We affirm the Baptist Faith & Message (2000).
A condensed and self-described version of what we affirm and teach:
God
• God is the Creator of all things. Without him nothing was made that has been made.
• God is triune: one God, three Persons- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
• Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life.
• Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father, and shall return in person to this Earth as Judge of the living and the dead.
Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit enables man to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
• The Holy Spirit resides and works in each believer to produce the fruits of righteousness.
Scripture
• The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God.
• The Bible is given by the inspiration of God to be the supreme authority in all that it teaches concerning life and godliness.
• The creation account of Genesis is a literal account of the origins of life on Earth.
Man
• The special creation of Adam (the first man) and Eve (the first woman), and their subsequent choice to sin, is the basis for the necessity of man's salvation.
• All mankind are sinners, inherently (from Adam) and individually (by choice) and are therefore subject to God's judgment.
• The sanctity of human life: life begins at conception.
• God created Male & Female as equal in personhood and dignity, yet not interchangeable or indistinguishable.
Sin
• Sin is anything that "misses the mark" of God's intended way of living for humanity.
• Sin separates us from God.
• Death (both physical and spiritual) entered into this world as a direct consequence of man's sin.
Salvation
• Salvation is a gift received by faith alone in Christ alone and expressed by an individual's repentance, recognition of the death of Christ as full payment for sin, and acceptance of the risen Christ as Savior, Lord and God.
Heaven & Hell
• Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting, conscious punishment in a place called hell, but those who place their faith in Jesus Christ enjoy eternal life with God.
Our Enemy
• Satan is the personal spiritual adversary of both God and man.
The Church
• All churches should be under the headship of Christ and consist of baptized believers who lovingly join together for worship, discipleship, and the declaration of God's Word
• The church's senior leadership must be scripturally qualified male elders
The Family
• As the foundational unit of human society, families are vital to the health of the church and the culture and therefore must be cultivated through discipleship and obedience to Christ
• Marriage is the foundational unit of a family and is the joining of one man and one woman by lifetime covenant commitmen
God
• God is the Creator of all things. Without him nothing was made that has been made.
• God is triune: one God, three Persons- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
• Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life.
• Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father, and shall return in person to this Earth as Judge of the living and the dead.
Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit enables man to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
• The Holy Spirit resides and works in each believer to produce the fruits of righteousness.
Scripture
• The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God.
• The Bible is given by the inspiration of God to be the supreme authority in all that it teaches concerning life and godliness.
• The creation account of Genesis is a literal account of the origins of life on Earth.
Man
• The special creation of Adam (the first man) and Eve (the first woman), and their subsequent choice to sin, is the basis for the necessity of man's salvation.
• All mankind are sinners, inherently (from Adam) and individually (by choice) and are therefore subject to God's judgment.
• The sanctity of human life: life begins at conception.
• God created Male & Female as equal in personhood and dignity, yet not interchangeable or indistinguishable.
Sin
• Sin is anything that "misses the mark" of God's intended way of living for humanity.
• Sin separates us from God.
• Death (both physical and spiritual) entered into this world as a direct consequence of man's sin.
Salvation
• Salvation is a gift received by faith alone in Christ alone and expressed by an individual's repentance, recognition of the death of Christ as full payment for sin, and acceptance of the risen Christ as Savior, Lord and God.
Heaven & Hell
• Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting, conscious punishment in a place called hell, but those who place their faith in Jesus Christ enjoy eternal life with God.
Our Enemy
• Satan is the personal spiritual adversary of both God and man.
The Church
• All churches should be under the headship of Christ and consist of baptized believers who lovingly join together for worship, discipleship, and the declaration of God's Word
• The church's senior leadership must be scripturally qualified male elders
The Family
• As the foundational unit of human society, families are vital to the health of the church and the culture and therefore must be cultivated through discipleship and obedience to Christ
• Marriage is the foundational unit of a family and is the joining of one man and one woman by lifetime covenant commitmen
Additional Statements…
These statements are different from LCCA's Statement of Faith. We happily recognize our theological roots in ancient creeds and the Protestant Reformation. We also acknowledge the importance of the Chicago, Danvers, and Nashville Statements in addressing current issues.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ,
His only begotten Son,
our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into the grave.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
AMEN.
*catholic here means "universal"
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ,
His only begotten Son,
our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into the grave.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
AMEN.
*catholic here means "universal"
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the onlyͲbegotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Us men: means all people.
Christian: the ancient text reads “catholic,” meaning the whole
Church as it confesses the wholeness of Christian doctrine.
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the onlyͲbegotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Us men: means all people.
Christian: the ancient text reads “catholic,” meaning the whole
Church as it confesses the wholeness of Christian doctrine.
The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation
The five solas of the Reformation, which distinguished the Reformers from the teachings of Rome, include:
1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)
2. Solus Christus (Christ alone)
3. Sola fide (faith alone)
4. Sola gratia (grace alone)
5. Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
These five statements of the evangelical faith lay at the center of what distinguished the theology of the Reformation from the theology of the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. Sola scriptura is the belief that because Scripture is God’s inspired Word, it is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church. Solus Christus is the assertion that Christ alone is the basis on which the ungodly are justified in God’s sight. Sola fide maintains that the believer receives the redemption Christ has accomplished only through faith. Sola gratia proclaims that all of our salvation, from beginning to end, is by grace and grace alone. Because of these things, the Reformers held fast to the phrase soli Deo gloria, that only God receives glory for our salvation.
Read more here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-five-solas/
1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)
2. Solus Christus (Christ alone)
3. Sola fide (faith alone)
4. Sola gratia (grace alone)
5. Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
These five statements of the evangelical faith lay at the center of what distinguished the theology of the Reformation from the theology of the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. Sola scriptura is the belief that because Scripture is God’s inspired Word, it is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church. Solus Christus is the assertion that Christ alone is the basis on which the ungodly are justified in God’s sight. Sola fide maintains that the believer receives the redemption Christ has accomplished only through faith. Sola gratia proclaims that all of our salvation, from beginning to end, is by grace and grace alone. Because of these things, the Reformers held fast to the phrase soli Deo gloria, that only God receives glory for our salvation.
Read more here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-five-solas/
Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy & Hermeneutics
From the Preface:
The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.
Read the full statements here: https://defendinginerrancy.com/chicago-statements/
The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.
Read the full statements here: https://defendinginerrancy.com/chicago-statements/
Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood
From the purpose section of the Danvers Statement:
Recognizing our own abiding sinfulness and fallibility, and acknowledging the genuine evangelical standing of many who do not agree with all of our convictions, nevertheless, moved by the preceding observations and by the hope that the noble Biblical vision of sexual complementarity may yet win the mind and heart of Christ’s church, we engage to pursue the following purposes:
Read the full statement, including its rationale and affirmations, here: https://cbmw.org/about/the-danvers-statement/
Recognizing our own abiding sinfulness and fallibility, and acknowledging the genuine evangelical standing of many who do not agree with all of our convictions, nevertheless, moved by the preceding observations and by the hope that the noble Biblical vision of sexual complementarity may yet win the mind and heart of Christ’s church, we engage to pursue the following purposes:
- To study and set forth the Biblical view of the relationship between men and women, especially in the home and in the church.
- To promote the publication of scholarly and popular materials representing this view.
- To encourage the confidence of lay people to study and understand for themselves the teaching of Scripture, especially on the issue of relationships between men and women.
- To encourage the considered and sensitive application of this Biblical view in the appropriate spheres of life.
- And thereby
—to bring healing to persons and relationships injured by an inadequate grasp of God’s will concerning manhood and womanhood,
—to help both men and women realize their full ministry potential through a true understanding and practice of their God-given roles,
—and to promote the spread of the gospel among all peoples by fostering a Biblical wholeness in relationships that will attract a fractured world.
Read the full statement, including its rationale and affirmations, here: https://cbmw.org/about/the-danvers-statement/
Nashville Statement on Human Sexuality
An excerpt from the Nashville Statement:
We are persuaded that faithfulness in our generation means declaring once again the true story of the world and of our place in it—particularly as male and female. Christian Scripture teaches that there is but one God who alone is Creator and Lord of all. To him alone, every person owes glad-hearted thanksgiving, heart-felt praise, and total allegiance. This is the path not only of glorifying God, but of knowing ourselves. To forget our Creator is to forget who we are, for he made us for himself. And we cannot know ourselves truly without truly knowing him who made us. We did not make ourselves. We are not our own. Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God. It is not only foolish, but hopeless, to try to make ourselves what God did not create us to be.
We believe that God’s design for his creation and his way of salvation serve to bring him the greatest glory and bring us the greatest good. God’s good plan provides us with the greatest freedom. Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it in overflowing measure. He is for us and not against us. Therefore, in the hope of serving Christ’s church and witnessing publicly to the good purposes of God for human sexuality revealed in Christian Scripture, we offer the following affirmations and denials.
Read the full statement here: https://cbmw.org/the-nashville-statement/
We are persuaded that faithfulness in our generation means declaring once again the true story of the world and of our place in it—particularly as male and female. Christian Scripture teaches that there is but one God who alone is Creator and Lord of all. To him alone, every person owes glad-hearted thanksgiving, heart-felt praise, and total allegiance. This is the path not only of glorifying God, but of knowing ourselves. To forget our Creator is to forget who we are, for he made us for himself. And we cannot know ourselves truly without truly knowing him who made us. We did not make ourselves. We are not our own. Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God. It is not only foolish, but hopeless, to try to make ourselves what God did not create us to be.
We believe that God’s design for his creation and his way of salvation serve to bring him the greatest glory and bring us the greatest good. God’s good plan provides us with the greatest freedom. Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it in overflowing measure. He is for us and not against us. Therefore, in the hope of serving Christ’s church and witnessing publicly to the good purposes of God for human sexuality revealed in Christian Scripture, we offer the following affirmations and denials.
Read the full statement here: https://cbmw.org/the-nashville-statement/