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What We Believe
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* Faith Baptist Church is an Old Fashioned, Fundamental, Independent (self-governing), Missionary Minded, PRE-Trib, Bible Believing Church.
(THE FOLLOWING BELIEFS ARE THOSE OF "RAISE THE STANDARD MINISTRIES", NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PASTOR OR OTHER MEMBERS OF FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH.)
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-THE BIBLE-
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* We believe the Bible is God’s message to mankind.
* We believe the Bible was written by Holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Pet.1:21).
* We believe that the Bible,(A.V 1611- King James Version) is the:
--Inspired (God Breathed)
--Inerrant (absence of errors)
--Incorruptible (Incapable of being morally corrupted or subject to corruption or decay)
--Infallible (incapability of making errors)
Word of God, and is the final authority for all doctrine.
* We believe the dominant theme of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ.
* We believe the Bible consists of two (2) major divisions:
• Old Testament- with 39 books
• New Testament- with 27 books.
* We believe that the Bible does not need to be re-written, but re-read.
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-THE TRINITY-
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* We believe in one "What" and three "Whos." That is to say one God in three Persons.
* We don't believe in three seperate Gods also known as 'Tritheism', but one true and living God who exists in three (3), eternal, simultaneous persons; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Each one possessing His separate personhood, which makes Him to be a person.
We know of God’s existence by His self-revelation by words (The Scriptures)and works (His Creation). (1 Cor.2:10, Rom. 1:20)
"Elohim" is one of the primary names of God in the Old Testament and is used over 2,500 times. In the Hebrew, the name "Elohim" is in the plural form, not the singular form. The Old Testament hints at the plurality of God while the New Testament clarifies this plurality as the doctrine of the Trinity. So the doctrine of the Trinity is seen and taught in the Old and New Testaments.
God often refers to Himself in the plural form. "Let us make man..., Let us..., etc.
**Some say there is more than one God. This is Polytheism, and is unbiblical.
**Some say that God is refering to angels. However, the Bible nowhere says that angels have the same "image" and "likeness" as God. That only applies to humanity.
It is clear in these such passages that God the Father is refering to the other Persons of the Divine Trinity.
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-THE LORD JESUS CHRIST-
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* We believe that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and on the third day arose from the grave. Jesus is presently in heaven, seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 8:1).
* We believe God the Son is alive (John 6:51), and He is self-existent (John 5:26; Col. 1:16-17). As the Instrumental Cause of all things, He is the conveyer of all life, both physical and spiritual.
* We believe that Jesus is God's only begotten Son, concieved of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin. By His incarnation God the Son assumed a complete sinless human nature, His divine nature remained unchanged. The incarnation did not affect His divine nature in any way. There are no interaction between the two natures. They are never mixed or combined so as to lose their distinctiveness or to form a third nature. This human nature was joined to His personhood, not to His divine nature. Jesus became the God-man (1 Timothy 2:5).
* We believe in the "hypostatic union", which is the union of the human nature and the divine nature of Jesus in one personhood. Jesus was all God and all man; yet without sin.
* We believe the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son is fundamental to biblical Christianity and to salvational faith in Him.
* We believe in the pre-existence of Jesus, and He was with the Father, and the Holy Spirit in the beginning.
* We believe there are many biblical passages that speak of God the Son’s existence before His incarnation (John 1:1, 14, 30; 6:33, 38; 8:58; Gal.4:4; Heb. 10:5). It is the fact of His preexistence that underscores His deity. This can be proven by the "Christophanies" of the Old Testament.
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THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
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* We believe in the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, in an event we call the rapture of the church.
The word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible. The concept of the rapture, though, is clearly taught in Scripture. The rapture of the church is the event in which God removes all believers from the earth in order to make way for (prior to) His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with those believers who are still alive and who will at that time also be given glorified bodies. The rapture is the glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God's presence forever.
"Will there be a second chance for salvation after the Rapture?" We know there will be many people who come to Christ during the Tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:4) are Jewish believers. If no one can come to Christ during the Tribulation, then why are people being beheaded for their faith (Revelation 20:4)? No passage of Scripture argues against people having a second chance after the Rapture, however most who were hard-hearted toward the Gospel before the Rapture are likely to remain so. Besides, in some parts of the world if someone accepts Christ as Savior, they are beheaded or killed in some other way. During the tribulation, it will be that way all over the world. Will there be a partial rapture? The bible teaches no such view.
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-CHURCH ORDER-
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1 Corinthians 14:40- "Let all things be done decently and in order." NO EXCEPTIONS!
1 Corinthians 14:33- "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."
* This is the golden rule for organizing and conducting public worship services of the church for all generations.
* We do not believe in using gimmicks or enticement to lure people to the house of God with modern attractions and worldly excitement (sensationalism). We are not a Baskin-Robbins ministry. If you are looking for a ministry with all the "flavors", then watch The TBN Network, The Church Channel (owned by TBN) or the Inspiration Network. We don't "bark" like dogs, "oink" like pigs, or "gobble" like turkeys. We simply preach what " thus saith the Lord."
* The gimmicks and enticement methods mentioned above include, but are not limited to the following:
(handkerchiefs, blood of Jesus oil, bottles of holy water, green prosperity cloths, prayer cloths, etc.)
THESE ARE POPULAR WITH FALSE AND DECEIVED TEACHERS. THIS IS ONE PARTICULAR WAY THEY ALLURE THEIR CROWD.
* We believe pastors should not allow anything in the churches that is; childish, absurd, ridiculous, wild, wacky, strange, tumultious, or outrageous.
* Church is not to be "anything goes". We are to follow the BIBLE and be led of the HOLY SPIRIT.
* We believe that Church government is the best security for Christian Liberty.
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-HEAVEN-
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* We believe that the place the Bible calls heaven, is the eternal resting place of all those who have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Even believers of the Old Testament who put their faith in God.
* We believe that when a Christian dies, he/she goes immediately to heaven where our Lord Jesus awaits.
Luke 22:43- "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
2 Corinthians 5:8- "...willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
Phillipians 1:23- For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better..." Paul would not have said "far better" if there was not something greater after death. Remember that Paul was caught up into the third heaven. He knows it real, and he knows it awaited him after death.
Paul obviously did not believe the false teachings of 'Thnetopsychism', which is the soul dies with the body; nor did Paul believe the false teachings of 'Psychopannychism' which is called 'soul sleep'. Paul knew that when he left this world, he would immediately be with his Lord.
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-HELL-
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* We believe that there is a literal place of torment yet future for those who do not accept Jesus as their personal Savior.
* We believe that when a lost(unsaved)person dies, they immediately go to a place of conscious torment called "Hades", just as the 'rich man' did in Luke 16:23. There they will stay until they appear for final judgment at the Great White Throne found in Revelation 20:11-15. There they will be judged and then thrown into the 'Lake of Fire' or eternal hell, and there they will spend eternity.
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-ETERNAL SECURITY-
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* We believe that when a person is born again, that person is 'eternally secure' in Christ.
John 10:28- "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish..."
John 17:3- "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
2 Corinthians 1:22- "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest (down payment) of the Spirit in our hearts."
Ephesians 1:13- "In whom ye trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed (were saved), ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise..."
**(or when you believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit)
Jude 1- "...to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called."
** The call here is an inward calling. To hear and respond with the ear of the mind (soul). It is only those who have heard and responded to this call, that are preserved and sanctified.
We believe that a Christian can backslide, but can never lose his/her eternal salvation. Our sin can hinder our fellowship with God, but not our relationship. We cannot lose salvation, but we can come short in our rewards.
2 John 8- "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." Since we cannot lose salvation (something John himself did not believe), this must be talking about rewards.
* We do not believe there such a thing as an "ex-Christian." There are no, "I use to be" or "I was" Christians. First John 2:19 declares, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” This Scripture makes it abundantly clear—there is no such thing as an ex-Christian. If a person is truly a Christian, he/she will never depart from the faith “…for if they had been of us, they would have no doubt continued with us…” If a person who claimed to be a Christian denies the faith, he/she was not truly a Christian.
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THE DEVIL
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* We believe The Devil (Satan) is the archenemy of God and God's people.
Although many people deny his personhood and regard him as only an evil force, the Scriptures reveal what Satan is.
*We believe Satan is a person with an angelic nature (Ezek. 28:13-14). God has revealed in His Word all that we need to know about our enemy.
We believe Satan's personhood (ability to make choices) is indicated by his:
* self-awareness (Matt. 4:9)
* self-expression (Isa. 14:13-14)
* moral awareness (Matt. 4:1)
* perpetuity (Rev. 20:10)
* craftiness (Eph. 6:11; 2 Cor. 2:11)
* emotions (Rev. 12:12)
We believe Satan's character is:
* totally depraved and wholly governed by the sin force
* wicked (John 17:15)
* murderous (John 8:44)
* deceptive (Rev. 12:9; John 8:44)
* proud (1 Tim. 3:6)
* powerful (Job 1:12-19; 2:7; 2 Thess. 2:9)
* insolent (Matt. 4:9)
* cunning (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11)
* persevering (Luke 4:13)
* insane, thinking he can defeat God Almighty
* We believe that today, Satan rules over the unsaved (lost) people and he is doing all he can, within the limits of God's permissive will, to oppose saved people and to hinder the Lord's work of building the Church (Eph. 6:10-12).
* We further believe that it irks the Devil to see his former subjects serving the Lord Jesus and bearing witness to the gospel and its truth. Satan constantly seeks to stop this and to render their lives ineffective (1 Peter 5:8-9). But the Lord Jesus is faithful in protecting His people from the evil one (2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Cor. 10:13).
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