We affirm the Doctrinal Statements of the American Baptist Association and the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas.

What We Believe….

1. We believe that love one for another as Jesus loves the believer manifests our discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our authority as New Testament churches. Love is therefore the great commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ upon which all others are dependent (Matt. 22:35-40; John 13:34, 35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21;1 John 5:1-3; Rev. 2:4, 5)

2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration and preservation of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. We believe the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek were immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence has been kept pure in all ages, and is therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the Lords churches can appeal to the scriptures with complete authority and confidence We believe God has fully preserved his word in the Textus Receptus (Greek New Testament) and the Hebrew Masoretic Text (Hebrew Old Testament). Because of this we use the King James Version of the Bible in our preaching and teaching ministries and only endorse other English translations if they are translated from the Traditional Texts mentioned above. (Romans 3:2; Isaiah 8:20; Acts 15:15; John 5:39; 1 Corinthians 14:6, 9, 11, 12, 24, 28; Colossians 3:16 (Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

3. We believe in the personal triune God and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Matt. 28:19 I John 5:7; John 10:30; John 5:17; John 14:23; John 17:5 & 10; Acts 5:3-4; I Cor.2:10-11; Phil. 2:5-6; Eph. 2:18; II Cor.13:14; Rev. 1:4-5)

4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1; 2)

5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of fire. (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10)

6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless (full) humanity of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22)

7. We believe in the (full) and (eternal) deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19)

8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus Christ in His churches.

(Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; Acts 2:1-4).

9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts (such as speaking in unknown tongues) were done away when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. chapters 12-14)

10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are now sinners by both nature and choice. (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12,19)

11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who repent and believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2).

12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection of His saints. (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)

13. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of the Gentile age. This event will include the resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8)

14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ , and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, indwells and sanctifies every true believer. (Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9, John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5)

15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure in Him and shall not perish. (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5)

16. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that He chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient (Matt. 16:27; Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12)

17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21)

18. 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; 1st Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11) We believe the Baptist faith and church order is Apostolic in origin and has existed from the earthly ministry of Jesus to today and there has never been a century in history where there was not a true church of Christ on the earth.

19. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord’s churches: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is the full immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is the sacred act by which the members of the local church use unleavened bread and pure fruit of the vine(liquid or blood of the grape) in order to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination and repentance of sin. The Lord’s Supper is a closed ordinance, restricted to the members of the local church who are in good standing.(Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26)

20. We believe that there are (only) two divinely appointed offices in a church, which are pastors and deacons, to be filled (exclusively) by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy. We do not allow women to preach, teach nor hold ecclesiastical authority over a man per the words of Paul in 1 Timothy 2:11-15.

We reject the idea of modern day Apostles and Prophets.

21. We believe that all associations, institutes, seminaries, fellowships, and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches (Matt. 20:25-28).

22. We believe in freedom of worship without interference from the government and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws and regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15)

23. We believe the Bible’s definition of marriage is the sacred union between a man and a woman and that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside

of a marriage between a man and a woman. (Gen. 2:21-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Cor. 7:2-4; Eph. 5:22-31)

24. We believe Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination in the eyes of God. Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Jude 1:7, 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 6:11, Romans 1:26 1:28. We do not and will never officiate or bless homosexual weddings or unions.

25. We believe God designates each individual their gender. God ordained only two genders, male and female. Mankind does not possess the authority to identify themselves differently than their biological sex assigned by God, and any attempt to alter one’s gender is sin and aggravated assault against God’s providential plan for man. (Genesis 1:27; 5:2; Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6; Job 40:8; Jeremiah 13:23)

26. We believe that life begins at conception and that abortion at any stage of fetal development is an act of murder and aggravated assault against God’s providential plan for

man. (Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10, Leviticus 18:21, 20:1-7)