WHAT WE BELIEVE
Constitution & Bylaws
This PDF document contains our full Constitution, Declaration of Faith, Church Covenant, and Bylaws.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (ESV)
Declaration of Faith
Bible
We believe in the SCRIPTURES of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS as inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
Psalm 19:7-11; Mark 12:26; Acts 17:2; Romans 15:4; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:21.
God
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-equal in nature, attributes, and perfections.
Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19, 20; John 1:1-4; John 15:26; II Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6.
a. GOD THE FATHER: is one in essence with the Son and the Spirit. He is an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in all His attributes. He is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign ruler of all things through His Son Jesus Christ. We believe that He concerns Himself perfectly in the affairs of humanity. His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with the redeemed. Everything He does is in accordance with His perfect will, though His sovereignty does not eliminate or minimize human responsibility.
Deut. 6:4; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Isaiah 6:1; Isaiah 33:10; Isaiah 40:22, 25-26, 28-31; Jeremiah 10:10; Matt. 28:18-20; Hebrews 3:4; James 2:19; Jude 24-25; Psalm 33:11-19; Matthew 6:1, 4; Matthew 10:20; John 20:17, 21; John 17:1; Ephesians 1:2-3; Colossians 1:2-3; Numbers 23:19; Romans 8:28-29; Colossians 1:10.
b. GOD THE SON: is eternally begotten by the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and as a
representative and substitutionary sacrifice, that all who believe in Him are
justified on the basis of His shed blood. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified, that He ascended into the heavens, and that He continues to live there and to minister on our behalf before the throne of God as our High Priest and Advocate.
John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:22-23; Colossians 1:13-20; Romans 5:6-9; Leviticus 17:11; II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:7-9; I Peter 1:18, 19, 23; Romans 3:24-26; I Peter 1:3-5; Luke 24:36-40; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 4:14-16; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2.
c. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: is one in essence with the Father and Son. He was sent by God the Father and God the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ’s work of redemption and baptism. He regenerates, baptizes, seals, gifts, and indwells all believers at conversion, progressively sanctifying, and securing them in Christ forever. The Spirit fills, leads, comforts, and intercedes for believers, empowering them for godly living and service. His presence is evident by the fruit of the Spirit and the building up of believers into the body of Christ, the Church.
John 14:15-17; John 15:26; Acts 5:3-4; John 16:8-15; John 14:26; Acts 1:5; Romans 5:5; Romans 6:2-16; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:22; Philippians 2:12-13; Joel 2:28-39/Acts 2:17-18; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 3:14-21; 5:18; Philippians 1:6; Exodus 31:3; Acts 4:31; 9:31; Romans 8:26; Jude 24-25; 1 Corinthians 12:2-14; Galatians 5:22-25.
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and become sinners in thought, word, and deed.
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17; Psalm 14:1-4; John 3:6; Romans 3:9-19; 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3; I John 3:8.
Salvation
We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ, by grace through faith,
are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become the Children of God. All who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are forgiven of all their sins, justified in God’s sight by the merit of Christ’s righteousness, adopted into His family, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and have equal access to God.
John 3:16-17; 5:24-25; 17:21-23; Acts 13:37-39; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-10; II Timothy 1:12; I John 5:12-13; Romans 1:16-17; 3:23-26; 5:1-2.
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the
will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration, and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the continual use of the appointed means — especially, the Word of God, self-examination, self denial, watchfulness, and prayer.
I Thessalonians 4:3; Proverbs 4:18, I John 2:29; Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 12:1.
Satan
We believe that the devil is a personal being, who, as Lucifer, opposed the will of God in Heaven, fell because of his sin, incorporated sin into the world through Adam, was judged at the cross, is the god of this age, will be bound a thousand years, and will finally be cast into the Lake of Fire forever. We are admonished to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might”, and to “put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.
Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 14:12-20; II Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-2; 6:10-18; Colossians 2:15; Revelation 2:1-3; John 16:11.
Last Things
We believe in the blessed hope, the meeting of all believers with Christ in the
air, and the personal, visible, pre-millennial return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe that those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, at the point of physical death, enter into God’s eternal glory. They shall be resurrected and transformed to a body of glory like His, and they shall receive their inheritance of glory in the Kingdom of their Father. They shall be made fully blessed in the presence and service of God, whom they shall see and enjoy throughout eternity. We believe that all unsaved persons, at the point of physical death, are sent into eternal damnation. They will be resurrected, separated from the righteous, judged, and cast into an existence of eternal punishment where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever when death and Hades are cast into the Lake of Fire. We believe it is imperative for the Church to work and wait in sober watchfulness, that it may be found ready at His coming. At the end of His millennial reign, Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth where we will dwell for eternity.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 20:1-6; John 10:27-28; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Hebrews 9:27-28; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; John 5:25-29; Acts 24:14-15; 1 Corinthians 6:14; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 22:3-5; Matthew 25:44-46; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8; Mark 13:33-37; Hebrews 10:25; Revelation 21:1-4.
The Church
We believe that the New Testament Church is composed of all persons who
have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit since the day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection. We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of Christ, of which He is the Head. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies in which believers are in a covenant relationship. Biblically that relationship is expressed corporately through hearing the Word of God proclaimed, engaging in worship, practicing the two ordinances (believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper), building up each other’s faith, holding each other accountable through biblical love and discipline, and engaging in local and world evangelization. Biblically designated officers must meet the biblical qualifications for their office and submit to the headship of Christ, emulating His servant leadership. We believe the function of eldering is reserved for biblically qualified males. Each local church is to choose, support, and submit to those who function as Elders.
Acts 2; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 12-26; Matthew 18:15-17; 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; John 3:22; 4:1-2; Acts 2:38, 41-47; 8:12, 36-39; 16:32-34; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 20:25-28; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1Peter 5:1-3; 1 Timothy 2:12; Acts 15:22; Hebrews 13:17.
We believe that the Ordinances of the Gospel are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in Christ “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and symbolizes the fact of regeneration and the union of the believer with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination. We also teach that, whereas the elements of Communion are only symbolic of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells ever believer, and so is present, fellowshipping with His people.
1 Corinthians 11:28-32; 10:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; John 3:5, 33; Acts 8:36-38; Romans 6:4; Acts 2:41-42; I Corinthians 11:23-29.
Marriage and Gender
We believe that God in His creative work has declared that which is sacred, that which is a reflection of His nature, including the sacredness of mankind, the distinctiveness of biological male and female, created in His image, and the establishment of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We hold to the Biblical Truth that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and that God created us all in His own image, both male and female (Genesis 1:27) reflecting the image and nature of God in humanity. The reality of being male or female, defined as gender or sex, is determined biologically at conception, and is not a choice. We are called to express ourselves consistent with our God-given gender, the image of God in us, His creation. Therefore:
a. We teach that marriage was given by God as part of His common grace, and that it has no meaning other than as He has provided (Gen. 2:18-24).
b. We teach that marriage is subject to the curse of the Fall, but that believers, living in obedience to the Scripture and under the control of the Holy Spirit, can grow to experience peaceful, productive, and fulfilled marriage as intended by God (Gen. 3:16; 1 Peter 3:7).
c. We teach that the marriages of believers are to illustrate the loving relationship of Christ and His church, with the husband loving his wife as Christ loves the Church and the wife responding to her husband’s loving leadership as the Church responds to Christ (Eph. 5:18-33).
d. We teach that, as believers’ marriages are to illustrate Christ’s relationship with His church, believers should choose to marry those who share their faith and regenerate life (2 Cor. 6:14). We teach that the term “marriage” has only one meaning, and that marriage is sanctioned by God and joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in scripture (Gen. 2:23-24).
e. We teach that marriage is always a public, formal, and officially recognized
covenant between a man and a woman. We teach that without such a covenant, prolonged conjugal cohabitation does not of itself establish marriage (John 4:18). We teach that where no such covenant exists between a cohabiting couple prior to coming to faith in Christ, family units should be preserved to the extent possible and, if otherwise appropriate, solemnization encouraged. We teach that where a valid marriage has been established prior to coming to faith in Christ, the couple should remain married (1 Cor. 7:24).
f. We teach that God hates divorce, permitting it only where there has been
unrepentant sexual sin (Mal. 2:14-16; Matt. 5:32, 19:9) or desertion by an
unbeliever (1 Cor. 7:12-15). We teach that remarriage is permitted to a faithful
partner in appropriate circumstances.
g. We teach that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We teach that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman (Heb. 13:4).
h. We teach that any practice of sexual immorality is sinful, and as with all sin, is
offensive to God (Lev. 18:1-30; Matt. 5:28; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1, 6:9; 1Thess.
4:1-8; Rom. 1:18-28).
i. We teach that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or the doctrines of the Church. We teach that the faithful proclamation of the Scripture, including the call to repentance, does not constitute hate speech, or hateful and harassing behavior, but is instead a fundamental part of the Church’s loving mission to the world (Matt. 28:16-20; 2 Cor. 5:11-20; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:1-2).
j. We teach that God offers redemption and forgiveness to all who confess and
forsake their sin, including sexual sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We teach that His forgiveness is total and complete (Ps. 103:11-12; 130:3-4; Is. 43:25, 44:22; John 5:24; Col. 2:13-14) and that God imputes the full righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) to the believing sinner. We teach that the forgiven sinner has been cleansed from the guilt of sin, set apart unto God, made holy, and justified before Him (1 Cor. 6:9-11). We teach that any man or woman who has received that forgiveness is “in Christ” and is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
k. We declare that church facilities may be used for weddings and wedding related events only where at least one of the prospective spouses is a member in good standing of Caldwell First Baptist Church. Church facilities are not otherwise available to the general public for that purpose.
Biblical references cited in this statement of faith are from the KJV, NKJV 1982, NASB 1995, NIV 1984, and the ESV 2001.
