The Highwood Statement
This statement is a labour of love, born out of patient study with many afflictions. We earnest desire to submit ourselves, as a corporate body, to the standard of truth preserved here. In doing so, we believe that we will make progress toward “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
While Scripture speaks with incomparable authority and is that word which is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of men, we have looked to a rich confessional heritage to help us form our thinking and frame our thoughts. God has graciously gifted His people with teachers, who being guided by the illuminating work of His Spirit have produced many clear confessional statements. Those confessions are as follows: The Apostles’ Creed; The Nicene Creed; The Athanasian Creed; The Definition of Chalcedon; The 1644 London Baptist Confession; The 1689 London Baptist Confession; The New Hampshire Confession; The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood; The Cambridge Declaration of Confessing Evangelicals; The Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality; The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel; and The Abstract of Principles for Baptist Churches (AMBER). These standards have proved themselves to be faithful witnesses and helpful guides.
We have agreed and covenanted before God to submit ourselves to this body of truth. We recognize that this statement is not perfect and only represents the best attempt of a few fallible and finite men at giving an abbreviated summary of what is infallible and infinite. For that reason, agreement can only mean that an individual has no settled theological opposition to the doctrines contained in this. The repeated phrase “We believe” assumes that this is a corporate statement. We are not ignorant of the fact that within a corporate body of believers, there will always be a certain degree of diversity. Not everyone has attained the same degree of knowledge, there are different emphases along with differing degrees of importance that one may attach to one doctrine or another. Nevertheless, given the breadth of that diversity, we believe it necessary to call our brothers and sisters to a substantial agreement with this statement while graciously granting room for growth for those with hesitations or without formed convictions, trusting the guidance of the whole body in places where we feel less confident or even unsettled. Moreover, we put our trust in the providence of God in bringing us to Providence Baptist Church recognizing its unique doctrinal perspective. Thus, we agree and covenant to the following:
I. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that all 66 books of the Bible are God’s word, His final revelation breathed out by God and written by men carried along by the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is complete, entirely true, and without error in its original documents and is the whole counsel of God; it is unified and without contradiction because God, who sovereignly preserves it, is its author; it has absolute authority in all matters of which it speaks and is able to judge all other authorities, even the thoughts and intentions of the heart; and it alone is sufficient and clear to make us wise for salvation and teaches, corrects, rebukes, and trains believers in righteousness. The Scriptures when handled rightly under the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit do not fail to guide us, His church, to the correct understanding, application, and central focus which is Christ who is their ultimate end.
Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Psalm 12:6-7; 19:7-11; 119:9, 11, 24, 50, 93, 130; Proverbs 6:23; 30:5-6; Ecclesiastes 12:11; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Luke 16:29-31; 24:13-27; John 5:18; 5:39; 10:35; 12:48; 15:26-27; 16:13-15; 17:17; 20:31; Acts 17:11; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12-13; James 1:18, 21; 1 Peter 1:23; 4:11; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 22:18
II. GOD
We believe that there is only one living and true God, who exists in and of Himself independently of His creation. He is unchanging, immeasurable, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, infinite, all-knowing, inexpressibly glorious in holiness, most wise, most free, most absolute, and sovereignly works all things according to His will for His own glory. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving sin, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Yet, He will not fail to establish perfect justice. God exists eternally in the three Persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, perfections, and will, and worthy of the same worship, confidence, and obedience.
Genesis 1:1-2; Exodus 3:14; 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 19:1-3; 33:11; 42:2; 115:3; 139:12; 145:7-9; Isaiah 6:3; 40:18, 21-23, 28; 46:9-10; 55:9; Jeremiah 32:27; Daniel 4:35; Matthew 3:13-17; John 1:1-3; Acts 17:23-25; Romans 16:26; 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 11:6; 13:21; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 3:19-20; 4:8; Revelation 4:8, 11; 22:13
a. God the Father
We believe that God the Father exists eternally as the first Person of the Trinity and reigns supreme over His creation and governs all things by His providence for His good purpose. In the fullness of time, the Father demonstrated His love by sending His only Son to be the Saviour of the world. The Father is the source of all spiritual blessing in Christ and has graciously chosen from before the foundation of the world those whom He would have as His own; He saves from sin all who are drawn by Him through Jesus Christ. We become children of God when we receive the Spirit of adoption and are joined to all who call Him Father.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 45:5-7; 46:8-11; Daniel 2:20-23; 4:3; Matthew 6:24-34; 7:11; John 1:3, 12-14; 3:16; 6:37; 17:1-8; Acts 17:26-27; Romans 8:14-15; 8:31; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:4, 11; 4:6; 1 Peter 1:
b. God the Son
We believe that God the Son exists eternally as the second Person of the Trinity, the Word that was with God and was God from the beginning. All things were made through Him, by Him and for Him, and are upheld by the word of His power. Though being equal with God, yet He humbled Himself by taking on full humanity while retaining full divinity for the sake of our redemption. We believe in the Virgin birth of Christ, taking the form of a servant, His perfect and sinless obedience, His crucifixion and substitutionary atonement by which He reconciles all things to Himself, His bodily resurrection on the third day, His appearing to many witnesses, His exaltation to the right hand of the Father, His sending of the Spirit, His continual intercession as the one Mediator between God and man, and His coming a second time to receive the church unto Himself. Jesus is the exact revelation of the Father, the promised Seed, the second Adam, the coming King, the expected Prophet, the Great High Priest, the rightful Judge, the believer’s Advocate, the Head of the Church, and the firstfruits from the dead.
Genesis 3:15; Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 7:14; 53:4-12; Matthew 1:22-23; 20:28; Luke 1:33; John 1:1-5; 5:19-29; 14:1-3; 20:28; Acts 2:33; 3:22; Romans 1:3-4; 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, 45-57; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 21; Galatians 3:16; 4:4; Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9; 2:13-15; 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 1 Timothy 2:5; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 1:2-3; 4:15-16; 5:5-6; 7:26-28; 8:1; 9:28; 11:3; 12:2; 1 Peter 1:10-11; 2:24; 3:18; 3:22; 4:5; 1 John 2:1; 5:20; Revelation 1:7; 22:12
c. God the Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is the eternal third Person of the Trinity, having all the attributes of God. Possessing personhood, He is not an impersonal force or energy. The Spirit, who searches the deep things of God, superintended the writing of Scripture by inspiration, and through the ministry of illumination enables men in understanding its significance. He works through the word to convict men of sin, righteousness, and judgment and exalts the worthiness of Christ. He removes resistance and regenerates the hearts of the elect, awakening them from spiritual death, baptizing every believer into union with the Body of Christ at the moment of conversion. He leads them to repentance and sustains them in their growth in holiness. He also seals them for the day of redemption so that they may be assured of their salvation and dispenses spiritual gifts for the equipping and edification of the church.
Genesis 1:2; Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5-8; 16:8; 16:13; Acts 2:37; 5:3-4; 28:25-26; Romans 6:10-11; 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 12:3-11; 2 Corinthians 3; 4:3-6; 13:14; Ephesians 1:13; 2:4; 2:22; 4:30; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 John 2:20, 27
III. GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE
We believe that from all eternity, God has freely and unchangeably ordained whatever comes to pass, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, for the full display of His glory, and so that in the fullness of time He might unite all things in Christ according to His eternal purpose and for the praise of His glory. Even so, God is free of sin and all injustice, the will of the creature remains free and responsible, and the reality of natural causes is not taken away, but rather established. We further believe that, according to the kind intention of His will, for the praise of His glorious grace, in order to make known the riches of His grace upon vessels of mercy, and for their eternal joy, God elected some to everlasting life, from the foundations of the world, writing their names in the book of life. At the same time, He determined to patiently endure with others, giving them life and breath and providing them with good gifts as a witness of His mercy, but ultimately delivers them to eternal condemnation to the display of His justice. Because God who is light is illuminated by nothing outside of Himself and He does not receive knowledge from anyone, His purpose is not rooted in anything good foreseen in us or on the ground of any condition in man, not even faith, which He grants to those He chooses by His sovereign grace.
Proverbs 16:4; Isaiah 6:9-10; 14:26-27; 40:13-14; 44:28; 46:10-11; Matthew 11:25-26; Luke 10:20-24; John 6:37, 44, 64-65; 8:47; 10:26; 17:9; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 13:48; 15:18; Romans 1:18-32; 8:28-30; 9:6-24; 11:7-10, 33-36; 14:17; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; 3:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-13; 2 Timothy 1:9; 2:19-20; Hebrews 6:17; James 1:13, 17; 1 Peter 1:2; 2:8; 1 John 1:5; Jude 4
IV. CREATION & PROVIDENCE
We believe that in the beginning, God created the universe and everything in it out of nothing in six literal days; He spoke, and it came to be. Creation is the free act of the Triune God, each Person acting inseparably from the others. God created for the sake of His glory to the everlasting joy of the redeemed. He declared that it was very good, free from the bondage of corruption. Even after the fall, creation still universally displays God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature. Following Christ’s example, we believe Genesis is an actual account of historical events. Without diminishing His miraculous works, by God’s ordinary providence, He sustains, governs, and directs His creation, upholding all by the word of His power. His quiet providence controls all things to His appointed end indirectly so that they come about in a way that is consistent with their created nature, pattern, and all lesser forces. In this way God establishes unspeakable consolation for His people, since nothing occurs by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father. Everything, even evil itself, is so in His hand that not a hair of our head, nor a sparrow, can fall to the ground without the will of our Father.
Genesis 1:1-2:3; 8:22; 45:5-8; 50:20; Exodus 20:11; 1 Samuel 23:11-12; 2 Samuel 16:10; Job 1:20-22; 2:10; 34:10; 38-41; 42:2; Psalm 19:1-6; 33:5-9; 104:24; 115:3; 135:6; 138:8; 145:9; Proverbs 15:3; 16:33; Isaiah 46:10-11; Jeremiah 10:12-16; 31:35; Lamentations 3:22-24, 31-33; Daniel 4:34-35; Amos 3:6-7; Matthew 10:29-31; 19:4-5; 23:35; 24:37-39; Luke 17:28-32; John 1:1-3; 8:39-41, 56-58; 19:11; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 14:16-17; 17:25-28; 27:22-26, 31; Romans 1:20; 4:19-21; 8:18-25; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 4:3-4; Hebrews 1:2-3; 11:3; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:5
V. MAN
We believe that man was created by a special act of God and after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. God created humanity free and responsible to glorify Him in all things. Yet that freedom, though it is real and meaningful, is always in accordance with his nature and state, and is never able to escape the eternal purpose of God but is compatible with it. Our first parents are Adam and Eve, who were real, historic persons from whom all humanity descended. Thus, humanity was created with inherent ethnic and genetic diversity. All people are equal before God and worthy of dignity, respect, and Christian love such that all human life must be valued and protected from conception to natural death. He created them male and female as the crowning work of creation and they share equal glory, dignity, and significance though possessing distinct roles, being constituted uniquely for those roles and their bodies being divinely designed to fulfill the command to fill, subdue, and rule the earth for His glory. Since God formed man as an inseparable union of body and soul, individual gender and sexuality must submit to His good design and purpose. And all of this was very good in the eyes of God.
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15-25; 4:1; 5:2; 9:6; 45:5-8; 50:20; Deuteronomy 29:29; 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 33:10; 139:13-16; Proverbs 4:23; 16:9; 19:21; 21:1; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 43:6-7; 44:28; Daniel 4:35; Matthew 12:33-37; 19:3-6; 25:29; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:25-37; 11:7-9; Acts 2:23-24; 4:27-28; 17:24-26; Romans 2:6-11; 3:19; 8:28; 9:17-18; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 4:24; 5:22-33; Colossians 3:10; 1 Timothy 2:12-14; James 1:13-14; 3:9; 4:13-17
VI. MEN AND WOMEN
We believe that God created mankind both male and female in His image with inherent biological and personal distinctions that are very good. Men and women are equal before God, yet God has designed each with distinct and complementary traits and roles. The Bible most clearly defines these distinct roles in marriage and in the church. God has designed marriage to be the only covenantal and sexual union between one man and one woman for life. In marriage, a husband, following the example of Christ who gave himself up for His bride, is to lead, love, cherish and safeguard his wife, seeking her good above his own. A wife is called to respect and be submissive to her husband, seeking his good above her own, working together with him in all things lawful. While both men and women are called to teach in appropriate contexts, gifted men are to exercise authority and teach the congregation. The image of God is expressed most fully and beautifully in human society when men and women walk in obedience to their God-ordained roles and serve according to their God-given gifts. These views neither disparage the worth of either men or women nor inhibit their function and flourishing for the edification of the church and for the glory of God.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-24; Galatians 3:27-29; Ephesians 4:29; 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 11:7-9; 14:12, 26; 1 Timothy 2:12-14; Titus 2; 1 Peter 3:1-7
VII. THE FALL
We believe that man fell from his high and holy estate through disobedience by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in consequence, the threatened penalty of death was then and there inflicted, so that he totally lost all spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins and subject to the power of the one who is called the devil. Thus, in Adam, who was our representative, all sinned and all are reckoned guilty and inherit sin’s total corruption, rendering us completely unable to obey, seek, or please God. Despite this fall, man continues to bear the image of God, yet it is defiled so that no part of his life is oriented toward God but instead is entirely enslaved to sin. Since sin entered the world through Adam, all creation has been groaning under decay and corruption.
Genesis 3:1-24; 5:1-3; 6:5; Isaiah 53:6; 59:2-13; 64:6; Jeremiah 16:12; 17:9; Matthew 7:18; John 6:44; Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:12-14; 7:17-24; 8:5-25; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 6:9-11; 15:22; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17; Colossians 1:13, 21; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; Titus 1:15; James 3:9; Jude 7; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9
VIII. SALVATION
We believe salvation by grace through faith alone, accomplished by Christ alone through the blood of His cross and His triumphal resurrection from the dead. In love, God sent His Son to satisfy His wrath by becoming a curse for us, cancelling our debt, and reconciling us to Himself. By His death and resurrection, He did not merely make salvation possible but accomplished it for those given to Him by the Father. Salvation is therefore the free gift of God applied to us, not the result of any virtue or works of men. The work of redemption achieved by Christ has always been the object of saving faith, anticipated in the Old Testament, accomplished in the fullness of time, and explained by the New Testament. The elect, chosen from before the foundation of the world, are called by the Father into union with Christ through faith alone whereby they lay hold of all the blessings of salvation.
Genesis 3:15; 2 Samuel 7:5-19; Deuteronomy 18:15; Psalm 2; 25:14; Isaiah 7:14-16; 9:2-7; 11:1-5; 53:1-12; 61:1-4; Matthew 1:21; Luke 4:16-21; John 3:16; 6:44; Acts 13:48; Romans 4:1-8; 5:6-21; 8:29-31; 1 Corinthians 1:9, 23-24; 3:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 3:8-14; 4:3-5; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:8-9; 4:4; Colossians 2:13-15; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 2:11-14
a. Regeneration
We believe that regeneration is the instantaneous and supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in making alive those who were spiritually dead. He awakens new desires to please God and walk in the fellowship of His people. By the word of Christ and the internal call of the gospel, He never fails but invincibly overcomes the moral and spiritual inability of our depravity and natural resistance. Thus, we are graciously granted faith and repentance so that we come most freely, born again by the will of God, having been cleansed from sin, made a new creation, and raised up to walk in newness of life.
Deuteronomy 5:29; 29:4; 30:6; 2 Chronicles 30:12; Isaiah 45:22; 55:1; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32; John 1:12-13; 3:3-15; 6:37, 44, 65; 8:36; Acts 2:38; Romans 5:5; 6:3-7; 10:17; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; 5:17; 7:10; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; 5:14, 17-21; Philippians 1:29; Colossians 3:12-17; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 22-23; 2:4-5; 2 Peter 1:4-11; 1 John 1:3-4; 2:19; 3:2-3; 4:20; 5:1; Revelation 22:17
b. Justification
We believe that justification is God’s free gift, received by faith in Christ alone, by which the ungodly are declared righteous through the obedience of Christ so that God is both just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Our sin is imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, not having a righteousness of our own, God justifies the ungodly freely by His grace. Our debt of sin has been cancelled by the work of Christ on the cross, we have peace with God, and we are given a new standing in Christ before God as His children, clothed with the righteousness of Christ, whereby the believer abides in and has fellowship with Christ and God the Father. Justification establishes our adoption whereby we call God our Father and are given the right to an eternal inheritance with the redeemed.
Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1; 103:12; Isaiah 53:11-12; 61:10; Habakkuk 2:4; Matthew 9:6; Luke 18:14; John 1:12, 16; 15:1-11; Acts 10:43; 13:38-39; Romans 3:20-28; 4:1-8; 5:6-21; 6:23; 8:30-34; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 2:16-17; 3:11; 3:20-27; Philippians 3:7-9; Colossians 2:14; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:1-3; 2:12, 25; 3:24
c. Sanctification
We believe that everyone who is born again is immediately set apart, cleansed from the old way of life, and set free from the power and slavery of sin. Thereafter, we wage constant war against the world, the flesh, and the devil and are truly transformed step by step by the Holy Spirit such that the image of God is being renewed in us. We increasingly conform to the character of Christ, growing in obedience and holiness and performing good works as the fruit and evidence of salvation. The Spirit produces gradual growth in godliness through the word, prayer, and in fellowship with the church.
Psalm 119:9, 11; Matthew 26:41; John 17:17; Romans 6:4, 6-14, 22-23; 12:1-2; 13:14; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:24; 5:1-21; 6:10-20; Philippians 1:6, 27-30; 2:12-13; Colossians 1:10; 1 Timothy 4:7b-8; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-25; 12:14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 2:21; 5:6-11; 1 John 2:6, 28
d. Glorification
We believe that we who are called into union with Christ by faith, justified by His work on the cross, and sanctified by His Spirit will certainly be glorified by God. Being kept by the power of God, all true believers will persevere in holiness and since they can neither totally nor finally fall from Christ’s grasp, they are eternally secure in Him. The good work begun on the day of salvation will be made complete in the day of Christ: sin will be eradicated, we will be raised incorruptible, our eternal inheritance and reward will be granted, and we will be like Him.
Psalm 16:11; 23:6; Jeremiah 32:40; Malachi 3:6; John 6:35-40; 10:27-29; Romans 5:10; 8:30-39; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6; 3:12-16, 20-21; Colossians 3:4; 1 Peter 1:4-5; 5:4; 1 John 2:19; 3:2-3; 5:18; Jude 24; Revelation 20:6
IX. THE CHURCH
We believe that there is one holy, universal church founded on the apostolic witness that includes the whole number of the redeemed from every nation and every age. She is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, the family of God, and the bride of the Lamb. We believe that the local church is an autonomous gathering of baptized believers associated under Christ for teaching, worship, service, evangelism, and fellowship. Every congregation that worships in Spirit and truth rightly confesses Christ, faithfully proclaims the gospel, practices the discipline of the word, and correctly administers the ordinances.
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 5:11-14; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16-17; 5:4-5; 7:17; 2 Corinthians 3: Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11, 21; 4:4; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:27-30; 2:14-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 5:14-16; Hebrews 8:7-13; 1 Peter 2:4-12; Revelation 2-3; 5:9; 21:2-3
a. Offices
We believe that the membership of the local church is comprised of regenerate, baptized believers, received upon their profession of faith. Each local gathering of believers, under the authority of Christ and His word, is a royal priesthood responsible to affirm doctrinal standards, appoint leaders, welcome members, and exercise church discipline. Every believer is indwelt by the Spirit, equipped to discern the will of the Lord together with the assembled body, although not infallibly. Thus, no governing body, neither internal nor external, supersedes the authority of the assembled gathering of believers under Christ, her Head, in sacred things. Under the authority of the elders, church members are zealous for good works, strive side-by-side for the gospel, and obligate themselves to one another in love, seeking the common good of the whole body by exercising their spiritual gifts. The local church appoints both qualified elders and deacons for the equipping and service of the body. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church and may be appointed as deacons, the office of elder is limited to men that meet the qualifications of Scripture. By leading and equipping the saints in sound doctrine, establishing healthy structures of discipleship and the regular practice of discipline, elders oversee the ministry of the word and prayer, watching over the souls of the saints as those who will give an account. Deacons are ministers of mercy that preserve the unity of the flock.
Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:47; 6:1-7; 13:1-3; 20:28; Romans 12:3-13; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; 9:13-14; 12:1-31; Galatians 1:8-9; Philippians 1:27; 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:1-15; Titus 1:5-16; 2:14; Hebrews 10:19-25; 13:17; 1 Peter 2:4-12; 5:1-4; 1 John 2:27; Revelation 1:6; 5:10
b. Ordinances
We believe that the Lord our Saviour prescribed for His disciples the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is a symbol and proclamation of the sinner’s death to sin and his resurrection in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Baptism is a mark of identity, not maturity, and by this initial, one-time act of obedience, the believer is ushered into the fellowship of the local body, admitting him to participate in the Lord’s Table. In baptism, the individual professes faith in Christ, but a local church also lends her affirmation by placing the name of the triune God upon the believer in recognition of his new status and incorporation into the people of God. We practice the immersion of believers in conformity to the pattern of the New Testament, yet we receive those baptized as believers through other modes upon their credible profession of faith. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the Lord’s death to be kept by His disciples until He comes again, according to His promise and the Father’s revealed plan. In this shared meal, believers commune with Christ by faith and with other believers by the Holy Spirit. Baptism symbolizes our entrance into union with Christ and His body while the Lord’s Supper demonstrates our ongoing communion. Thus, baptism ought to precede communion. Yet, the Apostle Paul leaves the final decision on proper participation in the table with the individual examining himself such that the power of the church to exclude exists in warning only.
Ezekiel 36:25-27; Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-23; 22:17-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:4-11; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:16-34; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:27; Revelation 3:20
c. Interdependence
We believe that while the local church is free to govern herself under Christ in accordance with the Scriptures, we recognize the benefits of collaborating and sharing with other churches in voluntary associations of various kinds. Such association provides opportunity for mutual care, consultation, admonition, prayer, and supplying needs among many churches. The grounds for such a voluntary partnership are the common headship of Christ, a mutual confession of essential doctrine, and a shared commission. A church commits to an association with similar accountability and obligations as a member to a local congregation.
Acts 15:1-35; Romans 15:25-26; 16:16; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 11:16; 16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:18, 24; Galatians 2:7-11; Ephesians 1:15; 6:18; Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2:14; 3 John 5-6
X. LAST THINGS
We believe in this blessed hope, that in the last day the Lord Jesus will come to bring salvation to the elect and to judge the wicked with great wrath in the Day of the Lord. He will also establish and reign from the throne of David. All men will stand before God in judgment, the righteous to enter into the joy of the Lord and receive their reward and the unrighteous their condemnation. The wicked will be consigned to Hell, the real and final abode of eternal conscious punishment for the unbeliever, while the righteous will be welcomed into Heaven, the real, final and eternal blessed abode of the redeemed. In the final consummation there will be a new heaven and a new earth, former things will pass away, and all things will be made new. The will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven for God will make His dwelling place with men.
Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:7; 11; 13:6, 9; 65:17-25; 66:22; Jeremiah 46:10; Daniel 2:44; 12:2; Joel 2:11; Matthew 6:10; 8:12; 13:41-42; 24:27, 30, 36, 44; 25:21, 41-46; Luke 1:32; 16:19-31; John 3:3; Acts 14:22; Romans 2:1-11; 5:9; 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:1-11; 9:28; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 14:9-11; 20:11-15; 21:1-5
Providence Baptist Church – May 12, 2024