What We Believe
Birch Run Bible Baptist Church
God is all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present at once; eternal in three persons, who created all things and made humans in his own image. Humans fell from perfection, into sin, being tempted by the already sinful, Evil one, Satan or the Devil.
God loves man and wars against Satan. To restore humans to himself God sent his Son Jesus Christ into our world, as a man, to live and to die on the cross, in the place of every man. Jesus arose again from death to pay man’s sin debt and restore those humans to holy God, who will believe in Jesus.
The Mission of the Church is preaching the Gospel to everyone everywhere, leading people to Jesus, baptizing them into the church family and involving them in the mission. The work of the church is to communicate God’s truth to Christians, so they may grow in grace and knowledge, to be strong as the children of God immersed into a family environment of the church, for spiritual health and wellbeing.
What We Believe
The Scriptures - We believe that the Holy Bible was written by supernatural inspiration. That it is truth without any mixture of error and is the only final and complete revelation of the truth of God. It is the supreme standard by which all matters of conduct, creeds and opinions are measured. The Bible is sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation and is the very Word of God. Inspiration means that God moved men by the Holy Spirit, to write, and we believe that every word is inspired by God and free from error, as no other writings have been or will be.
God - One Living and True, Infinite, Eternal, Self-Existing, Intelligent Spirit, Creator and Supreme Ruler of all Heaven and Earth...the Universe. Worthy of all honor, confidence, and love and that Three persons make up the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each equal in every way while each executing distinct, yet perfectly harmonious offices in God’s work throughout history and eternity.
Holy Spirit – Divine Person of God possessing the same and equal nature of God. Active in Creation, restraining the evil one, convicting unregenerate men of sin, judgment, and righteousness. He bears witness to the Word of God and the Gospel, in the teaching and preaching and the witnessing of God’s people. He is the agent in being Born Again: who does Endue, Seals, Guides, Teaches, Comforts, Witnesses, Sanctifies, and aids believers.
Lord Jesus Christ – Jesus is equal with God in every way and is the Word of God. Jesus was active with the Father and Holy Spirit in all the work of God. Jesus surrendered his glory which he had with the Father for all eternity to enrobe himself in humanity and become human. Jesus is God incarnate. All God, all human, in one person; both divine and human. In obedience to the will of God Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life in every way, thought, intent and action. Jesus’ miracles, teaching and manner of life were all perfect illustrations of God. Who God is, that God is, what God is, and how God loves. That Jesus surrendered himself to God the Father, to take on himself the sin burden of all humanity, to go to the Cross at Calvary and there suffer in shame and pain the agonies of sin and to pay the sin debt for all who will believe. Jesus overcame all the consequences of sin on the cross, for man, for the whole world and for eternity. Jesus resurrected from the dead, to die no more and conquer death for all who believe, and Jesus received back the Glory that he left behind in incarnation, when he had assumed his place at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus’ obedience gives him God’s authority to take everything back that was lost to sin and Satan and to deliver everything back again to God the Father.
Creation – The Genesis account is literal. All things were supernaturally created by God who spoke them into existence out of nothing. We reject evolution as a concept or theory in every form and we reject all theories concerning any alien intervention. Man was formed by God from the earth and God breathed into man the breath of life so that man was uniquely made in the image of God. All things were designed from God’s creation to reproduce after their kind.
Satan or Devil - Once Holy at his creation, through prideful ambition, fell into sin, drawing a host of angels with him in his rebellion. He is now the prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world and man’s great tempter. The Enemy of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and Man. Satan is the perverter of the Word of God, the accuser of Christians and creator of all false religion, he is lord of Antichrist and the power behind all spiritual darkness and is destined to eternal judgment, prepared for the Devil and his angels and they are all lost without hope of redemption or salvation.
Fall of Man - Man was created innocent under God’s law, but by being tempted by Satan, and by voluntary transgression, fell into sin. Man lost his first happy estate with God, the consequence being that death is passed upon all humans who are now sinners. Humans are sinners by choice, not constraint, and are therefore under the just and right condemnation of Holy God, without defense and without excuse.
Atonement for Sin - Salvation for human sinners is entirely by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is appointed by the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit, took upon himself the nature of humanity without sin. Jesus honored God’s law, obeyed every command, and fulfilled God’s purposes in obedience to the Father. He took upon himself humanities sin and became sin for us who knew no sin. Jesus’ death on the cross made full and complete payment, as our voluntary substitute, the Just dying for the unjust to bring us to God. Jesus arose from the dead having conquered death, hell and the grave. Jesus is now enthroned in heaven and through his work, as our only mediator, restores sinners to Holy God. He is in every way qualified and is our suitable, compassionate and all sufficient Savior.
The Virgin Birth – Jesus was begotten of the Father by the power of the Holy Ghost, as a supernatural act of God. Born of a pure, virgin, human girl named Mary, a daughter of David through the linage of Nathan, was born Miraculously as no other was ever born. That Jesus is the Son of man and the Son of God and God the Son.
Freeness of Salvation and New Creation – Electing Grace brings the blessing of Salvation, free to all who by repentance obey the gospel by faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing prevents the greatest sinner from free salvation except their own rejection of Salvation. When a human who is dead in trespasses and sins, acknowledges their sinful self and will believe and receive Jesus Christ into their life, they are Born Again by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit of God. They become a new creature, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, in connection with Gods truth in God’s Word.
Repentance and Faith – Through repentance and faith the Holy Spirit produces new life and holy fruit. This is an obligation of humans and inseparable graces, which bring the quickening work of the Holy Spirit. Conviction of guilt, danger and helplessness which points one to Jesus Christ, as the only way of Salvation. With an unfeigned contrition by confession and with supplication for mercy and by receiving Jesus Christ through confessing him, Jesus becomes an all-sufficient Saviour.
Justification – Secured by Jesus through pardon of sin and through Jesus work, bestowing upon those who have trusted Jesus for salvation through faith in the Redemption power of the blood of Jesus, we have the imputed righteousness of God in us and are justified and the just.
Perseverance of Saints – True believers persevere through their attachment to Jesus Christ, which is the grand mark which distinguishes them from professors only. The special providence of God keeps true believers, by the power of God, through faith, unto eternal salvation. We are not Reformed or Calvinistic.
Righteous and Wicked – A radical and essential difference exists between these. Only those who, by faith in Jesus Christ, are justified in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, are truly righteous. The Righteous are destined to everlasting life in heaven with Jesus. Those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are wicked and under the curse of sin and destined to sin’s penalty, which is everlasting and conscience separation from God and good, in eternal suffering.
The Resurrection and Return of Jesus Christ – Jesus arose the third day, from the grave, bodily, according to the scriptures. Jesus alone is therefore, our merciful and faithful Great High Priest. This same Jesus will come again to call all his saints, from the earth, in the Resurrection of the Dead in Christ and Translation of Living saints, who will all be changed, receiving new bodies, in a moment and in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. The judgment seat of Jesus Christ in heaven will follow this and the Great Tribulation on earth will follow this simultaneously. Following this, Jesus will come again with his saints, in the same manner which he left the earth; bodily, personally, visibly. Jesus will stand again on earth and become the King of Kings on the earth, to reign over all earth’s people, in a glorious, peaceful kingdom on earth, for one thousand years.
The Church – A Baptist church is an independent assembly, of baptized believers, associated by a common faith and fellowship in the Gospel. As the pillar and ground of truth, the church must teach and preach and hold forth the Bible as God’s truth. Officers of the church are Pastor and Deacon, with Bible qualifications and duties. The Church is given divine authority for discipline of its members and carrying out the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Table. The Great Commission is it’s mission; to make disciples through evangelism, to build the church through baptism, and to teach disciples the word of God. The Founder and only Head of the Church is Jesus Christ. Like Churches may cooperate for the purpose of contending for the faith and furtherance of the Gospel. Each church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation, membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence; the will of the church in these matters is final.
Baptism and the Lords Supper – Christian baptism is immersion in water, of a true believer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, by the authority of the local church. This shows forth, in a beautiful emblem, our faith in Jesus who died and was buried and arose again. Also picturing our death to sin and burial of an old life and living a new life for Jesus. Biblical baptism is a prerequisite in a Baptist church to membership and the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s supper or communion is a memorial, participated in by the church of the symbols of broken bread and fruit of the vine, to commemorate the broken body and shed blood of Jesus, in his dying love for us. The Lord’s table is preceded by a solemn spiritual self-examination and confession of sin, when needed.
Civil Government – Government is by divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society. Those in governmental power should be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed. The will of government may be refused, if government demands we act or live in a way which violates the word of God.
Missions – Jesus gave commandment to Go into all the world to preach the Gospel. This mission is given both to the church and to individual Christians, within the church. That evangelism is to take place both in Jerusalem, the immediate area where the church is, and into Judea, or the broader area beyond the normal church scope, and in Samaria, the bordering nations, and unto the uttermost part of the earth, which is all nations and people groups everywhere. When Jesus said both in Acts 1:8 it is apparent that he wanted this to happen together at the same time.
Giving – Giving is what God does and who God is. Through giving, we reflect who God is. We are commanded and we are encouraged to give. Bringing our tithes into Gods house spans both testaments of the Bible, and all dispensations of time and covers all practice of the people of God, through history to the present. The work of God on earth is designed so that we each can participate in a commensurate manner by giving a percentage of what God has blessed us with. This is the meaning of tithe or 10%. Beyond that, both testaments teach Gods people about giving, to support places of worship above our expected tithe. And, in the New Testament, we learn that Churches and Christians were deeply invested in financing the furtherance of the Gospel, through what is now commonly called Mission Support, through the church.
An important consideration of a church is their Articles of Faith. Established over the history of the Church, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith is a Christian document, created in America, to promote harmony in Baptist Churches for the purpose of supporting missionaries among churches who agree in doctrine.
The King James Bible is an accurate translation, and we believe and use it exclusively, yet our approach is not meanness or self-righteousness, but to preserve the accuracy of truth and unity of believers.