The following consists of the Doctrinal Stand of this Fundamental Baptist Website Ministry
A. The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Bible has been, and always will be, preserved for this and all succeeding generations. The King James Version shall be the official and only translation used by the church in the English language. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6-7)
B. Dispensationalism
C. The Godhead
D. The Person and work of Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8) Christ was tempted in human form yet without sin and incapable of sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; 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 God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2)
4. We believe the Gospel to be defined by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:1-4)
E. The Person and work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14)
2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. The Holy Spirit uniquely uses evangelists (missionaries), pastors, and teachers to equip the believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11,28; Ephesians 4:7-12)
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary and therefore ceased with the death of the last Apostle John and with the completion of the Bible. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism of filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8-10; 14:21-22; James 5:14-15)
F. The total depravity of man
G. Salvation
H. The eternal security and assurance or believers
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; I John 5:1213)
2. 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. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
I. The Church
1. We believe that the church was founded by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry (Matthew 16:18-19). We believe that on the Day of Pentecost the church was empowered not started (Acts 2). We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of baptized, born-again persons. (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17,28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11) We believe that the church is local and visible on the earth. We reject the idea of the "invisible" or "universal" church.
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority, hierarchy or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26)
J. Separation
K. The Second Advent or Christ
L. The eternal state
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss (Heaven) they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)
3. We believe that the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment (Hell) and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
M. The priesthood of the believer
N. The personality of Satan
O. Creation
P. Civil government
Q. Human sexuality
1. We believe that marriage is to be defined as a legal union between a man and a woman. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged outside of a legal marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13;4)
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We believe that the practice of polygamy is unscriptural. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)
R. Family
relationship
1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (Pastors, Assistant pastors, and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church for the ministry. (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.
The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the scriptural headship of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are to submit themselves to the authority of their parents. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7)
S. Divorce and remarriage
We believe that God disapproves and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce is never permitted, except on the grounds of adultery or fornication (Matthew 19:3-12). Divorce and remarriage is never permitted by Scripture, as long as the spouse is alive, and leads to adultery (Romans 7:1-3; I Corinthians 7:10-11). Although divorced persons can be forgiven, used of God for Christian service, and hold certain positions in the church, they may not be considered for the offices of Pastor or Deacon. (I Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6)
T. Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49: 1,5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
U. Love
V. Lawsuits between believers
X. Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17).We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
W. Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:]9-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20) Candidates for missionary support must be Baptist in name, independent in practice, and fundamental in doctrine. They must be approved by the Pastor and voted upon by the membership of the church. Missionaries that are taken off the support will be terminated by the Pastor's decision and the vote of the membership.
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10, 17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; II Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18)
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the government. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the government are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14)
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24 hour periods. We reject Evolution and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the Tempter of the Fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
The Bible teaches that all Christians are priests in Christ (I Peter 2:9). All Christians have access to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16). We believe that the practice of confessing sins to a man (confessional) is unscriptural (I Timothy 2:5).
We believe in the "blessed hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:3145; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6) We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances. (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; Leviticus 19:28; I Corinthians 6:19-20)
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit described in Matthew 12:31-32, are forgivable. We believe a person must repent of their sin and receive Jesus Christ as Saviour by faith. In this, repentance and faith are inseparable. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19; Matthew 12:31-32; I John 1:9)
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
We believe in one Triune God, eternally, existing in three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10,26)
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations - the Law, the Church, and the Kingdom are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (Genesis 1:28; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25,27; Revelation 20:2-6)