Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament only to be the Word of God, verbally inspired in the original manuscripts, inerrant, authoritative, infallible, and God-breathed; and that they are the only supreme and ultimate authority for faith and practice (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18; I Cor. 2:10-13). We further believe in the literal-normal-Dispensational interpretation of Scriptures (II Tim. 2:15). Because of its translation accuracy and eloquence, the King James Version of the English Bible is used in our ministries.

The Godhead

We believe in one triune God, existing three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit eternal in being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and having the same divine attributes and perfection; yet exercising them in varied offices (Duet. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:7-12; John 16: 7; II Cor. 13:14).

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

 
1. We believe that the lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man {Matt. 1:18-23; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Luke 1:35).
 
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who receive Him by faith are justified on the ground of His blood (Rom. 3:24-26; 4:25; I Cor. 15:3-4; II Cor. 5:21).
 
3. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our lord Jesus Christ and that our redemption and salvation are guaranteed to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead, in His bodily ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Intercessor (Matt. 28:5-6; I Cor. 15:12-19; Acts 1:9; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:23-25; 9:24; I John 2:1-2).
 
4. We believe in “that blessed hope” which is the PERSONAL, VISIBLE, PRETRIBULATIONAL, PREMILLENNIAL, and IMMINENT return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ for the Church, namely those saints saved before the Rapture (I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; I John 3:2-3).

The Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the personal, visible, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial, and imminent coming of the lord Jesus Christ for His own, the church, and His subsequent personal, pre-millennial return visible to the earth to establish His kingdom and reign for a millennium over the entire earth from the throne of David (II Sam. 7:12-16; Zech. 14:4-11; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 15:14-18; I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:6).

The Personality of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son, and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; bears witness to the truth; is the agent of the new birth; and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer; that He baptizes them into the Church, the Body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills for service those who yield to Him. We believe that the Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads any person, at any time, contrary to the teaching of the Bible (John 3:8; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 5:1-4; I Cor. 12:4- 13; 13:8-11; Eph. 4:30; 5:18}.

The Sinfulness of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, and that all mankind has inherited a sinfµI nature, became willful sinners with the first expression of personal choice, are totally unable within themselves to regain their former position and are without excuse before God (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 1:20; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-6, 12}.

Salvation, Regeneration, Eternal Security of the Believer

 
1. We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to men by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and, being a gift, is not earned by any good works whatsoever. All those who receive Jesus Christ as Saviour are regenerated and become sons of God (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; John 1:2; 3:5-7).
 
2. We believe that the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that change in the soul by the Holy Spirit by which a new nature and spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus; and without it, salvation is impossible {John 3:3- 6; II Cor. 5:17; I Pet 1:23; Titus 3:5).
 
3. We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity from the moment of regeneration. This security is guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal life, by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry of Christ (John 5:24; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 29, 30, 38, 39; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 7:25).

Sanctification

 
1. We believe that immediate, positional sanctification is the act of God whereby believers are, at the time of regeneration, eternally set apart as belonging to Him by redemption, thereby being placed in the family of God as children, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ (I John 3:1; Rom. 8:14-17; I Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:10-14).
 
2. We believe that progressive sanctification is the process by which, according to God’s will, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is progressive; that it is begun in regeneration; that it progresses if the believer is yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, self-examination, watchfulness, and prayer (I Thess. 4:3; 5:23; Prov. 4:18; I John 2:29; Phil. 2:12-13; Eph. 6:18; John 17:17).
 
3. We believe that ultimate sanctification will be the portion of every believer when finally in the presence of the lord, complete and entire, with soul and spirit united in the resurrected body free from every trace or effect of sin and rebellion (I John 3:2; I Cor. 15:52-54; Eph. 4:30; 5:27; Phil. 4:20- 21).

Separation

We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things: (1) the separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those religious organizations that deny the verities of the faith once delivered to the saints; (2) the separation of the individual believer from all sinful practices that dishonor the Saviour; and (3) the separation of church and state (II Tim. 3:15; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Cor. 6:11-7:1).

Radisson Road 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. 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, While we recognize that our fellowship is in the Gospel with all true believers, Radisson Road Baptist Church will determine the extent of cooperation with other organizations based upon principles that uphold the unity of this body both doctrinally and spiritually.

The Eternal State

We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming when soul and body are reunited and shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery unto the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15; 14:9-14; I Thess. 4:13-18).

The Church

We believe that the church is a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and which is composed of all born again believers from Pentecost to the Rapture (Matt. 16:16-18: I Cor. 12:12-p; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27). We further believe that the local church is the only visible representation of the body of Christ upon the earth.

We believe that each local church is a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ, immersed upon a credible confession of faith and associated together by covenant for worship, evangelism, observance of the ordinances, and fellowship. We believe that the local church is the center of God’s program for this age and that every Christian is bound by Scripture to give his unhindered cooperation to the program of his local church (Acts 2:41-47; 14:27; 20:17; I Tim. 3:1-16; Titus 1:5-11; I Cor. 3:10-17; 5:1-5; 11:2).

The Ordinances of the Church

We believe that the Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed by all believers until His return. 

We believe that baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in Christ, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to show forth by solemn and beautiful symbolism, the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection and that it is a Scriptural prerequisite to church membership. Baptism is in no way a means of grace, nor does it in any way contribute to salvation (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:36; Rom. 6:3-5; I Pet. 3:21; Acts 2:38-41).

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine as symbols of Christ’s body and blood, commemorating His suffering and death for us and our continual benefit therefrom; that participation should be preceded by careful self-examination; and that all those who are saved are welcome around the lord’s Table. The Lord’s Supper is symbolic and does not constitute any merit of grace or forgiveness of sin {I Car. 11:23-32; 5:1-5; Matt. 18:15-17).

Evangelism

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned the church to take the Gospel to the world and that evangelism at home and abroad should be primary in the program of the local church {Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

The Responsibility of Believers

We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit not bringing reproach upon their Lord and Saviour, exercising Christian liberty regulated by love, separated from worldliness, and separated from organizational association with apostate groups (Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 6:16; II Cor. 6:14-17; I Car. 8:1-13).

We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to witness by life and by word to truths of the Holy Scriptures and to assume responsibility for the propagation of the Gospel to all of the world (I Car. 5:11-21).

We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the local church in prayer, to support it with their giving as the Lord prospers them, to participate in all the regular services of the church as the Lord enables, and to voluntarily submit to the watch care and discipline of the local church {I Car. 16:2; Heb. 10:19-25; 13:17-18).

Creation

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, “each after its own kind,” by direct act and not by any process of evolution; and that the days of creation in Genesis 1 were immediately consecutive solar, that is, 24-hour days (Gen. 1 and 2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3; E:x. 20:9, 11; 31:17).

Doctrine of Satan and Fallen Angels

We believe that Satan is a person (angel). He is a created being who sinned and became the archenemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God’s children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord; and when he cannot succeed in this, he seeks to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels (demons) to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome by the power of God. His doom is sealed in the Lake of Fire forever and ever (Ez. 28:12-19; Isa. 14:12-14; Rev. 12:10; 20:10).