Heaven based on the sacrifice of Christ for all sins.
DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE
We believe it is the Christian’s duty to share God’s love with all people through compassion and service. Christians are to seek the well-being of the people of God in general, to do justly by all people, and to promote the honor and glory of God.
DOCTRINE OF THE LORD’S DAY
We believe in the sanctity of the first day of the week. According to the Gospel, Sunday is observed in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ. Sunday is to be observed in the corporate and private worship of God as much as possible.
DOCTRINE OF WORSHIP
We believe worship is the adoration of God and is required of all His children through praise, prayer, and the reading and preaching of His Word. Every Christian may worship God privately; however, this should never replace the corporate worship of the church.
We believe, in addition to the ordinances of the Gospel, there are other practices of worship which are valid for use by the local church. Some of these are laying on of hands, anointing the sick with oil, fasting, singing praise to God, corporate affirmation of faith, and corporate prayer.
DOCTRINE OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE GOSPEL
We believe our Lord Jesus Christ instituted three sacred ordinances.
Christian Baptism: We believe baptism is the immersion of believers in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism symbolizes the burial and resurrection of Christ, the death of Christians to the world, the cleansing of their souls from sin, their rising to newness of life, their commitment to serve God, and their resurrection at the last day.
The Lord’s Supper: We believe the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of Christ for our sins. Christ used the bread as the symbol of His broken body and the cup as the symbol of His shed blood. In receiving the bread and cup, believers express their communion with and commitment to Christ, their expectation of His return, and their hope of eternal life.
Washing the Saints’ Feet: We believe Washing the Saint’s Feet teaches humility, servanthood, and the need for daily cleansing from all sin. This practice was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ as an example on the night of His Last Supper and betrayal.
It is the duty and privilege of every believer to observe these sacred ordinances. We believe these ordinances are open to all believers.
DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP
We believe the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s. Christian stewardship is the godly management of all God’s creation.
The Christian’s life glorifies God by the proper use of His provision of time, talents, and resources.
The Scriptures teach tithing as God’s financial plan for the support of His Church and its evangelistic mission. Furthermore, Christians are required to be faithful and generous in the use of their finances for the expansion of the mission of Christ in the world.
DOCTRINE OF DEATH AND IMMORTALITY
We believe, as a result of sin, every person is subject to death of the body. However, the soul does not die with the body but immediately after death enters into either eternal life or eternal damnation, according to the individual’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe there is much mystery associated with the act or fact of dying; therefore, no living person can completely understand it. However, the Bible assures that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, changed death from the destroying scourge to the doorway to Heaven to all who exercise saving faith in Him.
DOCTRINE OF RESURRECTION
We believe in the resurrection of the body8: the Christian to eternal life in Heaven with a glorified body like Jesus and the non-Christian to eternal damnation in the lake of fire.
DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again to glorify His saints, to judge the world, to complete His Eternal Kingdom, and to establish a new heaven and a new earth.
DOCTRINE OF ANGELS
We believe angels are created spiritual beings. They are not spirits of the dead, nor are they glorified human beings. Angels are ministering spirits and messengers of God.
DOCTRINE OF SATAN
We believe Satan is a created being who fell through pride3 and was cast out of Heaven and is, therefore, depicted in Scripture as the prince of the power of the air and the ruler of this world. He maliciously hinders Christian endeavors and is essentially the power of darkness, the enemy of the Light9 and of God, though he sometimes disguises himself as an angel of light. Though Satan is all the above, he was and is defeated by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
*taken from “The Articles of Faith and Principles of Church Government for Original Free Will Baptists (of the English General Baptist Heritage)”