STATEMENT OF FAITH
WHAT WE BELIEVE
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. The Authorized King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the Bethel Baptist Church.
THE WAY OF SALVATION
We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9); that the Son of God, by appointment of the Father, freely took upon himself our nature and became man, the God-man, lived a sinless life, and by His death on the cross made a full atonement for the sins of all mankind. Having been raised from the dead, He is now seated in Heaven, and He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior (Hebrews 7:25).
We believe that Jesus Christ died for every one and that each individual person chooses to accept or reject the grace of God (Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2). We believe that all who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1-2)
REPENTENCE AND FAITH
We believe repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby, the sinner is deeply convinced of guilt, of danger and helplessness, and of the only way of salvation through the blood of God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The sinner turns to God with confession and supplication for mercy, and at the same time, heartily receives the Lord Jesus Christ and relies on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior (John 14:6)
THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe the local Church is a congregation of born again, baptized believers, associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the gospel and observation of the ordinances of Christ.
We believe the Church is an autonomous body, free of any external authority or control, and operates under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Its Scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons, whose qualifications are defined in the epistles of Timothy and Titus.
BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, (Matthew 28:19-20). Baptism is to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ.
We believe the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration, done in remembrance of Jesus Christ, by the sacred use of unleavened bread as a type of His broken body and the fruit of the vine as a type of His blood. We believe as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we do show the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
MISSIONS
We believe God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. This task is to begin at home and spread into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 15:16; Acts 1:8).
THE RETURN OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe the correct view of Scripture is Premillennial. This means the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the silent rapture of the Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth, in all His glory, to reign one thousand years.