Statement of Faith of Crusade Baptist Church

 

1. Of the Scriptures

 

We believe that the Holy Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired (II Timothy 3:16-17) and the product of Spirit controlled men (II Peter 1:19-21), and therefore, has truth without any error (John 17:17). We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible to be true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions, shall be tried (Jude 1:3). 

 

Furthermore, we believe, and is our preference, that the King James Version of the Bible should be read and preached from our public meetings and worship, but we also recognize that other translations of the Bible can be a valuable tool in teaching the Scriptures.

 

2. Of the Godhead

 

We believe that there is only one living and true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; I Timothy 2:5), infinite in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-yet one in substance and equal in every divine perfection (Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19), and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of creation (Genesis 1:1) and redemption (John3:16).

 

a. Father:  We believe in God the father, not as being the one God, but merely one distinction of  the True God.  The Son has voluntarily elected to do the will of the Father in dependence upon the Spirit.  He is the Father of creation (Malachi 2:10), and Israel (Exodus 4:22), and the believers (Romans 8:15-16).

 

b. Son: We believe that Jesus Christ, the second member of the Trinity is co-equal with God the Father, and all the attributes of God are manifest in Him (John 1:1).  When the fullness of time was come, Christ became incarnate by a supernatural conception and virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) for the purpose of becoming “the sacrifice for sin.”  By His vicarious death, He made posible a reconciliation of depraved man with a holy and just God (Hebrews 10:12).  We further believe that He physically died and arose from the grave. Upon completing His post-resurrection, He  ascended on high where He is presently interceding for the believers (Hebrews 7:15), and shall subsequently return for the believers (I Thessalonians 4:15-17) and set up His earthly kingdom (Luke 1:33).

 

c. Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person (John 16:13), equal with the Father and Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (II Corinthians 13:14), bears witness to the truth (John 14:16), is the Agent of the New Birth (John 3:6), and that He seals, endures (I Corinthians 12:7), guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer,  indwelling every true child of God (Romans 8:14-27).

 

 

3. Of Angels:

 

We believe angels are created (Colossians 1:16); Psalm 148:5), spirit beings of various rank and order. This company of everlasting beings is super-human in intelligence and strength.  They were created holy and good (Genesis 1:31), but due to sin many fell from their holy state and are now confirmed in wickedness (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). Those who preserved their integrity are God’s messengers (Hebrews 1:14), whereas the fallen angels execute Satan’s desires in hindering God’s work and afflicting God’s people.

 

We believe in the distinct personality of Satan (Matthew 4:1-3), that he is the unholy god of this age (II Corinthians 4:4), author of all powers of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Revelations 20:10).

 

4. Of the Creation:

 

We believe that God created the heavens and earth (Genesis 1-2), including all life

(Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3), “each after its own kind” (Genesis 1:24), by direct act, and not by the process of evolution (Psalms 33:6).

 

5. Of Man

 

We believe that man in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into sin (Genesis 3), thus plunging the whole human race into condemnation

(Romans 5:12) and total depravity (Ephesians 2:1) in consequence of which all men are born sinners and are directed by their sin natures to willful acts of sin.  Thus having knowledge of their sin and the manifestation of the power of God, are without excuse before God

(Romans 1:18-21). Apart from God’s work of grace to all men would be on their way to eternal torment (Revelation 20:15).  God enabling some men to receive the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, they are then passed from death to eternal life forever secure in Heaven

(John 10:28-29; Romans 8:29-39).

 

6. Of Salvation

 

We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon Him a human body and nature, yet without sin

(Hebrews 4:15), and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement sufficient for all sin

(I John 2:2), that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but a voluntary substitution of himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust

(I Peter 3:18).

 

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again (John 3:3), that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and receives eternal life, the free gift of God

(John 3:16; Romans 3:24); and are eternally secure in Christ.

We believe that this gift of salvation is not limited to any one or group of people, but whosoever comes to Christ that He will no wise be cast out (John 6:37). We believe in the divine sovereignty of God and the freewill of man, and they should both be balanced in the understanding of what the Scriptures teach in the doctrine of election.

 

We believe in a literal place called Hell for those who reject Christ as their Saviour, and a literal place called Heaven for born again, blood bought, redeemed believers.

 

We believe the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8).

 

7. Of the Church:

 

We believe that the true spiritual church is a New Testament institution unknown to the Old Testament prophets (Matthew 16:18); established by Jesus Christ, who is its sole Head

(Ephesians 1:22-23); revealed through the holy Apostles; empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), His “body” for service (I Corinthians 12:13-28); and His “bride” for glory. It began with Pentecost, after the ascension of Christ and will be consummated at the coming of Christ in the Rapture ( I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

 

We do not believe that the Church is Israel, and the promises made to Israel by the prophets in the Old Testament will not be fulfilled in the Church.  We believe such promises made to Israel will be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ, and the Church consists of believers of all walks of life that includes both Gentiles and Jews( Ephesians 3:3-9).

 

We believe that there are two church ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly called “Believer’s Baptism” (Acts 8:36-39). It set forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with the effects of that faith in our lives as it produces death to sin and resurrection to a new life

(Romans 6:3-5).  Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership(Acts 2:41). The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of our Lord’s death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him, should be preceded by baptism and always careful self-examination           

(I Corinthians 11:23-32).

 

8. Of Last Things:

 

We believe in the bodily (Acts 1:4), personal(John 14:3), premillennial return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11-20); that He will come before the seven year tribulation period (Revelation 3:10; I Thessalonians 5;9) to catch away His church, and that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations (Matthew 25: 31-46) and to set up His kingdom.

 

We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead (I Corinthians 15:12-58) that believers who die in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ for His church and caught up with transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) and that the wicked dead will be raised at the close of the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20: 4-5), and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne of judgment to receive their final doom (Revelation 20:11-15).

 

We believe that the civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society (Romans 13:1); and the guarantee of liberty of conscience.  This guarantee consists of absolute constraint of the government to the civil realm, not interfering or influencing in the spiritual realm of the Church.  For the believer to see that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed (Matthew 22:21); except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 5:29; 4:19-20) who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming prince of the Kings of the earth.

 

9.) Of Marriage:

 

We believe that God created men and women in the image of God and that marriage, as God ordained, is the union of one man and one woman spiritually and physically. Men and women are also uniquely designed to display the glory of God in the gospel through marriage.  God creates marriage (Genesis 2: 18-25) and Paul tells us that when we embrace biblical headship and submission, we help illustrate the gospel.  As husbands and wives together pursue this gospel picture of Christ and the church, they personally pursue Christ likeness.

 

We believe that when the physical union between a man and a woman in the bonds of marriage creates a life that life is a miracle from God. Therefore, we believe that life begins at conception based on the teachings of Psalms 139:12-15. We, also, believe that any physical union outside of the bonds of marriage as defined in Scripture between a man and a woman is not biblical, and such union is not accepted in the eyes of God.

 

Modified:  January 5, 2018