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What We Believe
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inerrant, infallible, God-breathed, verbally and plenary inspired Word of God, and therefore, are the final authority of faith and practice. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalms 119:89; Revelation 22:18-19
1. We hold to the absolute truth that God has providentially preserved His Word in the Hebrew Masoretic, and the Greek Textus Receptus. We consider any accurate translation from these texts, in any language, to be God’s preserved Word in that language. Matthew 24:35; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 12:6-7; 100:5; 119:160; I Peter 1:25
2. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal literal-historical-grammatical methodology, and all issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the consensus of the members of the church. I Timothy 3:14-15; II Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3-4
3. The King James Bible shall be the only English translation used in the pulpits, classrooms, and any other activity of the ministry of North Love Baptist Church. Matthew 5:18
Dispensationalism
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations, or rules of life, which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are a divinely ordered stewardship 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. Genesis 1:28; Exodus 19:8; John 1:17; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25,27; Revelation 20:2-6
The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-equal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26; I Timothy 2:5; I John 5:7
The Person and Work of Christ.
1. We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man, without ceasing to be God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God, pay the necessary sinless, vicarious sacrifice, and redeem sinful men. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35; 2:6-7; John 1:1-2; 10:30; 20:28; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 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 from the dead. Luke 24:1-7; Acts 2:18-36; 17:31; Romans 3:24-25; 4:25; I Corinthians 15:1; Ephesians 1:7; I Thessalonians 4:16; 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 Great High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11; 2:32-33; Romans 8:34; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 7;25; I John 2:1-2
The Person and Work 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 16:7-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14
2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures, and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. John 14:26; Ephesians 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. Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, healing, knowledge and prophecy, were temporary gifts, having fulfilled their purpose in the age of the Apostles and the infant New Testament church. They were signs for the Jews which authenticated the message and messengers of the Gospel. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, through God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers fro physical healing. Such gifts ceased with the completion of the canon of Scripture. I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8, 10; 14:21-22
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. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition; but, has the ability to choose to turn to God. Genesis 1:26-27; Proverbs 14:12; Acts 17:30; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 4:17-19; Titus 3:5
Salvation
We believe that salvation is wholly of grace, the gift of God, received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (apart from the works of the flesh), whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. Ephesians 1:17; 2:8-9; John 1:12; Acts 16:31; Romans 1:16; I Peter 1:18-19
1. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (defined as continually rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to draw men and women to Christ), are forgivable. I John 1:9; Matthew 12:22-32
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all mankind, and that every man and woman has the free will, through repentance, and by faith alone, apart from the works of the flesh, to accept or reject God’s free gift of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Thus, it is his decision, not God’s election, which determines if the eternal abode of a man is to be Heaven, or Hell. I Peter 1:2
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power, and are thus preserved secure in Christ forever. John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8, 13; II Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; I Peter 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. Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15
The Church
1. We hold to a visible, indigenous, local NT assembly, comprised solely of repentant born again baptized believers, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, has real existence as an organization, executes action as a corporate being, and is covenanted together under the New Testament for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:4-6, 11-12, 22-23; 5:25-27
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local NT churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. Matthew 16:18; 28:19-20; Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local NT church, free of any external religious, secular, or governmental, authority or control. Acts 1:15-26; 6:1-6; 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4
4. We only recognize the two local NT church ordinances of the Lord’s Supper, as a memorial of the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and water baptism of believers by immersion, as a testimony of that believer’s salvation through faith in Christ, apart from works. Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:26; Acts 2:38, 41-42; 18:18; Romans 6:4-8; I Corinthians 11:23-26
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner so as to not bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from religious apostasy and sinful worldly pleasures, practices, and associations. God’s call to holiness also necessitates that His children refrain from immodest, immoral, and immoderate appearance. John 2:15-17; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; I Corinthians 6:19-20; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Galatians 1:8-9; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11
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 1,000 year earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. Psalms 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6
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. Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 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, where in 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 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6
3. We believe that the departed souls of the finally impenitent will reside in Hell, which was not created for man, but for Satan and the fallen angels. Such unbelievers remain confined there after death in anguish and pain, until the second resurrection. With soul and body reunited, the lost shall be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment by Jesus Christ, the One whom they had rejected, and be cast into the Lake of Fire (Gehenna, Hell), not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15.
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; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10
Creation
We believe that Genesis account that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour days. We reject Evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural and unproven theories of the origin of the universe and its inhabitants. Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11
Civil Government
We believe that God has created and ordained all authority which He placed into 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 are to govern in accordance with His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities, and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding 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. Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:21-24; Colossians 3:18-22; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14
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. We believe that God disapproves of, and forbids, any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in holy matrimony. Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23
Family Relationships
1. We believe that men and women 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 may be biblically qualified to be licensed or ordained by the church. Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the scriptural leadership of her husband, as the church, by example, submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values, and for leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 127;3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7
Divorce and Remarriage
We believe that God disapproves of, and forbids, divorce, and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. 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, the Bible does not permit them to serve in the offices of pastor or deacon. Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception, and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified taking of a human life, and is therefore murder. We reject any teaching which endorses rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother as justifications for abortion. Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44
Love
We believe that we should demonstrate Christ-like love toward believers and unbelievers. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and with humility. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict, or obtaining personal justice. God commands us to abhor sin, but to love and pray for those engaged in such actions. Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31: John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; II Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18
Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against another born again Christian, or against another local New Testament church. The local New Testament church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. However, a Christian may seek compensation for injuries suffered from another Christian’s insurance company, or from the unsaved, as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32
Missions
We believe that God has given the Great Commission only to the local New Testament church. The local assembly is to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Jesus Christ we must totally surrender ourselves to the task, and use all available means to take the message to every foreign nation. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20
Giving
We believe that all Christians, as stewards of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to them, are obligated to financially support their local NT church. God has established the tithe as a basic guideline for giving. Every Christian should also cheerfully give additional sacrificial offerings through their local NT church, in order to support the outreach ministries of the church, to provide for the relief of those in need within the church, and to assure sufficient finances for the spread of the Gospel. Once given, a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithes or offerings. Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17
Para-Church Organizations
We believe that all Christian associations, boards, committees, conventions, fellowships, organizations, schools, missionaries, etc, seeking fellowship with or endorsement and financial support from North Love Baptist Church should be approved by, and operate under, a local New Testament church. I Timothy 3:15
Ecclesiastical Separation
We believe it is unscriptural to fellowship with or support any organization or movement which is spiritually or doctrinally apostate (defection, falling away), attacks the authority of the Word of God, or rejects the King James Bible as the preserved Word of God for English speaking peoples. We do not accept the philosophy, position, or practices of the National Council of Churches in America, or the World Council of Churches. We are opposed to Liberalism, Neo-Orthodoxy, New Evangelicalism, those who espouse the tenants and practices of the Charismatic Movement, and any form of Hyper-Calvinism, and Calvinistic, Reformed, or Covenant theology. We reject all New Age philosophies, including contemporary worship services, and contemporary music. I Corinthians 5:1-13; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15
Authority of Statement of Faith
We believe that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the King James Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. However, this Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs, our faith, and our practices. The King James translation of the Bible is the sole and final source of all that we believe. II Timothy 3:16-17; Psalms 12:6-7; Matthew 24:35; John 17:8