Our Families Beliefs
The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible is a supernatural book, that it is the very Word of God, that it is in the sixty-six books the full, final and complete revelation of God’s will to man. We believe the author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit and by inspiration, we mean the plenary verbal inspiration, that Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit as revealed in Second Peter Chapter One. We believe the King James Version is the preserved Word of God in the English language. We reject the modern paraphrased versions, the modern common version and others which delete the pure meaning of redemption and do injustice to the Deity of Christ. We believe and teach that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) (Hebrews 4:12) (2 Peter 1:19-21) (Isaiah 8:20) (Psalm 119:89) (Romans 15:4)
The True God
We believe and teach that there is one, and only one, true and living God. He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributions, holy in character, and is revealed in the Trinity which is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity subsist in the same divine nature, essence and being. They are co-existent and co- equal and each one has a distinct office in the work of Redemption. (Ephesians 4:6) (1 Timothy 1:17) (Exodus 20:2-3) (Romans 11:33) (John 4:24) (Psalm 90:2)
We believe that Jesus Christ is co-eternally existant as the second person of the Trinity, is co-equally existant with the Father, and thus, has neither beginning nor end. He manifested God visibly to the world, through the theophanies (Christophanies) in the Old Testament, and through the Incarnation in the New Testament. He was born of the virgin Mary and is the only Saviour for this lost world. His death on the cross was voluntary, substitutionary and sufficient for the salvation of all men of all times. He is coming again to rapture the saints at a time in the future known only by God. (Matthew 28:19) (Isaiah 53:5-6) (John 1:1-2) (2 Corinthians 5:21) (Genesis 18:1-22,33) (1 Timothy 4:10) (John 1:14) (2 Peter 2:1) (Luke 23:46) (1 John 2:2) (John 10:17-18) (John 3:16)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature and was active in the creation. In relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, judgment and righteousness. He is the agent of the New Birth and indwells, seals, guides and directs the Believer. (John 14:16-17) (John 14:26) (John 15:26-27) (Romans 8:16) (Ephesians 1:13-14) (Romans 8:26-27)
The Devil and Satan
We believe that the Devil is an actual being and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he through pride, ambition and self will betrayed God and as a result brought down upon his head the judgment of God. He operates today as the god of this world and the Prince of the Power of the air; that he is the arch deceiver, and father of all lies, that he is the greatest enemy, the biggest tempter and the greatest opposition to the saints. His final abode shall be the Lake of Fire , which is the eternal place of punishment, prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Isaiah 14:12-15) (Jude 6) (1 John 3:8) (Ezekiel 28:14-17) (1 Peter 5:8) (John 8:43-44)
We believe the Genesis record of the creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the Heaven and the earth in a direct act, that He brought forth all original matter out of nothing. We believe that man was created directly in God’s own image and not by the hypothesis of any kind of evolution. God’s established law says that all species shall bring forth “after their kind” (Genesis 1:1) (Acts 17:23-26) (Romans 1:20) (John 1:1-3) (Hebrews 11:3) (Genesis 1:26-27)
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence and holiness and by voluntary transgression of the Lord’s command, fell from the state in which he was created and as a consequence became a sinner alienated from God and brought upon himself and all mankind just condemnation. Man is now, by virtue of his fallen nature, void of holiness, positively inclined to evil and actually condemned to eternal ruin without excuse. (Genesis 3:6-24) (Romans 5:19)
(Ephesians 2:1-3) (Romans 5:12) (Romans 1:18) (Romans 1:28)
The Virgin Birth
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of the virgin Mary as no other man was born or can be born of woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Luke 1:35) (Genesis 3:15) (Isaiah 7:14) (Matthew 1:18-25) (John 1:14) (Mark 1:1)
We believe that the lost sinner is guilty and under just condemnation and is by nature alien to God and because of sin condemned to die; that the atonement for sin was provided through the mediatorial office of the Son of God who by divine appointment freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, that He through obedience during His earthly walk personally honored the divine law by keeping it, and through His death on the cross actually satisfied the Law for the penalty of sin. His obedience and sacrificial death made full and vicarious atonement for all sin. (Romans 3:25) (1 John 1:7) (Isaiah 53:12) (Hebrews 9:22) (John 10:17-18) (Hebrews 12:2)
The Grace of Salvation
We believe and teach that salvation is by God’s grace and that salvation is free to all through the Gospel; that it is the duty of all to accept, by faith, that salvation and those who voluntarily reject salvation will face eternal separation from God in a literal place of punishment called Hell in the Scriptures. When a sinner repents and receives Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour he receives eternal life. The eternal purpose of God in Salvation is first of all to preserve the believer forever in Christ; the believer is saved eternally. It is also the eternal purpose of God that the believer will conform to the image of His Son. This salvation wrought by grace then assures us that we are preserved in Christ by the power of God and no man can pluck the saved from the Father’s hand. Salvation is everlasting and the glorious truth “once in Grace, always in Grace,” is true. (John 3:15-16) (1 Peter 1:5) (John 1:12) (John 10:27-30) (Romans 10:1-13) (John 5:24)
Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and in separable prerequisites for salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, and as the sinner is deeply convicted of his guilt and helplessness he turns in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, surrendering himself wholeheartedly and receiving Him as personal Saviour and Lord, he is immediately born again. (Acts 3:19 )
(2 Corinthians 7:9-10) (Mark 1:15 ) (Acts 2:37-38) (Acts 20:21 ) (Matthew 3:1-2)
We believe and teach that the local, visible assembly of called out believers into a public place of worship and service is the only one found in the New Testament. We do not believe in an invisible or universal church. The local New Testament Baptist Church is the only one authorized to carry out the Great Commission. The first New Testament Baptist Church was founded by Jesus Christ during His own personal ministry and entrance into the local church is by scriptural baptism. We believe and teach the Local New Testament Baptist Church is an independent congregation and is not governed or controlled by an Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. The will of the Local Church is final. (Ephesians 3:21) (Acts 2:47 )(1 Timothy 3:15)(Matthew 16:18) (Colossians 1:24) (Ephesians 1:22) (Acts 16:5) (Acts 11:22 ) (Acts 8:1)
The Church Ordinances
We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only two local church ordinances set forth in the local church by Jesus Christ. Scriptural Baptism began with John the Baptist. John’s Baptism was not O.T. dispensation or an intermediate dispensation but New Testament Baptism. Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted this Baptism Himself and accepted those that John baptized into the church that He organized during His own personal ministry.
Baptism: Believers Baptism to be scriptural must be: THE PROPER CANDIDATE, the one who has been Born Again. It must also be THE PROPER MODE or method which is immersion. It must also be THE PROPER DESIGN or motive. This design is to show forth a truth which is the property of the believer and the local church into which the believer is Baptized, which sets forth the death, burial and resurrection of the believer to a new life in Christ. It is also THE PROPER ADMINISTRATOR or authority, and the Local New Testament Baptist Church is the only church with the authority to administer scriptural baptism.
The Lord’s Supper: We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper administered by the authority and instruction of the local Baptist Church; it symbolizes the broken body of and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that only members of the local church whose spiritual lives in a right relationship are qualified participants in the Lord’s Supper service. We also teach and believe that there is no saving power or grace in either Baptism or the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 3:13-17) (Matthew 28:19-20) (1 Corinthians 11:23-34) (Acts 8:36-39) (Romans 6:3-5) (Matthew 26:17-30)
The Resurrection
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ arose bodily from the grave. We also believe and teach that this resurrection assures all believers the same bodily resurrection when the Lord returns for the Saints at the time of the Rapture. There will also be a resurrection of the unsaved to stand in judgment before the Lord, known in the Scriptures as the great white throne judgment. (Matthew 28:6-7) (John 20:27) (1 Corinthians 15:42-52) (Hebrews 9:27-28) (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
The Rapture and Return of Christ
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ shall catch away all believers before the great Tribulation Period. At the close of the great Tribulation Period the Saints will return with Christ to the earth and shall live and reign with Him 1000 years. The Rapture of the Saints is an imminent truth. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) (1 Thessalonians 3:13) (1 Corinthians 15:51-55) (Revelation 19:11-16) (Jude 14-15) (Revelation 20:1-6) (Zechariah 14:1-5) (Titus 2:13)
The Grace of Giving
We believe and teach that God’s method of financing His work of spreading the Gospel is by the tithes and offerings of His people in and through the local New Testament Baptist Church which is the storehouse. The time to tithe is upon the first day of the week and that everyone is accountable to the Lord for one-tenth of his income and that tithing was instituted before the law and by Christ in the New Testament Baptist Church . (Matthew 23:23) (Leviticus 27:28-34) (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) (Luke 6:38) (2 Corinthians 9:6-15) (Genesis 14:17-20) (Malachi 3:7-10) (2 Corinthians 8:1-8)
Separation of Church and State
We believe that churches and governments should be completely separate; that civil officers should be prayed for and conscientiously honored and obeyed; that diligence should be exercised in seeking the will of God in all local church matters; that all missionary endeavor should be carried on within the confines of the local church; that mission boards and mission hierarchies tend to corrupt and usurp the authority of the local church. We believe that it is the privilege and right of the local churches to cooperate with each other in carrying out the Great Commission. This cooperation, however, should be carried on in such a manner as to preserve the sovereignty of each local body in all matters of faith and practice. (Proverbs 8:15) (1 Peter 2:9-20) (Romans 13:1-7)
Last Things
CHRIST’S RETURN (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; James 5:8; Philippians 3:20-21)
THE RAPTURE (Matthew 24:1-51; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 21:25-31; Zechariah 14:1-8; Mark 13:27 -31;
Luke 21:8-19)
THE TRIBULATION PERIOD (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21; Luke 21:25-26 2; Thessalonians 2:1-12;
Revelation 6:16-17; Revelation 14:10-16; Revelation 16:11-21)
THE CONVERSION OF THE JEWS (Zechariah 12:10-14; Matthew 24:38; Zechariah 13:6-9; Romans 11:1-26)
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (Revelation 16:12-16; Ezekiel 38:1-23; Revelation 19:11-21; Zechariah 12:1-4)
THE MILLENNIUM (Revelation 20:1-6; Revelation 11:15-17; Isaiah 11:9; Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 32:1; Isaiah 2:1-5)
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT (Revelation 20:11-15)
Plan of Salvation
You need to be saved; “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23 .
You cannot save yourself; “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us,” Titus 3:5.
God has provided for your salvation; “Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation; “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6
God wants to save you; “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
God can save you now; “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13
The Truth About Eternity
There are big questions that haunt all of us. What happens when I die? Where will I spend eternity? The single most important question that you will ever answer is this – “If I were to die today, would I spend eternity in Heaven with God?” Your relationship to Jesus Christ is central to the answer to that question.The Bible tells us in I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…” The simple truth is God wants you to know where you’re going! So, here it is in a nutshell:
Our sin creates an impassable chasm between us and eternal life with God.1 Recognize Your Condition
My biggest mistake when I don’t know my way is that I don’t want to admit that I am lost! My wife calls this, “pride.” In order to find the way to eternal life with God, I must admit I am lost in sin. Romans 5:12 teaches us that since Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth, a sin nature has been present in all people. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sin is any act contrary to God’s laws and commandments, and those sins that I have committed separate me from God. I have been late to a special event and, on occasion, I have received a speeding ticket. Sin also has a penalty. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The “wage” or payment for our sin is spiritual death, and eternal separation from God.
Religion and good works cannot bridge the gap created by our sin.2 Religion and Good Works Are Not the Answer
Religions try to create their own ways to God. Their systems may seem logical, but they cannot bridge the gap created by our sin. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” In other words, our thoughts and ways are not what matter. God’s Word, the Bible, provides true answers of grace and forgiveness. In Ephesians 2:8–9 the Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Through His death on the cross, Jesus Christ paid for our sins and delivers to us the way to eternal life in Heaven.
3 The Good News—Jesus Christ Provides the Way!
Even though we were lost and separated from God, He loved us, and because He is love, God sent His Son to die on the Cross and raise from the dead three days later. John 3:16 explains “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He became the payment for our sin. Now, we do not have to pay for our sin ourselves. By His grace, salvation is provided. In Romans 5:8, the Bible says, “But God commendeth [meaning proved or demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
We must place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and eternal life.4 Believe and Receive Christ
In order to have a relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven, we must stop trusting ourselves, our works, and our religions, and place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin and eternal life. In Roman 10:13 the Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Saviour; He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. You can make that decision today by praying from your heart, something like this:Dear God, I know that I am separated from you because of sin. I confess that in my sin, I cannot save myself. Right now, I turn to you alone to be my Saviour. I ask you to save me from the penalty of my sin, and I trust you to provide eternal life to me.
—Amen
—Amen
