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Bethel Missionary Baptist Church 5140 Carr St Arvada, CO 80002 303-968-7034 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the word; but that the world through him might be saved – John 317 KJ (3).png

Articles of Faith

The following statements, approved by the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, are a summarized view of our beliefs and practices.

I. The Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible:

  1. Was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction (2 Timothy 3:16-17);
  2. Has God for its author, salvation for its end (2 Timothy 3:15), and truth without any mixture of error for its matter (Proverbs 30:5-6); 
  3. Reveals the principles by which God will judge us (John 12:47-48); and 
  4. Is, and shall remain to the end of the world (Philippians 2:16), the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried (1 John 4:1, Isaiah 8:20).

II. The True God

We believe that:

  1. There is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth (Psalms 83:18, 90:2, 147:5; John 4:24; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 3:4; Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10);
  2. God is inexpressively glorious in holiness (Exodus 15:11) and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love (Mark 12:30, Revelation 4:11); and
  3. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, John 15:26), equal in every divine perfection (John 10:30) and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Ephesians 2:18, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

III. Creation

We believe in a literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:25), which includes the following:

  1. The world was created in six twenty-four-hour days;
  2. Man, and all other creatures, did not evolve from a lower order or come into existence by accident;
  3. God created man and woman—male and female;
  4. God established marriage as between one man and one woman who become one flesh; and
  5. Every living thing reproduces after its kind.

We emphatically deny the theories of spontaneous generation and transmutation of the species and believe there is no conflict between the Bible and true science (Genesis 1:1-31, Hebrews 11:3, John 1:1-3).

IV. The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ:

  1. Is God’s Son (John 1:1-14), conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:20-23, Isaiah 7:14), taking upon Himself our human nature yet without sin (Philippians 2:6-8, Hebrews 2:9, 4:15);
  2. Honored the divine law by His personal obedience (Philippians 2:8);
  3. By His voluntary death, made full atonement for our sins (Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 20:28, Romans 4:25);
  4. Rose from the dead (Matthew 28:6, Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:1-58) and ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-10, Ephesians 4:8-10, Hebrews 1:3) where He sits at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2) and intercedes continually for His people (Hebrews 7:25); and
  5. Is accessible to every person who will call upon Him, the only Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

V. The Fall of Man

We believe that man:

  1. Was created in holiness under the law of his Maker (Genesis 1:27, 31; Ecclesiastes 7:29);
  2. By voluntary transgression, fell from that holy and happy state (Genesis 3:6-24, Romans 5:12), in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners (Romans 3:23, 5:19; John 3:6; Psalms 51:5), not by constraint but by choice (Isaiah 53:6, Genesis 6:12, Romans 3:9-18);
  3. By nature, is utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin (Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 1:18, 21, 2:1-16; Revelation 20:12-15) without defense or excuse (Ezekiel 18:19-20, Romans 1:20, 3:19).

VI. The Way of Salvation & Security of the Believer

We believe that:

  1. Man cannot save himself by his own works (Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 13:23, Titus 3:5);
  2. Salvation is entirely by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9);
  3. Any sinner may be saved by exercising God’s gifts of repentance and faith (Acts 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:25, Ephesians 2:8, John 6:65);
  4. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection with divine truth, the sinner is convinced of his guilt and of the way of salvation through Christ (John 16:7-11);
  5. Repentance is turning to God in confession of sin, sorrow for sin, and supplication for mercy (James 4:7-10, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Acts 3:19, Luke 18:13); and
  6. Faith, which is inseparable from repentance, is trusting Jesus Christ, relying upon Him alone as the all-sufficient Savior from sin (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 10:9-10).

We believe that, when one has repented and believed:

  1. He is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8), becoming a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and thus a partaker of a new nature which produces good works (Ephesians 2:10);
  2. He is a child of God (Romans 8:14-16, 1 John 3:1);
  3. He has eternal life (John 3:16);
  4. His sins are forgiven and never to be charged against him again (Romans 4:5-8);
  5. He is justified through the merits of Christ’s blood (Romans 3:24-28, 2 Corinthians 5:21);
  6. He is sanctified (Hebrews 10:14);
  7. He is secure from the dominion of sin and Satan (Romans 6:14, 1 John 5:18) and therefore can never be lost again (John 5:24, 1 Peter 1:5, Jude 24, John 10:27-29); and
  8. When, as a child of God, he sins, he is chastened of God, who deals with us as children (Hebrews 12:5-11, 1 Corinthians 11:31-32). We may lose joy and rewards, but never our salvation (Psalms 51:12, 1 Corinthians 3:14-15).  

VII. Election

We believe that:

  1. God’s people were chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world (2 Thessalonians 2:13, Ephesians 1:4-13, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 2 Timothy 2:10, John 10:16, Revelation 17:8), according to His purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:8-9);
  2. In the mind of God, God’s people were all predestinated, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:28-30);
  3. Because of His foreknowledge, God can predestinate His people and determine other works beforehand, without depriving man of his power of choice (Acts 13:41, 46-48, Acts 15:18);
  4. God did not elect any person apart from belief of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13);
  5. No person is foreordained to doom or to eternal life without his having a chance to exercise his own will (Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9); and
  6. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth except his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel of Christ (John 5:40, Revelation 22:17).

VIII. The Church

We believe that a church of Jesus Christ:

  1. Is a local congregation of scripturally baptized believers;
  2. Is associated together by covenant for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, administering His ordinances, and teaching His commandments (1 Corinthians 1:2, Matthew 18:17, Acts 2:41-47, Matthew 28:19-20); and
  3. Has no authority to make laws, only to execute those made by Christ, the head of the church (Colossians 1:18, Matthew 28:18).

The officers of a church are bishops (pastors), also known as elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Philippians 1:1, Acts 20:17, 28, 1 Peter 5:1-4), and deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13, Philippians 1:1). They have no ecclesiastical authority (Matthew 20:25-26, 1 Peter 5:3). All members of a church are equal. The congregation, as a whole, has the right to ordain officers (Acts 1:23-26, 14:23), receive members, and withdraw fellowship from disorderly members (1 Corinthians 5:4-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6).

We believe that the Great Commission was given to the churches only. Each church is free to direct its own affairs without any coercion or authority from any other church or body. A church may, and should, associate with sister churches on an equal and voluntary basis in mission and benevolent work (Acts 11:22-30, 14:25-28, 15:23-31; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24).

We believe that there has been a succession of true churches from the days of Christ down to this day (Matthew 16:18, 28:19-20; Ephesians 3:21).

IX.  Baptism

We believe that scriptural baptism:

  1. Is the full immersion in water of a repentant believer in Christ (Matthew 3:5-6, Acts 8:36-39, John 3:22-23);
  2. Is performed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit by an authorized representative of a scriptural Church (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 10:47-48);
  3. Demonstrates that the believer is dead to sin and risen to a new life with Christ, who was sacrificed, buried, and resurrected (Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4);
  4. Has no saving power but only shows what our Savior did; and
  5. Is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to participation in the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:41-47).

X. The Lord’s Supper (Closed Communion)

We believe that:

  1. The Lord's Supper is a sacred ordinance in which only the members of the local church partake of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, in remembrance of the sacrificial body and shed blood of Jesus until He returns (Matthew 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26);
  2. Participation in the Lord’s Supper is to be preceded always by solemn self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28); and
  3. The Lord's Supper is restricted to those who have been scripturally baptized, who are living a Christ-centered life, and who are members of and in fellowship with the local New Testament Church that administers the ordinance (1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:17-20, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, Titus 3:10).

XI. The First Day of the Week

We believe that, according to New Testament example, the first day of the week (Sunday) is to be set apart for worship and divine service, as a memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (John 20:1, 19, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Christians, in this age, are not obliged to observe the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) (Colossians 2:16-17).

XII. Religious Liberty

We believe in:

  1. The divine origin of civil government and that Christians are to be obedient thereto (1 Peter 2:13-17, Romans 13:1-7) in all matters which are not contrary to the will of our Lord (Acts 5:29);
  2. Religious liberty for all and every person’s right to believe, worship, and practice his religion freely; and
  3. Absolute separation of church and state (Matthew 22:21). The government should not show favoritism toward any group, but it should guarantee to each group freedom and protection. No person should be forced by the state to support a religion. The church should not use civil power to carry on its work.  

XIII. The Second Coming of Christ and Judgment

We believe that:

  1. The end of the world as we know it is coming soon;
  2. Jesus Christ will return after the time of Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Acts 1:11);
  3. The dead in Christ will be resurrected and the living saints changed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52), receiving glorified bodies like that of our Savior (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2); and
  4. We will be judged according to our works (2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:4-6) and afterward dwell in endless joy in a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1).

We also believe that:

  1. The unsaved people will be resurrected (John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15, Revelation 20:5, 12-13); and
  2. They will be judged according to their works and condemned to endless punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Daniel 12:2, Revelation 20:12-15, 21:8).

We take great consolation in God’s truths, and we pray that all may, from these articles, understand the heart and practice of our Church.

All scripture taken from the King James Bible. 

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