Middletown Road Baptist Church

 

STATEMENT OF FAITH

 

(A)  The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as originally written, to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God and the product of Spirit controlled men. 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 Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal, literal, grammatical-historical reading. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).

 

(B)  Dispensationalism

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life that define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations –the law, the church, and the kingdom –are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen. 1:28; I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25,27; Rev. 20:2-6).

 

(C)  The Godhead

We believe there is one living and true 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; Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 8:6; II Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26; I John 5:7).

 

(D)  The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

1.      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 the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2,14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).

2.      We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection form the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5; 2:24).

3.      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 1:9-10; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

 

 (E)   The Person of the Holy Spirit

1.      We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).

2.      We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27).

3.      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 (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).

4.      We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such asspeaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary, 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 (I Cor. 1:22; 14:21-22).

 

(F)   The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. All mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity and become practical sinners with the first expression of personal choice, and so are without excuse before God (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:10-19; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

 

(G)  The Atonement for Sin

We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon  Him a human body and nature, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death and resurrection made satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess, and that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these offers of mercy (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:16-21; Acts 16:30-33; Heb. 10:4-14).

 

(H)  Salvation

1.      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 our sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19).

2.      We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior, in true repentance and faith, are born from above and are eternally secure in Christ (John 10:28, 29; Rom. 8:35-39; Phil. 1:6).

 

(I)     The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

1.      We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by od’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5).

2.      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 (Rom. 13:13-14; 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

 

(J)    The Church

1.      We believe that the Church, the Body of Christ, is a New Testament institution, established by Jesus Christ, Who is its sole Head, revealed through the holy Apostles, empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; composed of believers in Jesus Christ as Savior, both Jew and Gentile, called out form the world and indwelt by the Holy Spirit; His “Body” for service and His “bride” for glory. It began with the New Testament saints and will be consummated at the coming of Christ in the Rapture (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-13, 41-47; 15:14; Rom. 16:26; I Cor. 12:12-28; Eph. 1:22, 23; 3:21, 23-33; I Thess. 4:13-18).

2.      We believe that the Church is manifested through the local church, which is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in it by His work; and that its officers are bishops (pastors) and deacons; that it has absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit and is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matter of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence the will of the local church is final (Matt. 18:15-17; I Cor. 1:2; 5:4,5; 7:17; 11:16; I Tim. 3:1-15).

3.      We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

4.      We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

5.      We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).

6.      We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26).

 

(K) Separation

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; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).

 

(L)   The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ, who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

(M)            The Eternal State

1.      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; John 5:28,29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13).

2.      We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, when conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).

3.      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, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).

 

(N) The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause 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; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

 

(O) Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; John 1:3; Col. 1:16, 17).

 

(P)   Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understating that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Rom 13:1; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14).

 

(Q) Human Sexuality

1.      We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a 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 (Gen. 2:24; Gen 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).

2.      We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5: 22-23.

3.      We believe that man and woman are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

 

(R)  Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

 

(S)   Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused 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 (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

 

(T)   Missions

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the mission fields and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).

 

(U)  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 the 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. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

 

(V)  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 that 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. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Gen. 14:20; Prob. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17). “All designations shall be non-binding suggestions.”

 

(W)            Ordinances

1.      Baptism shall be by single immersion and shall be a prerequisite to church membership. (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Acts 8:37, 38)

The Lord’s Supper. It shall be the practice of the church to observe the Lord’s Supper at least once a month, normally on the first Sunday night of each month, or other times to be decided by the church. The Covenant shall be read frequently. Since it is the Lord’s Table, none shall be barred; but the pastor shall frequently state the Scriptural order of salvation, baptism, church membership, then the Lord’s Supper, and shall explain the meaning of the ordinances. (Matt. 26:26-29; I Cor. 11:23, 24)