GENERAL BAPTIST STATEMENTS OF FAITH
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The movement of churches today called "General Baptists" began in America in 1823 when founder Benoni Stinson organized the Liberty Church (now Howell General Baptist Church) in southern Indiana. In 1870 the General Association of General Baptists was organized, bringing together General Baptist local associations of churches in cooperative efforts.
I. GOD
We believe that there is only one true, living, and eternal God and that the Godhead is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
II. THE BIBLE
We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the Old and New Testaments; the inspired and infallible Word of God and therein is found the only reliable guide of Christian faith and conduct.
III. MAN
We believe that God created man in His own image to bring Him honor through obedience, and that when man disobeyed, he became a fallen and sinful creature, unable to save himself. We believe that infants are in the covenant of God's grace and that all persons become accountable to God when they reach a state of moral responsibility.
IV. SALVATION
We believe that salvation (regeneration, sanctification, justification, and redemption) has been provided for all mankind through the redemptive work (life, death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession) of Jesus Christ, and that this salvation can be received only through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
V. ASSURANCE AND ENDURANCE
We believe that those who abide in Christ have the assurance of salvation. However, we believe that the Christian retains his freedom of choice; therefore, it is possible for him to turn away from God and be finally lost.
VI. CHRISTIAN DUTIES
- believe that Christians should live faithfully by serving in and through the local church, praying diligently, witnessing earnestly, practicing tolerance, showing loving kindness, giving as God prospers, and conducting themselves in such a way as to bring glory to God.
VII. THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church Universal is the Body of Christ, the fellowship of all believers, and that its members have been called out from the world to come under the dominion and authority of Christ, its Head. We believe that a local church is a fellowship of Christians, a part of the Body of Christ, voluntarily banded together for worship, nurture, and service.
VIII. ORDINANCES
We believe that baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances instituted by Christ to be observed by Christians only. We also believe that the biblical mode of baptism is immersion and that participation in the Lord's Supper should be open to all Christians. (Note: Several associations and local churches recognize foot washing as an ordinance. We believe that this should be left to the individual, and that neither the practice nor the non-practice of it should be any bar to fellowship, either in the church, the local association, the Presbytery, or the General Association.)
IX. THE LORD'S DAY
We believe in the sanctity of the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, and that this day ought to be observed by worshiping God, witnessing for Christ, and ministering to the needs of humanity. We believe that secular work on Sunday should be limited to cases of necessity or mercy.
X. LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ, and in the bodily resurrection of the dead. We believe that God will judge all mankind by Jesus Christ; that He will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.
