STATEMENT OF FAITH
of the
CROSSROADS BAPTIST CHURCH – DOTHAN, ALABAMA
This church holds the following statement of faith as being a summary of Christian doctrine whose authority consists only in its agreement with the Word of God.
1. OF THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. We believe that God has preserved His Word, without error, for us today in the King James Version of the English Bible.
II Timothy 3:16-17 Isaiah 8:20 I Thessalonians 5:21
Psalm 12:6-7 Rev. 22:18-20 II Peter 1:19-21
2. OF THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit Whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; that He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost – equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
John 4:24 Psalm 83:18 Exodus 15:11
Mark 12:30 Matthew 28:19 John 10:30 Ephesians 2:18 I John 5:7
3. OF THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in holiness under the law of his Maker but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by constraint but choice, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse.
Genesis 1:27 Genesis 1:31 Genesis 3:6-24
Isaiah 53:6 Romans 1:20 Ezekiel 18:19-20 Romans 5:12, 19
4. OF THE WAY OF SALVATION
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature; that being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, yet without sin, He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death on the cross and shed blood made a full atonement for our sins; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven and, uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8-9 John 3:14-16 Isaiah 53:4-5
Hebrews 7:25 Colossians 2:9 Hebrews 2:18
5. OF JUSTIFICATION
We believe that the great Gospel blessing, which Christ secures to such as believe in Him, is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life in principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works or righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, by virtue of which faith in His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God; that justification brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity.
I John 1:16 Acts 13:39 Romans 5:9
Romans 4:4-5 Romans 5:1-2
6. OF THE FREENESS OF SALVATION
We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel, which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.
Isaiah 55:1 Romans 16:25-26 John 5:40
John 3:36 II Peter 3:9 Rev. 22:17
7. OF SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means – especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer
I Thessalonians 4:3 I John 2:29 Romans 8:5
Philippians 2:12, 13
8. OF A GOSPEL CHURCH
We believe that a local New Testament Baptist church is a congregation of baptized, born-again believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its only Scriptural officers are bishops or pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
Matthew 18:15-20 I Corinthians 1:1-13 I Corinthians 11:2
Matthew 28:19-20 Acts 2:41, 42 I Timothy 3
Hebrews 10:25 Ephesians 5:25-27 Matthew 16:18
9. OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We believe that the Lord’s Supper, in which the members of the church by the sacred use of the bread and wine are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ, is to be preceded always with solemn self-examination.
Acts 8:36, 39 John 3:22, 23 Matthew 28:19
Romans 6:4 Acts 2:41, 42 I Cor. 11:23-24
Luke 22:14-20
10. OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of kings of the earth.
Romans 13:1-7 Matthew 22:21 Acts 5:29
Matthew 23:10
11. OF THE WORLD TO COME
We believe that the end of this age is approaching.
I Peter 4:7
We believe in “That blessed hope” – the personal, imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and in the pre-tribulation “Rapture” of the saints.
I Corinthians 15:51-58 Acts 1:11 I Thess. 4:13-18
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in a literal Heaven, and the everlasting punishment of the lost in a literal burning lake of fire.
Acts 24:15 Matthew 24:31-46 Rev. 20:10-15
John 14:1-3 Revelation 21
12. OF SEPARATION
We believe that God’s people are to live holy lives separated from the world and wholly unto God. The body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and therefore Christians have no right to defile God’s temple by engaging in such things as alcoholic beverages, narcotic drugs, and immorality. Christians are commanded to abstain from worldly amusements such as secular movie theaters, rock music, gambling, mixed swimming, unholy television programs, and such like. God’s people are to strive to do God’s perfect will for their lives, and to be holy vessels that God can use for His glory.
Romans 12:1-2 II Cor. 6:14-18 I Cor. 6:19-20
I Cor. 3:16-17 I John 2:15
13. OF EVANGELISM
We believe it is the duty of every born-again believer to be actively involved in the preaching of the Gospel to every creature. Jesus Christ commanded us to be His witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit, and any believer not striving to win souls to Jesus Christ is living in direct disobedience to Christ’s Great Commission.
Mark 16:15 Matthew 28:19-20 Acts 1:8
Acts 5:42