THE CHAPEL
BAPTIST CHURCH
What We Believe
GOD & THE TRINITY
We believe there is only one living and true God, the Great I AM, the Creator and Ruler of all. God is a Spirit who is immutable, infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, most just and terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.
We further believe that, in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. Each person of the Godhead has the same nature and attributes, is worthy of love, worship and obedience.
MAN & SIN
We believe that man was created in holiness, in the image of God, with male and female being the only two genders according to their natural, biological sex at birth. Man is a rational, moral creature which consists of spirit, soul and body. Marriage was instituted by God between one man and one woman to provide a stable loving environment to minister to one another and raise children to know and love God. Man was created under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy state. As a consequence all mankind are now sinners, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God and inclined to choose evil. Mankind is therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse. Man is a free agent who is accountable to God and will be called to give an answer for each thought, word and action on Judgment Day.
SALVATION & THE CHURCH
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who by the appointment of the Father freely took upon him our nature, yet without sin, being born of a virgin; honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and by his death made a full atonement for our sins; that having risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven ever living to intercede for believers.
We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We believe repentance and faith are necessary to salvation but are in no way to be counted as meritorious works. Repentance and faith are terms that denote our union with Christ but they are not to be trusted over Christ himself; they are the means whereby we come to trust Christ who alone saves sinners.
We believe salvation consists of justification (past tense, believers are saved from the penalty of sin), sanctification (present tense, believers are being saved from the power of sin) and glorification (future tense, believers will be saved from the presence of sin). In addition to being justified, sanctified and ultimately glorified, believers are also redeemed by the blood of Christ, reconciled back to God, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and are adopted into God's family as joint heirs with Christ.
We further believe there are two aspects to the church; invisible and visible. The invisible church consists of all Christians throughout the world in all ages; all believers are part of the same spiritual body, make up one spiritual bride, and are branches grafted into one tree. A visible church of Christ is a congregation of believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by his laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his word.
We believe in the biblical offices of pastor/bishop/elder and deacon. Pastors/bishops/elders are responsible for overseeing the church and ministering to the congregation, especially in the ministry of the Word and prayer. Deacons assist the elders by serving and helping meet the needs of the congregation. We believe the two ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We practice believer's baptism by immersion after a profession of faith in Christ. All believer's in Christ are welcome to partake in the Lord's Supper when it is observed.
We believe the church is to operate in a local, autonomous fashion led by pastors/bishops/elders with a balance of elder-led and congregational government, with Christ being the ultimate head leading the church in the unity of the Holy Spirit. The primary purpose of the church is to glorify God, equip and edify the members, and to multiply disciples by taking the gospel to the lost. The church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth.
THE BIBLE & CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit; it is a God-breathed book that has God for its author and therefore truth without any mixture of error for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God will judge us; it primarily teaches what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. It is inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. The canon of Scripture consists of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments which are the complete written revelation of God to Man.
We believe the members of a church are to conduct themselves in the spirit of humility, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, loving, praying for, and serving one another in a Christ-like manner, seeking for opportunities to edify, encourage and hold one another accountable.
