Statement of Faith
Scripture
We believe the Bible is the whole, verbally-inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God II Peter 1:22; II Timothy 3:16.
God, Himself
We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ John 10:33; in His Virgin Birth Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:35; in His sinless life Heb.4:15; 7:25; in His miracles John 2:11; in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14 ; in His bodily resurrection John 11:25; in His ascension to the right hand of the Father Acts 1:11; and in His personal, imminent, premillennial return in power and glory Rev. 19:11-16.
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit Gen. 1:1; John 10:30; John 4:24.
Man’s Sin Nature
We believe that all men are sinful by nature and, as such, at enmity with God, therefore, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to their salvation Rom. 3:19.
Salvation By Grace Through Faith
We believe that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone are we saved Acts 13:33-39.
Satan, Hell
We believe that Satan is a person and that hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment of all unsaved Job 1:6-7; Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:14-15.
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, makes believers children of God through the new birth, assuring them of heaven, and by His indwelling enables Christians to live a Godly life John 16:8; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor 12:13.
Eternal Security
We believe in the eternal security of the believer John 10:28-29.
Purpose of the Local Church
We believe that the local church is composed of born again, immersed believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of the worship of God, the instruction and fellowship of believers and the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world Acts 2:41-42; Matt. 28:19-20.
Bethel Distinctives
We believe that our distinctives are scripturally sound. They include: the Bible as the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice 2 Tim. 3:16; the Lordship of Jesus Christ Acts 2:36; 1 Cor. 12:3; Col. 1:17-18; a regenerate church membership Acts 2:41-42; the symbolic ordinances of Believer’s Baptism (immersion) and the Lord’s Supper Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-32; the autonomy of the local church Eph 1:22-23; I Timothy 3:1-15; wide program of missionary endeavor in obedience to the final command of our Lord Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19-20.
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death.
We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139.)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.)
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.)
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of [Bethel Baptist Temple] as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the [Bethel Baptist Temple] members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by [Bethel Baptist Temple] in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of [Bethel Baptist Temple]
Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, [Bethel Baptist Temple] will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the [pastors/ministers/clergy] and staff of [Bethel Baptist Temple] shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman.
Finally, the facilities and property of [Bethel Baptist Temple] shall only host weddings between one man and one woman.
Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.