Ferndale Baptist Church

We believe that every word of the Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament and New Testament (in their original languages before translation), is equally and fully inspired. The Holy Scriptures have by His particular care been kept pure. The Scriptures are inerrant and infallible. They are therefore the supreme and final authority in every matter they touch upon, as well as the standard for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. (2 Pet. 1:20-21; Rom. 3:2; Matt. 5:18; John 10:35; Ps. 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:15-17)

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three person; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:6-8; Ex. 3:14; Matt. 28:19; John 1:14-18; 14:10-11; 15:26)

C. The Person and Work of Christ

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived in sinless perfection in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:5-8; Isa. 7:14; 9:6; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5)

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:21-36; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7, 19-20)

3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and now reigns at the right hand of God "above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion" where, also as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (John 18:36-37; Acts 1:9-10; 2:33-36; Eph. 1:20-23; Rev. 1:5; 3:21; Heb. 9:24; 7:24-27; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

D. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in effectually calling, regenerating, and baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 2:8-14; Ez. 36:26-27; Rev. 22:17; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14)

2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures, and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27; Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18)

3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28)

4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. We also believe that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 13:8; 14:21-22; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Jas. 5:13-15)

E. The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition or receive the things of the Spirit. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19; Jer. 13:23; Rom. 5:6; 1 Cor. 2:14)

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by divine grace alone and received by repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. In the salvation of man, the Father chose a people before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of His will, the Son redeems them, and the Holy Spirit regenerates them. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (Eph. 2:8-10; Luke 13:3; 1 John 1:9; John 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Eph. 1:4-5,7; Titus 2:14; 3:5; Matt. 12:31-32)

G. The Perseverance and Assurance of Believers

1. We believe that all the redeemed, those effectually called and sanctified by Christ, are kept by God's power and can never fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere in grace to the end and be eternally saved. (John 6:37-40, 44, 65; 10:26-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)

2. We believe that all who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and love Him in sincerity, endeavoring to conduct themselves in all good conscience according to His will, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace. This assurance of faith is based upon the blood and righteousness of Christ as revealed in the Gospel, the inward evidences of the graces of the Holy Spirit, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of adoption. (Titus 2:11-15; Rom. 13:13-14; 1 John 2:3; 3:14, 18, 19, 21, 24; 5:13; 1 John 5:4-9; Rom. 5:1-5; 8:14-16)

H. Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

1. We believe that Christ has purchased for all believers a liberty inherent in the Gospel. It includes freedom from the guilt of sin, from the condemnation that follows guilt, from the wrath of God, and from the severity and curse of God's law. It also includes free access to God and obedience to Him with a childlike love and readiness. (Rom. 8:3; Luke 1:73-75; 1 Cor. 15:56-57; Gal. 3:13,14; Heb. 10:19-21; Acts 26:18; 1 John 3:3, 7, 9; 4:18)

2. We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience. He has set it free from all obligation to receive or obey any such doctrines or demands of men as are in any respect in opposition to His Word or are not contained in it. (Rom. 14:4; Jas. 4:12; Matt. 15:9; Acts 4:19; 1 Cor. 7:23; Col. 2:20-23; Acts 5:29)

3. We believe that to practice any sin, or to harbor sin's evil desires, on a pretense of enjoying Christian liberty perverts the main purpose of gospel grace. (Rom. 6:1-2; Gal. 5:13; 2 Pet. 2:18-21)

1. We believe the universal church is invisible in respect to the internal work of the Spirit in truth of grace. It consists of the whole number of the elect who have been, who are being, or who yet shall be gathered into one under Christ, who is the church's head. The church is the wife, the body, the fulness of Christ who "fills all in all". (Heb. 12:22-23; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23, 27, 32; Col. 1:18)

2. We believe that the local church is to be composed of people who profess to believe the gospel and render obedience unto God by Christ. (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; Acts 15:22, 28-30)

3. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught in the New Testament Scriptures. (Titus 1:5; Acts 2:42, 46-47; Heb. 10:25)

4. We recognize the Lord's Supper and water baptism by immersion as the two Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church. (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 2:41-42; Matt. 28:19-20)

We believe the Lord's Day is a Christian institution for regular observance which should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and in resting. Works of necessity and mercy only are permitted. (Matt. 28:1; Ex. 31:12-17; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10; Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:10-11; Lk. 13:15-16; Matt. 12:11-12)

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations. (Ps. 4:2; 1 Tim. 6:1; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)

L. The Second Advent of Christ and the Eternal State

1. We believe that Jesus Christ will literally and physically return to earth. (Job 19:25; Matt. 24:36-51, 25:31-34; 1 Cor. 15:23-26; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thess. 1:10, 4:13-18; 2 Thess 1:7-10; Titus 2:13)

2. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment. (Job 14:12; 19:25-27; John 5:28, 29; 1 Cor. 15:50-54; Dan. 12:2, 13; Matt. 25:46; John 6:39-40, 44, 54; Rev. 20:12-13)

3. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily resurrection when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-53)

4. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until their resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgement, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; Mark. 9:43-48; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15)

M. The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Matt. 4:2-11; John 8:44; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 25-41; Rev. 20:10)

We believe that God created the universe in six literal 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority. Every person is subject to three basic institutions: the home, the church, and the state. All (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities. (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-14; Heb. 13:17; Eph. 5:22-24)

1. 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 homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. (1 Thess. 4:1-8; Gen. 2:24; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; Matt. 5:28; 1 Cor. 5:1, Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 6:9)

2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; 1 Cor. 7:2, 39; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12)

Q. Family Relationships

1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one spouse dies. Children are an heritage from the Lord and are to obey their parents. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values, and leading them through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:27-28; Eph. 5:21-33; 1 Pet. 3:1-2, 5; Mal. 2:14-16; Mark. 10:4-12; Col. 3:18-21; Ps. 127:3-5; Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-4; Deut. 6:4-9; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14)

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion which constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the emotional or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Luke 1:31-57; Ps. 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; Ex. 21:22-25)

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also to those who are not believers. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10, 17-21; 13:8-10; 1 John 3:17-18; Matt. 5:44-48; 1 Cor. 13:4-8; Titus 3:2; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26)

T. Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. (1 Cor. 6:1-8)

We believe that Christ has given the church a great commission to "Go... and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to spread the Gospel in this country and in foreign nations. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; 2 Cor. 5:20; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8)

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God initially established the tithe as a basis for giving, and every Christian should give sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. (Matt. 25:14-30; Prov. 3:9-10; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; Gen. 14:20; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Eph. 4:28; 1 John 3:17)

Authority of Statement of Faith
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in agreement with the Statement of Faith.

Ferndale Baptist Church

Teaching the Word . . . Reaching the World.