Statement Of Faith
The Holy
Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore, are the Sole Authority for faith and life. These sixty-six (66) books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical historical meaning. The King James Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
The Person
& work of
Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1: 1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death and shed blood on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
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; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8.34; 1 John 2:1-2
THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved and positively inclined to evil; and therefore, under just condemnation to eternal punishment in Hell without defense or excuse; and man in himself is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
JUSTIFICATION
We believe that the great Gospel blessing, which Christ secures to such as believe in Him, is justification. Justification is bestowed upon the believer with no consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the shed blood of Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. (Acts 13:39; Isaiah 53:11; Romans 5:1-9)
LORD'S SUPPER
We believe that the Lords Supper, which is sometimes called communion, is the commemoration of Christ's death until He comes again, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. We believe that the elements of the Lord's Supper are symbolic of Christ's shed blood and broken body and have no saving power. (1 Corinthians 11:23-31; Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20)
THE ETERNAL SECURITY
& ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all that are truly born-again are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5)
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)
SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Lev. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)
THE SECOND COMING 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; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil. We believe God created him as an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator. Satan is the author of sin and the cause of the fall of mankind. We believe he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. (Genesis 3:1-6; Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Revelation 20:10)
The
Godhead
We believe in one 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 perfection's. In addition, we believe God to be an infinite Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth: inexpressible in glory, holiness and worthy of all honour, confidence and love. We believe that the Members of the Godhead execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Exo. 20:2-3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11; 1 Jn. 5:7; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Jn. 14:10, 26; Isa. 44:6)
The person & work
of the holy spirit
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; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3.6; Ephesians 1: 13-14)
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 saved people to be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 1: 7-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20-27)
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; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12)
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit 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. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
Salvation
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. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1: 12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 10:9-13; Matt. 12:31-32; 1 John 1:9)
We believe that faith is the condition for salvation. Saving faith is when one turns to the Saviour for eternal life. Saving faith is not a meritorious work wherein to boast, but rather a humbling acknowledgment of sin and a simple accepting of the gift of salvation made possible by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:47; 1 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 9:22; Romans 6:23)
We believe that salvation is instantaneous and not a process and that in the new birth the one who was dead in trespasses and sin is made a partaker of the Divine Nature and receives eternal life, which is a free gift from God. The Holy Spirit seals each believer at the moment he receives Christ as their personal Saviour. (John 3:3, 6-7; 2 Corinthians 5:16-17; 1 John 5:1; 2 Peter 1:4; Colossians 2:13)
BAPTISM
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water as an outward expression of the person's belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Saviour. We believe that baptism has no part in the salvation of any person but is done in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ, and that it is prerequisite to the privilege of membership in the church. We also believe that a person should be baptized after they receive Christ as Saviour. (Acts 2:41; 8:26-39; John 3:22-23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:13-17; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:18-20)
THE CHURCH
Easton Baptist Church is an autonomous, sovereign, independent Baptist church governed by and with the consent of its members under the leadership of the Pastor. The policy and practice of this church are patterned after the churches of the New Testament. (See the Books of Acts and Revelation.)
We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is to be solely made up of born-again believers. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
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; 20:28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
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; Romans 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9-16; 5:4-7; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
We recognize baptism in water by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience of the local church. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
CREATION
We believe that God created the universe in six literal 24-hour days given in the Biblical account of creation in Genesis and that this account is neither allegory nor myth. We reject evolution, The Gap Theory, The Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20: 11)