Statement of Faith
Emmanuel Baptist Church
We affirm the following doctrinal truths. Agreement with these teachings is also part of our membership covenant.
THE WORD OF GOD. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (Psalm 19:7-8; Psalm 119:11, 89; 105; Mark 13:31; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21).
THE TRINITY. We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection; and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16; 28:19; Mark 1:10-11; John 5:18; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:6).
GOD THE FATHER. We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 147:5; Matthew 6:9-13; John 3:16; 4:24; 5:26; John 17:3,11,25; Romans 8:33; 1 John 5:20).
JESUS CHRIST. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His Virgin Birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth (Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1,12-14, 3:16, 11:25, 14:9; Acts 1:3, 9, 11, 16:31; Romans 8:34; Galatians 3:13; 1 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Peter 2:22-24; 1 John 3:5; Revelation 1:7).
THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 3:5-8; 14:17, 16:7-11; Acts 5:1-4; Romans 8:1-17; 15:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 3:16-19; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 John 2:27).
MAN. We believe that all men and women are created by God in His image, to glorify him forever. Because the first couple, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God's command when tested, they and all people since are alienated from God and are sinners by nature and by choice. Because God is holy and cannot tolerate sin, all people are under condemnation and unable to save themselves (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 5:16, Romans 3:9-23, 5:12-21; 15:6, Ephesians 2:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:21; Revelation 4:11).
SALVATION. We believe that all men and women are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are born again by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12, 3:3-8, 6:40, 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9,12-13; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17).
THE CHURCH. We believe in the universal church, a living, spiritual body, of which Christ is the head; and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, which consists of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matthew 16:18, 28:17-20; Acts 1:8, 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24,25).
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT. We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others, that their conduct should be blameless before the world, that they should be a faithful steward of their possessions, and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. We believe that marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman. Marriage and family relationships should be developed following Biblical teaching in all areas (Colossians 3:17; Philippians 2:15-16; 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3, 6:19-20, 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 5:1-33; Hebrews 13:4; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:39).
THE ORDINANCES. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His substitutionary and atoning death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 8:26-40, 16:31-34; Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:17-29).
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone for all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; and that, therefore, church and state must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other (Hebrews 10:19-25; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Luke 20:20-25; Romans 13:1-5).
CHURCH COOPERATION. We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it be a regional or a district conference, is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may, likewise, cooperate with inter-denominational fellowships on a voluntary and independent basis (Colossians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
THE LAST THINGS. We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 20:1-6; 11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 21:3).