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Statement of Beliefs


Here is a statement of what we believe at Bloomsburg Baptist Church

THE TRUE GOD

We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God; that He is Creator, Sustainer, and Supreme Authority of the heavens and the earth; that He is perfect and unchanging; that He is absolutely holy and benevolent; that He is worthy of all possible honor, confidence, love and worship; and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons:  the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory.
Gen 1:2,26; Deut 6:4-5; Psa 2:6-12; Psa 18:30; Psa 25:6-8; Psa 45:6-7; Psa 83:18; Psa 90:1-2; Psa 110:1; Psa 119:68; Psa 145:17; Prov 30:4; Isa. 9:6; Isa 48:16; Jer 10:10; Micah 5:2; Matt 1:23; 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-14; John 4:24; John 5:18; John 8:58; John 10:25-30; John 14:6-10; John 17:5; Rom 14:10-12; I Cor 8:6; II Cor 5:20-21; II Cor 13:14; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:12-18; Col 2:9; I Tim 1:17; I Tim 3:16; Heb 1:2-3,8-12; Heb 7:25-27; Heb 13:8; I Peter 2:21-22; I John 1:1-2; I John 5:7; I John 5:20; Jude 25; Rev 1:8; Rev 4:11.

CREATION

We believe in the Genesis account of creation and that it is to be accepted literally.  We believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal, twenty-four hour periods.  We believe that on the sixth day man was created in the image of God and after God’s own likeness.  We reject all evolutionary theories.
Gen 1:1,5,11,21,24,27; Gen 2:7,21-23; Ex 20:11; Isa 40:26; John 1:1-3,10; I Cor 11:7; Col 1:16-17; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11; Rev 10:6.

THE FALL OF MAN

We believe that the first man Adam was created without sin, but that by voluntary disobedience to the direct command of God, he sinned, and in so doing, fell from his sinless and innocent state.  We believe the consequences of that sin are: mankind is spiritually dead and separated from God; mankind must die physically; all the world is guilty before God and is under the wrath of God; and every descendant of Adam is born with a sinful nature.  We further believe that mankind sins by nature and by choice and is under just condemnation without defense or excuse, and that without divine intervention, man is hopelessly destined to eternal death in the lake of fire.
Gen 1:26-27; Gen 2:16-17; Gen 3:1-15; Gen 3:16-19; Psa 51:5; Psa 58:3; Ecc 7:20; Isa 59:1-2; 64:6; Jer 17:9; Mark 7:20-23; John 3:18,36; John 8:34; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 3:10-19,23; Rom 5:8-9,12-19; II Cor 5:14; Gal 3:22; Eph 2:1-9; I Thess 1:10; II Thess 1:8-9; I Tim 2:11-14; James 4:17; I John 3:4; I John 5:17; Rev 20:12-15; Rev 21:8.

THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; that His birth made Him the perfect union of God and man in one person; that He was born as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman; and that He is the sinless Son of God and God the Son.
Isa 7:14; Isa 9:6; Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2,14; John 10:10; John 14:6-11; II Cor 5:20-21; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:12-15; Col 2:8-9; I Tim 3:16; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:1-3; Heb 4:14-16; Heb 7:25-27; I Peter 2:21-22; I John 3:5; I John 5:20.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe the Biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ; that He literally and bodily rose from the dead on the third day as He had promised and that He was seen by hundreds of credible witnesses after His resurrection.  We believe that Christ’s resurrection is the very foundation of Christianity and that it is a source of victory and great joy for the believer.  We further believe that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven following His resurrection and that He is presently seated at the right hand of God, conducting an uninterrupted intercessory ministry on behalf of the people of God.
Matt 12:40; Matt 16:21; Matt 17:23; Matt 20:19; Matt 28:1-10; Luke 24:13-53; John 10:18; John 20:19-31; Acts 1:1-11; Acts 2:22-24; Acts 3:25-26; Acts 4:8-13; Acts 13:28-38; Rom 6:9; Rom 8:11; Rom 10:9; I Cor 6:14; I Cor 15:1-58; II Cor. 4:14; I Tim 3:16; II Tim 1:10; Heb 2:9-18; Heb 4:14-16; Heb 8:1; I Peter 1:18-21; Rev 1:18.

THE DEVIL (SATAN)

We believe that Satan was created by God as an angelic being and enjoyed heavenly honors, until, through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, he fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world.  We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, the accuser of the brethren, the author of all false religions, the lord of the anti-christ, and the leader of all the powers of darkness; that he is destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son and to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire, a place prepared for him and his angels.
Gen 3:1-5,14,15; Isa 14:12-15; Ezek 28:13-19; Matt 4:1-11; Matt 17:14-21; Matt 25:41; Mark 5:1-20; Mark 13:21-22; Luke 22:3-4; John 8:44; John 14:30; II Cor 4:3-4; II Cor 11:13-15; Eph 2:2; I Thess 3:5; II Thess 2:8-11; II Tim 2:24-26; James 4:7; I Peter 5:8; II Peter 2:4; I John 1:22; I John 3:8; I John 4:3; II John 7; Jude 6; Rev 12:9-10; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 20:1-3,7-10.

SALVATION

We believe that because of His mercy, His grace, and His love for mankind, God prepared and perfected salvation for all men through the substitutionary death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isa 53:4-6; Matt 8:17; Rom 8:3-4; II Cor 5:21; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 9:28; I Peter 2:24).
We believe that God Himself shed His sinless blood on the cross of Calvary to redeem mankind from all sin.  We believe that by the grace of God the sinner is cleansed, redeemed, and justified freely through faith in the blood of Christ.
John 14:6; John 15:3; Acts 4:12; Rom 3:23-28; Rom 5:1,8-9; Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14,20; Titus 2:13-14; Heb 4:15; Heb 7:26-27; Heb 9:12,14,22; Heb 13:12; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 1:7; I John 5:12; Rev 1:5; Rev 5:9.
We believe that salvation is purely by the grace of God and not by the merits of sinful man. We believe that man cannot be justified by his own works, efforts, religious rituals, or by attempts to keep the commandments of God.
Isa 64:6; Jer 17:9; Matt 7:21-23; Luke 18:9-14; John 6:28-29; Acts 13:38-39; Rom 3:20,24-25,28; Rom 4:1-7; Gal 2:16,21; Gal 3:10-11; Eph 2:8-9; James 2:10.
We believe that Jesus Christ completed salvation by Himself, providing the payment for the sins of mankind.
Acts 4:12; Rom 5:10,11,18,19,24; Heb 1:3; Heb 10:12-18.
We further believe that man has no righteousness of his own but can be given the righteousness of God as a free gift.
Isa 61:10; Rom 3:21-28; Rom 5:17; Rom 10:3-4; II Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9; Col 1:21-22; Titus 3:5; II Peter 1:1.
We believe that in order to receive God’s free gift of salvation——
1. Man must humble himself and realize he is a sinner worthy of condemnation.
Psa 51:1-5; Psa 58:3; Prov 3:34; Jer 17:9; Matt 18:3,4; Mark 7:20-23; Luke 18:9-14; Rom 3:10-19,23; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:3; James 4:6; I John 3:4; I John 5:17; Rev 21:8.
2. Man must repent.  Repentance is an attitude of the heart:  a sincere change of the mind in regard to sin, involving a sense of personal guilt and helplessness, accompanied by a deep sorrow for sin and a strong desire to be rescued from the sinful life.
Matt 4:17; Matt 9:13; Matt 12:41; Mark 1:15; Mark 6:12; Mark 8:35; Luke 11:32; Luke 13:3-5; Luke 24:47; John 12:25; Acts 2:27-38; Acts 3:19; Acts 11:18; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:20; II Cor 7:9-10; I Thess 1:9-10; II Peter 3:9.
3. Man must believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is not an intellectual belief, but a belief in the heart, whereby through faith the sinner receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Mark 1:15; Luke 8:12; John 1:12; John 3:16,18,36; John 6:28-29; John 20:30-31; Acts 8:37; Acts 10:43; Acts 11:21; Acts 15:9; Acts 16:31; Rom 3:22,25; Rom 10:9-10; I Cor 1:21; I Cor 15:1,3-4; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8; Col 2:6; II Tim 3:15; Heb 10:39; James 2:19; I John 5:10-12).  By receiving Christ as Lord, we mean that the sinner surrenders to Christ as his new Master.  (Matt 11:28,29; Mark 8:34-37; Luke 14:25-33; Acts 9:6.
We believe that salvation is not a process but is instantaneous.  We believe that God grants salvation the moment that the repentant sinner receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  We believe that salvation is a miraculous work of God in the heart:  the immediate creation of a new person in Christ.  We believe that at the moment of salvation, the sinner is regenerated (born again) as a child of God.
Luke 19:9; John 3:3-5; Rom 6:17-18; II Cor 5:17; Gal 3:26; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:1,4-5; Col 2:13-14; Titus 3:5; I John 5:11-12.
We reject “easy believism” and any soul winning method that bypasses the need for Holy Spirit conviction, genuine repentance of sin, and surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord.  We further believe that among professing Christians there are many who have never been regenerated; that those who have made false professions of faith may be known by their love for the world, their lack of love for Christ, the absence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, the absence of a Godly change in their lives, and their unrighteous way of living.
Matt 7:13-20; Mark 4:3-20; Luke 6:46; Luke 11:23; Luke 19:8-10; John 10:4-5,10; John 13:35; John 14:21,23; John 15:18; John 17:14; Acts 9:6; Acts 19:18-19; Rom 6:14,17-18,22; I Cor 6:9-11; II Cor 11:26; II Cor 13:5; Gal 5:22-24; Eph 2:10; Eph 5:5-6; Titus 1:16; Titus 2:14; James 2:14-20; II Peter 2:19-22; I John 2:3-4,9-11,15-17; I John 3:1,6-10,14-15,24; I John 4:8,13,20; I John 5:2-4; II John 9; III John 11; Jude 7.
We believe that the born again child of God is eternally secure, meaning that he can never lose his salvation, because he is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
John 10:27-29; Rom 8:38-39; II Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13-14; Eph 4:30; Phil 1:6; II Tim 1:12; I Peter 1:4-5,23; Jude 1,24.
We reject any teaching that says God does not want to save everyone. We believe that God has provided a witness of Himself in the creation and in the heart of every man.  We believe that the Holy Spirit draws every man toward Christ, that the Holy Spirit convicts the lost of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, but that the final decision to repent and believe the gospel is left to each individual.
Josh 24:15; Job 24:13; Psa 19:1-3; Psa 50:6; Matt 23:37; John 1:7-9,29; John 4:42; John 5:40; John 8:12; John 12:32, 47; Acts 7:51; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 5:18; I Tim 2:1-4; Titus 2:11; II Peter 3:9; I John 2:2; Rev 22:17.
We believe that any sinner who seeks the Lord with all his heart will find Him.
Jer 29:13; Acts 17:27; Heb 11:6.
We also believe that the door of salvation will not always be open; that by continual rejection of Christ, an unsaved person can so resist the Spirit’s conviction that God will withdraw the opportunity for salvation and repentance will be impossible for that individual.
Gen 6:3; Isa 55:6-7; Matt 12:31-32; Luke 9:62; Luke 17:28-33; Heb 6:4-6; Heb 10:26,38-39; Heb 12:14-17.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and that He was active in the creation.  We believe that He convicts the unbelieving world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come; that He regenerates the sinner who truly repents and yields to Christ; that His ministries in the life of the born again Christian include:  indwelling, filling, sealing, sanctifying, guiding, comforting, teaching, giving assurance of salvation, producing fruit, helping in prayer and giving power to witness.  We further believe that the Holy Spirit has come to testify of Jesus rather than speak of Himself. We believe that the Holy Spirit had different ministries throughout the ages. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit during the days of the Apostles was unique in that He bestowed certain sign gifts on individuals but that those gifts were temporary and are not intended for use today. We believe that the Spirit’s ministry in Old Testament times was unique; that in those days He came upon certain individuals and filled them for some specific work, but that He did not permanently indwell them. We believe that on the night of the resurrection, Jesus Christ gave the disciples the Holy Spirit and that since that day, He permanently indwells the born again believer, thereby producing the fruits of the Spirit and a Godly lifestyle. We believe that at the time of the new birth, the sinner is regenerated in heart and mind by the Holy Spirit; that the mind is changed from carnal to spiritual, but that the Holy Spirit will not change this body of flesh into a spiritual body until the day of redemption.  We believe that while the born again believer sins in this body of flesh, he is spiritually minded and therefore hates sin and desires to flee from it; he cannot live in sin.
I Sam 10:6,10; I Sam 11:6; I Sam 16:13-14; I Sam 18:10-12; I Sam 28:11-19; Psa 51:11-12; John 3:5-7; John 7:39; John 14:16-26; John 15:26; John 16:7-11,13-15; John 20:22; Acts 1:8; Acts 4:8,31; Acts 5:30-32; Rom 6:14,17-18,20-22; Rom 8:9,11,14-17,26-27; Rom 12:5-8; I Cor 6:9-11; I Cor 12:4-11; I Cor 13:8-12; II Cor 1:3-6,21-22; II Cor 5:5; Gal 5:19-24; Eph 1:13-14; Eph 2:3; Eph 4:30; Eph 5:5-6,18; Phil 3:17-19; Col 1:21; I Thess 1:6; II Thess 2:13; Titus 1:15; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:2; II Peter 2:20-22; I John 2:3-5,9-10,15-17,20; I John 3:9-10,24; I John 4:13; I John 5:10,18.

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe that the Holy Bible was inspired by God; that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the final authority for faith, doctrine and practice; the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian unity; and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, beliefs, and opinions should be tried.  By “inspired” we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit in such a way that they recorded the very words that God wanted written in the Holy Bible. We believe that God has supernaturally and providentially preserved and safeguarded His Word.  We believe that the King James Bible of 1611 is the preserved, inerrant, and infallible Word of God in the English language.
Deut 4:2; Psa 12:6-7; Psa 19:7-11; Psa 89:34; Psa 119:89, 105, 130, 140, 160; Psa 138:2; Prov 30:5-6; Matt 5:18; Matt 12:35; Matt 24:35; Luke 24:24-27,44-45; John 5:39,45-47; John 6:63; John 7:39; John 12:48; John 17:8,17; Rom 15:4; I Cor 10:11; II Cor 2:17; I Thess 2:13; II Tim 3:14-17; Heb 4:12; I Pet 1:23-25; II Peter 1:19-21; Rev 22:18-19.

THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.  We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.  We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.
Matt 25:41,46; Mark 9:43:48; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; John 11:25,26; II Cor 5:1,8; Phil 1:23; Phil 3:20-21; I Thess 4:16-17; II Thess 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev 20:5-6,11-15.

FUTURE EVENTS

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will appear at any moment to rapture (carry away to heaven) the born again believers; that following this event a seven year period of tribulation will begin on the earth as God pours out His wrath on unrepentant man; and that immediately after the seven years of tribulation the Lord Jesus will return to the earth and destroy His enemies at the battle of Armageddon.  We believe that God will then establish His 1000 year kingdom in which Jesus Christ will rule the world with a rod of iron; that at the end of the millennial kingdom God will cause the heavens and the earth to pass away with a fervent heat; and that He will create new heavens, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem where the saints of God will dwell with Him in eternal bliss.
Isa 2:1-4; Dan 9:24-27; Zech 14:4-11; Matt 24:29-31; I Cor 15:51-58; I Thess 4:13-18; II Thess 2:1-4; II Peter 3:10-13; Rev 3:10; Rev 19:11-21; Rev 20:19; Rev 21:22.
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