DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

“Berean Bible Baptist Church shall through the purposeful and detailed proclamation and application of God’s Word to the believer and the world strive to bring all of its members into a personal growing relationship with and in Jesus Christ, which manifests itself to and is felt in the world around them and shall strive to manifest the bond of the Spirit between its members; and she shall do this unto the glory and praise of God.”


-Matt 28:16-20; Eph 4:1-16; Col 1:28

We believe in The Holy Scriptures, accepting fully the writing of the Old and New Testaments as the eternal inerrant Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore altogether sufficient as our only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice.
Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:24-2:3; 2 Peter 1:19-21

We believe in the One True God, who is an intelligent, sovereign, spiritual and personal Being; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness and love, wisdom and power; absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things. He is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence, or being, and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and people.
Genesis 1:1; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 139:7-10; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; 15:26

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Second Person of the Triune God, Eternal Word, and Only Begotten Son, that without any change, and His Divine Person, He became man by the miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, One Person with two natures, perfectly united, yet not co-mingled or mixed. As man, He was tempted as we are, yet without sin; as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead. We believe that He arose from the grave in a glorified body, that as our great High Priest, He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor.
Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1, 14; 3:16;Romans 3:25-31; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7; Ephesians 1:23; Hebrews 1:3; 4:4-16; 10:1-14; 1 John 2:1-2

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Person of the Trinity, and a divine agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement; that He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals and gifts all who become children of God; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers who yield themselves to His ministry
John 3:5; 14:16-17; 16:7-14, 16; Romans 8:9-14; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 3:18; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18

We believe in the direct creation of the universe, angels and man by God without any compulsion external to Himself to do so and apart from any process of evolution, for His own pleasure and glory, and the enjoyment of His creatures. We believe that our original parents, Adam and Eve, were created in the image of God, perfectly holy and just, and that the entire universe was created with inherent righteousness.
Genesis 1:1-2, 24-31; 2:7, 21-23; John 1:3;Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3

We believe all men are by nature and choice sinful and lost, that by personal disobedience to the revealed Will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race, which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, having within himself no possible means or ability to attain salvation, and necessitates the sovereign divinely initiated deliverance of the sinner by the Grace of God in Christ.
Genesis 1:27; 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; 5:12, 19; Galatians 3:1 1;Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1-10

We believe in salvation by grace through faith, that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited or secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by the personal faith of the repentant sinner in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; and that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.
John 1:12, 3:14, 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:8-9;Philippians 1:6; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:3-4

We believe in righteous living and godly works, not as much to salvation in any sense, but as proper evidence and fruits; and therefore as Christians, we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things that are above, walk as He walked, accept our solemn responsibility, duty and privileges of bearing the gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious Christian life is possible only for those who, in gratitude for the infinite and undeserving mercies of God, have presented themselves wholly to Christ (Romans 12:1 2; Ephesians 2:1 0; Philippians 2:16).

We believe that regardless of race, creed, color, or origin, there should be unity of all true believers in the church which is the body of Christ, which is in the process of being formed (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:11-22; Hebrews 10:24-25).

We believe in the importance of the local church, that a New Testament church is a local assembly of born-again baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching, and a united testimony; and to engage actively in carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:2). We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local church, that each New Testament Church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference and should cooperate with other New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church and is directly accountable to God (Matthew 18:17; Acts 6:1-5; 15:22-23).

We believe in the priesthood of all believers, that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born-again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:6; 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 2:1, 5, 9).

We believe in the separation of church and state, with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility before and to God (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7).

We believe the two ordinances given to the local church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper, that baptism is by immersion of believers in water, thus portraying the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of Christ’s body given and shed blood, thereby proclaiming His death until He comes.
Matthew 28:19-20; 26:26-30; Acts 2:41; 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

We believe in the existence of Satan, who originally was created as a holy and perfect being but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God, and His people, leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world, that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who overrules all of his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
 Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; Jude 9; Revelation 12:8-11; 20:10

We believe in the second coming of Christ, that His coming in the air to rapture His Church, which is our blessed hope, is always imminent; that when He has first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living removed from the earth His waiting Church, He will then pour out the righteous judgements of God upon the unbelieving world and afterward descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years.
Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5.8; Hebrews 10:37; Jude 14-15; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:4-7

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ; that Israel is not the church.
Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 22:15-19; Luke 21:20-24; Romans 9:1-11:32;Revelation 21:12

We believe in future life, bodily resurrection, and eternal judgment, that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of reward, which will take place at the time when Christ comes for His own; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into the lake of fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment.
Luke 16:19-23; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; Revelation 20:11-15

We believe that God appoints leaders (Elders) and servants (Deacons/esses) to guide and serve His church in the understanding and application of the Holy Scriptures. It is their responsibility to be examples of godliness as they see to the spiritual well-being and protection of the flock over which God has given them charge.
Acts 6:1-8; 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-3

We believe that God in His infinite kindness and mercy, ordained marriage for the benefit of human beings and the expansion and betterment of society, for the explicit purpose of extending His image, which mankind bears, throughout the entire world through reproduction of the race through the uniting of a male and female within the confines of a marriage relationship; God’s intent for the marriage relationship eclipsed all of these purposes, however, when revealed that the marriage of a man and woman reflected the relationship between the church and His Son Jesus Christ; God’s establishment of marriage for these purposes was affirmed by His actions and communications within the narrative of Genesis, was adopted by the Mosaic Law years later, and when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ instituted His law, He affirmed God’s continuing principles of and His Lordship over marriage; based upon these realities the church throughout the last two millennia has continued to abide by these principles in both accepted creed and practice; as such any sexual activity or marital arrangement that does not correspond to this sacred union established by God and revealed in the Bible between a male and a female is sinful and thus under the condemnation of God and the church (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-25; Matthew 19:1-12; Romans 1:24-32; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).