We Believe
Statement of Faith
Immanuel Baptist Church
Loyal, Oklahoma
We believe:
that God reveals Himself to man and the record of His revelation of Himself to humanity is the Bible; that the Bible was written by men moved by the Holy Spirit and that it is trustworthy, inerrant and a sufficient standard for faith and practice (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
that God has revealed Himself in three persons as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these three are eternal, equal and a unity; that each person of the trinity fulfills a distinct yet harmonious function in accomplishing the plan of God (John 14:26; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4)
that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was begotten by the Holy Spirit and entered history born of the Virgin Mary and is truly God and truly man; that he was crucified and on the third day came forth from the dead and ascended into heaven where he lives now to make intercession for his people (Mt. 1:18-23; Jn. 1:14; Lk. 23:33; Lk. 24:1-9; Acts 1:9; Heb. 4:14-16)
that Satan and other evil angels are real created beings in rebellion against God; that through deliberate choice they revolted and fell from their exalted position and are now seeking to deceive individuals to rebel against God; that their destiny in hell has been sealed by Christ's victory over sin and death; that holy angels are obedient ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation (Ez.28:12-19; Rev. 12:9; Jude 6; Jn. 12:31; Rev.20:10; Heb. 1:14)
that mankind was created in the image of God as the crowning work of His creation; that Adam sinned against God by free choice and brought sin into the human race; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors under condemnation in thought, word and deed (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:12)
that Jesus Christ, by the substitutionary sacrifice of His sinless life on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, provides the basis for the forgiveness of our sins and our acceptance into God's family; that salvation involves the redemption of the whole person and is offered freely to all who by faith accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:25-27)
that the church is the body of Christ; that Jesus Christ is the Head and all regenerate persons are members; that a local church consists of a regenerate baptized company of believers; that the purpose of the church is to be a community of caring people united together for instruction, sharing, worship, prayer, service and the spread of the gospel to the world (1 Cor. 6:15; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 5:18-20; Mt. 28:19-20)
that there are two ordinances of the church to be observed until Christ returns, namely, believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper; that baptism is by immersion in water in the name of the Triune God; that the Lord's Supper is a repeated expression of communion with God in a meal commemorating Christ's broken body and spilled blood in securing our redemption; that it is a proclamation of Christ's death until He returns (Mt. 28:19; Acts 2:41; Mk. 14:22-25; 1 Cor. 11:23-29)
that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end; that according to His promise, Jesus Christ will return suddenly, personally and visibly in glory to the earth, which is the "blessed hope" of the church; that the dead will be raised and Christ will judge mankind in righteousness; that the unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment and separation from God; that the righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and dwell forever in heaven with the Lord (Acts 1:10-11; 1 Thess. 4:15-18; Titus 2:13; Mt. 23:29-33; Mt. 25:46; 1 Cor. 15:42-57).
We, as New Testament Baptists, affirm our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and believe in those great distinctive principles for which Baptists have lived and died, such as:
Soul liberty;
The inspired authority of the Scriptures in matters of faith and conduct;
The separation of church and state;
The revelation of God through Jesus Christ as only Savior and Lord;
Regenerated church membership;
Believer's baptism by immersion;
The congregational form of church government;
The proclamation of the gospel throughout the world.