BAPTIST DOCTRINE BASED ON HISTORICAL BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES … IV. CONCERNING THE WAY OF SALVATION AND THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL: Shiloh Baptist Church – Statement of Faith – Gwinn, Michigan

IV. CONCERNING THE WAY OF SALVATION AND THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL: BY Shiloh Baptist Church – Statement of Faith – Gwinn, Michigan

We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly of the grace of God, through the merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ began with the ministry and preaching of John the Baptist.

Mark 1:1-4 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

1. Of the Law and the Gospel.

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government; that it is holy, just, and good; and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their sinful nature; to deliver them from which, and that to restore them through a Mediator of unfeigned obedience to the holy Law, is the one great end of the Gospel; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

Romans 3:20,31; Matthew 5:17; Luke 16:17; Romans 4:15; 7:7,12,14,22; Galatians 3:21; Romans 8:2,4,7,8; 10:4; I Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 8:10.

2. Of God’s Purpose of Grace.

We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of God, according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves those sinners who, by faith, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; that being perfectly consistent with the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that it is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of God’s free mercy to others; that it may be ascertained by its effects in all who truly believe the Gospel; and that it is the foundation of Christian assurance.

II Timothy 1:8,9; II Thessalonians 2:13,14; II Timothy 2:10; I Corinthians 9:22; Romans 8:28-30; John 6:37-40; II Peter 1:10; I Thessalonians 4:10; Isaiah 42:16; Romans 11:29.

3. Of the Freeness of Salvation.

We believe the Scriptures teach that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth except his own inherent depravity and voluntary refusal to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, which refusal will subject him to an aggravated condemnation.

I Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; I Peter 1:2; Titus 1:1; Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 55:1,6,7; Revelation 22:17; Romans 10:13; John 6:37; Acts 2:38; John 3:15,16; I Timothy 1:15; I Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 2:4,5; John 15:40; John 3:18,36.

4. Of the Atonement for Sin.

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Son of God, by appointment with the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin; that by His death on the cross, made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by his death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinners’ place, the Just dying for the unjust; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven and, uniting in His wonderful Person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Saviour.

Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24,25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7,8; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4;10; I Corinthians 15:3,20; II Corinthians 5:21; John 10:18; Galatians 1:4; I Peter 2:24; 3:18; Isaiah 53:11,12; Hebrews 7:25; 9:12-15; 12:2; I John 2:2.

5. Of Regeneration.

We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the “new birth”, is that change wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, by which a new nature and a spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus; that a holy disposition is given to the mind, the will subdued, the dominion of sin broken, and the affections changed from a love of sin and self, to a love of holiness and God; that the change is instantaneous and not a process, effected not by culture or character, nor by the will of man, but solely through the power of God through the Word of God, in a manner incomprehensible to reason.

John 3:3,6; I Peter 1:23; James 1:18; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 2:29; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 1:13; 2:13; Romans 6:13; John 1:12,13; I Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5-7.

6. Of Repentance.

We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance is a personal act, prompted by the Spirit of God; and consists of a godly sorrow over sin as offensive to God and ruinous to the soul; that it is accompanied with great humiliation in view of one’s sin and guilt, together with prayer for pardon; also by sincere hatred of sin, and a persistent turning away from, and abandonment of, all that is evil and unholy. We further believe that repentance is a gift from God that will allow the repentant persons to acknowledge truth, that they may be able to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.

Matthew 3:1,2; 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; Luke 18:13; 24:47; II Corinthians 7:2; Romans 2:5; Isaiah 55:7; Psalm 51:1-4,7; 2 Timothy 2:25-26.

7. Of Faith.

We believe the Scriptures teach that faith, inseparably united with repentance, is a solemn obligation and a grace wrought in our soul by the quickening Spirit of God; that it is an assent of the mind and a consent of the heart, consisting mainly of belief and trust, wherein the testimony of God is accepted and believed as true, while Christ is unreservedly received for salvation; that through it, the believer is brought into vital relations with God, as seeing Him Who is invisible, and is freely justified; that it reveals Christ to the soul as a willing and sufficient Savior, and commits the heart and life to Him.

Acts 16:31; Romans 1:17; 3:22; 5:1; 10:3,9-13; Hebrews 11:1,6; James 2:23; Jeremiah 17:7; Psalm 34:22; 125:1; II Corinthians 5:7.

8. Of Justification.

We believe the Scriptures teach that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe on Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood; by virtue of which faith His perfect righteousness is imputed to us of God; that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other blessing needed for time and eternity.

John 1:16; Ephesians 3:8; Acts 13:39; Isaiah 3:11,12; Romans 5:1-3,9,11; 8:1; Zechariah 13:1; Matthew 9:6; Acts 10:43; Matthew 6:33; I Corinthians 1:30,31; I Timothy 4:8; Isaiah 53:11.

9. Of Adoption.

We believe the Scriptures teach that adoption is a gracious act by which the Father, for the sake of Christ, accepts believers to the estate and condition of children, by a new and spiritual birth; sending the Spirit of Adoption into their hearts, whereby they become members of the family of God, entitled to all rights, privileges, and promises of children; and if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to the heritage of all saints on earth, and an inheritance reserved in Heaven for them.

Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 3:26; 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:5; I John 3:1; Hebrews12:7; I Peter 2:9.

10. Of Sanctification.

We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification is that work by which, according to the will of God, we are set apart unto God and made partakers of His holiness; that it is both a declared fact and a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried out in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, through the continual use of the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and in the practice of all godly exercises and duties.

II Thessalonians 4:3; 5:23; II Corinthians 7:1; 13:9; Ephesians 1:4; 4:11,12; Proverbs 4:18; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 6:1; II Peter 1:5-8; Philemon 12-16; Philippians 2:12,13; I Peter 2:2; II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 13:5; I Timothy 4:7.

11. Of the Preservation of the Saints.

We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate, being born of the Spirit of God, cannot utterly fall away and finally perish, but will endure to the end; that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from those who have professed their faith superficially; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

John 6:39,66-69; 8:31,32; 13:8; I John 2:19,27,28; 3:9; 5:18; Matthew 13:19-21; Romans 8:28,35-39; Matthew 6:20,30-33; John 4:4; Philippians 1:6; 2:12,13; Jude 24,25; Hebrews 1:14; 13:5; John 10:28,29; 16:8; Colossians 1:21-23; I Peter 1:5.

12. Of the Righteous and the Wicked.

We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only such as through faith are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in God’s esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are, in His sight, wicked and under the curse; and that this distinction holds among men in this life and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved, and the everlasting conscious suffering in the lake of fire of the lost.

Malachi 3:18; Proverbs 12:26; Isaiah 5:20; Genesis 18:23; Jeremiah 15:19; Acts 10:34,35; Romans 1:17; 6:16,18,22,23; 7:6; I John 2:7,29; 3:7; 5:19; I Corinthians 11:32; 15:22; Galatians 3:10; John 3:36; Isaiah 55:6,7; 57:21; Psalm 10:4; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; John 8:21-24; 12:25,26; Luke 9:26; 12:4,5; 11:23-26; Matthew 7:13,14; 25:34; Proverbs 11:31; I Peter 1:18.