Southern Baptists have prepared a statement of generally held convictions called The Baptist Faith and Message. It serves as a guide to understanding who they are. Copies are available at Southern Baptist churches. The topics here provide only a brief, partial summary. The full text on the issue discussed is also available.

 

STATEMENT OF FAITH

THE BIBLE

We believe in the verbal inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures and the authority of both the Old and New Testaments.

GOD

We believe that God eternally exists in three Persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit-and that these three are one God, having the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy of the same worship, reverence and obedience.

MAN

We believe man was created in the image of God, but sinned and fell through disobedience, and that the entire human race shares in man’s lost and depraved nature. By mans free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took upon Himself the form of a man by means of the virgin birth, lived a sinless life, yet retained His absolute deity, being at the same time very God and very man.

ATONEMENT FOR SIN

We believe that atonement for sin was made by the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.

THE RESURRECTION

We believe in the literal resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and His priestly intercession.

SALVATION

We believe salvation is the gift of God by grace alone and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that this faith is manifested in works pleasing to God. Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. We all have Free Will to accept Christ as our personal Savior.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father, the Comforter who indwells and places every believer in the Body of Christ, bestows spiritual gifts upon the Church and convicts the world of sin and the judgment to come.

INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT

While all believers are in-dwelt by the Spirit of God (Romans 8), we believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a definite endowment of power for service and is separate from conversion.

ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

We believe that the ordinances of the church, by the command of Christ, are Water Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, both of which are administered to those who are born again. The New Testament Church, is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by faith and fellowship of the gospel. Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism is a public expression of being buried with Christ to rising and walking with Christ in newness of life!

ETERNITY

We believe in the eternal salvation of the believers and in the eternal damnation and punishment of the nonbelievers. We believe that the consummation of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ the “Blessed Hope” of the Church.
 

The Lord’s SupperA symbolic act of obedience whereby those who have accept Christ, Member and non-members (Family of Christ),
memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

 

Lord’s Day

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion.
 

Jesus ReturnGod, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly. The dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the righteous will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

 

Evangelism & Missions

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church to the Lord Jesus Christ, to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. To seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort. Fulfilling The Great Commission- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
 

Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.

 

Marriage
The unity of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The Bible is clear that marriage is a vowel between man and women. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.