COMMUNITY
baptist church
What We Believe
At the Heart of Everything We Do
The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the basis for any statement of faith. We ban ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ to personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to all humanity. The ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord's supper.
God
is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, He is both completely man and completely God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, died a substitutionary death on the cross, was resurrected bodily from the grave, ascended to heaven, and currently sits at the right hand of God. He is coming again personally and visibly to claim His bride, the Church, and will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, He is both completely man and completely God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, died a substitutionary death on the cross, was resurrected bodily from the grave, ascended to heaven, and currently sits at the right hand of God. He is coming again personally and visibly to claim His bride, the Church, and will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 52:12-53:12; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 20:28; 26:37-39; John 1:1-18; 1:29-34; 10:30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14
The Holy Spirit
is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with the power for living, understanding spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift(s) when they are saved to use in ministry to others. As Christians, we seek to live daily under His control.
John 16:7-13,14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18
The Bible
is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of errors.
Human Beings
People are made in the spiritual image and likeness of God to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. However, through the original disobedience of the first humans, humanity fell from His creator and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death. He became corrupt in his whole nature through an attitude of disobedience God calls sin. Because every person is marred by sin, all of mankind is therefore separated from God and without hope apart from salvation in Jesus Christ.
Salvation
is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin through self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
John 1:12; 10:28,29; 14:6; Romans 5:1; 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8,9; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
Eternity
Each individual will exist either forever separated from God by sin or in everlasting union with God through forgiveness and salvation that is found in Jesus alone. To be separated from God is hell. To be in union with Him is heaven. Heaven and hell are real places as the Bible describes.
The Church
(composed of all believers throughout the world) is the spiritual organism of which Christ is the Head. The church universal is a collection of local churches that have unity not in every detail of philosophy and doctrine but in a common head, Jesus Christ, and a common mission. The local Church (a portion of the body of Christ) is an autonomous (self-ruled) group of believers who have organized themselves to do the work of God’s ministry. The Church exists to worship God, disciple and care for believers, and to evangelize a lost world. The two church ordinances in which all believers are to participate are water baptism (by immersion) and communion. God has appointed and called elders in each local Church to give ultimate oversight, direction, and government to that local body of believers.
Matthew 3:13-17; 16:13-19; 28:18-20; Mark 14:22-26; Acts 2:38; 8:38-39; 18:8; 20:17-18,28; Romans 6:1-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-11; 1 Peter 5:12
Marriage & Sexuality
We believe that men and women can fully honor God with their lives through either marriage or singleness. Marriage was created by God as a gift to humanity, and it is a station of life that is honored, encouraged, and celebrated at CBC as God calls us into it. As a covenant union between a man and a woman, marriage is designed to be an incredible picture of our relationship with Christ that is intensely sacred and holy. It is an intentional commitment and promise that is genuine, serious, lasting, and deeply loving. Those who are married are called to remain faithful and pure to their spouse physically, emotionally, and spiritually (avoiding all forms of sexual perversion and pornography) and to diligently resist divorce.
In conjunction with this Biblical view of marriage, it is God’s design that romantic relationships be strictly heterosexual and that all expressions of sexuality be reserved for a marriage relationship between a man and a woman. While we at Community strive to create an environment that is welcoming to all regardless of their past and present circumstances, we do not support or condone a lifestyle of sexual immorality (including but not exclusive to living together, homosexuality, swinging, and open marriages). Those who are currently living an unrepentant, sexually immoral lifestyle or other immoral activities are invited to participate at CBC, but they must also understand that they cannot become a member and will be encouraged and challenged towards the healing and freedom Jesus provides.