Beliefs:
Articles of Faith
The views of faith and practice held by the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in British Columbia and Yukon are as follows:
I.
OF THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the
Holy Bible to be that collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation
which, as originally written, as objectively the very Word of God 1; that
it was written by men supernaturally moved; that it is verbally and plenarily
inspired 2; that it is truth without any admixture of error 3; and therefore
is and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation
of the will of God to men 4; the true center of Christian union and the
supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should
be tried 5.
1 I Thess. 2:13; 2
II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:19-21; II Sam. 23:1-2; 3 John 17:17; Psalms 119:160;
4 Heb. 1:1, 2; Psalms 119:89; 5 John 12:48; Isa. 8:20
II. OF THE
TRINITY
1. We believe
that there is one, and only one, living, eternal and true God 1; an infinite,
intelligent Spirit, the Creator and the Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth
2. inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour,
faith and love 3; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 4, equal in every divine perfection,
executing distinct and harmonious offices in the work of redemption 5.
1 Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10;
1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Psalms 147:5; John 4:~4; Heb. 1:2; Rev 19:6;
3 Ex. 15:11; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 4:11; 4 Matt. 28:19 Eph. 4:4-6; 5 John 15:26;
Eph. 1:13-14.
2. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God 1; that He is truly and eternally God, equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit 2; that for our redemption He took upon Himself the nature of unfallen man 3; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a unique and miraculous manner, and was born of Mary, a virgin 4; that in the one Person of Christ there are two natures, the Divine and the human, each distinct and indissolubly united 5; that being tempted in the flesh He lived a sinless life 6; that He was crucified under Pontius Pilate 7; that the third day He arose bodily from the tomb and manifested Himself for forty days to His disciples 8; that in His glorified body He ascended to the Father 9; that as High Priest He ever lives to make intercession for His own 10. that according to His promise He will come again in person, visibly, with power and great glory
1 John 1:18; 2 John
1:1; 10:30; II Cor. 13:14; 3 Rom. 8:3; 4 Luke 1:35; Matt.1:18-25
5 Phil. 2:6-8; 6 Heb. 4:15; 7 John 19:13-16; 8 Matt. 28:6; John 20:27; Acts
1:3; 9 Acts 1:8,
Phil. 3:20. 21; 10 Heb. 7:25: 11 Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 1:7; Titus 2:13,
14; Matt. 24:30;
I Thess. 4:13-18.
3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature 1; that He was active in creation 2; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment 3; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and in testimony 4; that He is the agent of regeneration5; that He dwells in every believer from the moment of his conversion 6; that every believer is baptized in the Spirit by Christ 7; that He fills the believer as control is yielded to Christ 8; that the evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life 9.
1 Acts 5:3, 4; Eph.
4:4-6; 2 Gen. 1:1-3; 3 John 16:8-11; 4 Acts 5:32; 5 Titus 3:5; John 3:3-6;
6 Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16; 7 I Cor. 12:13; Matt. 3:11; 8
Eph. 5:18; 9 Rom. 8:1-8; Gal. 5:22-23.
III. OF THE
DEVIL, OR SATAN
We believe
that Satan is a person 1; that he is the malignant prince of the power of
the air, and the unholy god of this world 2; that he is man's great tempter,
the enemy of God and His Christ, the accuser of the saints3; that he is
the author of all false religions, the inspirer of all apostasy, and the
chief of all the powers of darkness4; that he with his principalities is
overcome by our appropriation of Christ's victory on Calvary 5; that he
along with his hosts is destined to final defeat at the hands of God's Son,
and to suffer eternal punishment in a place prepared for him and his
angels 6
1 Matt.4:3; James 4:7;
2 Eph. 2:2; II Cor. 4:4; 3 Gen. 3:1-15; Zech. 3:1-2; I Pet. 5:8;
Rev. 12:1-9;4 II Cor. 11:1-15; I John 3:8; Eph. 6:12; 5 I John 3:8; Col.
2:15; Luke 10:17-19;
6 Rev. 19:11-16,
20; Rev. 20:10; Matt. 25:41.
IV. OF THE
CREATION
We believe in
the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally,
and not allegorically or figuratively 1; that man was created directly in
God's own image and after His own likeness 2; that man=s creation was not
by evolution or change of species or development through interminable periods
of time from lower to higher forms 3; that all animal life and vegetable
life were effected by special creation, and God's established law was that
they should bring forth only "after their kind" 4.
1 Gen. 1:1, 2:4; Heb.
11:13; Acts 17:24-26; 2 Gen. 1:26-27; 3 Gen.2:7; Gen. 2:21-23;
4 Gen. 1:11,
12, 21, 24, 25.
V. OF THE FALL
OF MAN
We believe that
man was created in innocence under the law of his Creator, but by voluntary
transgression fell from his sinless and happy state 1; in consequence
of which all men are now sinful, and all are sinners not only by constraint
but of choice 2; and therefore under just condemnation without defense or
excuse 3; that man in his fallen state is in a condition of total depravity
by which is meant his utter incapacity to receive the things of the Spirit
of God apart from the quickening grace of the Holy Spirit 4.
1 Gen. 3:1-6, 24; Rom. 5:12, 19; 2 Rom. 3:10-23; Eph. 2:1-3; Isa. 53:6; 3 Rom. 1:20, 28, 32; Gal. 3:22; 4 Rom. 3:10; Rom. 8:7; I Cor. 2:14; John 6:44.
VI. OF THE
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that
the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace 1; that it is through the mediatorial
office of the Son of God, Who by the appointment of the Father 2, freely
took upon Him our nature, yet with-out sin, honoured the divine law by His
personal obedience, and by His death made a full and expiatory atonement
for our sins 3; that His atonement consisted in the voluntary substitution
of Himself in the sinner's place, bearing the penalty of God's Holy Law,
shedding His precious blood 4; the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the
Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree 5; that having risen
bodily from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven, and is in every way
qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour
1 Eph.
2:8, 9; Acts 13:38, 39; Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:24 2 John 3:16; I Tim. 2:5, 6;
3 II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 2:14; Rom. 3:25; 4 I Pet 2:24;John 10:17-18;Gal.3:10-13;
I Pet. 1:18,19
5 1 Pet. 3:18; Isa. 53:5-7; 6
Heb. 10:12-22; I John 2:2; Heb. 7:25, 26.
VII. OF ELECTION
We believe
that election is the eternal act of God's sovereign grace by which He chooses,
calls, justifies and glorifies sinners 1; that it is effectuated by the
Holy Spirit through God's Word in drawing sinners to Christ so that their
wills are freely brought into compliance with God's elective purpose 2;
that it excludes all human boasting 3; that it is demonstrated In believers
by their personal faith in Christ, their love to God and their desire for
holiness 4; that it is the ground of the believer's assurance and promotes
humility and service 5.
1 Rom. 8:28-30; Rom. 9:16; Rom. 11:5; 2 John 6:37, 44; Acts 13:48; I Pet. 1:2; 3 Eph. 2:8, 9; Rom. 3:24-27; 4 Eph 1:4; Col. 3:12; I Thess. 1:3-7; 5 II Peter 1:5-11; Rom. 11:27-36; Rom. 8:33.
VIII. OF THE
NEW CREATION
We believe that in order to be saved a sinner must be born again
through personal faith in Jesus Christ 1; that the new birth is a new creation;
that it is instantaneous and not a process 2; that in the new birth the
one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature
and receives eternal life as the gift of God 3; that such is kept by the
power of God through faith unto eternal salvation and shall never perish
4; that the new birth is brought about in a miraculous manner above man's
comprehension wholly and solely by the grace of God through the power of
the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth 5; that its proper evidence
appears in the fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life 6.
1 John 3:3,5,7; John
1:12; 2 II Cor. 5:17; II Cor. 4:6; John 5:24; 3 Eph. 2:1; II Pet. 1:4;
Rom. 6:23; 4 I Pet.1:5; John 10:28-30; 5 John 3:7, 8; John 1:12-13; I Pet.
1:23; 6 II Cor. 7:1; Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:11, 12; Eph. 4:22-24.
IX. OF JUSTIFICATION
We believe that Justification is the great blessing by which God
accepts, accounts and declares man as righteous 1; that it includes pardon
from the guilt and condemnation of all his sin, the gift of eternal life
on principles of divine righteousness 2; that it is bestowed by grace through
faith solely upon the grounds of Christ's perfect life, and expiatory death
whereby the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believing sinner3.
1 Rom. 3:24-28; Eph. 1:6; 2 Rom. 5:1; Acts 13:38,39; Rom. 1:17; 3 Phil. 3:9; Rom. 4:4, 5; II Cor. 5:21.
X. OF SANCTIFICATION
We
believe that sanctification is primarily the believer's position in Christ
by the grace of the new Testament sealed to the believer by the blood of
the everlasting covenant whereby he is set apart unto God as the recipient
of all heavenly perfections 1; that it is also a process by which the believer
sets himself apart from sin to God in the gradual attaining of moral
and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit
dwelling in his heart and in obedience to the Word of God 2; that it will
culminate in the glorious and eternal state of entire sanctification at
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 3.
1 I Cor. 1:30; Heb.
10:10, 14; Heb. 9:14, 15; 2 John 17:17-19; II Tim. 2:21, 22; Heb.13:12,
13;
II Cor. 3:18; I Thess. 4:3, 4; 3 Eph. 5:26; I Thess. 5:23, 24; Phil.3:20,
21; I John 3:1-3.
XI. OF THE
LOCAL CHURCH
We believe
that the church is a congregation of baptized believers organized according
to the New Testament pattern, associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship
of the Gospel, and observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws,
and exercising the rights, and privileges invested in it by His Word 1;
that its officers are pastors (or elders or bishops) and deacons, whose
qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures 2; that
the true mission of the church is found in our Lord's commission, namely:
to evangelize, to baptize, and to teach believers to observe all that the
Lord commanded 3; that the church has absolute right of self-government
free from any outside interference, and that the one and only superintendent
is Christ, acting through the Holy Spirit in harmony with the Word of God4;
that in all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline
or benevolence, the will of the church is final 5; that it is Scriptural
for true churches to co-operate with each other in the furtherance
of the Gospel and in contending for the faith, and that each church is the
sole and only judge of the measure and method of its co-operation 6
1 Acts 2:41,42; I Cor.11:2,2-26;
Acts 1:1-2; Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Acts 20:17,28; I Tim. 3:1-13;
Phil. 1:1; 3 Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 4 Matt. 18:15-17; Acts 15:22,25,28;
Rev. 1:12-20;
5 Matt. 18:15-17; Acts 5:1-11; II Cor. 8:1-7; 6
Acts 15:22-31; II Cor. 8:23, 24.
XII. OF BAPTISM
AND THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe that
Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer into the name
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 1; that it is the direct command
of Christ 2; that it shows forth the believer's union with the crucified,
buried and risen Christ, and his death to sin and resurrection to a new
life 3; that it is a condition of church membership and according to the
Scriptural order baptism should precede the observance of the Lord's
supper in which members of the church by the use of bread and wine after
solemn self-examination are to commemorate together the death of Christ
4.
1 Mark 1:5, 9; Rom.
6:4, 5; Matt. 28:19; 2 Mark 16:15, 16; Matt. 3:15,16; 3
Rom. 6:3, 4;
Col. 2:12; 4
Acts 2:41,42; Matt. 28:19, 20; I Cor. 11:23-28.
XIII. OF CIVIL
GOVERNMENT
We believe
that civil government is divinely appointed for the interests and good order
of society 1; that the individual should fulfil faithfully his responsibilities
as a good citizen 2; that magistrates should be conscientiously honoured
and obeyed, except in things opposed to the revealed will of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience 3; that the church should
remain distinct and separate from the state, and that there should be no
intrusion of the one into the affairs of the other 4.
1 Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Titus 3:13; 3 I Pet. 2:13,14,17; ITim.2:1-2; Acts 5:29;James 4:12; 4 Acts 5:29; Matt. 22:21.
XIV. OF THE
RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe that
there is an essential difference in the nature, belief and practice
of the righteous and the wicked 1; that those who through faith are justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus and set apart by the Spirit of God, are truly
righteous in God's esteem, and those who continue in impenitence and unbelief
are wicked in His sight and under the curse 2; that this distinction holds
even after death; that the righteous depart to be with Christ, and are in
a state of conscious blessedness awaiting the resurrection of the just and
the receiving of their glorified bodies 3; that the wicked depart to Hades
where they are in conscious torment until the final resurrection and judgment
4; at which time the righteous enter into everlasting felicity in Heaven
and the wicked into everlasting conscious suffering in Hell 5
1 Mal. 3:18; Rom. 6:6,
8, 18; I Pet. 4:18; 2 Rom.1:17; Acts 10:34-35; IJohn 2:29; John 3:18,36;
3 II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-23; Matt. 7:14; 4 Luke 16:19-31; I Pet. 3:19,
20; 5 Matt. 25:46;
Rev. 20:15; II Thes. 1:8,9; Rev. 22:3-5.
Christianity Explored
Collingwood
Baptist Church
4847 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC
V5R 4G4
ph: 604-433-5616
Senior
Pastor Rick Powell
Youth Pastor Keith Ikoma
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