Temple Baptist Church Statement of Faith
The Bible
The Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God, written by men specially inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible, in its entirety, is the inerrant Word of God, the centre of Christian unity and the all-sufficient, authoritative and infallible revelation of God to Man in all things pertaining to faith and practice.
God
God is the only living, true and unchangeable God; an infinite, intelligent Spirit, perfect in holiness, the maker and ruler of all things. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit eternally co-existent.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was manifested in human form, supernaturally begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin, being thus truly God and truly man. He died for our sins, was buried, experienced a bodily resurrection, and ascended to Heaven from whence He will come again in like manner as He went into Heaven.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God further revealing Himself; sent by Christ to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; making Himself known within the hearts of men, regenerating and sanctifying them through the Truth.
Man
Man is a distinct creation of God, unrelated by blood to other animal creatures. Man was made in the image or likeness of God in that he was made spiritual, sinless, immortal and with a capacity for fellowship with God.
The Fall
The Fall came when man voluntarily transgressed the law of God; fell from the sinless state in which God had created him and came under the condemnation pronounced against the soul that sin.
Redemption
Redemption and restoration is provided by God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whose blood has made atonement for sin. His death was a voluntary substitution of Himself for man, the sinner. Salvation is free, a gift granted on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ the Saviour and is available to every man without discrimination.
Restoration
Restoration takes place when, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinner makes a personal choice to receive the Saviour, being born again spiritually and becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus. In no other way is man restored to communion with God.
Eternal Life
Eternal Life with God is the absolutely assured inheritance of the Redeemed who remain faithful and true to Christ. Everlasting punishment is the penalty of unbelievers.
A Church
A church is a congregation of believers associated in the fellowship of a common faith, assembling in one place for the observance of the ordinances of Christ, for worship, for the preaching of the Gospel, for the study and the ministry of the Word, and for mutual edification and sympathy. Each such church has absolute right of self-government free from all outside control under the superintendence of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Its ministers, deacons and other officials are chosen leaders among equals.
Baptism
Baptism is a non-saving ordinance symbolizing Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and of ours with Him, spiritually and literally its form is immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; its subjects are believers in Jesus Christ upon a personal confession of faith.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of our Lord’s sacrifice of Himself, to be observed only by believers in remembrance of His death until He comes. This and baptism are the only two ordinances of the Church and were instituted and commended by Jesus Himself.