Statement of Faith
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I. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally
inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writing; and we believe
they are of supreme and final authority in faith and practice (2
Timothy 3.16-17, 2 Peter 1.19-21, John 20.31, 1 Corinthians 2.13).
II. THE GODHEAD
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons - The
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and that these are ONE God;
having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections (Matthew
28.18-19, Mark 12.29).
A. God, the Father - We believe in God, the Father,
perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We
rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men,
that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death
all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 14.6, 1 Corinthians
1.3).
B. God, the Son - We believe in God, the Son, the
deity, humanity and virgin birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
(1 Timothy 2.5; 3.16, John 1.1, Matthew 1.23, Isaiah 7.14; 9.6-7). We
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the ONLY Lord and Savior of
mankind (John 14.6, Acts 4.12, Galatians 2.20). We believe that faith
in His shed blood is the ONLY means of salvation from sin (Hebrews
9.22, John 3.14-17; 19.16-24, 28-30).
We believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again
the third day (1 Corinthians 15.3-4, John 20.1, 14-18). We believe
that He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father (Hebrews 10.11,
Romans 8.34).
C. God, the Holy Spirit - We believe in God, the
Holy Spirit, that He is the third person of the Trinity, co-equal with
God, the Father, and God, the Son (John 14.26; 15,26). We believe that
He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16.7-11).
We believe that He is the agent of the New Birth and that He seals,
indwells, empowers, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies,
comforts, and abides with the believer forever (John 14.16-17, Matthew
28.19, Hebrews 19.14, John 14.26, Ephesians 1.13-14, Romans 8.14-16;
26-27).
III. MANKIND
A. God Created Mankind as Two Distinct Genders - We
believe that God created the male and the female as distinctly
separate genders meant to be distinguishable (Genesis 1.27). Since
creation, God by procreation wonderfully and immutably creates each
person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders
together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1.26-27). We
believe that rejection of one’s biological gender is rebellion against
God and a rejection of the image of God within that person.
B. God Established Marriage and its Intimacy Between a Man
and a Woman – We believe the first marriage established by
God set the standard of marriage and its intimacy between a male and a
female (Genesis 2.24; 4.1).
We believe that the term "marriage" has only one meaning: The uniting
of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated
in Scripture (Genesis 2.18-25). We believe that God intends sexual
intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to
each other (1 Corinthians 6.18; 7.2-5; Hebrews 13.4).
C. Sexual Immorality - We believe that any form of
sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual
behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of
pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15.18-20; 1
Corinthians 6.9-10).
D. God and Life – God orders the life of man.
We believe that God is the ultimate authority over all life
(Deuteronomy 32.39). Therefore, we believe that all human life is
sacred as created by God in His image and sustained by Him from
conception to the grave. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its
dimensions, including unborn babies, the aged, the physically or
mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from
conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend,
protect, and value human life (Psalm 139.1-24). Within God’s Laws He
defines the need for capital punishment (Genesis 9.5-6), warfare
(Psalm 144.1; 1 Chronicles 5.22), self-defense (Exodus 22.2), and
defense of human life born or unborn.
IV. MAN CREATED AND FALLEN
We believe that man was created in the image of God, after His
likeness, as stated in the Word of God, but the whole human race fell
in the fall of the first man, Adam. By acting independently of God,
Adam sinned. As a consequence, man lost his spiritual life, became
dead in trespasses and sins, and subject to the power of the Devil
(Ephesians 2.1-2).
This depravity was transmitted to the entire human race, the Man,
Christ Jesus, alone being excepted. Therefore, every child is born
into the world with a nature, not only void of the divine spark of
life, but essentially evil and unchangeable apart from divine grace
(Genesis 1.26, John 3.5-8, Romans 3.10-19, Ephesians 2.1-3, I Timothy
5.6).
V. SATAN
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the progenitor of
evil, the deceiver of the world, the Christian's adversary, whose doom
is sealed through Christ's victory (I Peter 5.8-9, Isaiah 14.12-17,
Matthew 4.2-11, Revelation 20).
VI. SALVATION
A. The New Birth - We believe that the new birth of
the believer comes only through faith in Christ, and that repentance
is a part of the believing, and is in no way, in itself, a separate
and independent condition of salvation; nor are there any other acts
such as confession, baptism, or service, to be added to believing as a
condition of salvation (John 1.12, John 3.16, Acts 16.31, Romans
1.16-17, Galatians 3.22).
B. Complete - We believe that when an unregenerate
person exercises faith in Christ, he passes immediately out of
spiritual death into spiritual life. We believe that a person may grow
in the realization of his blessings in Christ; however, he is, as soon
as he is saved, in possession of every spiritual blessing and complete
in Christ, and is, therefore, in no way required by God to seek a
so-called "second blessing", or a "second work of grace" (John 5.24;
17.23, Acts 13.39, Romans 5.1, I Corinthians 3.21-23, Ephesians 1.3).
C. Eternal Security - We believe that, because of
the very nature of God and the nature of the divine gift of eternal
life, we and all true believers everywhere, once saved, shall be kept
saved forever. He who cannot fail will in the end present every
believer faultless before the presence of His glory and conformed to
the image of His Son (John 5.24; 10.28; 14.16, Romans 8.29, Hebrews
7.25, Jude 1.24).
VII. THE CHURCH, A UNITY OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all who are united to the risen and ascended Son of
God are members of the church which is the body and bride of Christ,
which began at Pentecost and is completely distinct from Israel. We
believe that by the same Holy Spirit, all believers in this age are
baptized into, and thus become, whether Jews or Gentiles, one body
that is Christ's (Matt 16.16-18, Acts 2.42-47, Romans 12.5, Ephesians
1.20-24, I Corinthians 12.12-27).
VIII. THE ORDINANCES
We believe that water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper are
the only ordinances of the Church, and that they are a Scriptural
means of testimony for the Church in this age, and acts of obedience
to the Lord's command. Baptism is not essential to salvation, but is a
testimony of our identification with Christ in His death, burial and
resurrection. The Lord's Supper is in remembrance of Him until He
comes (Matthew 28.19, Acts 10.47-48, I Corinthians 11.26, Galatians
3.27, 1 Corinthians 10.16).
IX. THE CHRISTIAN'S WALK AND SERVICE
A. Walking Worthy of God’s Calling (Ephesians 4.1) -
We believe that we have a holy calling to walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the indwelling
Spirit. We believe that divine, enabling gifts for service are
bestowed by the Spirit upon all who are saved (Romans 6.11-13,
Galatians 5.16-23, Colossians 2.10, Romans 12.6, I Corinthians
12.4-11, Ephesians 4.11).
B. Walking in the World, but not of the World (Ephesians
4.17) - We believe that every person must be afforded
compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12.28-31; Luke
6.31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any
individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture
nor the doctrines of Evergreen Baptist Church.
C. Not Living in Sin - We believe that in order to
preserve the function and integrity of Evergreen Baptist Church as the
local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the
church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons
employed by Evergreen Baptist Church in any capacity, or who serve as
volunteers, agree to and abide by moral beliefs and statements made in
this, our Statement of Faith (Matthew 5.16; Philippians 2.14-16; 1
Thessalonians 5.22). We also believe that God offers restoration to
those who confess their sin and claim His promise of forgiveness and
cleansing (1 John 1.9).
X. THE GREAT COMMISSION
We believe that it is the explicit message of our Lord Jesus Christ to
those whom He has saved that they are sent forth by Him into the world
and are related to the world as strangers and pilgrims, ambassadors
and witnesses, and that their primary purpose in life should be to
make Christ known to the whole world (Matthew 28.18-19, Acts 1.8, I
Peter 1.17).
XI. THE BLESSED HOPE (PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE)
We believe that, according to the Word of God, the next great event in
the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord in the air
to receive His own to Himself and we should be looking constantly for
this event (John 14.1-3, I Corinthians 15.51-52, I Thessalonians
4.13-18, Titus 2.13).
XII. THE TRIBULATION
We believe that, after the translation of the church, the fulfillment
of Israel's seventieth week will take place. This will be a time of
judgment for the whole earth, during which time the body of Christ
will be in heaven (Daniel 9.27).
XIII. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST (PRE-MILLENNIAL RETURN)
We believe that the period of great tribulation in the earth will be
climaxed by the bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth to
introduce the Millennial Age. He is to bind Satan, lift the earth's
curse, and restore Israel to her own land (Deuteronomy 30.1-10,
Ezekiel 37.21-28, Matthew 24.15, Romans 8.19-23, Revelation 10.1-3).
XIV. THE PERFECT AGE
We believe that at the close of the Millennial Age the present heaven
is to be removed and a new heaven and a new earth will be formed. The
saved will be with the Lord for eternity (I Peter 3.13).
XV. THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in a literal heaven. Believers pass immediately into God's
presence at death. They remain there in conscious bliss until the
resurrection of the glorified body at the Rapture, when body and soul
will be united. We believe in a literal hell. Those who reject God's
provision of Redemption through Christ are eternally lost. They will
not be annihilated, but will be punished with everlasting separation
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power (Luke
16.19-26, Philippians 1.23, Jude 1.6-7, Revelation 20.11-15).
XVI. STATEMENT OF FINAL AUTHORITY IN FAITH AND PRACTICE
Evergreen Baptist Church’s Statement of Faith does not exhaust the
extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself is the inspired and infallible
Word of God that speaks with the final authority concerning truth,
morality, and the proper conduct of mankind. It is the sole and final
source of all that we believe. The beliefs of Evergreen Baptist
Church are based on this authority as understood by our Pastor and
Board of Deacons.
Please e-mail us with any questions or comments you may have.