Our Beliefs
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pe. 1:2-3,20-21).
The Godhead
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an omnipotent, intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Is. 43:10; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Jn. 4:24, 14:10,26, 10:30; Gen. 1:1).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, who was a virgin at that conception and His birth, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Is. 7:14; 9:6; Lk. 1:31-35, 2:7; Jn. 1:1-2,14, 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Tim. 3:16).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice (i.e. Propitiation); and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Heb. 2:17; 1 Pe. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pe. 1:3-5; 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; Heb. 4:14-16, 7:25, 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 Jn. 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the eternal Triune Godhead who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Divine Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (Jn. 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and responsibility of all the saved to be continuously filled with the Spirit (Jn. 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; Eph. 1:17-18, 5:18; 1 Jn. 2:20, 27).
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Acts 13:2; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:7-12).
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22, 13:8, 14:21-22).
Man’s Fallen Nature
We believe that man was created in the image & likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, & became alienated from God; and, that man’s fallen nature is unable to remedy his lost condition by his own works (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23, 5:12, 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3,12, 4:17-19).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins, made efficacious by grace through faith (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Pe. 1:18-19; 1 Jn. 2:2).
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (Jn. 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pe. 1:4-5).
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (i.e. a cloak for vice, an opportunity to sin) (Rom. 6:1-2, 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Tit. 2:11-15).
Furthermore, we believe that being redeemed, we should act as the children of God, as faithful servants, not for salvation, but because of who we have been made in Christ Jesus. Believers will be rewarded at the Judgement Seat of Christ based on how faithfully they lived for and served Him (Rom. 4:1-5; 1 Cor. 3:9-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10; Ja. 1:12; 1 Pe. 5:1-4).
The Church
We believe that the local Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local Churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Matt. 16:18, 18:17-18, 28:20; Acts 14:27, 20:17,28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:5-11).
We believe in the autonomy of the local Church free of any external authority or control (Acts 5:29, 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Rom. 16:1-4; 1 Cor. 3:9-16, 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
We acknowledge that each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through congregational governance. In such a congregation, each member is personally responsible, is to be part of the decision making process, and accountable to Christ as Lord. The officers of the Church are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the Church, the offices of pastor and deacon are limited to men as qualified by Scripture (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Cor. 1:2, 3:16, 5:4-5, 7:17; Eph. 1:22-23; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim 3:1-15; 1 Pet. 2:5-9).
We recognize water baptism by immersion, the clear mode in the New Testament and the actual definition of the transliterated Greek word (i.e. baptizo); and the commemorative Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church (Matt. 28:19-20; Lk. 22:19; Acts 2:41-42, 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Separation—The Christian Life
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Jn. 2:15-17; 2 Jn. 9-11).
The Second Coming of Christ
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end; according to His promise: Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness (Matt. 16:27-28; Matt. 24:3, 27-31,37-39, 42-44; Matt. 26:64; Luke 21:25-28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3: 10- 18; Rev. 1:7 & 22:12-13).
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; Jn. 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6,12-13).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, in a state of conscious bliss. Upon Christ’s return, the redeemed, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their reward and will dwell forever with the Lord (Lk. 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, where they shall suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mk. 9:43-48; Lk. 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Ju. 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the instigator of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Is. 14:12-17; Eze. 28:11-19; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4, 11:3,14; Eph. 6:11; 1 Pe. 5:8; Rev. 20:10).
Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal 24-hour periods, occurring roughly six to seven thousand years ago. We reject evolution, the Day-Age Theory, Gap Theory, and Theistic Evolution as they are unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Ps. 104; Jn 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 11:3,10; Rev. 4:11, 10:6).
Human Sexuality
We affirm God’s original design to create two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female, to glorify Him (Gen. 1:27; Isa. 43:7; Matt. 19:4-6; Mk. 10:6). It is plain from Scripture that God does not create an individual to perverse sexual desires (Lev. 18:22; 1 Cor. 6:9; Ja. 1:13-14). The assignment of biological sex at conception is a gift of God and part of God’s glory in creation. We affirm God’s good design that gender identity should be determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception—a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design (Eph. 4:17-18).
We affirm distinctions in masculine and feminine roles as ordained by God as part of the created order (Gen. 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor. 11:7-9; Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Tim. 2:12-14).
We believe that efforts to live contrary to birth sex, whether by behavior, attire, cosmetics, or even medical or surgical therapy, are resisting or rebelling against the gift of God for that person, and therefore such behavior is sinful. We condemn efforts to alter one’s bodily identity (e.g., cross-sex hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery) to bring it into line with one’s deceived and/or depraved perceptions of gender identity (Deut. 22:5; 1 Cor. 11:14-15).
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex and offensive to God (Gen. 2:24, 19:5-13, 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Matt. 15:18-20; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1, 6:9-10&18, 7:2-5; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).
We commit ourselves to make decisions about membership, personnel and other Church matters based on this Biblical perspective of human sexuality.
We continue to oppose steadfastly all efforts by any court, or legislature, or policymaker to validate any perversions of human sexuality as morally good, right or praiseworthy (Is. 5:20; Acts 5:29).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11).
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion and kindness (Mk. 12:28-31; Lu. 6:31; John 8:2-12; Rom. 5:8; Ja.1:20). 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 Antioch Baptist Church.
Marriage & Family
We believe that marriage was instituted, defined, and ordained by God, and as such has only one meaning as delineated by God in Scripture. Marriage is a covenant of companionship between one man and one woman. It is a commitment to love and serve each other which God intends to last till “death do they part.” Christians are to marry only in the faith. Weddings at our Church are Christian worship services. Divorce is permitted only on Biblical grounds (Gen. 2:18-25; Mal. 2:14; Pro. 2:17; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Eph.5:22-33; Matt. 5:32, 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:10-16).
We believe that the family, as instituted by God, is the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by Biblical marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His Church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to Biblical standards, and the means for procreation of mankind.
We believe that the husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to respect his wife and love her as himself as Christ loved the Church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant-leadership of her husband even as the Church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to love and respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.
We believe that children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to lead their Children to Jesus as their Savior. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and Biblical values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on Biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents. (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:15-25, 3:1-20; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Josh. 24:15; 1 Sam. 1:26-28; Ps. 51:5, 78:1-8, 127, 128, 139:13-16; Prov. 1:8, 5:15-20, 6:20-22, 12:4, 13:24, 14:1, 17:6, 18:22, 22:6,15, 23:13-14, 24:3, 29:15,17, 31:10-31; Eccl. 4:9-12, 9:9; Mal. 2:14-16; Matt. 5:31-32, 18:2-5, 19:3-9; Mk. 10:6-12; Rom. 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33, 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; 1 Tim. 5:8,14; 2 Tim. 1:3-5; Tit. 2:3-5; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pe. 3:1-7.)
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Antioch 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 or serving in Antioch Baptist Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage & Family, along with the previous subsection of this Statement of faith (subsection N) (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22). (§ VIII.B.)
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Ex. 21:22-23; Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5, 139:14-16; Is. 44:24, 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5, 20:15-18; Lk. 1:44). All sin can be forgiven by God.
Missions
We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all neighbors and nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all Biblical means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:46-48; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).
Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe a Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).
Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local Church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving but every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. Contributors may suggest uses for their contributions but all suggestions shall be deemed advisory rather than mandatory in nature. From time to time the Church, in the exercise of its religious, educational, and charitable purposes, may establish various funds to accomplish specific goals. Special offerings for the support of Home, State, and Foreign Missions, revival expenses, etc. are intended to be true “offerings” in the sense that they are to be “over and above” the regular tithes and offerings of Church members through the Church budget. All contributions shall remain subject to the exclusive control and discretion of the Church. No fiduciary obligation shall be created by any designated contribution made to the Church other than to use the contribution for the general furtherance of the Church, as listed in Article II of this Constitution. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 9:13-14, 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Jn. 3:17).
Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct
This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.
We believe this Statement of Faith to be an accurate summary of what Scripture teaches. All members shall refrain from advocating doctrines contrary to the Statement of Faith or not included in the Statement of Faith in such a way as to cause dissensions. Members may be asked to leave Antioch Baptist Church if on receiving correction from the leadership, fail to heed the counsel and continue in destructive contentions.
