1. All Scripture is divinely inspired of God (II Tim.

3:16; II Peter 1:21)

2. One God eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16:17; I Cor.
8:6; II Cor. 13:14; I John 5:7).
3. Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of Virgin Mary, and is God in the shell
of a man. (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; John 1:1, 14).
4. Man was created in the image of God; man sinned, and thereby incurred not only
physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God; and all human
beings are born with a human, sinful nature (Gen. 1:26-27, Rom. 5:12).
5. Christ died for our sins as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are
justified by His shed blood (John 3:16; Rom. 5:1, 8, 9; Heb. 7:25; I Tim. 2:5).
6. The crucified body of our Lord was resurrected from the dead; He ascended into heaven
and is our Intercessor (Matt. 28:6; I Cor. 15:4; Acts 1:9-11).
7. The personal, premillennial return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ is imminent
(John 14:3; Acts 1:11).
8. All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are born again of
the Holy Spirit, and become the children of God (Acts 20:21; John 3:3, 5, John 1:12).
9. All true believers, having been born again into the family of God, are possessors of
everlasting life, shall never perish, and are eternally secure in Him (John 10:28-29; I John
2:25, 5:13).
10. The bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust is certain, the everlasting blessedness
of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost (I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15;
John 5:28-29).

11. Statement of Faith

12. The purpose of this church shall be to promote the worship and glory of God by
the preaching of the Word at home and abroad in order that sinners will be
converted and believers edified.
13. The doctrine held shall be those expressed in the following Confession of Faith and that
which is generally accepted by Baptist churches.
14. 1. Of the Scriptures
15. 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 the
true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct,
creeds, and opinions, shall be tried (Jude 1:3).
16. 2. Of the True Godhead
17. 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 (John 3:16).
18. 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), Israel (Exodus
4:22), Jesus Christ (John 20:17) (not a relationship of derivation or inferiority), and the
believers (Romans 8:15-16).
19. 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 possible 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 ministry, 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).
20. 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, endues (I Corinthians
12:7), guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every
true Child of God (Romans 8:14-27).
21. 3. Of Angels:
22. 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.
23. 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).
24. 4. Of the Creation:
25. We believe that God created the heavens and the 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 (Psalm 33:6).
26. 5. Of Man:
27. 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 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 1:18-2:1). Apart from God's work of grace 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).
28. 6. Of Salvation:
29. 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).
30. 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. 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).
31. 7. Of the Church:
32. 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).
33. 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 sets 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 relation (Acts 2:41). The Lord's Supper is the commemoration of our
Lord's death until He come and our continual fellowship with Him, should be preceded by
baptism and always careful self-examination (I Corinthians 11:23-32).
34. 8. Of Last Things*:
35. 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 on earth (Luke 1:33).
36. 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).
 The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without
error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and
conduct.
Psalm 119:89, Romans 15:4, I Corinthians 10:11, II Timothy 2:15, 3:15-
17, I Peter 1:23-25, II Peter 1:21.

The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three
persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute
distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and
redemption.
Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16, 28:19, John 5:18, Acts 5:3-
4, Romans 1:20, Philippians 2:6.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, the creator of heaven and earth, an infinite
personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that
He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and
answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and eternal death all who come to
Him through Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:1, Matthew 6:9-13, John 3:16, 4:24, 5:26, 17:11,25; Romans 8:33.

Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy
Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We
believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into
heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to
earth.
Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:34-35, John 1:1, 3:16, 11:25; Acts 1:3,9, 16:31, I Peter
2:22, 1 John 3:5, Revelation 1:7.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to
convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate,
sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the
Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper,
teacher, and guide.
John 14:17, 16:8, Acts 5:1-4; Romans 8:1-17, 15:16, I Corinthians
2:12, 3:16, Titus 3:5; I John 2:27.
Man
We believe that all people are created by God in His image, to glorify Him
forever. Because the first couple, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God's command
when tested, they and all people since are alienated from God and are sinners
by nature and by choice. Because God is holy and cannot tolerate sin, all
people are under condemnation and unable to save themselves.
Genesis 1:26, Psalm 50:15, Matthew 5:16, Romans 3:23, 15:6, Revelation
4:11.

Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ was crucified to bear our condemnation and that
"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." By so doing we are
freed from condemnation and given eternal life.
Romans 10:9, John 1:12, 3:8, 6:40, 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 53:5-6, 1
Peter 2:24, II Peter 3:9.

The Church
We believe the church is a living spiritual body composed of all regenerated
believers of whatever race or nation. We believe in the local church, consisting
of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of
faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship.
Matthew 28:17-20, Acts 2:41-42, I Corinthians 12:12-31.

Christian Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being
of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that
he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to
realize for himself and others, the full stature of maturity in Christ.
I Corinthians 2:14-3:3, Galatians 5:22-26, Ephesians 5:1-33.

The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the
local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian
baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Triune God.
We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ to commemorate
His substitutionary and atoning death. We believe that these two ordinances
should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:26-40, Romans 6:3-5, I Corinthians 11:17-34.
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth
and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the
body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous, and the endless
suffering of the wicked.
John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:11-15.

Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is
responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is
independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or
political authority.

Statement of Faith
Cheverly Baptist Church
Adapted from the 1853 New Hampshire Confession of Faith

I. The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible was written by people who were divinely
inspired, and that it is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction.
God is its author, salvation is its purpose, and truth, without any
mixture of error, is its content. Scripture reveals the principles by
which God will judge us. Therefore, it is now, and will be to the end
of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme
standard for evaluating all human conduct, creeds, and opinions.

II. The True God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God—an
infinite, intelligent Spirit. His name is the LORD, the Maker and
Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in
holiness and is worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love.
In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in every divine perfection,
and they carry out distinct but harmonious offices in the great work
of redemption.

III. Humanity and the Fall

We believe humanity is the special creation of God, made in his
own image. God created them male and female as the crowning
work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness
of God’s creation. The gift of marriage consists of the uniting of one
man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, and
this gift models the way God relates to His people. God created the
human race in holiness under his law. By voluntary transgression,
however, humanity fell from that holy and happy state. As a result,
all people are now sinners, not by external compulsion but by
choice. They by nature entirely lack the holiness that is required by
the law of God and are actively inclined to evil. Therefore, they are
under just condemnation to a sentence of eternal ruin, without
defense or excuse.

IV. The Way of Salvation

We believe the salvation of God’s people is completely by grace,
through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God. By the
appointment of the Father, he freely took to himself our nature but
without sin. He honored the divine law by his personal obedience
and made a full atonement for our sins by his substitutionary death,
satisfying God’s wrath. He rose from the dead and is now
enthroned in heaven. Jesus, the Son, unites in his wonderful person
the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections and, as such, is
qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-
sufficient Savior.

V. Justification
We believe the great gospel blessing that Christ secures to those
who believe in him is justification. Justification includes the pardon
of sin, righteous standing before God and his people, and the
promise of eternal life founded on principles of righteousness. It is
not given because of any works of righteousness we have done but
only through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. By virtue of this faith his
perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us by God. Justification
immediately brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor
with God and secures every other blessing we need for time and
eternity.

VI. The Freeness of Salvation

We believe the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the
gospel. It is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a heartfelt,
penitent, and obedient faith. Preventing this salvation is every
sinner’s inherent depravity and rejection of the gospel, a rejection
that aggravates a sinner’s condemnation.

VII. Grace in Regeneration

We believe sinners must be regenerated, or born again, in order to
be saved. Regeneration consists of God’s gift of a holy inclination to
the mind. It is accomplished in a way that is beyond our
comprehension. It is carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit
using divine truth to obtain our voluntary obedience to the gospel.
The proper evidence of regeneration appears in the holy fruits of
repentance, faith, and newness of life.

VIII. Repentance and Faith

We believe repentance and faith are sacred duties as well as
inseparable graces. They are produced in our souls by the
regenerating Spirit of God, who convinces us of our guilt, danger,
helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ. And they consist
of turning to God with genuine sorrow, confession, and a petition for
mercy; receiving heartily the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest
and King; and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient
Savior.

IX. God’s Purpose of Grace

We believe election is the eternal purpose of God according to
which he graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners.
Election is perfectly consistent with human free agency and
includes all the means necessary to achieve God’s purpose. It is a
most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, which is
infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable. Election completely
rules out boasting and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust
in God, and the active imitation of his free mercy. It encourages the
greatest possible exercise of human responsibility. The election of
individuals to life may be confirmed by its effects in everyone who
truly believes the gospel. Election is the foundation of Christian
assurance, and confirming our election deserves our greatest
diligence.
X. Sanctification
We believe sanctification is the process by which we are made
partakers of God’s holiness, according to his purpose. Sanctification
is a progressive work. It begins in regeneration and continues in the
hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and
by God’s appointed means. These means include the word of God,
self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and the
oversight and fellowship of the visible church.

XI. The Perseverance of Saints

We believe all genuine believers endure to the end. Their
persevering obedience to Christ and attachment to his people are
the primary mark distinguishing them from superficial professors. A
special providence watches over their welfare, and they are kept by
the power of God through faith to salvation.

XII. The Harmony of the Law and the Gospel

We believe the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of
his moral governance. It is holy, just, and good. Fallen human
beings are unable to fulfill the precepts of the law, which the
Scriptures attribute entirely to their love of sin. A chief purpose of
the gospel is to deliver people from this love and to restore them
through a mediator to a sincere obedience to the holy law. The
visible church’s means of grace share this great purpose.

XIII. A Gospel Church

We believe a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized
believers, joined together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of
the gospel. A visible church observes the ordinances of Christ,
submits to his laws, and exercises the gifts, rights, and privileges
invested in them by his word. The only scriptural officers of the
church are elders (also called overseers or pastors) and deacons,
whose qualifications and duties are defined in the epistles to
Timothy and to Titus.

XIV. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in
water into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is
a solemn and beautiful emblem that declares our faith in the
crucified, buried, and risen Savior as well as our union with him in
death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite
to the privileges of church membership and the Lord’s Supper. We
likewise believe that the Supper is a symbolic act of obedience
whereby the members of the church, following earnest self-
examination, use bread and the cup in a sacred manner to
commemorate together the dying love of Christ. The ordinances
belong to the gathered church, marking off believers from
unbelievers and making the church visible on earth.

XV. The Lord’s Day

We believe the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a
Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the
resurrection of Christ from the dead and points to the rest that
awaits the people of God. It should include exercises of worship
and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the
Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s
conscience under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

XVI. Civil Government

We believe civil government exists by divine appointment for the
benefit and good order of human society. Government officials are
to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed. The
principle exception is for matters contrary to the will of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince
of the kings of the earth.

XVII. The Righteous and the Wicked

We believe there is a radical and essential difference between the
righteous and the wicked. Only those who are justified by faith in
the name of the Lord Jesus and sanctified by the Spirit of our God
are truly righteous in his judgment. In contrast, all those who
continue in impenitence and unbelief are wicked in his sight and
under the curse. This distinction among people holds both at death
and afterward.

XVIII. The World to Come

We believe the end of the world is approaching. At the last day
Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave
to final retribution. A public separation will then take place, in which
the wicked will be justly assigned to endless punishment and the
righteous to endless joy. This judgment will determine forever on
principles of righteousness the final state of people in heaven or
hell.

Statement of Faith
In setting forth this Doctrinal Statement, we by no means set aside or undervalue any of the Scripture of
the Old and New Testaments. It is the responsibility of each Christian to learn, believe, and live every
doctrine taught in God’s Word. As stated in Matthew 4:4 (ESV): But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” We are to observe and do
all things Christ has commanded us (“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 ESV). We do consider the
knowledge, belief, and acceptance of the truth as set forth in this doctrinal statement to be essential to
sound faith and practice.

The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is, in its entirety, the verbally inspired Word of God. It is God’s revelation to man,
inerrant as originally written by Spirit-controlled men. We believe the Bible to be the authority against
which all matters of doctrine, faith, human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tested. (Exodus 20:1;
32:16; Jeremiah 30:2; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

The Godhead (Trinity)

We believe there is one and only one living and true God. He is eternally existing in three persons – Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; 1 Peter 1:2)

God the Father

We believe God the Father is an infinite, eternal, sovereign Spirit Who is absolutely holy and self-existent.
He is the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth. He is worthy of all possible honour, confidence,
and love. (Exodus 15:11; 20:2-3; Psalm 90:2; 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 11:33; 1
Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 4:11).

God the Son

We believe that Jesus Christ eternally existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit conceived
His incarnation in a miraculous manner. He was born of the virgin Mary as no other man was ever born nor
can ever be born. Jesus Christ is both true God and true Man. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35;
John 1:1-14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8-9)

We believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and as a
substitutionary sacrifice. All who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood. We believe
He arose bodily from the dead on the third day in the same body in which He suffered and died. (John
3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Who ascended into Heaven and is now seated at the right
hand of the Father. He is our High Priest and Divine Advocate with the Father. We believe that, by His
finished work on the cross and His unceasing ministry of intercession in Glory, Jesus Christ has procured
for every believer eternal redemption, eternal salvation, and everlasting life. (Mark 16:19; John 3:16;
Romans 5:8-9; Hebrew 5:9; Hebrew 7:25; Hebrew 8:1; Hebrew 9:11-12 and 1 John 2:1)

We believe in the Blessed Hope, the personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulation, and imminent return of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is known as the Rapture of the Church. We also believe in the
personal, visible, and glorious return of Christ to the earth with His saints at the end of the Great
Tribulation. This phase of His coming is known as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. When He returns to the
earth with His saints, we believe that Jesus Christ will establish His millennial Kingdom and will reign for
one thousand years. (John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17;
Titus 2:13; Revelation 19:11-21; Revelation 20:1-6)

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son in every
way. He was active in the creation of all things. He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching
and testimony. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He regenerates the sinner
by the Word of God. He permanently indwells the Church and the body of each believer. He seals,
enlightens, instructs, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps every born-again believer. He is the
efficient power for godly living, Christian service, and spiritual worship. (Genesis 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19;
Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35; Luke 24:49; John 3:5-7; 14:16,17,26; John 16:7-15; Acts 5:30-32; 11:16; Romans
8:14,16,26,27; Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 2:10,11; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 9:14).

The Devil (Satan)

We believe that Satan is a personal being, the author of sin, a fallen angel, prince of demons, the unholy
god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver, the adversary of Christ and His people, the accuser of the
brethren, and the ruler of all the powers of darkness. He is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice
in the Lake of Fire. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11; Matthew 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:3-
4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9-10; Revelation 20:10)

The Creation

We believe in the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical
account of the direct and immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process. We believe God
brought all creation into being in six literal 24-hour days and that He rested on the 7th day. We also
believe that God’s Word is a complete and chronological record from creation to the birth of Christ. We
further believe that from the time of Christ until now God has continued to provide complete and
chronological evidence through the writers of history. Therefore, we believe creation to be approximately
6000 years old. Man, spirit, soul, and body, were created by a direct work of God and not from previously
existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve—the first parents
of the human race. (Genesis 1 and 2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16.)

In this Statement of Faith, our Constitution, and all other documents, policies, and ministries of Baptist
Christian Church, wherever the word “man/men” appears, it shall always mean a person who is born,
according to God’s sovereign plan and design, male; and wherever the word “woman/women” appears, it
shall always mean a person who is born, according to God’s sovereign plan and design, female.

Section 6: The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created innocent, in the image of God, and under His law; Adam fell from his
sinless state by voluntary transgression and all men sinned in him. The consequence of that sin causes all
men to be totally depraved and partakers of Adam’s fallen nature. We are sinners by nature and by
conduct. Therefore, we are under just condemnation without defense or excuse . (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6;
3:24; John 3:1-21; Romans 1:18, 32; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 5:12, 19)

Section 7: The Atonement for Sin

We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the intervention of
the Son of God. Christ, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature, yet was
without sin. He honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and His substitutionary atonement for
our sins. His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a
voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place. Christ, the Lord, bore our sin in His own body on the
cross—the just dying for the unjust. (Isaiah 53:4-7; John 3:1-21; Acts 4:12; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:10;
Romans 3: 23- 25; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians
2:7; Hebrews 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10)

Section 8: Resurrection and Priesthood

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the
right hand of the Father as our High Priest. (Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6; Luke 24:39; Luke
24:51; John 20:27; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:4; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:9-10;
Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 2:1)

Section 9: Grace and the New Creation

We believe, that in order to be saved, sinners must be “born again”. The new birth is a new creation in
Christ Jesus. It is instantaneous and not a process. The new birth of the one who was dead in trespasses
and sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God. Our
sovereign God brought about our new creation in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power
of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth. Evidence of our new creation appears in the holy fruits of
repentance, faith, and newness of life. (John 3:3-8; Acts 16:30-32; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19;
Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:1).

Section 10: Justification

We believe that justification is the judicial act of God declaring us to be righteous through faith in Christ
Jesus. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God’s righteousness. It is bestowed
solely through the Redeemer’s shed blood and not because of any works we have done. (Isaiah 53:11;
Acts 13:39; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 5:1-21; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:8-9)

Section 11: Repentance

We believe that repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God brought about by the Holy Spirit.
Repentance is characterized by godly sorrow for sin which is offensive to God and destructive to the soul.
True repentance is inseparably related to true faith causing one to purposely turn away from sin and move
instead toward God as an act of faith. (Luke 13:1-3; Luke 15:7; Acts 8:22; Acts 20:21; Romans 2:4; 2
Corinthians 7:10)

Section 12: Faith and Salvation

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition for salvation. (John 3:15; Acts 4:12;
16:31; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9)

Section 13: Separation and Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God, and that the Scriptures
clearly teach non-conformity to the world for every believer. It is clearly commanded of God that all
believers should live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and to be holy as He is holy.
We believe positional sanctification occurs at the moment of regeneration and practical sanctification is to
be progressive throughout the entire life span of the believer. God’s provision for holy living is in the
believer’s identification with Christ as Savior, the indwelling Person and power of the Holy Spirit, the
believer’s submission to Him, and the powerful Word of God. (John 17:17; Romans 6:1-14; 1 Corinthians
1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:16-
23; Ephesians 2:6; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24-
25; Revelation 22:11)

Section 14: Adoption

We believe adoption means “to be placed as a son”. It is more than just legal standing or even a change of
nature. It is to become a part of God’s family, which includes all the rights and privileges of that
relationship. Furthermore, God’s name is put upon us. We receive the spirit of adoption and we are
enabled to come boldly to the throne of grace and cry ‘Abba, Father’. We are pitied, protected, provided
for, and chastened by God as by a Father. He never casts us off, but, as we remain sealed to the day of
redemption, we inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation. This is a family that we are not born
into—rather, the Father of this family willfully and purposefully brought us in. (Romans 8:14-17; 2
Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:5; 1 John 3:1-2)

Section 15: The Security of the Believer

We believe that all who are truly born again are eternally kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. (John
10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Philippians 1:6; Jude 1)

Section 16: The Church

We believe that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, was begun on the Day of Pentecost. It is
composed solely of born-again believers who have been called out from among the Jews and Gentiles. All
believers from Pentecost to the Rapture are added to the Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Christ,
glorified in Heaven, is the Head of the Church. The Holy Spirit on earth is the active agent of the God-
head, who constantly seeks within its ranks to bring about conformity and obedience to the Word of God
and the will of God. Being one body unites believers to each other and to Christ. The Church’s purpose of
existence is to evangelize the world and complete itself through the winning of lost souls to Christ.

We believe that Christ’s Universal Church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of
immersed believers. The local church is:

 fellowship of the gospel

 observing the ordinances of Christ
 governed by His laws
 exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word

under the leadership of officers, who are Elders (one of which is the Pastor) and Deacons, whose
qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.

We believe the true mission of the Church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men. We hold that the
local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of
individuals or organizations. The one and only Head is Christ through the Holy Spirit. It is scriptural for
churches to cooperate with each other in defending the faith and for the furthering of the gospel. Each
local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. The will of the local church is
final on all matters of membership, policy, procedure, government, discipline, and benevolence. (Mark
16:15; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-47; Acts 15:13-18; Acts 20:17-28; Romans 1:16; Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians
11:2; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:13-16; Ephesians 3:1-6;
Ephesians 4:11-13; Ephesians 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-7)

Section 17: Ordinances

Baptism

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local
church. It is our conviction that water baptism has no saving merit. After one is saved, water baptism
shows our faith and union in Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection to a new life that exalts and
glorifies Christ. Water baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of membership in the local church. We
further believe that water baptism by immersion is to be observed once, and is a sign of identification and
a testimony to the believer’s new life in Christ. (Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41;
Acts 8:34-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:11-12).

The Lord’s Supper

We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death until He comes again.
It is to be observed often, not only as a memorial of the body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
also as a celebration of His imminent return to take His Church out of this world. It is to be preceded
always by solemn self-examination. (Matthew 26:17-29; Acts 2:46; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1
Corinthians 11:23-33)

Section 18: Missions

We believe that the Universal Church, which is Christ’s body, has been given a mandate by Christ Himself
to be God’s missionary society to the entire world. The chief purpose for the existence of the New
Testament Church is to evangelize the world and complete itself through the winning of lost souls to Christ.
Therefore, we believe the Universal Church and this local church family are obligated to make every effort
to evangelize all people everywhere, beginning in our homes, then reaching to our town, state, nation, and
the entire world. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:8)

Section 19: Angels

We believe in the existence and personality of angels, both holy angels and fallen angels
(demons). (Ezekiel 28:13-19; Matthew 25:41; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 2:13; Luke 9:26; Luke 10:18; Luke
15:10)

Section 20: Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human
society. Magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed
to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of
kings. (Exodus 18:21-22; Exodus 22:28; 2 Samuel 23:3; Daniel 3:10-18; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:27-29;
Acts 5:29; Acts 23:5; Romans 13:1-7)

Section 21: Israel

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people. She is now dispersed
because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ. She will be re-gathered in the Holy Land and, after the
completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ. (Genesis 13:14-17;
Ezekiel 37; Romans 11:1-32)

Section 22: The Rapture and Other Future Events

We believe in the imminent, pre-millennial return of Christ for His Church. At that moment, the dead in
Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies. The living in Christ shall then be caught up to meet the Lord in the
air without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seventieth week
of Daniel. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;
Revelation 3:10)

Section 23: The Eternal State of the Saved and The Lost

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and
everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; John 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6; Revelation
20:12-15)

We believe the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord.
There they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to appear before the
Judgment Seat of Christ and to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10;
Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Revelation 20:4-6)

We believe the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery after death until the second resurrection
when the soul and body are reunited and they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment. They
shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting punishment. (Mark 9:43-
48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15)

New Zealand Baptists believe in the New Zealand Baptist statement of faith:
 The true humanity and Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 The atonement made on the cross by our Lord for the sin of the world.
 The person of the Holy Spirit as the one who sets apart, empowers, and imparts spiritual gifts to
the Church.
 The inspiration of the Bible and its authority in all matters of faith and practice.
 Salvation and membership in the Church by faith in Christ alone.
 Membership of the church for the regenerate.
 The immersion of believers as the Scriptural form of water baptism.

 A Short Statement of Faith

 Posted on July 26, 2013 by Bill

 A Short Statement of Faith

 We believe…
 …in the Bible – The Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and
without error in the original manuscripts. It is the revelation of God’s truth and is
infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.
 …in the Trinity – There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 …that all are sinners – Men and women are totally unable to save themselves from
God’s displeasure, except by His mercy.
 …in salvation – Salvation is by God alone. He sovereignly chooses those He will save.
I believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit, or
foreseen faith.
 …that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God – It is through His perfect life and
sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him alone, we receive
salvation.
 …that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people – The Holy Spirit gives them the
strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him.
 …in the Second Coming – Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind
and to receive His people to Himself.
 …that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship
of Jesus Christ.
 You become a Southern Baptist by uniting with a Southern Baptist church, one in
friendly cooperation with the general Southern Baptist enterprise of reaching the
world for Christ. Typically church membership is a matter of receiving Jesus as
your Savior and Lord and experiencing believer's baptism by immersion.
 Southern Baptists have prepared a statement of generally held convictions called
The Baptist Faith and Message. It serves as a guide to understanding who they
are. Copies are available at Southern Baptist churches. The topics here provide
only a brief, partial summary. The full text on the issue discussed is also available
on this website.

 The Scriptures
 The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of
Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its
author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by
 which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the
true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human
conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a
testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

 God
 There is one and only one living and true God. …The eternal triune God reveals
Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but
without division of nature, essence, or being.

 God the Father

 God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and
the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.
…God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in
Jesus Christ.

 God the Son

 Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. …He honored the divine
law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross, He
made provision for the redemption of men from sin.

 God the Holy Spirit

 The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. …He exalts Christ. He convicts
men of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. …He enlightens and empowers
the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

 Man
 Man is the special creation of God, in His own image. He created them male and
female as the crowning work of His creation. …By his free choice man sinned
against God and brought sin into the human race. … The sacredness of human
personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that
Christ died for man; therefore every person of every race possesses dignity and
is worthy of respect and Christian love.

 Salvation
 Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all
who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained
eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes
regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

 God's Purpose of Grace

 Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates,
justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. …All true believers endure to the end.
 Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit will never
fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.

 The Church
 A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local
congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and
fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His
laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and
seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation
operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a
congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its
scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are
gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified
by Scripture.

 Baptism & the Lord's Supper

 Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. …It is an act of
obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen
Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection
to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
 The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members …
memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

 Evangelism & Missions

 It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord
Jesus Christ to endeavour to make disciples of all nations... to seek constantly to
win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and
by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

 The Lord's Day

 The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. …It commemorates the resurrection
of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and
spiritual devotion.

 Last Things
 God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate
end. …Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly…the dead will be raised;
and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned
to Hell. …The righteous… will receive their reward and will dwell forever in
Heaven with the Lord.

 Education
 The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of
missions and general benevolence … there should be a proper balance between
academic freedom and academic responsibility. …The freedom of a teacher in a
 Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus
Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose
for which the school exists.

 Stewardship
 God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are
we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy
trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They
are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material
possessions.

 Cooperation
 Christ's people should … organize such associations and conventions as may
best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such
organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches.
…Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations.

 The Christian & the Social Order

 All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in
our own lives and in human society... in the spirit of Christ, Christians should
oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual
immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work
to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and
the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of
all human life from conception to natural death...

 Religious Liberty
 Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection
and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. …A free church in a free state
is the Christian ideal.

 Family
 God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is
composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption.
 Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a
lifetime. ... The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are
created in God's image.
Statement of Faith
Baptists of Western Australia hold that:
1. Jesus Christ alone is head of the Church.
2. The Church is the community called into being by God. In both its universal and local
expressions, it consists of persons who have personally and knowingly accepted Jesus
Christ as Saviour and Lord, and have pledged themselves to worship, follow and serve
him as a priestly community.
3. By his high-priestly ministry, Jesus Christ has opened the way for every believer to
approach God the Father directly through him.
4. Jesus Christ is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct in the life of both
churches and individuals.
5. He has given to all churches and to every individual the right and responsibility to
understand and to do God's will. Therefore, being accountable to God, Christians are not
to despise their fellow believers but to accept one another as Christ's servants, allowing
each other freedom of conscience. God has given to human governments the right and
responsibility to promote what is just and good but not to coerce belief or practice
contrary to conscience.

In common with many other Christians, Baptists of Western Australia

also hold that:
1. There is only one God. He is infinitely good and great, and has revealed himself to be
personal and triune in essential being, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. God speaks to us through the Bible, the sixty-six Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments. Being God-breathed they are fully trustworthy and supremely authoritative in
all matters of faith and conduct.
3. God created the heavens and the earth and all that exists in them. He continues to care
for and govern his creation, working out his purposes for all he has made.
4. God created humans in his image, male and female, intending that we live in fellowship
with him. However, tempted by Satan, God's adversary, the first man and woman
disobeyed God. As a result we all sin, falling short in our responsibilities to love God and
neighbour and to care for the world.
5. Despite our sin, which alienates us from God and rightly deserves his judgment, God,
because of his grace and great love for all people, sent his Son into the world to save us.
The incarnate Son, Jesus of Nazareth, was conceived by the virgin Mary through the
Holy Spirit. Fully human and fully divine, he lived on earth a sinless life of perfect
obedience. He died on the cross as a sacrifice on our behalf and in our place, redeeming
us from the penalty and power of sin and triumphing over Satan. He was raised bodily
from the dead and ascended to his Father's presence where he lives forever as our great
High Priest and reigns as Lord of all.
6. The Gospel, the good news concerning Jesus Christ and his reconciling work, is God's
powerful way of bringing salvation. All who respond in repentance and faith God sets
right with himself, forgiving and cleansing them from sin, giving them his Holy Spirit and
eternal life, and incorporating them into his church.
7. The Holy Spirit gives new life to all believers and resides in them permanently. He makes
them holy, and enables them to grow into the likeness of Christ. Through his Spirit God
empowers all his people for life and witness, granting them various gifts for the well-
being, functioning and mission of the church.
8. While all believers belong to the universal church, God gathers them into local churches
which exist to worship and serve him. Jesus Christ, the head of the church, has
established both baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of believers
on their profession of faith, an act of identification with the death, burial and resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involves commitment to a life of discipleship in fellowship with
 his people. In the Lord's Supper, believers remember Christ's sacrificial death, share in
fellowship with their risen Lord and with one another, and look forward to his return.
9. All Christians are commanded to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength,
and their neighbours as themselves. We discover what love means in practice through
searching the Scriptures, which reveal God's character and will. Such love includes the
responsibility of every Christian to participate in the proclamation of the Good News
throughout the world.
10. Jesus Christ will return visibly and victoriously from his Father's presence to gather his
people to himself and to complete his conquest of sin and evil. All people, both believers
and unbelievers, will be raised bodily and be judged by God. Believers will enjoy eternal
blessedness in God's presence, while unbelievers will suffer the eternal punishment of
exclusion from his presence. The whole creation will be so transformed that
righteousness will characterise the new heavens and the new earth for ever.

Concerning congregational life, Baptists of Western Australia hold

that:
1. The will of Christ for each church is to be found as the Holy Spirit brings direction and
conviction to that congregation gathered to seek his will in the light of the Scriptures. On
this basis the members' meeting is the final authority under Christ for a congregation.
Finding Christ's will through the members' meeting involves mutual counsel through the
exercise of the members' gifts and learning from the experience of other congregations.
2. Christ gives leaders to his Church. It is the duty of the local church through the members'
meeting to recognise and affirm Christ's call to such leaders, and to set them aside to
serve, thereby charging them with the responsibility to lead and delegating prescribed
authority to lead. Mutual accountability is to operate between leaders and church.
3. While not in any way diminishing the autonomy of the local church, it is appropriate for
Baptist churches to cooperate in a Union of Churches in which it is essential for all
member churches to practise mutual care, support, and accountability.