Our Beliefs

OUR BELIEFS

In order to grow a strong healthy biblical church Emmanuel Baptist Church has been founded upon bedrock beliefs. These core beliefs are based upon the Word of God and will communicate clearly what our church believes.

We believe that the Holy Bible is the complete inspired Word of God as contained in the original manuscripts; that it is total truth without any error. The Bible is the sole and final authority of all we believe and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90); that in the unity of the Godhead (the Trinity), there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being equal in their nature, attributes, and perfections and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption and in the accomplishments of His eternal plan and purpose (I John 5:6-12).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is a divine person; eternal and equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit and of the same essence; that He was begotten of the Holy Spirit, and in miraculous manner; that He was born of Mary, a virgin, as no other person was ever born of a woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son (I John 1:1-2). He is both true man, and true God, one person with two natures, tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. We believe that His death was a substitutionary death for the appeasement of His Father, and for the sins of the whole world. We believe in His bodily resurrection, ascension, and pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return (John 3:16; Philippians 2:6-7; Luke 1:26-35; II Corinthians 5:21, I John 2:2; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-10).

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; eternal and equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same essence (I John 5:7); that in the unbelieving world He restrains evil, and Satan, until God’s purpose is fulfilled; reproves the world of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness; that He bears witness of the truth of the Gospel in preaching, teaching, and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, empowers, guides, teaches, bears witness with, sanctifies, and helps the believer (John 14:26; 16:7-11; Romans 8:14-27; Ephesians 3:16).

We believe that God created man (Adam) in innocence and in His own image, and by voluntary transgression, he sinned against God and fell from his sinless state of perfection (Genesis 3), in consequence of which, all born after Adam are now sinners, totally depraved, and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse and are guilty before God and in need of salvation (Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3).

We believe that the salvation of sinners (all mankind) is wholly of grace through the work of Jesus Christ the Son of God who by the appointment of the Father freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin and honored the divine law by His personal obedience and by His death on the cross made a full atonement for our sins; that His atonement was not merely an example but was the voluntary substitution.  We believe that salvation, the gift of eternal life, is divinely initiated, is instantaneous, and not a process. It is wholly apart from works and is based upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and genuine repentance.

We believe in the personal bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His church. Christ will rapture (catch up) all believers in the air to be with Him forever (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; I Corinthians 3:12-14).

Statement of Faith
These statements of faith do not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible is the sole and final authority and source of all we believe. The complete statement of faith can be found in a copy of our Bylaws and Constitution at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

OUR PURPOSE

Communicate and demonstrate God’s value and worth. (Romans 15:5-6)