STATEMENT OF BELIEF

 

The Word of God, in its entirety, is the objective and irrefutable standard and basis of this church and is summarized in the following:

 

  1. We believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the verbally inspired Word of God, is inerrant in the original writings, and should be upheld as the supreme and final authority in faith and life. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21; 1 Corinthians 14:37).

 

  1. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 11:5-7).

 

  1. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is the true God-man. (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; John 12:45; 14:9; 1 Timothy 2:5).

 

  1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person possessing all the attributes of personality and of deity, by whom believers are called, regenerated, baptized into Christ, indwelt, sealed, and filled for service; and that the distinction between the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and now in the New Testament dispensation must be recognized i.e. there is a new and unique work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the body of Christ for which there is no Old Testament parallel. (John 16:8-11; 3:3-8; 14:26; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Corinthians 12:13).

 

  1. We believe in the personal existence of angels, demons and Satan; that Satan is the unholy god of this age and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the Judgment of eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Matthew 22:30; 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 20:7-10; Genesis 3:1-5; cf. Revelation 20:2).

 

  1. We believe in the direct creation of the universe and man by God, according to the Genesis account of creation and apart from any process of evolution. (Genesis 1 & 2).

 

  1. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Romans 5:12-21).

 

  1. We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins according to the Scripture as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood and are in possession of a salvation which is eternally secure. (Ephesians 2:8-9; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 7:25).

 

  1. We believe that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus, that it is a supernatural work wrought by the Holy Spirit through the gospel as revealed in the Bible, and that thereby all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ become children of God. (John 3:3-16; John 1:12).

 

  1. We believe in the universal, spiritual priesthood of believers; that is, all true believers are priests and have the privilege of approaching God through Christ, and of interpreting the Scriptures through the Holy Spirit. (I Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:27; Revelation 1:6).
 
11. We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the body of Christ, and that this is a distinctively New Testament organism not to be confounded with the saved in the Old Testament. We believe in the local church as a company of believers associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, independent and self-governing, which would fellowship with other churches of like faith and order. It is the responsibility of the local church to observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, edify itself, and evangelize the world. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; Acts 2:42, 46-47; Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 8:36-39).
 
  1. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; and that it is a prerequisite for church membership. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. (Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 11:23-33; Acts 10:47-48).

 

  1. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate. (1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:8-11; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 1 John 2:1-2).

 

  1. We believe in “that blessed hope” — –which is the catching up of all believers at Christ’s imminent return, and that this event will be followed by the personal and visible (bodily) return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to this earth, where He will reign. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Revelation 20:1-15).

 

  1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust; the everlasting blessedness of the saved in full enjoyment of God’s presence in Heaven, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost in Hell, eternally separated from God. (1 Corinthians 15:20-24; Revelation 20: 12-15; II Corinthians 5:8).

 

  1. Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

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. (Genesis 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. (Genesis 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 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 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. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

 

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Southwood Baptist Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Southwood Baptist Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Southwood Baptist Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 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; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 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 Southwood Baptist Church.

 

  1. Statement on Sanctity of Human Life

We believe in the sanctity of life and that all human life is sacred including unborn children from the moment of conception until natural death. (Psalm 22:10; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13-17; Jeremiah 1:5)