Burge Terrace Baptist Church Beliefs

We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inerrant, plenary, verbally inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 6:63) and is to be our sole rule of faith and practice (Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105; Matthew 4:4; John 17:17; Romans 10:17). It is God’s infallible, completed revelation to mankind (Revelation 22:18-19). It is inspired (2 Peter 1:20-21) and illuminated (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:14) by the Spirit of God and should be interpreted literally (grammatically and historically).

We believe that Jehovah is the one true God (Isaiah 44:6; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, 6:4; Isaiah 45:21-22; 44:6; John 17:3; 1 Timothy 2:5). Within the Godhead unity there are three eternal distinctions or persons: God the Father (Psalm 2:7; Matthew 11:25; 27:46; John 5:32, 37; Galatians 4:4), God the Son (John 1:1, 18; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20), and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). These three persons of the Trinity are coexistent, coeternal, and coequal (Matthew 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:2). We believe that God created the universe out of nothing (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3) in six literal days (Genesis 1-2) and continues to exercise His sovereign control over it (1 Chronicles 29:11; Daniel 5:21), preserving it until the day of judgment (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 3:7).

We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s divine Son (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 1:16-17; Galatians 4:4). We believe in His incarnation (John 1:1, 14; Luke 2:1-20; Philippians 2:7-8) and virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:16, 22-23; Galatians 4:4); that He is eternal in His existence (Colossians 1:15-18), yet at the time of His incarnation was entirely God and entirely man: one person with two distinct natures (Matthew 3:17; John 1:1-14; Romans 1:3-4); that He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15); and that He shed His blood vicariously (Isaiah 53; 1 Peter 2:23-25) for mankind (John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22). He died, was buried, and arose bodily the third day from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), ascending back to heaven forty days after His resurrection (Luke 24:50-51). He currently makes intercession for believers (Hebrews 4:14; 7:24-25) and is the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18-19). He will physically return for His own at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Acts 1:11) and for unbelievers in judgment at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity (John 14:16, 26; Ephesians 4:30). He is coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with God the Father and God the Son (Luke 1:35; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14). He is not simply a force but is a person with characteristics such as intellect (Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:11), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and emotion (Romans 15:30; Ephesians 4:30). He was involved in inspiration (2 Peter 1:21) and creation (Genesis 1:2) and currently involves Himself in reproving the world of sin (John 16:8-11), glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:26; 16:12-14), imparting life (John 6:63), restraining sin (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), regenerating unbelievers (John 3:6), indwelling believers (Romans 8:9), baptizing believers into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), sealing believers (Ephesians 1:13-14), and filling or empowering believers for service (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:8). He gives gifts to men (1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7-11) in order that they might serve God and others. We believe that tongues and other unique apostolic gifts given in order to supernaturally validate the message of God before the completion of the Bible during the early church have ceased (Hebrews 2:4; 1 Corinthians 13:8).

We believe that sin began in heaven with Satan leading a rebellion against God among the angels (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:14-19) and upon earth when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden (Romans 5:12). We define sin as the transgression of God’s law or will (1 John 3:4). We believe that sin brings physical (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12), spiritual (Romans 5:21; Ephesians 2:1, 5), and eternal death (Matthew 25:41; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 21:8) upon man. We believe that men who never trust in God’s Son as Savior go to a literal place called hell (Matthew 11:23; Luke 16:23) to await the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13) and their eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15).

We believe that God instantaneously created man without sin (Ephesians 4:24) in His own image (Genesis 1:27; 2:7) and that Adam willingly chose to transgress God’s law (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-7), bringing sin, depravity, and judgment upon the entire human race (Romans 3:9-12, 23; 5:12, 19). Thus, man is born with a sinful nature (Romans 5:12) which apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ will experience God’s eternal judgment (Romans 6:23; John 3:16). We further believe that marriage is ordained by God as the lawful joining of one man and one woman in the one flesh union until death parts them (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:4-6); and that pornography, homosexuality, lesbianism and other deviant behaviors are sinful perversions of God’s order (Leviticus 20:10-17; Romans 1:24-32; I Corinthians 6:9-10).

We believe that salvation cannot be earned through merit or good works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and that unless the Spirit of God convicts a man’s heart (John 6:44), he will not turn to Christ in saving faith. We believe a person must repent of his sinfulness before God and believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and personally place his faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ to inherit eternal salvation and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Acts 4:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). We believe at the time of a man’s conversion he is freed forever from the penalty of sin (Romans 5:1, 10; Hebrews 10:10). From that moment on, God seeks to transform him into the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:8-12) and that upon man’s death or the Lord’s return he is freed from the presence of sin (1 John 3:2).

We believe the church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and is an assembly of believers called out from the world. We believe that membership of the local church is limited to individuals who truly know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have been baptized by immersion after salvation (Acts 2:38-41). We believe in the priesthood of believers (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15-16; 1 Peter 2:9) and in the autonomy of the local church.

We believe in two church ordinances: baptism by immersion after salvation for those who have truly received Christ as Savior (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Acts 10:47-48) and the Lord’s Supper for all obedient believers (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe that baptism is an outward picture of the new birth which identifies a believer with Christ (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21) and that the Lord’s Supper commemorates the death of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), symbolizing His sacrifice for our sins. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper possesses any power to save man from his sins.

We believe in two church offices: pastor (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) and deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13). We believe that the terms pastor, elder, and bishop are used interchangeably in the Scriptures (Acts 20:17, 28). We believe that a believer should be separate (“set apart”) from sin and the world (1 John 2:15-17; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:11); from false teachers, including all forms of unbelief such as Modernism, Neo-Orthodoxy, Liberalism, and from organizations (e.g. World and National Council of Churches) supporting such movements (Matthew 7:15-20; Galatians 1:8-9); and from disobedient brethren (Matthew 18:15-18; Titus 3:9-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

We believe that God created spiritual beings called angels (Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:16-17) who because of Satan’s revolt in heaven (Isaiah 14:13-14; Jude 6; Revelation 12:3-4) became divided between good and evil angels. Angels are incorporeal (Hebrews 1:14) but at times take on human form (Hebrews 13:2), do not marry (Matthew 22:30), and are numerous (Hebrews 12:22). Although not omniscient or omnipotent, they do possess knowledge and strength superior to man (Matthew 24:36; 2 Peter 2:11). They exist in angelic ranks (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 1:9). We believe that Satan is a real angelic being who exalted himself against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:14-19). He is a wicked liar (John 8:44) and the great tempter (Matthew 4:1). He desires to be worshipped (Matthew 4:9) and to destroy believers (Luke 22:31). Satan is the god of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12) and the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He rules a host of demons who tempt believers (1 Thessalonians 3:5) and at times possess unbelievers (Matthew 12:22). In the end, God will cast Satan and his demons into the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:10).

We believe Bible prophecy should be interpreted from the pretribulational, premillennial viewpoint (Daniel 9:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-10; Revelation 20:1-6). We believe the next imminent event on God’s prophetic timetable is the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 5:1-6). Following the rapture, all believers will return to heaven for the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive their rewards according to their works (1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11) and to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-8). After the rapture, the seven literal years of the Tribulation Period will occur on the earth (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 5:1-18:24). At the end of these seven years, Christ will physically return to earth in His Second Coming with His saints (Zechariah 14:4-5; Revelation 19) to judge the beast and false prophet and to initiate a literal Millennial Kingdom upon the earth (Revelation 19:19-20:6). At the end of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, Christ will release Satan “for a little season” to deceive the nations of the earth for a final time (Revelation 20:7-9). At the end of this season, God will cast Satan into the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:10) and will resurrect the unsaved dead to face the Great White Throne Judgment and to be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). However, God will take believers to dwell with Him in the New Heavens and the New Earth for all eternity (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-22:5).