Doctrinal Statement of Solid Rock Baptist Tabernacle in Bellflower

 

“We are BAPTIST and this is what we believe”

 

B--Biblical Authority of the Scriptures

 

We use the King James Bible. We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and the Old and New Testaments compose the entire Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed; and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. We believe that God has inspired and preserved His Word, and that the King James Bible is the Word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21). The King James Bible is the only Bible we use at Solid Rock Baptist!

 

A—Autonomy of the Local Church

 

We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).

We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again baptized persons (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. We believe that Jesus established His church while on earth, empowered on Pentacost, and is alive and well today (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

 

P—Priesthood of the Believer

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

We believe that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born again person has direct access into God’s presence without need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit (I Peter 2:5, 9).

We believe that He is the Divine Teacher Who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27).

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12).

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

 

T-Two Offices in the Local Church

 

We believe that there are only two offices in the church which are the office of pastor and the office of deacon.  The Word of God gives clear qualifications for each office, and we believe that the deacon is simply a servant to the church allowing for the pastor to spend more quality time studying and doing the work of the ministry (I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9).

 

I-Individual Soul Liberty

 

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19); and that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process, and that each individual has to make a personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of his life.

 

S-Separation of Church and State

 

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the church, and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14).

 

T-Two Ordinance in the Local Church

 

We recognize baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. We do not accept alien baptism, and re-baptize people that have been saved, but were not baptized in an independent, Bible-believing, baptist church. Closed communion is the only form of communion we practice (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).