Beliefs

Immanuel Baptist Church adheres to the Christian faith and to the tenants expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, which it recites from time to time in its worship services:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.  And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty.  From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

In addition, we hold to the following beliefs:

The Holy Bible

We believe the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible, revealed Word of God as existing in the original writings, and the only authoritative and all-sufficient rule for faith and practice.  Because the Holy Bible is the all-sufficient standard in all matters of faith and conduct until Jesus comes, we look for no additional revelation.  We recognize and embrace the validity and value of the various translations of the Bible.

God and the Trinity

We believe that there is one true God who exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   These persons of the one true deity are equal in essence and power.

Jesus Christ

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his substitutionary death by which we have redemption through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection from the dead,  in his exaltation to the right hand of God the Father, and in his imminent return in power and glory to rule the world as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

We believe that we are sinners by nature and by choice and are worthy of God’s eternal judgment.  We believe that we are saved from sin (its penalty and its power) through faith in Jesus Christ apart from any works or meritorious deeds on our part.

We believe that God’s gift of salvation has been brought to us by his grace revealed in Jesus Christ, who in his death on the cross is the supreme revelation of God’s love for us and the final and all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins that, through faith in Christ, gives us eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.

The Holy Spirit and Transformation

We believe in the personality and present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every Christian and enables us to live a life pleasing to God and whose work is to transform the Christian into Christ-likeness, which is exemplified in a life of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The Dignity and Sanctity of Life

We believe in the dignity and sanctity of every human life, including the life of the unborn child.

Human Sexuality

We believe that God created us male and female and that each person is to embrace his or her sexual identity given by God.  We believe that marriage is a monogamous and committed relationship between one man and one woman.