What We Believe

God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.

The following are the core beliefs of Bethel Baptist Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

The Bible is the inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
It is inspired of God. It has been preserved by God. It is the church’s authority on faith and practice. The church is to submit to it humbly. The preacher is to teach it faithfully. It is part and parcel of abiding in Christ.
(II Timothy 3:16; I Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6; James 1:22-25; II Timothy 4:2; John 15)

God is eternal immutable, holy creator and sovereign of heaven and Earth. He is one God existing eternally in three persons. He is holy in all His works. He is faithful in all His Word.
(Genesis 1:1; Psalm 145:17; Deuteronomy 7:9-10)

Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father. He is God. He is one with His Father. He willingly emptied Himself, became poor, and lovingly lived and died for all men. In His earthly life, He completely fulfilled the righteous demands of the Law, glorified and pleased His Father in all He did, and was mercilessly crucified at the hands of sinful men by the predeterminate counsel of God. He was buried and rose again three days later. He ascended into Heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, as the only mediator between God and men. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and by none other name will men enter into Heaven. He has gone to prepare a place for His bride, the Church, and will imminently return in body to receive His bride unto Himself. He is the Lord, and at His name, every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
(John 1:1-14; 3:16; 10:30; 14:1-6; II Corinthians 8:9; I Timothy 2:5; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:1-11)

The Church is the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ. It consists of saved, baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to learn the Word, pray, fellowship, and carry out the Great Commission. The head is Christ. They love Christ and each other. They have been given authority by Christ. They have been personally commissioned by Christ to make disciples, and hence they are at war with the god of this world.
(Ephesians 5:25-27; Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 28:19-20; 18:15-20)

He was created on the sixth day of Creation in the  image of God. He was created as a relational, rational, and responsible being, and was designed to glorify God. The first man, Adam, willfully disobeyed God, and brought the Curse upon all of creation, and all of mankind. Because man is fallen, every man is born a sinner, goes astray, and does not seek after God. He is hopelessly lost, and under the wrath and condemnation of God in his natural state.
(Genesis 1:26-30; Romans 1-3; 5:12; John 3:36)

Salvation is the means by which God has chosen to redeem His creation.  All men have sinned. the penalty for sin is death; therefore all men are under the condemnation of God. Jesus Christ satisfied the righteous demands of the law by living a sinless life. He then became sin for us, and while we were yet sinners died for us. His death satisfied the penalty for all men, and in doing so, reconciled the world unto God. This is the Gospel – the good news that Christ has done for man what he is unable to do for himself – provide salvation. The new birth is obtained by repentance of sins, and faith in Christ and His work. It is given by grace through faith alone. Upon salvation, man is justified before God, and given the earnest of his inheritance, the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 1-5; Ephesians 2:8-9)

Sanctification is the process by which a Christian advances to maturity in Christ. He is positionally sanctified at salvation, but is increasingly sanctified throughout his remaining earthly life. At no point does a Christian reach sinless perfection in this life, but is guaranteed complete sanctification in the next. In this life, sanctification will be signified by a life of constant dying to self, mortifying sin, confessing sin, growing in the Word, abiding in Christ, and fellowshipping with other believers.
(II Peter 1:3-8; John 15; I John; James; Philippians 3:8-14)

The Holy Spirit is oftentimes called the third person of the Trinity. He convicts men of their sin, shines the light of the glorious gospel into men’s minds, indwells believers, and bears with our infirmities. He can be grieved and resisted. He is typified in Scripture as a dove, wind, fire, and oil.
(John 16:7-11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30)

Concerning the End Times, we believe in the Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church and the premillennial return of Christ. We believe that the Scriptures foretell a Great Tribulation by which men will be judged for their wickedness, and Christ will be revealed. When Christ returns to earth there will be a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ and His Church on this earth during a time of peace. Following this God will judge all unbelievers and cast all those not found written in the Book of Life into the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone. God will then create a new heaven and a new earth. All unbelievers will suffer eternally and consciously in Hell, and all believers will enter into the eternal conscious blessedness of the new heaven and new earth.
(Daniel 9; Revelation; I Thessalonians 2:6-12; Matthew 24)