Bethany Baptist Church

Our Belief 

Doctrinal statement of the Bethany Baptist Church

Dr. Craig E. White, Sr. Pastor

 We are the Bold Believers of the Bethany Missionary Baptist Church. We are a Bible believing group of Believers who have rested their hope in Jesus Christ.  We are brazenly Baptist and embrace Baptist doctrine, practices, and our rich heritage. We are committed to defend and stand firm on the fundamentals of the faith. 

 WHAT WE BELIEVE

Accepting the Bible to be the very Word of God to man through men, we understand the importance of knowing and obeying its truths. Our church is committed to study and teach with diligence and authority. We strongly seek to teach the Scriptures to people that they may know God and serve Him in ministry.  We believe the Word of God is still pertinent and powerful in the affairs of human-kind.

This succinct outline presents a general overview of these important doctrinal principles. 

 The Scriptures

♦ We believe that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Timothy 3:16). We understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired in that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture.

♦ We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts.

♦ We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore without error. We believe that all the Scriptures center around the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work, in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him.

♦ We also believe that all Scripture was designed for our practical instruction. (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16)

The Triune God

♦ We believe that there is only one true God. He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature. (John 4:23-24; Matt. 28:19)

God the Father

♦ God, as Father, reigns over His entire universe with providential care.

♦ He is all-powerful, all loving, all knowing and all wise.

♦ He is fatherly in attitude toward all men but is Father, indeed, to those who have become children of God through Jesus Christ, who will deliver them into the Father's hands. (Gen. 1:1; 1 Chron. 29:10; Jer. 10:10, Matt. 6:9; Acts 1:7; Rom. 8:14, 15; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph.4:6)

God the Son

♦ We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man.

♦ This redemption He accomplished by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God's righteous judgment against sin. After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption/justification by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (Luke 1:34; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Rom. 3:24-26, 8:34)

God the Holy Spirit

♦  We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts each person of sin (righteousness and judgment), that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of final redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him.

♦ Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfil the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8, 14:16, 17, 16:7-11; 1Cor. 12:7-11, 13; Eph. 4:30, 5:18)

Read entire statement here.