What We Believe
1) BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Words given to man.
It is without error, and it has been and will continue to be preserved throughout time.
The King James Version is an accurate translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts into English and that is what we use in our church.
The Bible always harmonizes with established scientific knowledge.
2) GOD
There is one, and only one, living and true God; and in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. God is a trinity and Jesus is God.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, born in a miraculous manner to Mary, a virgin, and He is not only the Son of God, but also God the Son.
Jesus is the Messiah that is prophesied of in the Old Testament.
3) CREATION
Only God can make something out of nothing. The universe did not create itself.
There is no such thing as evolution; evolution is not compatible with the Bible.
The Genesis account of creation is the way that God, through His Son Jesus Christ, created the universe, and the 6 days of creation should be accepted literally.
One day in the Bible is not equal to one thousand years.
Only God can create life. Man did not evolve from a monkey.
The world-wide flood that Noah was in explains perfectly the fossil record.
4) SIN
Only God can create living beings with a free will.
God has given everyone a free will and each individual is responsible for the choices that he makes. God does not control your choices, you do.
God determines what sin is, not man.
Sin is the transgression of God’s Laws.
All mankind are sinners as a result of Adams sin, and through sin came death. There was no death in the world until Adam sinned. Man was originally designed to be eternal.
We have all broken some of the 10 Commandments during our life, therefore, no one is good enough to save themselves.
5) HEAVEN & HELL
Heaven and Hell are real places.
Those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, when they die, will be doomed to hell forever.
There is no such thing a purgatory. Once you are in hell you can never leave.
Heaven is where God resides and those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to heaven when they die.
6) SALVATION
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, rose bodily from the grave; and after forty days he ascended to the right hand of God, where He is today interceding for the saints; He will some day return to earth, bodily, personally, and visibly, to establish His kingdom for a thousand years of righteous reign.
Salvation is wholly of grace through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. A sinner must accept this atonement for his sins in order to be saved.
There are 5 things a person must do in order to be saved:
- Recognize that you are a sinner.
- Recognize that you can’t save yourself.
- Recognize that Jesus is God.
- Turn from your sins (repent).
- Turn to Jesus Christ (accept Jesus Christ as your God).
A person cannot lose their salvation. Even if you sin after you are saved, once you are saved you are always saved.
God saves man from sin, not to sin. Even though a born-again believer cannot lose his salvation that is not a license to sin. God punishes his children that live in sin.
We should all strive to live according to the will of God.
7) CHURCH
Philadelphia Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church. We are not associated with any convention, fellowship, or association.
We are an authorized church, we have a parent church.
There are two church ordinances:
- Baptism and
- the Lord’s Supper.
Grape juice should be used in the Lord’s supper, not wine.
Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism does not save and has no saving power. It is only a picture of salvation and a symbolic statement that a person has been saved.
Born again children of God will be taken to heaven before the tribulation takes place.