Madison Baptist Church
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ....."
Romans 1:16
Romans 1:16
We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consisting of the Old and New
Testaments, is the divinely and completely inspired Word of God, and is the sole
basis and supreme authority for our faith and life. We believe in the Triune God -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and
born of the Virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life; that He performed miracles; and
that He gave up His life upon the cross, shedding His blood, as the atonement for the
sins of all who believe in Him.
We believe in Christ's bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of God
the Father. We believe in His imminent appearing in the air to gather His church to
heaven; also in His personal and visible return in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory, to set up His Kingdom on earth.
We believe that salvation is by God's grace through faith in Christ alone, and that the
Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes; and that all
believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God, while all who do not believe will be
eternally separated from God.
Testaments, is the divinely and completely inspired Word of God, and is the sole
basis and supreme authority for our faith and life. We believe in the Triune God -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and
born of the Virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life; that He performed miracles; and
that He gave up His life upon the cross, shedding His blood, as the atonement for the
sins of all who believe in Him.
We believe in Christ's bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of God
the Father. We believe in His imminent appearing in the air to gather His church to
heaven; also in His personal and visible return in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory, to set up His Kingdom on earth.
We believe that salvation is by God's grace through faith in Christ alone, and that the
Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes; and that all
believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God, while all who do not believe will be
eternally separated from God.
Learn Together
What We Believe
Connect
Media
Sunday Morning
Contact Us
Believe
What we believe is very important to us. Without knowing the truth, we would have no guidance in life, but God has provided us with with His Word, the bible, so that we could understand Him and ourselves. We have listed some of the most important points below. Do they really matter? Isn't doctrine just divisive and exclusionary? Well, if you were going to make a birthday cake for friends to enjoy, would you substitute sand in the place of flour? There are reasons why God has revealed truths about Himself- so that we can enjoy Him and trust him without fear.
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENTS OF MISSION AND FAITH
The documents contained herein are a portion of the ongoing work of the Deacon's Board
of Madison Baptist Church, whose goal is to have a new constitution which will reflect
our Church's beliefs and practices in the present day (the current constitution has not been
revised since 1972.)
There are three documents:
A Mission Statement, a Statement of Faith and our Doctrinal Statement.
The Mission Statement and Statement of Faith are meant to be very succinct and general,
whereas the Doctrinal Statement is intended as a very clear and complete position on our
faith and beliefs as revealed in Scripture.
Our aim is first to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to uphold the doctrine
that has been taught since the founding of His Church. Our desire is to confirm the
message of Salvation by Grace through Faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is for our present Church family and the generations of believers to come, until the
Lord's return.
These documents, which had been approved by the Board of Deacons, were presented to
the Church Members on October 16, 2003, requesting careful review and submission of
comments, if any, by November 16, 2003. No comments were received from the
Members. Accordingly, these statements are deemed to have the approval of the
Members and are presented herewith for formal ratification at this Seventy-Fifth Annual
Meeting of the Church.
February 29, 2004.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of the church is to be the worshipping people of God on earth, being formed
into a redemptive fellowship for the nurture of the believer, to proclaim the gospel of
Jesus Christ, to make disciples in response to the Lord’s commission, and to be an
influence for righteousness in society.
February 29, 2004
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FAITH
We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consisting of the Old and New
Testaments, is the divinely and completely inspired Word of God, and is the sole
basis and supreme authority for our faith and life. We believe in the Triune God -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life; that He performed
miracles; and that He gave up His life upon the cross, shedding His blood, as the
atonement for the sins of all who believe in Him.
We believe in Christ’s bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of
God the Father. We believe in His imminent appearing in the air to gather His
church to heaven; also in His personal and visible return in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory, to set up His Kingdom on earth.
We believe that salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone, and that
the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes; and
that all believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God, while all who do not
believe will be eternally separated from God.
February 29, 2004
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
THE BIBLE
The Bible in its original writings, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testaments, is the Word of God, written by men specially inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Thus, the Bible in its entirety is the inerrant Word of God, and the all-sufficient,
authoritative, and infallible revelation of God to man in all things pertaining to faith and
application to daily living. (Matt. 5:18; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:19-21)
GOD
There is only one true, eternal, living God, who is sovereign over all things. God consists
of three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each of whom is coeternal
and co-equal, all three having the same nature, attributes and perfections, but each
executing distinct, but harmonious, operations in the work of creation and redemption.
God is the source and sustainer of all life. He, according to the council of His own will,
decreed whatever comes to pass, including His permissive will and His causal will.
(Deut. 6:4; Ex. 3:14; Isa. 14:24,26,27; John 1:1,14-18; John 6:27; Acts 5:3-4; Eph. 1:3-
23; Col. 1:15-19)
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is absolute Deity, the eternal Son of God, who, in His incarnation,
became man without ceasing to be God, uniting in His divine nature a true human nature,
and so continues to be both God and man, in two distinct natures, but one person, forever.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was miraculously born of Mary, a virgin. (Isa.
7:14; Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 7:13; John 20:28; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:8; Titus 2:13)
He lived a sinless life, perfectly obeying the will of God, performed miracles by the
power of God, poured out His blood on the cross as a vicarious atonement for sin. God
the Father raised Him bodily on the third day for our justification. He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the Father’s right hand, where He now lives to make intercession for the
redeemed, the only true Mediator between God and man. He will come again in like
manner as He went into heaven. (John 3:16; Acts 1:8,9,11; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-8;
2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:18-20; Col. 2:9-10: 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:3; Heb. 2:14,17; Heb. 4:14-
15; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 9:14,28; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 2:1)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, comes to indwell the believer at the
moment of belief, giving gifts to be used for the edification and perfecting of the
believers in the Church. The miracle and sign gifts were given for a unique purpose to the
first-century church, and we recognize that, in God’s sovereign wisdom, miracles still
occur. (Acts 1:8; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:26; Rom. 12:3-8; Rom. 15:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-16; 1
Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Cor. 12, 13, 14; Eph. 4:1-16; Eph. 5:18; Heb. 2:3-4)
The Holy Spirit is actively working to convict the world of sin, righteousness and
judgment, and to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-
15)
SATAN
Satan is a being created by God as the greatest of angels, who later rebelled against God.
After he fell, he organized his own kingdom, which consists of both evil angels and also
unregenerate man. He is currently the ruler/god of this age. Satan’s ultimate goal is to
overthrow God. He seeks to keep the unsaved from becoming saved. He seeks to hinder
and destroy the Christian’s testimony and ministry for God. (Job 1:6-12; Isa. 14:12-17;
Ezek. 28:11-19; Zech. 3:1-2; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Cor. 11:14-15; Col. 2:15; 1 Thes.
2:18; 1 Jn. 4:4; Rev. 12:7-9)
Satan is a defeated enemy. He and his evil angels will be consigned to the eternal Lake of
Fire after the Millennium. (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:7-10)
MAN
Man was uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, in that he was made a
spiritual, sinless, immortal being with a capacity for fellowship with God, and was given
dominion over all the earth. (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 2:7; Gen. 5:1-2; Psalm 8:4-8; Matt;
19:4)
THE FALL
By voluntarily transgressing the law of God, Man fell from the sinless state in which God
had created him; and, in consequence, incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual
death, which is separation from God, bringing sin, depravity and death upon all his
posterity, except the virgin-born Lord Jesus Christ. (Gen. 2:17; Gen 3:6; Rom. 1:18;
Rom. 3:9-23; Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21,22; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
SIN
Sin is the transgression of God’s law, whether by thought or act, and anything that does
not conform to the character, holiness and nature of God. The consequence is death and
eternal separation from God. (Mk. 7:21-23; Rom. 6:23; James 1:15; 1 Jn. 3:4)
REDEMPTION
God, through His mercy and grace, has provided for Man’s redemption and restoration by
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood has made atonement for sin. His death
was a voluntary substitution of Himself for Man, the Sinner. Salvation is free, a gift
granted on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, and is available to
every repentant sinner. (Jn. 1:12-13; Jn. 3:5 & ff; Jn. 5:24; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10)
RESTORATION
By the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour - and in no other way - Man
is restored to communion with God, being born again spiritually, becoming a new
creation in Christ Jesus. Salvation involves three things for the believer: deliverance from
the penalty of sin at the moment of regeneration, victory over the power of sin during the
Christian life, and, ultimately, deliverance from the presence of sin for eternity. (Jn.
14:6; Rom. 6:14; Rom. 8:4, 29-30; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 5:16; Eph. 3:17-19;
Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 2:6; 1 Thes. 5:9, 23-24; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Jn. 3:1-3; Jude 24)
THE CHURCH
Universal: The Church is the “body of Christ”, who is Himself the head of this body. It
is also the “bride of Christ”, the Lord Jesus Christ being the “Bridegroom”. The Church,
which is composed of regenerate, redeemed believers only, began on the day of Pentecost
and will continue to the end of the Church Age at which time “we who are still alive and
are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we
will be with the Lord forever”. (1 Thes. 4:17) (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:1-4; 1
Cor. 12:13,27; 2Cor. 11:2; Eph.1:22-23; Eph.5:23; Col. 1:18,24; 1 Thes. 4:17)
Local: A Church is a congregation of believers associated in the fellowship of a common
faith, assembling in one place for the observance of the ordinances of Christ, for worship,
for the active propagation of the Gospel, for the study and the ministry of the Word, and
for mutual edification and compassion. Each such local church has absolute right of selfgovernment,
free from all outside control, under the superintendency of Christ, through
the Holy Spirit, and in accordance with the Bible. Its Ministers, Deacons, and other
Officers are chosen leaders among equals. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1
Cor. 11:23-28; Eph. 4:11-16; Col.3:12-17)
THE ORDINANCES
Ordinances are acts of obedience by those who have already been saved by God’s grace
through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are determined by three criteria:
• commanded by Jesus Christ, Himself, as found in the Gospels;
• practiced by the early church, as described in Acts, and
• taught by the Apostles in the Epistles.
Given these criteria, two ordinances emerge - Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is an outward physical expression of an inward spiritual reality; it is a nonsaving
ordinance symbolizing Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, - and of ours with
Him, spiritually and literally. Its form is immersion in water in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit; its subjects are repentant believers in the Lord Jesus Christ upon a
personal confession of faith. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-38: Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21)
The Lord’s Supper (Communion) is a joyful commemoration of our Lord’s sacrifice of
Himself, to be practised only by Believers, in remembrance of His death, until His return
for His Church. (Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-29)
ESCHATOLOGY
The Church will be taken up to meet Jesus Christ in the air, as He promised. (Jn. 14:3,4;
1 Cor. I5:50-52; 1 Thes. 4:13-17; 1 Thes. 5:6)
This will be followed by a period of tribulation, designed to bring His chosen people to
faith in The Messiah, as proclaimed by the Hebrew Prophets. (Dan. 9:24-27; 2 Thes.
2:3,4)
The culmination of these events will be the return of Jesus Christ in power and great
glory, to judge the nations and to establish His Kingdom of peace for one thousand years,
at the end of which will come the Last Judgment and the creation of the New Heavens
and the New Earth. (Dan. 12:1,2; Zech. 14:1-4; Matt. 24:27,30; Matt. 25:46; Jn. 3:36;
Jn. 5:28,29; Acts 1:10,11; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 19 & 20)
THE ETERNAL STATE
Eternal life with God is the assured inheritance of the redeemed. Eternal separation from
God is the penalty of unbelievers. (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 5:29; Eph. 1:3-14;
2 Thes. 1:8-10; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 Jn. 5:13; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21 & 22)
February 29, 2004
STATEMENTS OF MISSION AND FAITH
The documents contained herein are a portion of the ongoing work of the Deacon's Board
of Madison Baptist Church, whose goal is to have a new constitution which will reflect
our Church's beliefs and practices in the present day (the current constitution has not been
revised since 1972.)
There are three documents:
A Mission Statement, a Statement of Faith and our Doctrinal Statement.
The Mission Statement and Statement of Faith are meant to be very succinct and general,
whereas the Doctrinal Statement is intended as a very clear and complete position on our
faith and beliefs as revealed in Scripture.
Our aim is first to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to uphold the doctrine
that has been taught since the founding of His Church. Our desire is to confirm the
message of Salvation by Grace through Faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is for our present Church family and the generations of believers to come, until the
Lord's return.
These documents, which had been approved by the Board of Deacons, were presented to
the Church Members on October 16, 2003, requesting careful review and submission of
comments, if any, by November 16, 2003. No comments were received from the
Members. Accordingly, these statements are deemed to have the approval of the
Members and are presented herewith for formal ratification at this Seventy-Fifth Annual
Meeting of the Church.
February 29, 2004.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of the church is to be the worshipping people of God on earth, being formed
into a redemptive fellowship for the nurture of the believer, to proclaim the gospel of
Jesus Christ, to make disciples in response to the Lord’s commission, and to be an
influence for righteousness in society.
February 29, 2004
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FAITH
We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consisting of the Old and New
Testaments, is the divinely and completely inspired Word of God, and is the sole
basis and supreme authority for our faith and life. We believe in the Triune God -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life; that He performed
miracles; and that He gave up His life upon the cross, shedding His blood, as the
atonement for the sins of all who believe in Him.
We believe in Christ’s bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of
God the Father. We believe in His imminent appearing in the air to gather His
church to heaven; also in His personal and visible return in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory, to set up His Kingdom on earth.
We believe that salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone, and that
the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes; and
that all believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God, while all who do not
believe will be eternally separated from God.
February 29, 2004
MADISON BAPTIST CHURCH
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
THE BIBLE
The Bible in its original writings, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testaments, is the Word of God, written by men specially inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Thus, the Bible in its entirety is the inerrant Word of God, and the all-sufficient,
authoritative, and infallible revelation of God to man in all things pertaining to faith and
application to daily living. (Matt. 5:18; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:19-21)
GOD
There is only one true, eternal, living God, who is sovereign over all things. God consists
of three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each of whom is coeternal
and co-equal, all three having the same nature, attributes and perfections, but each
executing distinct, but harmonious, operations in the work of creation and redemption.
God is the source and sustainer of all life. He, according to the council of His own will,
decreed whatever comes to pass, including His permissive will and His causal will.
(Deut. 6:4; Ex. 3:14; Isa. 14:24,26,27; John 1:1,14-18; John 6:27; Acts 5:3-4; Eph. 1:3-
23; Col. 1:15-19)
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is absolute Deity, the eternal Son of God, who, in His incarnation,
became man without ceasing to be God, uniting in His divine nature a true human nature,
and so continues to be both God and man, in two distinct natures, but one person, forever.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was miraculously born of Mary, a virgin. (Isa.
7:14; Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 7:13; John 20:28; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:8; Titus 2:13)
He lived a sinless life, perfectly obeying the will of God, performed miracles by the
power of God, poured out His blood on the cross as a vicarious atonement for sin. God
the Father raised Him bodily on the third day for our justification. He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the Father’s right hand, where He now lives to make intercession for the
redeemed, the only true Mediator between God and man. He will come again in like
manner as He went into heaven. (John 3:16; Acts 1:8,9,11; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-8;
2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:18-20; Col. 2:9-10: 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:3; Heb. 2:14,17; Heb. 4:14-
15; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 9:14,28; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 2:1)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, comes to indwell the believer at the
moment of belief, giving gifts to be used for the edification and perfecting of the
believers in the Church. The miracle and sign gifts were given for a unique purpose to the
first-century church, and we recognize that, in God’s sovereign wisdom, miracles still
occur. (Acts 1:8; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:26; Rom. 12:3-8; Rom. 15:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-16; 1
Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Cor. 12, 13, 14; Eph. 4:1-16; Eph. 5:18; Heb. 2:3-4)
The Holy Spirit is actively working to convict the world of sin, righteousness and
judgment, and to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-
15)
SATAN
Satan is a being created by God as the greatest of angels, who later rebelled against God.
After he fell, he organized his own kingdom, which consists of both evil angels and also
unregenerate man. He is currently the ruler/god of this age. Satan’s ultimate goal is to
overthrow God. He seeks to keep the unsaved from becoming saved. He seeks to hinder
and destroy the Christian’s testimony and ministry for God. (Job 1:6-12; Isa. 14:12-17;
Ezek. 28:11-19; Zech. 3:1-2; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Cor. 11:14-15; Col. 2:15; 1 Thes.
2:18; 1 Jn. 4:4; Rev. 12:7-9)
Satan is a defeated enemy. He and his evil angels will be consigned to the eternal Lake of
Fire after the Millennium. (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:7-10)
MAN
Man was uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, in that he was made a
spiritual, sinless, immortal being with a capacity for fellowship with God, and was given
dominion over all the earth. (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 2:7; Gen. 5:1-2; Psalm 8:4-8; Matt;
19:4)
THE FALL
By voluntarily transgressing the law of God, Man fell from the sinless state in which God
had created him; and, in consequence, incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual
death, which is separation from God, bringing sin, depravity and death upon all his
posterity, except the virgin-born Lord Jesus Christ. (Gen. 2:17; Gen 3:6; Rom. 1:18;
Rom. 3:9-23; Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21,22; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
SIN
Sin is the transgression of God’s law, whether by thought or act, and anything that does
not conform to the character, holiness and nature of God. The consequence is death and
eternal separation from God. (Mk. 7:21-23; Rom. 6:23; James 1:15; 1 Jn. 3:4)
REDEMPTION
God, through His mercy and grace, has provided for Man’s redemption and restoration by
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood has made atonement for sin. His death
was a voluntary substitution of Himself for Man, the Sinner. Salvation is free, a gift
granted on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, and is available to
every repentant sinner. (Jn. 1:12-13; Jn. 3:5 & ff; Jn. 5:24; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10)
RESTORATION
By the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour - and in no other way - Man
is restored to communion with God, being born again spiritually, becoming a new
creation in Christ Jesus. Salvation involves three things for the believer: deliverance from
the penalty of sin at the moment of regeneration, victory over the power of sin during the
Christian life, and, ultimately, deliverance from the presence of sin for eternity. (Jn.
14:6; Rom. 6:14; Rom. 8:4, 29-30; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 5:16; Eph. 3:17-19;
Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 2:6; 1 Thes. 5:9, 23-24; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Jn. 3:1-3; Jude 24)
THE CHURCH
Universal: The Church is the “body of Christ”, who is Himself the head of this body. It
is also the “bride of Christ”, the Lord Jesus Christ being the “Bridegroom”. The Church,
which is composed of regenerate, redeemed believers only, began on the day of Pentecost
and will continue to the end of the Church Age at which time “we who are still alive and
are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we
will be with the Lord forever”. (1 Thes. 4:17) (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:1-4; 1
Cor. 12:13,27; 2Cor. 11:2; Eph.1:22-23; Eph.5:23; Col. 1:18,24; 1 Thes. 4:17)
Local: A Church is a congregation of believers associated in the fellowship of a common
faith, assembling in one place for the observance of the ordinances of Christ, for worship,
for the active propagation of the Gospel, for the study and the ministry of the Word, and
for mutual edification and compassion. Each such local church has absolute right of selfgovernment,
free from all outside control, under the superintendency of Christ, through
the Holy Spirit, and in accordance with the Bible. Its Ministers, Deacons, and other
Officers are chosen leaders among equals. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1
Cor. 11:23-28; Eph. 4:11-16; Col.3:12-17)
THE ORDINANCES
Ordinances are acts of obedience by those who have already been saved by God’s grace
through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are determined by three criteria:
• commanded by Jesus Christ, Himself, as found in the Gospels;
• practiced by the early church, as described in Acts, and
• taught by the Apostles in the Epistles.
Given these criteria, two ordinances emerge - Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is an outward physical expression of an inward spiritual reality; it is a nonsaving
ordinance symbolizing Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, - and of ours with
Him, spiritually and literally. Its form is immersion in water in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit; its subjects are repentant believers in the Lord Jesus Christ upon a
personal confession of faith. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-38: Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21)
The Lord’s Supper (Communion) is a joyful commemoration of our Lord’s sacrifice of
Himself, to be practised only by Believers, in remembrance of His death, until His return
for His Church. (Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-29)
ESCHATOLOGY
The Church will be taken up to meet Jesus Christ in the air, as He promised. (Jn. 14:3,4;
1 Cor. I5:50-52; 1 Thes. 4:13-17; 1 Thes. 5:6)
This will be followed by a period of tribulation, designed to bring His chosen people to
faith in The Messiah, as proclaimed by the Hebrew Prophets. (Dan. 9:24-27; 2 Thes.
2:3,4)
The culmination of these events will be the return of Jesus Christ in power and great
glory, to judge the nations and to establish His Kingdom of peace for one thousand years,
at the end of which will come the Last Judgment and the creation of the New Heavens
and the New Earth. (Dan. 12:1,2; Zech. 14:1-4; Matt. 24:27,30; Matt. 25:46; Jn. 3:36;
Jn. 5:28,29; Acts 1:10,11; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 19 & 20)
THE ETERNAL STATE
Eternal life with God is the assured inheritance of the redeemed. Eternal separation from
God is the penalty of unbelievers. (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 5:29; Eph. 1:3-14;
2 Thes. 1:8-10; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 Jn. 5:13; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21 & 22)
February 29, 2004