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Oak Park Baptist Church
Core Spiritual Beliefs
For a complete copy of these foundational beliefs
As a fellowship, Oak Park, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC), is a member in good standing of the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans (BAGNO). We are united with and support the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) as published by the SBC.
The following core spiritual beliefs are foundational to this fellowship. Thus, while we know that, as in all facets of life, there are always disagreements among committed believers on the ancillary and peripheral doctrines of the faith. However, we hold firm and declare the belief that there are certain CORE beliefs of the faith that are non-negotiable:
God—The Father
1. God is One (Deuteronomy 6:4)
2. God is super-dimensional and eternally self-existent (John 8:54-59)
3. God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (ever-present) and omnipotent (all-powerful).
4. God is the creator of the heavens and earth (Genesis 1-2)
5. We owe God our highest love, devotion, passion, reverence and obedience.
6. God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being!
God—The Son
1. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity.
2. He is the eternal Son of God!
3. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
4. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God—taking upon Himself human form and nature with all of its demands and necessities.
5. Jesus identifies completely with humanity, yet Jesus was without sin
6. Jesus honored the divine law by His personal obedience to the will of the Father
7. In His atoning death on the cross, Jesus became the sacrificial substitute (our Passover lamb) which enables the redemption of humanity from sin.
8. The death of Jesus was real and historical. We believe that three days later, Jesus was gloriously and miraculously raised from the dead!
9. Jesus appeared to His disciples and stayed with them 40 days and appeared to as many as 500 people as a witness of His resurrection.
10. Jesus ascended into heaven, was exalted by God to the right hand of His
throne where He now fulfills the role of the One Mediator/High Priest
between humanity and a just and holy God.
11. Jesus, who is fully God and was completely man, is the One, who
Through His life, death and resurrection opened the door for our
(humanity’s) reconciliation with God.
12. Jesus will return in power and glory to judge the world and to
consummate His redemptive mission.
13. We believe Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit, indwells all believers as
As the living and ever-present Lord.
God—The Holy Spirit
1. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.
2. The Holy Spirit is fully divine.
3. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
4. The Holy Spirit is used by God to draw humanity to Jesus Christ as Savior.
5. The Holy Spirit effects within each confessing/repentant heart the regeneration of the soul.
6. At the moment of regeneration, every believer is baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.
7. The Holy Spirit cultivates character, comforts and endows spiritual gifts upon all believers. This allows the believer to serve God.
8. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer which seals him/her until the final day of redemption.
9. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer guarantees him/her that God will bring us into His Presence.
10. The Holy Spirit is the light to the believer’s path and provides the
spiritual and physical power which flows from the believer in worship,
in church, in evangelism and in service to Our Lord.
11. The Holy Spirit endows all believers with the “fruits of the Spirit”
(Galatians 5:22-23)
12. The “fruits of the Spirit” are essential to living a “Spirit-filled” life and
They are evidence of spiritual maturity.
13. These nine (9) gifts of the Spirit are separate and different
manifestations of the Holy Spirit that are used to edify and buildup the
Body of Christ. (1Corinthians 12:1-11)
14. We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians
12:31, 14:1), but they must be exercised in and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:26-33) and in the context of Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).
The Bible
1. The Bible was written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
2. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to all humanity
3. The Bible is the perfect treasure of divine instruction—with God as its author, salvation as its end and truth, without any error, as its substance.
4. The Bible is totally true, trustworthy, and a complete testimony of Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
5. The Bible is the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and practice for all humanity.
Humanity
1. Humanity is God’s special and treasure creation.
2. We are created in the image of God.
3. God created humanity, both male and female, and we are the crowning work of His creation.
4. God’s gift of gender is an integral part of the goodness of God’s creation.
5. At Creation, humanity was innocent of sin and endowed by God with a freedom of will and choice.
6. By voluntary act of will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6)
7. The first sin had several repercussions:
a. Humanity was cast out of the Garden of Eden
b. A curse was laid upon humanity (Genesis 3:14-19)
c. The process of physical death began (Genesis 2:17)
d. Humanity died spiritually (Romans 5:12-19)
e. Sin separated mankind from God (Ephesians 2:11-18)
f. Humanity was left in a fallen (or sinful) condition (Romans 3:23)
8. Because of this inclination towards sin and self, as soon as humans become capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation by a just and holy God.
9. Because of our immoral state, only God’s grace can transform and redeem lost humanity back into fellowship with God.
10. It is only through the grace of God that humanity can fulfill the original
creative purpose of God—to commune with Him and worship Him.
11. We believe in the sacredness of each human personality. God values
each of us! Christ died for all of us. It is evident that God values His
creation.
12. It is because of God’s unconditional love for His creation that we as His
followers believe all people deserve to have Christian love extended to
them through mission efforts to lead them to a saving knowledge of
Jesus Christ—for His is “the only name given under heaven by which we
can be saved.
The Salvation of Man
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—for it is ONLY through the shed blood of Christ that sinful humanity may obtain eternal redemption.
Salvation includes:
a. Regeneration
b. Justification
c. Sanctification
d. Glorification
However, there can be no salvation without personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord of one’s life.
1. The evidence of salvation within each believer is actually revealed in two ways!
a. The first is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit in the life of each new believer. (Romans 8:16). We are indwelled by Christ through the Holy Spirit.
b. The second comes as a result of the first. The indwelling Spirit results in external manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and become part of the believer’s daily walk with Christ.
c. Scripture teaches us that we have become a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that we are transformed into the image of Christ (2Corinthians 3:18).
Stewardship
1. We believe that God is the source of all blessings: both those here on earth and the spiritual blessings and rewards which await us in heaven.
2. We owe everything to God.
3. We believe we have a spiritual obligation to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions.
4. We recognize that all of these things (money, time, spiritual gifts, etc) are only entrusted to us to bring glory and honor to God and for ministering to others.
5. We believe the Bible commands all believers to tithe (10 percent of the first fruits of our labor) and all other offerings out of the 90 percent remaining.
6. God loves the giver who gives in a cheerful, regular, systematical and proportional manner.
7. Giving is an important act of worship
8. Giving is for God’s glory and the advancement of His Kingdom!
9. Giving is a solemn pledge between the believer and God.
The Church and Its Mission
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by a common covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. The church observes the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church; the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, tongue, people and nation.
Here at Oak Park Baptist Church, our members stand as members of this worldwide body of Christ and we believe that our purpose and mission to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth is basically three-fold:
· To Bond: with God and each other through salvation in Christ and to reach out to others in evangelical outreach ministries so as to lead them to an understanding of their sinful condition and their need for a Savior—by helping them to understand the free gift of Christ sacrificial life, death, and resurrection from the dead—and how this can transform their lives and minds.
· To Build: up our walk in Christ through the worship of God, study of the Bible and the ongoing maturing of our faith as we face life’s challenges.
· To Blossom: out into our community with the Love of Christ. To equip our members to reach out to the lost in our community through various ministries, to provide opportunities for all of our members to serve, minister and witness to all of the people God places in our path each day.
· Our Primary Duty:
1. To seek out the lost and share the Love of Christ with them.
2. To make disciples of all the nations.
3. To be verbal witnesses of Christ to those who are lost.
4. To undergird our witness with a lifestyle and other practices which are in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Ordinances of the Church
Christian baptism is the full immersion of a new believer in water. This is done in accordance with Scripture(The Bible) and is a command of Jesus Christ. It is done in the name of the Triune nature of God—God, The Father(Jehovah), God, The Son(Jesus Christ) and God, The Holy Spirit—this is the Trinity.
Reasons for Baptism:
1. Baptism is a simple act of obedience by a new believer that symbolizes the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior.
2. Baptism is a new believer’s first public profession of their faith in Christ as Savior.
3. Baptism is a scriptural practice (Matthew 28:19). The Bible teaches that all that repent and believe in Christ are to be baptized by immersion.
4. Baptism is a symbol of the death burial and resurrection of Christ.
5. Baptism by a new believer declares to the world that they have died to their sinful life and, now, have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life(Romans 6:4).
6. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper:
1. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members at Oak Park Baptist Church memorialize and remember the death of their Redeemer(Christ), the sacrifice He made for their salvation(His death), and an anticipation of His return(The Second Coming).
2. The Lord’s Supper consists of two (2) elements:
A. The bread which represents the broken body of Jesus
B. The cup which is presented in the form of the fruit of the vine (grape juice) and represents the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s Cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
3. Every Lord’s Supper at Oak Park Baptist Church is an open communion where any saved, baptized believer may celebrate the Lord’s Supper with us.
The Family Marriage
1. We believe that the Bible or Scripture mandates that God ordained the family as the foundational institution of all human society.
2. We believe that families are composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption.
3. It is our firm and unshakeable belief that marriage, as ordained by God, is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant marriage commitment for a lifetime.
4. We believe marriage is God’s unique gift to humanity that in itself reveals the union between Christ and His church.
5. We believe marriage provides for the intimate companionship of the man and woman within the marriage framework.
6. Marriage is for the complete and God-ordained channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards.
7. Marriage is the means for procreation of the human race.
8. In marriage, the husband and wife are of equal worth before God as both were created in His image.
9. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people.
10. In marriage, a husband is to love his wife as Christ loves His church.
11. In marriage, a husband has the god-given responsibility to provide for,
to protect and to lead his family.
12. In marriage, a wife submits herself graciously to the servant leadership
of her husband even as the church submits itself to the headship of
Christ.
13. She, being in the image of God and thus equal with her husband before
God, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to
serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next
generation.
14. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and a heritage
from God. This means that as a fellowship we are against all forms of
abortion. We believe that life begins at conception and consider any
form of abortion to be the ending of a created life.
15. Parents must demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for life and
marriage.
16. Parents must teach their children spiritual and moral values, and lead
them through a consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to
make life choices based on solid biblical principles and truth. Children
are called by God to honor and obey their parents.
The Final Judgment
1. We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring this world to its appropriate end.
2. We believe that according to the promise of God, Jesus will return personally and visibly in all His glory to this earth.
3. We believe that at that time the dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men according to His righteousness.
4. The unrighteous(those who have rejected Christ as Savior—Have Rejected God) will be judged and consigned to a place of everlasting torment and punishment which Scripture defines a Hell.
5. The righteous(those who have accepted Christ through faith and trust Him as Savior—Have Not Rejected God) will be judged and deemed worthy because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice (which has cleansed them and make them acceptable to God). These souls will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with God in their new resurrected and glorified bodies.