Statement of Faith
Heritage Baptist Church shall be Biblical in its theology, Fundamental in its practice, and Premillennial in its hope.
The following is a condensed statement of faith from our church constitution:
1. The Holy Scriptures:
We believe that the Holy Bible, both Old and New Testaments is the very Word of God; that it is the full, final, and complete revelation of God’s will to man; and that it is infallible, verbally inspired, and inerrant.
2. The Godhead:
We believe that there is One and only One true and living God, and that He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributes, and holy in character; that He is the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; that He is infinite in wisdom, marvelous in power, and amazing in love; that He unites in Himself the infinite, the eternal, and the Almighty Three-God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; and that the three Persons of the Godhead subsist in the same divine nature, essence, and being, and that they co-exist and are co-equal in every divine attribute, with each One executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of man’s redemption.
3. The Devil:
We believe that Satan is an actual person and not an imaginary influence or force; that he is the author of sin and brought about the fall of Adam and Eve; that he operates today as the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air; that he is a diabolical inventor, deceiver, and the father of all lies, and the greatest enemy, the mightiest tempter, and the most relentless accuser of the saints; and that he will meet his end in the never ending torment of the Lake of Fire.
4. The Creation:
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is literal, not allegorical nor figurative, and that God personally created the heavens and the earth out of nothing; and reject as false all forms of evolution, for all of His creative acts, including man, were perfect in themselves, with not one of them conditional upon changes wrought over an indeterminable period of time.
5. The Doctrine of Salvation:
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace through faith alone in the finished blood sacrifice, death, and literal and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; that all who receive Him as their personal Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and become children of God; that no rite, ceremony, work, sacrament, merit or church can avail for the sinner’s salvation, nor make the believer’s salvation more secure; and that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only and all-sufficient Savior.
6. The Security of The Believer:
We believe that salvation wrought by God’s grace is everlasting; that those begotten of the Holy Spirit are kept, not by their own power, but by the power of God; that security is not limited to salvation alone, but also to the new life in Christ, manifested by the changes that occur in those that are redeemed from the marketplace of sin; and that security is forbidden to be taught or practiced as a license to any form of sin.
7. The Doctrine of Separation:
A. Personal
We believe that every believer should keep himself unspotted from the world, and in so doing, will abstain from worldly practices, habits, attitudes, and dress; and that every believer should compliment his abstinence with separation to the Lord and His will for their lives.
B. Ecclesiastical
We believe that we must raise a holy standard against and separate from groups, organizations, fellowships, churches, and movements that do not uphold, or who compromise the historic Christian fundamentals of the faith as expressed by the Word of God; and that we have a Biblical mandate to be obedient to the Word in order to keep the local church pure from the leaven seeking entrance or cooperation.
8. The Doctrine of Future Things:
We believe in the literal, bodily, personal, Premillennial, and imminent Coming of our Lord in the air, to catch away His children to Himself, BEFORE the Tribulation period of seven years starts on the earth; and in the personal, visible, and glorious return of Christ to the earth with His saints at the close of the Tribulation period, at the battle of Armageddon; to judge the nations and to set up His Millennial Kingdom upon the earth for 1,000 years.
9. The King James Version:
We believe that the King James Version of the Bible to be the most accurate, scholarly, literal, and true to the faith of any and all translations or versions. It is to be used in all services of teaching or preaching. We also believe that the King James Version needs no revision, and even if it suffers increasing apathy by some, and sacrilege by others, it remains stately, spiritual and reverent as the infallible Word of God.
10. Doctrine of Stewardship:
We believe that stewardship is the active recognition of the Lordship of Christ over all believers, and that it is the believer’s responsibility and privilege to give back to the Lord tithes and offerings of our finances, our abilities, and our time; and that this method is the prescribed plan for financing and carrying on the work of His churches and spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
11. Doctrine of Missions:
We believe that all men that are without Christ are eternally lost. Since man cannot believe in a Christ in whom he has never heard of, believer’s are debtors to all mankind and have the responsibility of getting to them and giving them the saving Gospel of Christ. Believers therefore, are to support and pray for those who are called to the mission field under approved and scripturally sound and separated mission boards or as independents. Both home and foreign missions are included.
12. Doctrine of Marriage
We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the sole authority for the source of the Divine institution of marriage, and that both a biological male and a biological female were created in the image of God to procreate and have dominion over the earth. The union was between a male and a female and was binding for life. There is no provision in the Word of God for a male to male marriage, or a female to female marriage. Both of those groupings do not possess biblical standings marital rights in the realm of Christianity. We declare under the authority of God’s Word that heterosexual marriage is the only God-recognized marriage. We therefore hold, as a spiritual organism of baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and by firm and clear conviction of this doctrine, that the only prospects to be married in and by this local church will be a male and a female by biblical definition. All deviations from this position, which is the sodomite lifestyle in all of its forms, whether it be homosexuality, bestiality, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender, constitute a severe and abominable violation of the Scriptures to our moral and spiritual conscience. (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18, 22-24; Matt.19:4-6; Lev.18:22-23; 20:13-16; Rom.1:24-32)
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