Doctrine of the Bible (Bibliology)

          

We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every Word) and Plenary (completely) inspired Word of God as contained in the original manuscripts; that all portions of the Scripture are equally inspired and contain no contradictions; that the Scripture is to be the only rule of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ; and that the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible, is complete. Nothing shall be added to it nor taken from away it. II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1; II Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:18-19.

 

 

Doctrine of God (Theology)

          

We believe there is but one God Who is the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of all things. God is revealed to us as Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit compose a trinity of personalities, co-eternal, co-equal in power and glory, identical in their essential natures, attributes, and perfections. In His essential nature, God is spirit as opposed to material. God is infinite, eternal and immutable in His wisdom, power, presence, unity, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and love. God is sovereign. Genesis 1:1,2b; Deuteronomy 6:4; Acts 17:24-28; I Peter 1:2; Matthew 28:29; 19:26; John 4:24; Leviticus 11:44; Psalm 90:2; 99:9; 103:8; 139:7-10; 145:17; Malachi 3:6; Romans 11:33; Zephaniah 3:5; I John 4:16.

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Doctrine of Jesus Christ (Christology)

          

We believe in the deity and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that He was begotten by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, not having a human father, and is true God and true man; that He is man's only hope of salvation from sin, being the only mediator between God and man; that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day for our sins according to the Scriptures; that His return for His Church, the Body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into Heaven is imminent; that He will come to this earth to set up His millennial reign. Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4; 10:30; 14:6; I Timothy 2:5-6; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:4-6.

 

 

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)

          

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead and is the divine agent in creation, revelation, and redemption. The Holy Spirit "reproves the world of sin and of righteousness, and of judgment." The Holy Spirit regenerates and indwells all believers, and as such He is said to "Baptize" the believer, to "seal" the believer, and to "anoint" the believer. He continually "fills" for power, witnessing, and service all believers who are surrendered to the will of God. Matthew 3:16; Job 33:4; Genesis 1:2-3; Psalm 104:29-30; John 3:5; 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5; I Corinthians 6:19-20; Acts 1:5,8; 2:4; Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 1:21-22; 12:12-14; Ephesians 4:30; I John 2:27; Ephesians 5:18-20.

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Doctrine of Man (Anthropology)

          

We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is conscious and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not born again, he is eternally lost. Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8.

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Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology)

          

We believe that a person is saved when he accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. The believer is kept by the power of God and is eternally secure in Christ. We believe that the scope of salvation includes forgiveness of all our sins past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at His return for His own. We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain in everlasting conscious punishment and torment. John 1:12; 5:24; 10:28-29; Romans 6:23; 8:10-23; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; I John 5:1-17; 3:2; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hebrews 9:27; II Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:12-15; 21:8.

 

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Doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology)

          

We believe in the New Testament Church as instituted and founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that a New Testament Christian Church is any local company (assembly) of credible believers in Jesus Christ who are scripturally baptized (immersion), scripturally organized, and scripturally occupied. We believe the Local Church is to be democratic in government, independent in character, autonomous in function, and free from interference by outside ecclesiastical or political authority. We believe the Local Church is to be organizationally and functionally separated from all forms of ecclesiastical organization or alignment which brings the Local Church into organizational or cooperative ministry with those who are liberals in doctrine, modernistic in method, or inclusivistic in practice. We believe that to the Local Church was committed for perpetual observance the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism, obligatory upon every believer, is by immersion in water in the name of the Trinity as a sign of identification with Christ Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection, and constitutes one of the prerequisites for membership in the Local Church. The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ and is designed as a renewal of communion with Him and a pledge of Local Church fellowship. The Scriptures say, "Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." We believe that God commissioned the Church with the task of worldwide proclamation of the Gospel. Matthew 17:18; 26:26-28; 28:19-20; Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; 2:19; I Timothy 3:1-15; Acts 1:8; 2:21,41-17; 8:1,38-39; 15; 16:5; 5:29; 19:9; Deuteronomy 22:9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Psalm 1:1-2; Romans 16:17; 6:3-5; Galatians 1:6-9; Titus 3:10; II John 10-11; II Thessalonians 3:6; 14; Revelation 19:4; I Corinthians 11:23-29; 10:16-17.

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Doctrine of the Spirit World (Angelology and Demonology)

 

ANGELS: We believe in the reality of angels. Prior to the creation of man, God created a great host of personal     beings known as angels. These beings are described as the "ministering spirits of God." Revelation, chapter 5 and verse 11 speaks of these angels in number as "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands."

 

SATAN: We believe in the being and personality of the Devil whose name is Satan. Satan is the embodiment and expression of evil and is the enemy of God and man.

 

DEMONS: We believe in the existence of a host of malevolent, personal spirit beings, morally base and vile. They are spoken of by Jesus, by Paul, and by James. Demons in harmony with their nature and character are continually engaged in the work of deceiving men into the service of Satan. Hebrews 1:14; Job 1:6-8; Matthew 4:1-11; 12:27-28; John 13:2; Ephesians 6:11-12; James 2:19; I Thessalonians 2:18; I Corinthians 10:20-21; I Timothy 4:1; Psalm 106:37.

 

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Doctrine of Things to Come (Eschatology)

          

We believe there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of Jesus Christ and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the Lake of Fire. We believe in the "Blessed Hope" which is the personal, bodily, pretribulational, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior for His Church (the rapture) and His later return to the earth in power and glory with His saints to set up His Kingdom (the millennium). John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9; 1:11; 24:15; I Corinthians 15:3-20; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 7:25; I John 2:1-2; Revelation 21:1-8.

 

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Doctrine of Separation

       

We believe the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things. The separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices that would dishonor the Savior (Romans 12:1-2; 13-14; 6:1-13; Galatians 5:22-26). The separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the Christian faith ( II Timothy 3:1-5; I Corinthians 5:6-11; II Corinthians 6:14-18). The separation of church and state (Matthew 16:18; 22:17-21; I Peter 2:4-9).

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STANDING RESOLUTION

ON

DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION

 

         We believe that God commands Christians to be a separated people according to II Corinthians 6:17-18 and 7:1: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

 

       The Pear Park Baptist Church will be separated from all forms of apostasy and religious inclusivism. We reject the ecumenical movement joining all churches into one body regardless of doctrine or practice and the charismatic renewal movement with its unscriptural emphasis on tongues and healing. We reject homosexuality as moral depravity as set forth in the Scripture (Romans 1:27; I Corinthians 6:9); and go on record as opposed to the practice but will attempt wherever possible to win them to repentance and saving faith in Christ. The Church will enjoy fellowship with churches of like faith and order, but will have no part in any council of churches that is ecumenical in nature and thrust. We believe Christians are to be personally separated from all worldly practices that hinder spiritual growth and stability. We believe that God's people should not love the world or the things that are in the world (I John 2:15-16). We believe that a Christian should live a holy life and maintain a testimony consistent with the New Testament.   

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STANDING RESOLUTION 

ON

DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN PRACTICE            

 

      The Pear Park Baptist Church believes that a Christian should live a holy life, be separated from the world, and maintain a testimony consistent with the New Testament. We also believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we all should walk together in Christian love, strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and godliness; hold a conviction that Christianity is a way of life and therefore should be propagated through Bible-centered and Christ-centered Christian schooling; promote the prosperity and spirituality of this church; sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; contribute cheerfully; and regularly support the church with our tithes and offerings so that the ministry is supported, expenses met, the poor are helped, and the Gospel is spread through all nations. This church encourages all of our members to maintain family and private devotions; to rear the children with Christian schooling from kindergarten through twelfth grade and then encourage the attending of a Christian college; to seek the salvation of kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to be zealous in our effort to win souls to Christ; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; and to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, and from the improper sale and use of narcotics.

 

         We further encourage each member to show brotherly love toward one another; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

 

         Should the will of God direct any to move from this area, we encourage each, as soon as possible, to unite with some other church of like faith and practice and thereby continue living a testimony for Christ and living the principles of God's Word.