(A)     The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and that they comprise the entire Word of God.  The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed; and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life.  The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man.  The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning.  The King James Authorized Version of the Bible shall be the official and only English-language translation used by Bernalillo Independent Baptist Church and/or any of the church ministries.  We believe that the King James Authorized Version of the Bible is the preserved Word of God.  (Psalms 12: 6-7; II Timothy 3: 16-17; II Peter 1: 20- 21)

(B)     Dispensationalism

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life, which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages.  These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose.  Three of these dispensations—the law, the church, and the kingdom—are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (Genesis 1: 28; I Corinthians 9: 17; II Corinthians 3: 9 – 18; Galatians 3:13 – 25; Ephesians 1: 10; 3: 2 – 10; Colossians 1: 24 – 25, 27; Revelation 20: 2 – 6)

(C)       The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.  Who possesses the attributes of holiness, perfection, infallibility, truth, love, righteousness, wisdom, goodness, sovereignty, and who is described in the Bible as being self-existing, self-revealing, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present and unlimited and non-dependent upon any other being or thing.   (Genesis 1: 1; Deuteronomy 6: 4; Psalms 104; Matthew 28: 19; Mark 12: 29; II Corinthians 13: 14; John 5: 23, 26; 14: 10, 26; I John 5: 7)

(D)       The Person and Work of Christ

(E)      The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  •  We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers (at their time of salvation) into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16: 8 – 11; Romans 8: 9; I Corinthians 12: 12 – 14; II Corinthians 3: 6; Ephesians 1: 13 – 14)
  • We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 1: 17 – 18, 5: 18; I John 2: 20, 27)
  • We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer.  God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry.  (Romans 12: 3 – 8; I Corinthians 12: 4 – 11, 28; Ephesians 4: 7 – 12)
  • We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary.  Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Corinthians 1: 22; 13: 8; 14: 21 – 22)

 (F)      The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that God made man in the image and likeness of Himself, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, thereby incurred not only physical death but also that spiritual death which separates all of mankind from God.  All human beings inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God, therefore man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition; but in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, deed, and choice, and, of themselves, utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis. 1: 26 – 27; Romans 3: 22 – 23; 5: 12; 6: 23; Ephesians 2: 1 – 3; 4: 17 – 19) 

(G)       Salvation 

 We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to all mankind by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  His precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins, and that in order to be saved, sinners must repent and be born again; that is the new birth, a new creation in Christ Jesus; which is instantaneous and not a process.  This new birth is of the Holy Spirit and thereby the redeemed person becomes an adopted child of God. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and taking “…away from the words of the book of this prophecy…” (Revelation 22: 19) are forgivable.  (John 1:12, 3: 1 – 7 ;Ephesians 1: 7, 2: 8 – 10; I Pet. 1: 18 – 19; Matthew 12: 31 – 32; Mark 3: 29; Luke 12: 10; I John 1: 9; 2: 2)

(H)      The Eternal Security and  Assurance of Believers 

 

(I)      The Eternal State

(J)        The Church

(K)      Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances.  (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Leviticus 19:28; I Corinthians 6:19-20)

(L)      The Return of Christ

We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal return of Christ in the clouds; who will rapture His saints prior to God’s judgment of the world. At the end of the tribulation time, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly kingdom for a 1,000 years. (Psalms 89: 3 – 4; Daniel 2: 31 – 45; Zechariah 14: 4 – 11; Romans 5: 9; 8: 1; I Thessalonians 1: 10; 4: 13-18; 5: 9; Titus 2: 13; Revelation 19: 11-16; 20: 1-6)

(M)      Missions

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means, within the guidelines of the Scriptures, to go to home mission fields and foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. Missionaries are accountable to their local sending church, not a mission board.  Missionaries are to proclaim the Gospel and to plant churches; in accordance with the Great Commission.  (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians. 5:20)

(N)      Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially.  We believe that God has established the tithe (10%) as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.  We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14: 20; Malachi 3: 8 – 10; Proverbs 3: 9 – 10; I Corinthians 16: 2; II Corinthians 9: 6 – 7; Ephesians 4: 28; I Timothy 5: 17 – 18; I John 3: 17)

(O)      Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods.  We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.  (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)

(P)        The Personality of Satan 

We believe that God created this personality as an angel, but through pride and rebellion he became the enemy of his Creator. He is the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man.  He became the unholy god of this age, whose eternal destination is the Lake of Fire. (Job 1: 6 – 7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4: 2 – 11; 25: 41; Revelation 20: 10)

(Q)      Civil Government

 We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state.  Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word.  God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other.  The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God.  (Romans 13: 1 – 7; Ephesians 5: 22 – 24; Hebrews 13: 17; I Peter 2: 13-14)

(R)       Human Sexuality.

(S)      Family Relationships 

(T)      Divorce and Remarriage. 

We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies.  Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication.  Divorce is a forgivable sin.  Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the ordained offices of pastor or deacon.  (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

(U)      Abortion. 

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life.  Abortion is murder.  We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental wellbeing of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

(V)      Love. 

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly.  God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; II Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18)