Emmanuel Baptist Church, general beliefs and practices
Who are we and what do we believe? (This is brief, and general in scope)
The short answer is that we are first Christians, second Bible Believing, third Family Integrated, fourth Reforming, fifth Baptist and finally Mission Minded.
First, we are Christians which distinguishes us from other world religions and cults. Therefore, a general summation of our beliefs can be found in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
Second, we are Bible believing Christians.
-We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. No additional revelations are necessary nor sought.
-We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
-We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
-We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
-We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation and of eternal torment in a literal Hell.
-We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, we are Family Integrated
-We believe that the duty of every parent is to train their own children in all things pertaining to life.
-We believe that families should worship together, not just on the same piece of property, but in the same service.
-We believe that the modern, organized youth groups, segregated Sunday Schools, modern nurseries, and other family dividing events in most churches only serve to further divide, and injure true growth in the family.
-We believe that by bringing families under the sound preaching of the word as a unit, we can more easily send them out unified to combat the ill direction culture is heading, and better fulfill the commission left by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
-We believe Father’s are the leaders in the home, and ordained Elders are the leaders in the church.
-We believe, as a result of male headship, the active role of women in the church is not diminished in any way, but rather is complimentary as they operate under the Biblical headship in their families.
Fourth, We are Reforming,
-We believe that God created the heavens, the earth.
-We believe that God created man and woman in a state of sinlessness with particular dignity as His image bearers on the earth.
-We believe that our first parents sinned against God and that everyone since is a sinner by nature and choice. Sin has totally affected all of creation including marring human image and likeness so that all of our being is stained by sin (e.g. reasoning, desires, and emotions).
-We believe that because all people have sinned and separated themselves from the Holy God that he is obligated to save no one from the just deserved punishments of hell. We also believe that God in His unparalleled love and mercy has chosen to elect some people for salvation.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect was predestined by God in eternity past.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect was accomplished by the sinless life, substitutionary atoning death, and literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ in place of His people for their sins.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect, by God’s grace alone, shows forth in the ongoing repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ that leads to good works.
-We believe that God’s saving grace is ultimately irresistible and that God does soften even the hardest heart and save the worst of sinners according to His will.
-We believe that the gospel should be passionately and urgently proclaimed to all people so that all who believe may be saved through the preaching of God’s Word by the power of God’s Spirit.
-We believe that true Christians born again of God’s Spirit will be kept by God throughout their life, as evidenced by personal transformation that includes an ever-growing love of God the Father through God the Son by God the Spirit, love of brothers and sisters in the church, and love of lost neighbors in the culture.
-We believe that God is Lord over all of life and that there is nothing in life that is to be separated from God.
-We believe that the worship of God is the end for which people were created and that abiding joy is only to be found by delighting in God through all of life, including hardship and death which is gain.
Fifth, we are Baptist
-We believe that historically the things that distinguish us as Baptist are scriptural.
-We therefore identify ourselves as Baptist, based on those distinguishing characteristics, apart from what modern culture may have labeled us to be.
-
Finally, we are Mission Minded
-We believe that our local churches must be faithful to the content of unchanging Biblical doctrine (Jude 3).
-We believe that our local churches must be faithful to the continually changing context of the culture(s) in which they minister, but without compromise of those unchanging Biblical truths we hold dear (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
-We believe that our mission is to carry the Gospel to our neighbors, and once God converts them, bring them into church so that they can be trained to go out into their culture as effective missionaries.
-We believe the church has been fully equipped by the gift of Elders and teachers to train converts, and has been commissioned to send them out to meet a lost and dying world with the truth of the Gospel message.
The short answer is that we are first Christians, second Bible Believing, third Family Integrated, fourth Reforming, fifth Baptist and finally Mission Minded.
First, we are Christians which distinguishes us from other world religions and cults. Therefore, a general summation of our beliefs can be found in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
Second, we are Bible believing Christians.
-We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. No additional revelations are necessary nor sought.
-We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
-We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
-We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
-We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation and of eternal torment in a literal Hell.
-We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, we are Family Integrated
-We believe that the duty of every parent is to train their own children in all things pertaining to life.
-We believe that families should worship together, not just on the same piece of property, but in the same service.
-We believe that the modern, organized youth groups, segregated Sunday Schools, modern nurseries, and other family dividing events in most churches only serve to further divide, and injure true growth in the family.
-We believe that by bringing families under the sound preaching of the word as a unit, we can more easily send them out unified to combat the ill direction culture is heading, and better fulfill the commission left by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
-We believe Father’s are the leaders in the home, and ordained Elders are the leaders in the church.
-We believe, as a result of male headship, the active role of women in the church is not diminished in any way, but rather is complimentary as they operate under the Biblical headship in their families.
Fourth, We are Reforming,
-We believe that God created the heavens, the earth.
-We believe that God created man and woman in a state of sinlessness with particular dignity as His image bearers on the earth.
-We believe that our first parents sinned against God and that everyone since is a sinner by nature and choice. Sin has totally affected all of creation including marring human image and likeness so that all of our being is stained by sin (e.g. reasoning, desires, and emotions).
-We believe that because all people have sinned and separated themselves from the Holy God that he is obligated to save no one from the just deserved punishments of hell. We also believe that God in His unparalleled love and mercy has chosen to elect some people for salvation.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect was predestined by God in eternity past.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect was accomplished by the sinless life, substitutionary atoning death, and literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ in place of His people for their sins.
-We believe that the salvation of the elect, by God’s grace alone, shows forth in the ongoing repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ that leads to good works.
-We believe that God’s saving grace is ultimately irresistible and that God does soften even the hardest heart and save the worst of sinners according to His will.
-We believe that the gospel should be passionately and urgently proclaimed to all people so that all who believe may be saved through the preaching of God’s Word by the power of God’s Spirit.
-We believe that true Christians born again of God’s Spirit will be kept by God throughout their life, as evidenced by personal transformation that includes an ever-growing love of God the Father through God the Son by God the Spirit, love of brothers and sisters in the church, and love of lost neighbors in the culture.
-We believe that God is Lord over all of life and that there is nothing in life that is to be separated from God.
-We believe that the worship of God is the end for which people were created and that abiding joy is only to be found by delighting in God through all of life, including hardship and death which is gain.
Fifth, we are Baptist
-We believe that historically the things that distinguish us as Baptist are scriptural.
-We therefore identify ourselves as Baptist, based on those distinguishing characteristics, apart from what modern culture may have labeled us to be.
-
Finally, we are Mission Minded
-We believe that our local churches must be faithful to the content of unchanging Biblical doctrine (Jude 3).
-We believe that our local churches must be faithful to the continually changing context of the culture(s) in which they minister, but without compromise of those unchanging Biblical truths we hold dear (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
-We believe that our mission is to carry the Gospel to our neighbors, and once God converts them, bring them into church so that they can be trained to go out into their culture as effective missionaries.
-We believe the church has been fully equipped by the gift of Elders and teachers to train converts, and has been commissioned to send them out to meet a lost and dying world with the truth of the Gospel message.
