WHAT WE BELIEVE

Statement of Purpose

  • Anchor Baptist Church is a congregation that is organized and operated according to the principles set forth in the New Testament for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and discipling those who receive Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.

  • We are Baptists: From our roots in the New Testament Church of the first century, through the Dark Ages in Europe, until today, Baptists have held distinct beliefs and values, which in many cases, have cost them their lives. We are not Charismatic, Ecumenical, Arminian, or Calvanist. We are Baptists.

  • We are Independent Baptists, not associated with the Southern Baptist Convention or any other denomination. Our autonomy has allowed us to begin and operate many ministries that would not have otherwise been possible. Our independence has been key in working with other groups to accomplish common goals.

  • We are Fundamental Baptists: We adhere to the fundamentals of the faith and reject modern teachings and practices that are contrary to the Bible.

  • We are Conservative Baptists: We believe in the literal interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore, practice conservative music, dress, life style, politics, and financial principles.

  • We are Missionary Baptists: We take the great commission “to go unto all the world and preach the Gospel seriously. Whether around the corner or around the world, much of our prayers, efforts, and finances are dedicated to the purpose of the evangelization of sinners and the discipling of saints.

  • We are King James Bible Baptists: We believe that the Masoretic Hebrew, and the Textus Receptus Greek text are preserved in the King James 1611 Bible. We believe that the cannon of Scripture is complete in the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. We reject the Westcott and Hort Manuscripts and all modern translations derived thereof.

  • We are old fashioned Baptists: We believe in old-time preaching, praying and praising the Lord. While many churches in our day are striving to be contemporary in their music, worship, and practices; we are striving to preserve the old fashioned ways, values, and traditions that made our mountains the Heart of the Bible Belt and our nation strong.

Statement of Faith

(A) The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired 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.  The 1611 King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only English translation used by the Church (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

(B) Dispensationalism

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages.  These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose.  Three of these dispensations --the Age ofLaw, the Age of the Church (current), and the Age of the Kingdom --are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor.  3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27, Rev. 20:2-6).

(C) The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons --Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26).

(D) The Person and Work of Christ

  1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).

  2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

  3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34, 1 John 2:1-2).

  4. We believe that Christ while on earth was impeccable, that he lived a sinless life without any inward temptation or ability to sin, and that he vicariously became sin for us. (Heb. 4:15)

(E) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  1. 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 at salvation, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16: 8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6, Eph. 1:13-14).

  2. 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 (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20,27).

  3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer.  God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).

  4. 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 the 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, we do not believe that in this present age, any particular individual has the power to heal. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

(F) The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God, and that man is totally depraved and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition but possesses the free will to accept or reject God's call to salvation (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

(G) Salvation

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 and that it is God's will that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

(H) The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

  1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and not by their works (good or bad) and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5).

  2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

(I) The Church

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

  2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14;27, 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1: 5-11).

  3. 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; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Pet. 5:1-4).

  4. We recognize only Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural Ordinances of obedience for the Church in this Age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26).

(J) Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord, that our conduct, dress, and speech should be of the highest standards to avoid offending others around us, and that separation from all religious apostasy and  all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor. 6:14-17; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).

  1. INTOXICATING SUBSTANCES 

The staff (paid and volunteer) students and membership shall not, at any time during their affiliation with this church and its ministries, for recreation use:

  • Drugs

  • Mood-altering substances

  • Alcohol in any amount as a beverage, including but not limited to:

    • Liquor, wine, wine coolers, champagne, beer, and their low alcohol substitutes

  • Any drug listed in Act 64 (1972) as a controlled substance

  • Chemical substance:

    • Glue, Solvants, Paint, Etc.

  • Any medication for which a prescription is required under the law

  • Any substance which is intended to alter mood

  • Examples of the above include, but are not limited to:

    • Beer, wine, liquor, any controlled substance, marijuana, hashish, chemical solvents, glue, look-alike substances, and any capsules or pills not administered by a doctor to the person taking the same, Alcohol, Amphetamines, Anabolic Steroids, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine Metabolites, LSD, Marijuana Metabolites, Methadone, Methaqualone, Opiates, Phencyclidine, and Propoxyphene.

Staff, students, and the membership shall not be employed by any establishment whose primary purpose is the production, transportation, sale and/or consumption of alcohol, drugs, and drug paraphernalia including but not limited to breweries, bars, smoke shops, private clubs, fraternity houses, and pool halls. 

Anyone on church property, including visitors, who show evidence of intoxication or impairment will be considered to be trespassing. (Eph. 5:18, Prov. 20:1, Prov. 23:31-33, 2 Tim 2:22)

(K) The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that "Blessed Hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ, Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period.  At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-41; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

(L) The Eternal State

  1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6; 12-13).

  2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord wherein conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).

  3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection when, with the soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).

(M) The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man, that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall eternally be punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt.  4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

(N) Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal 24- hour periods.We believe that all of creation was created mature, thus giving the appearance that it is much older than it is.We reject Evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Exodus 20:11).

(O) Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions:  1) the home; 2) the Church; 3) the state.  Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word.  God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and 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. When contradictions arise between authorities, Biblical Authority must exceed all others.(Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14)

(P) Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity including verbal, visual, or physical stimulus should be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man (born and remaining male) and one woman (born and remaining female).  We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, pedophilia, adultery, pornography,transvestitism, deviant gender or transgender identity, or any other deviant sexual behavior is a sinful perversion of God's gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).

(Q) Marriage

We believe that the term “Marriage” has one and only one meaning which is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man (born and remaining a male) and one woman (born and remaining a female) in a single, monogamous, exclusive, and lifelong union as delineated in Scripture.  This meaning of marriage is a deeply held religious conviction, central to the core value and exercise of our faith.

A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as legitimate marriage by the Church only to the extent that it is consistent with the meaning of marriage found in this Statement of Faith.

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female.  These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.  Consequently, members must affirm their biological sex and refrain from any and all attempts to physically change, alter, or disagree with their birth gender  — including but not limited to elective sex-reassignment, transvestite, transgender, or non-binary acts or conduct.  Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of God’s design of that person.

We believe that, in order to preserve the function and integrity of the Church as the local Body of Christ and to provide a Biblical role model to the Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, or who are members of the Church should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and conduct themselves accordingly.

The Church property shall not be used for a marriage ceremony that will violate this belief. Neither the Pastor nor any minister ordained by this Church shall conduct a marriage ceremony that will violate this belief, nor will the Church allow the marriage or remarriage of a member that will violate this belief.

Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:1-9, Mark 10:6-9, Rom. 1:26-27, 1st Cor. 6:9 Gen. 1:26-27, Gen. 1:26-28, Gen. 19:5-10, Ex.20:14, Lev. 18:7-23, Lev. 20:10-21, Deut. 5:18, Jdg. 19:22-24, Matt. 5:27-28, Matt. 15:19, Mark 10:5-9, Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9-13, 1 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 5:19, Eph. 4:17-17, Eph. 5:25-27, Eph. 5:31, Col. 3:5, 1 Thess. 4:3, Heb. 13:4, 1 Tim. 1:8-10, Jude 1:7, Rev. 19:7-9, Rev. 21:2

(R) Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God warns against putting away the wife of one’s youth [divorce] and intends marriage between oneman, biologically born and remaining a male, and one woman, biologically born and remaining a female, to last until one of the spouses dies.  Divorce and remarriage is regarded in Scripture as adultery except on the grounds of fornication according to the principle outlined in Deuteronomy 22 and 24.  Although previously divorced and remarried persons or previously divorced persons may join the Church after repenting of same and may hold positions of service in the Church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon.  The Church property shall not be used for a marriage ceremony that will constitute adultery. Neither the Pastor nor any minister ordained by this Church shall conduct a marriage ceremony that will constitute adultery, nor will the Church allow the marriage or remarriage of a member that will constitute adultery (Mal.  2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim.  3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

(S) Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living, human being.  Abortion (the elective man-made death, ejection or removal of the unborn child from the womb) constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder by any means whether surgical, chemical, physical injury, or deliberate conduct for the purpose of terminating a pregnancy.  We reject any teaching that abortion of pregnancy due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selections, birth or population control, or the mental well being of the mother are acceptable (Exo. 21:22 - 25; Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

(T) Missions

We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  As Ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20).

(U) Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes.  We believe the Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve disputes between members. We do believe, however, a Christian may seek compensation for physical injuries from another Christian's insurance company, as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

(V) Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local Church financially.  We believe that God has established the tithe (10% of gross income)as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Gen. 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).

Authority of Statement of Faith:

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith.  The King James 1611 version of the Holy Bible itself is the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind and are the sole and final source of all that we believe.  We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members.  For purposes of the Church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Pastor and Board of Trustees are the Church’s final interpretative authority of the Bible’s meaning and application.

 

Adopted 07/19/2015