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What
The Bible Teaches Us . . .
Many
congregations and churches will publish a statement of
"What We Believe". At Temple
Missionary Baptist we recognize that regardless of what others
believe that still does not change Bible Truth.
Denominations may believe in something that is not Bible
truth. . . but that does not make it THE TRUTH. As
Bible Baptists we have an obligation to accept Bible Truth
whether we are comfortable with it or not. The
exciting part is . . at Temple Missionary Baptist
Church - we live in joy and rejoice in the Bible Truth.
Why
we can not commit spiritual fornication with other
denominations that do not teach bible truths:
Galatians 1: 9 "
(9) As we said before, so say I now again, if any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed."
2 Corinthians 11: 4" For
if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have
not preached, or if ye receive another spirit which ye
have not received or another gospel which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with [avoid] him."
[Follow Links Below]
What
The Bible Teaches Us
Our
Church Covenant
What
The Bible Teaches Us
1. We believe that love one for
another as Jesus loves the believer manifests our
discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our
authority as New Testament churches. Love is therefore the
great commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ upon which all
others are dependent (Matt. 22:35-40; John 13:34, 35; John
15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1John 5:1-3;Rev. 2:4, 5).
2. We believe in the infallible,
verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that the Bible
is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice (Psalm
119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
3. We believe in the personal triune
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine
perfection (Matt. 28:19).
4. We believe in the Genesis account
of Creation (Gen. 1; 2).
5. We believe that Satan is a fallen
angel, the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of
this world, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of
fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor.
4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of
Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).
7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30;
John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19).
8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator
for Jesus Christ in His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16,
17; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; Acts 2:1-4).
9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation
gifts were done away when the Bible was completed. Faith,
Hope and Love are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor.
chapters 12-14).
10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God
and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary
transgression from his sinless state, the result being
that all mankind are sinners (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom.
5:12, 19).
11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus
Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is
efficacious only to those who believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb.
2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2).
12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of
Christ and the bodily resurrection of His saints (Matt.
28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
13. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily
return of Christ as the crowning event of the Gentile age.
This event will include the resurrection of the righteous
to eternal heaven, and the Millennium will be followed by
the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal
punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous
shall enter into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess.
4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev.
20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).
14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by
grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to
regeneration are repentance toward God and faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20:21;
Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts
sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells every
believer (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor.
6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for
salvation are eternally secure in Him and shall not perish
(John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb.
10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
16. We believe that God deals with believers as His
children, that He chastises the disobedient, and that He
rewards the obedient (Matt. 16:27; Matt. 25:14-23; John
1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12).
17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church
during His ministry on earth and that it is always a
local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers
in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent,
self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may
exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ
gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches
only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches
(Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark
1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21).
18. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in
the Lord's churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Scriptural baptism is the immersion of penitent believers
in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament
church in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted to
the members of the church observing the ordinance (Matt.
28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor.
11:1, 2, 17-20,26).
19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed
offices in a church, pastors and deacons, to be filled by
men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1
Timothy.
20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and
committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and
under control of the churches (Matt. 20:25-28).
21. We believe in freedom of worship without interference
from the government and affirm our belief in civil
obedience, unless the laws and regulations of civil
government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Rom.
13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15).
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The
Church Covenant
"Having been led, as we
believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith,
having been baptized in the name of the Father and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of
God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully
enter into covenant with one another, as one body in
Christ.
We engage therefore, by the aid of
the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to
strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge,
holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and
spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances,
discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and
regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of
the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the
gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family
and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children;
to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to
walk circumspectly in the world' to be just dealings,
faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our
deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and
excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of
intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and to be zealous in
our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one
another in brotherly love; 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.
We moreover engage that when we
remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite
with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit
of this covenant and the principles of God's Word".
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