Articles of Faith

Affirmation of Faith

The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and is the basis for all statements of faith. We band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Christ Jesus, personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation with lost mankind.  The two ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  This church holds these statements as its affirmation of faith:

1. 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.

II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32

2. 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, 26; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6

3. GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit; perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.  We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, 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.

Luke 10:21, 22;  Matthew 23:9; John 3:16, 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1, 2, 5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6

4. 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.

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1, 20:28; Romans 9:5, 8:46; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8, 6:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16

5. 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 14:16, 17, 26, 15:26, 27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26

6. REGENERATION

We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.

Genesis 1:26, 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17, 3:19; Eccl. 2:11; John 3:14, 5:24; John 5:30, :13, :12, 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20, 20:10, 1:14, 15; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19, 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1

7. 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, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible progression 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 giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-15

8. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of fellow believers; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12;1-3; Hebrews 12:1-1; John 14:15, 23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9-10

9. 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 the believer in water into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death.  We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Baptism guards the door of the church membership as the Lord’s Supper guards the doctrines of the church.

Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26

10. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore church and State must be kept separate as having different functions.

1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9, 12

11. 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 a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches.  Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.  This church is affiliated with the Appalachee Baptist Association, the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Acts 15:36; 41, 16:5; I Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; Revelations 1:4, 10, 11

12. 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 happiness of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.

Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-16

Article III

Church Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter the covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully, and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor and the spread of the gospel to all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions, to educate our children in the Christian faith, to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances, to walk righteously in the world, to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our demeanor and manners.  We shall avoid tattling, backbiting and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring unwarranted harm to the body or jeopardize our or another’s faith, and be eager in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember one another in prayer, to aid one another in sickness and distress, to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech.  We engage to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the commands of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover, engage that, when we remove from this place we will, as soon as it is possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s word.

Article IV

Charter

Section 1: Policy.  The government of this church is vested in the body of the believers who compose it.  It is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation, which are common among Baptist churches.  Insofar as it is practical, this church will cooperate with and support the association and state convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Section 2:  Doctrine.  This church receives the scriptures as its authority in matters of faith and practice.  Its understanding of Christian truth as contained therein is in essential accord with the belief of the Baptist churches as indicated in the affirmation of faith as adopted by this church.

Article V

Membership

The membership of this church shall consist of persons who confess faith on the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior, who have been baptized by immersion and who give evidence of regeneration by living consistently with their profession and with the views of faith, doctrine and practice of this church.