NOTUS FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

 

                            DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

 

1.  THE SCRIPTURES

     We believe in the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-

     six books of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written; that it was verbally

     and plenarily inspired by God through spirit-controlled men and, therefore, is

     infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks.  We believe the

     Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which

     all human conduct, creed and opinions shall be tried.     

 

                A.  II Tim. 3:16-17                                  B. II  Pet. 1:19-21                C. II Pet. 3: 14-16     

 

 

 

2.  THE TRUE GOD

     We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit,

     the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holi-

     ness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in unity of the God-

     head there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every

     divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of

     redemption.

           

      A.  Exodus 20:2-3                             C. II Cor. 13:14       E. Matt 28:19, 20

      B.  I Cor. 8:6                      D. Rev. 4:11           

 

 

 3.  THE DEVIL, OR SATAN

     We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the

     author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal

     justice in the lake of fire.

 

       A.  Matt. 4:1-3                  B.  II Cor. 4:4          C.  Rev. 20:10

 

 

 4.  THE CREATION

     We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct

     creation of God and not by evolution.

 

       A.  Genesis 1 & 2                             B.  John 1:3             C.  Col. 1:16-17

 

 

 5.  THE FALL OF MAN

     We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but that he

     by voluntary transgression, fell from his sinless and happy state in consequence of

     which all mankind are now sinners, both by constraint, and by choice, and are

    therefore under just condemnation, without excuse or defense.

 

       A.  Gen. 3:1-6                   C.  Rom.  5:10-19    E.  Rom. 1:32- 2:2

       B.  Rom. 5:12                   D.  Rom. 1:18

 

 

  6.  THE VIRGIN BIRTH

     We believe that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born

     of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of woman, and

     that He is both the Son of God, and God the Son.

       A.  Gen. 3:15    B.  Isa. 7:14             C.  Matt. 1:18-25     D. Luke 1:35           E.  John 1:4      

 

 

 7.  THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN

     We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial

     offices of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him

     our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and

     by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement

     was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the

     unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having

     risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven, a compassionate and an all-

     sufficient Savior.

 

      A.  Isa. 53:4-7   D.  Acts 15:11         G.   II Cor. 5:21       J.  Heb. 2:14

      B.  Matt 18:11    E.  Rom. 3:24, 25    H.  Eph. 2:8             K.  I John 4:10

      C.  John 3:16     F.  I Cor. 15:3          I.  Phil. 2:7                                  L. I  Pet. 3:18

 

 

 

 8.  JUSTIFICATION

     We believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the

     believer to be righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ,  

     without consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done,

     but solely through our faith in the Redeemer’s shed blood.

 

       A.  Rom. 3:24   C.  Rom. 5:1            E.  Gal. 2:16             G. Titus 3:4-7

       B.  Rom. 4:5     D.  Rom. 5:9            F.  Phil. 3:9

 

 

  9.  SANCTIFICATION

     We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God

     accomplished in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon

     redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment

     he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit

     applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process

     at the Lord’s return.

 

       A.  John 17:17  D. Eph. 5:25-27       G.  Heb. 3:1             J.  Jude 24-25

       B.  I Cor. 1:30   E.  I Thess. 4:3-4     H.  Heb. 10:10-14    K. Rev.  22:11

       C.  II Cor. 3:18 F.  I Thess. 5:23-24 I.  I John 3:2

 

 

10. FAITH AND SALVATION

     We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace through

     faith alone, in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary

     for the forgiveness of our sins.

 

       A.  John 1:12    B.  Eph. 1:7             C.  Eph. 2:8-10        D.  I Pet. 1:18-19

 

 

 

 11. THE LOCAL CHURCH

     We believe that a local church, in accord with New Testament practice, is a

     congregation of baptized believers, associated by  covenant of faith and fellowship of

     the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws and exercising

     gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word and that its officers, also

     addressed by various other New Testament terms, are pastors and deacons, whose

     qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.  We believe that

     the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have

     opportunity.  We hold that the local church has the absolute right to self-government

     free from the interferences of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that its  

     one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for

     true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the

     furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and

     method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, policy, government,

    discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.

 

       A.  Acts 2:41-42                               D.  I Cor. 11:2         G.  Eph. 5:23-24

       B.  Acts 15:13-18                             E.  Eph. 1:22-23      H.  Col. 1:18

       C.  Acts 20:17-28                             F.  Eph. 4:11           

 

 12. BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

     We believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water to

     show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our identification with the crucified,

     buried, and risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life; that

     baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church; and that it is an

     essential act of obedience for every believer in Christ.  We believe that the Lord’s

     supper is the commemoration of His death until He returns.

 

       A.  Matt. 3:16                   C.  Acts 8:36-39      E.  I Cor. 11:23-28

       B.  John 3:23                    D.  Rom. 6:3-5         F.  Col. 2:12

 

 13. THE SECURITY OF THE SAINTS

     We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus

     Christ.

 

       A.  John 10:28-29                             B.  Rom. 8:35-39     C.  Phil. 1:6              D. Jude 1

 

 14. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED

     We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and

     the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord

     Jesus Christ, sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while

     all such as continue unrepentant and in unbelief in His sight are wicked and under the

     curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting

     joy of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire.

 

       A.  Gen. 18:23                  B.  Prov. 14:32        C.  Matt. 25:34-41   D.  Rom. 6:23         

       E.  Rom. 6:17-18                             F.  Rev. 20:14-15     G.  Rom. 7:6           

                                                 

                                               

 

 

 15. CIVIL GOVERNMENT

     We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good

     of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored,

     and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is

     the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings.

 

       A.  Ex.  18:21-22                              C.  Dan. 3:17-18      E.  Acts 4:19-20      G.  Acts 23:5

       B.  II Sam. 23:3                D.  Matt. 22:21        F.  Acts 5:20            H.  Rom. 13:1-7

 

 16.  ISRAEL

     We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people,

     that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and

     that she will be regathered in the Holy Land, and after the completion of the Church,

     will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ.

 

       A.  Gen.  13:14-17            B.  Ezek.  37            C.  Rom. 11:1-32

 

 

17. THE RESURRECTION, AND PERSONAL, VISIBLE, IMMINENT, PRE-

      MILLENIAL RETURN OF CHRIST   

       A. The Bodily Resurrection

 

                1)  Matt. 28:6-7       2) Mark 16:6           3) Luke 24:39          4) John 20:27

                5)  Luke 24:2-6       6) I Cor. 15:4

 

       B. The Ascension

 

                1) Mark 16:19         2) Luke 24:51          3) Acts 1:9-11         4) Heb. 12:2

                  5)  Rev. 3:21

 

       C.  The High Priesthood

 

                1) I Tim. 2:5            2) Heb. 2:17            3) Heb. 5:9-10         4) Heb 8:6

                5) I John 2:1

               

 

       D.  The Second Coming of Christ

              1) The Rapture.  The official position of this church as to the time of the rapture

                   is pretribulational.

 

                   a.  His appearance in the air.

                      

                                 1.I Cor. 15:42-44, 52              2.  I Thess. 4:13-18 3.  Titus 2:13

                              

 

                    b. Resurrection of the righteous dead.

 

                                 1.  I Thess. 4:16     2.  Rev. 20:6

 

 

                    c. The change of the living in Christ.

                    

                                    1.  Phil. 3:20-21   2.  I Cor. 15:51-54

 

 

               2)  The Revelation.  His appearance on this earth.

       

                                   1) Job 19:25-27                                    3)  Acts 1:11

                                   2)  Zech. 14:4                                       4) Rev. 1:7

 

 

       E.  The Millennial Reign

 

 1)  Ps. 72:8             2)  Is. 11:4-5           3)  Is. 32:1                               4).  I Cor. 15:25

 5) Rev. 20:6            6)  Rev. 20:14

 

       F.  The Judgment of all Unbelievers

 

                                1) Matt. 13:49-50                       2) Rev. 20:11-15