Baxter Congregational Church Statement of Faith

 

 

OUR BELIEFS

 

I. WE BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

 WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit         and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.  He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 WE BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic*  church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.          * means the universal church       (Apostle’s Creed)

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II. WE BELIEVE in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and is totally worthy of our worship and service.      (Matt. 28:19; John 1:14; 10:30; 2 Cor. 13:14)  

III. WE BELIEVE the Bible to be the inspired, Inerrant, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world.        (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 3:16)

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IV. WE BELIEVE we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection; which is applied to us by faith granting salvation to all who believe.  Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or any human efforts.(Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22, 1 Corinthians 15)

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V. WE BELIEVE that the Lord’s Supper is done in remembrance of Christ’s finished work on the cross which symbolizes and confirms to his people the benefits of his death. We make provisions for infant dedication, infant baptism and believers baptism. Children being baptized enter into the covenant of baptism under which at least one parent stands, but each child needs to confirm the promises made at baptism for him or herself in due course. For believers, baptism declares publicly an existing identification with Christ in his burial and resurrection.  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 7:13-14; Acts 16:15; Romans 6:4-5)

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VI. WE BELIEVE the Church is called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We will act compassionately toward the poor and needy, pursuing justice for the afflicted. (Mark 12:29-31; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27)

 

 

 

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. We believe as God's inspired and inerrant Word, the Bible, is, was, and will always be the final authority concerning truth, morality, and humanity's proper conduct.