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OUR BELIEFS |
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People who visit our web
site come from all type of different experiences and
backgrounds. Some come from churches of different types
such as Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. Others
come with no church or religious background at all.
Suddenly, they find themselves at a Baptist Church. What
does that mean? Many have understood the Baptist church
by its common stereotypes, but we can assure you that
the Second family is not your stereotypical church. We
are unique. We believe church should be fun and
exciting, yet without compromising the truth of God’s
Word, the Bible. We are a Christian evangelical church—a
church whose primary purpose is to share the good news
of Jesus Christ. We are also a Baptist church. Listed
below you will find a summary of the essential beliefs
that all Christians share and the Baptist beliefs that
makes us distinct from other denominations. |
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OUR CHRISTIAN
BELIEFS |
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God |
There
is one God. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
He eternally exists in three personalities: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal
and one. He is perfect in His many attributes of
holiness, love, power, knowledge, justice, and mercy. |
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22
2 Corinthians 13:14
1 Peter 1:2
Matthew 28:19
Psalm 90:2 |
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Jesus Christ |
Jesus Christ is God's
Son. He is co-equal with the Father. He is both God and
man. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless human
life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for
the sins of His people by dying on a cross. He died to
become a substitutionary atonement for the sins of His
people. He arose from the dead after three days to
demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to
Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to
reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. |
Matthew 1:22-23
Romans 1:3-4
Hebrews 4:14-15
Isaiah 9:6
Acts 1:9-11
John 1:1-5; 14:10-30, 14:16-17 |
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Holy Spirit |
The Holy Spirit is
co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is the
divine helper, assistant, counselor and instructor. He
is present in the world to make man aware of their need
for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from
the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with
power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and
guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer
a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we
seek to live under His control daily. |
2 Corinthians 3:17
Acts 1:8
Ephesians 1:13; 5:18
John 16:7-13; 14:16-27
1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16
Galatians 5:25 |
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God's Word |
The Bible is God’s
Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the
supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the
supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and
living. The Bible is inspired by God, and is the truth
without any mixture of error. It is the sole authority
for life. |
2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16
2 Peter 1:20-21
Psalm 119:105, 160; 12:6
Proverbs 30:5 |
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Human Beings |
Human beings are made
in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in
character. As the supreme object of God’s creation, we
were designed for dignity. However, Adam’s sin
catapulted the creation into a fallen state, and plunged
all his descendants into depravity. Thus, all of us are
marred by rebellion and disobedience toward God, which
is called “sin.” Sin separates people from God and
causes many problems in life. |
Genesis 1:27
Psalm 8:3-6
Romans 3:23
Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1-2 |
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Salvation |
Salvation is God’s
free gift to us. We receive this gift through repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ alone. Repentance means
turning away from our sin and turning towards Christ.
Faith means trusting in Christ alone for the remission
of our sins. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ,
His perfect obedience is credited to us so that God sees
us as the righteousness of Christ. Every person who
truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus
Christ and will spend eternity in heaven, while those
who die in their sins will spend eternity in hell. |
Romans 6:23
Titus 3:5
John 14:6; 1:12
Galatians 3:26 Ephesians 2:8-9
Romans 5:1 |
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Eternal Security |
God gives us eternal
life through Jesus Christ. If you have made a genuine
commitment of faith in Jesus, you cannot lose your
salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and
power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.
God’s grace and power enable us to persevere in faith
until the end. |
John 10:29
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 Peter 1:3-5
Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14
2 Timothy 1:12 |
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Eternity |
People were created
to exist forever. We will either exist eternally
separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through
forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally in union with
Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of
eternal existence. |
John 3:16
Romans 6:23
Revelation 20:15 |
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Baptism |
Baptism is a picture
and an illustration—a symbolic act. Baptism by immersion
best illustrates the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ on our behalf and our subsequent faith in
Him. It is not necessary for salvation, but is strongly
associated with salvation as it best illustrates our new
identity with Jesus Christ.
We believe in believer’s baptism. A person must first
exercise faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He died
for their sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. An
infant or person who does not understand God’s plan of
salvation cannot make that kind of commitment. The
Scriptural order is belief first followed by baptism.
Baptism is limited to those who have personally believed
in Jesus Christ as Savior. |
Mark 1:9-11
Matthew 28:18-20
Mark 16:15-16 Acts 8:12
Matthew 3:13-17
Colossians 2:12
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Lord's Supper |
The Lord’s Supper is
an ordinance of the church. It was instituted when the
Lord had the Passover meal before His crucifixion. We
observe the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis in
remembrance of Jesus Christ atonement for our sins. It
is a proclamation of His death and an assurance of His
second coming. We ask only those who have made a
profession of faith in Jesus Christ to participate in
the Lord’s Supper. The elements of bread and grape juice
are used as symbols of Christ’s body that was broken and
His blood that was shed for the remission of our sins.
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1 Corinthians 1:21-32 1
Corinthians 5:11-13
Matthew 26:29
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Priesthood
of the Believer |
Each person is able to
come to God for himself or herself. There is no need for
a third party to tell a person how to pray, how to
interpret Scriptures, or how to vote in church. All
believers are ministers of servants of God. Therefore
the church does not have a distinctive class of priests.
All members are made “priests unto God” by the death of
Christ. The church is a holy priesthood chosen by God to
offer up spiritual sacrifices. There is only one
mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ.
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Revelation 1:5-6
Ephesians 4:11-12 1
Timothy 2:5
Romans 12:1
1 Peter 2:5
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