Doctrinal Statement

  1. God’s Word - We believe the sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are the divinely inspired, infallible Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, and God's complete, written revelation to humankind. The Bible is sufficient and trustworthy for life, faith, conduct, and practice. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters to which it speaks. There is but one true interpretation of Scripture, although there may be many applications. The true meaning lies in the text and is that which the divinely-guided author willed to convey. It is recoverable through a careful application of a grammatical, historical, and contextual method of interpretation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in the community of Christ. The Holy Spirit illumines the text, enabling the reader to embrace the significance of what God has communicated, and to see the glory of Christ in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

  2. The Trinity - We believe in one God, the creator and sustainer of all things. He is eternally divine existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that these three are equal in their perfections. They execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

  3. God the Father - We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, who is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. We believe God's knowledge is exhaustive; that He fully knows the past, present, and future independent of human decisions and actions. The Father does everything in accordance with His perfect will, though His sovereignty neither eliminates nor minimizes our personal responsibility (John 3:16-17; 4:24; 1 John 5:14-15; 1 Peter 5:7).

  4. Jesus Christ - We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God's eternal Son. God the Son has precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that He is not only truly God, but also truly man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of his people, and His personal, visible, earthly premillennial return from heaven (Matthew 1:18-25; 28:6-7; John 1:1-3, 14; 3:16; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 7:25).

  5. Holy Spirit - We believe in the Holy Spirit, His personality and His work in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to implement Christ's work of redeeming the lost, and to empower the believer for godly living and service. We believe the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to believers as He wills for the common good. No specific spiritual gift signifies baptism or filling by the Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit does not reveal that which is contrary to Scripture or the nature of the Godhead. Life in the Spirit includes trials and does not guarantee physical health, material wealth, or confirming outward signs (John 14:16-17; 16:5-15).

  6. Mankind - We believe God originally created persons, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. Through Adam’s sin, we believe all people are sinners by nature and choice and are spiritually dead.  We believe that those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:27; 3:1-24; Romans 3:23-26; 5:12, 19).

  7. Salvation - We believe in salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Jesus Christ on the cross, is eternally secured by the Holy Spirit, and is received by faith, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. We believe salvation results in righteous living, good works, evangelism, and proper social concern (John 1:12; Romans 10:8-13; Ephesians 2:4-10).

  8. The Church - We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. We believe that the true Church is composed of all persons who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been baptized upon a credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for worship, for instruction, for evangelism, and for service. We believe in the interdependence of local churches and the mutual submission of believers to each other in love. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:1-47, 15:1-35; Colossians 1:18).

For more details on what we believe, visit: https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/.