Our Beliefs – SOUND VIEW ORGINAL FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH

The essence of our calling is summed up in a single word: Love.

FREE WILL BAPTISH CHURCH COVENANT.
Having given ourselves to God, by faith in Christ, and adopted the word of God as our rule of faith and practice, we now give ourselves to one another by the will of God in this solemn covenant.

We promise by His grace to love and obey Him in all things, to avoid the appearance of evil, to abstain from all sinful amusements and unholy conformity to the world, from all sanction of the use and sale of intoxicating beverages, the abuse of drugs, and to “provide things honest in the sight of all men.

We agree faithfully to discharge our obligations in reference to the study of the Scriptures, secret prayer, family devotions, and public worship and by self-denial, faith, and good works endeavor to ” grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for church conferences, public worship, and the observance of the ordinances of the Gospel; nor fail to give according to our ability for the support of the church and all its benevolent work.

We agree to accept Christian admonition and repent with meekness, and to watch over one another in love, endeavoring to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” to be careful of one another’s happiness and reputation, and seek to strengthen the weak, encourage the afflicted, admonish the erring, and as far as we are able to promote the success of the church and of the Gospel.

We will everywhere hold Christian principles and obligations supreme, esteem it our chief business to make Christ known to the world, and constantly pray and toil that the Kingdom of God may come, and his will be done on earth as it in heaven.

To this end we agree to co-operate in the promotion of the denominational ministries, the support of the local church, and the evangelization of the world.

May the God of peace sanctify us wholly and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ARTICLES OF FAITH

Article 1; Doctrine of God.

We Believe that there is but one living, true, and eternal God, the Father; of whom all things, from everlasting to everlasting, glorious and unchangeable in all His attributes. Scriptures teach us that He is Spirit, present everywhere, all knowing, all powerful, Independant, good, wise, holy, just, merciful, redeemer, Savior, sanctifier, the judge of mankind, and all other attributedsascribed to Him in scriptures.

Article 2. Doctrine of Christ

We believe that there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who was truly God and truly man, whom God freely sent into this world; and Christ as freely gave himself a ransom for all, tasting the death for every man; who was buried and rose again the third day, and ascended into Heaven from whence we look for him the second time, in the clouds of Heaven, at the last day to judge both the living and the dead. We believe the scriptures ascribe to Christ all the attributes of God.

Article 3. Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

We believe that there is one Holy Spirit, the precious gift of the Father through his dear son, who is the divine presence in our lives, who regenerates and sanctifies us, whereby we a kept in perpetual remembrance of the truth of Christ, and in whom we find our strength and help. We believe the Scriptures ascribe to the Holy Spriit all the attributes of God.

Article 4. Doctrine of the Trinity

We believe that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God, without beginning or end, who is indivisible in His nature or being.

Article 5. Doctrine of Creation and Divine Government.

We believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and all things therein visible and invisible, and that God is continually working through His creation to sustain it and to nurture His creatures.

We believe that all things are foreseen in the wisdom of God, so that God knows whatsoever can or cannot come to pass upon all supposed conditions. All events are present with God from everlasting to everlasting, but His knowledge of them does not in any sense cause them, nor does He decree all events which he know will occur.

Article 6. Doctrine of Man

We believe that in the beginning God created man in HIs own image and placed him in a state of glory without the least mixture of misery, from which he voluntarily by transgression feel, and by that mean, brought on himself a miserable and mortal state subject to death. Unbelief is the reason why men are condemned in the sight of the just and righteous God.

We believe that the human will is always active and may rebel or respond to th4 call of Christ in His redemptive offer, that through the grace of God mankind may be saved

Article 7. Doctrine of the Church

Article 8. Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures

Article 9. Doctrine of Salvation

We Believe that the Church is the body of Christ, all Christians everywhere.

We believe that the local church is an organized body of believers in Christ who statedly assemble to worship God and who sustain the ordinances of the Gospel. the Local Church does not exist in isolation; rather, those churches who believe and practice the Original Free Will Baptist faith and order join together to form denominational church. Neither the local church nor the denominational church exits independent of the other.

We believe these are the Old and the New Testament, that they were written by holy men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and are God’s revealed word to man. We believe that they are sufficient and infallibly true rule and guide to salvation and all Christian worship and service.

We believe that salvation is the restoration of man to his right relationship with God.

General Provision: We believe in the doctrine of General Provision made of God in Christ, for the benefit of all mankind who repents and believes the Gospel.
Faith: We believe that faith is the response of an individual in total trust and commitment to God’s provision in Christ.
Repentance: We believe that the repentance which the Gospel requires includes a deep conviction, a penitential sorrow, an open confession, a decided hatred and entire forsaking of all sin.
Regeneration: We believe that regeneration is an instantaneous renewal of the heart by the Holy Spirit, whereby the penitent sinner receives new life and become a child of God.
Justification: We believe that justification means that persons who accept by faith the atonement of Christ are pardoned and absolved from the guilt of sin and restored to divine favor where once they stood guilty before God.
Sanctification: We believe that sanctification is setting a part of the believer for continuing growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, for service to God and man

Article 10: Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints

Article 11. Doctrine of Individual Accountability.

Article 12. Doctrine of Christian Service

We believe that those who abide in Christ have the assurance of salvation. The Christian, however, retains the freedom of choice. It is possible for him to turn away from God and be eternally lost.

We believe that all persons are accountable to God, except those incapable of responding to God’s call.

We believe that it is the Christian’s duty to be tender and affectionate to one another, to study the happiness of the people of God in general, to do justly by all people, and to be singly engaged to promote the honor and glory of God.

Article 13. Doctrine of the Lord's Day

Article 14. Doctrine of Worship

Article 15. Doctrine of Christian Stewardship

We Believe in the sanctity of the first day of the week, or Lord’s Day, and that it ought to be observed in the corporate and private worship of God, and that on it we should abstain from our worldly concerns except in cases of necessity or mercy.

We believe that worship is the adoration of God and is duly required of all His children through praise, prayer, and the reading and preaching of His word. Every Christian may worship God privately; however, this should never replace the corporate worship of the church. There are other rites of worship which are valid for use by the local church. Some of these are laying on of hands, anointing the sick with oil, fasting, singing praise to God, corporate affirmation of faith and corporate prayer.

We believe that good works are the fruits of saving faith and include being good stewards of all God’s blessings. Christians are to be responsible in the use of their time and talents. Christians are required to be faithful in the use of their finances for the expense of the program of Christ in the world.

Article 16. Doctrine of the Ordinances of the Gospel

Article 17. The Doctrine of Death

Article 18. The Doctrine of Immortality

Christian Baptism: We believe that this is the immersion of believers in water, in the mane of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in which are represented the burial and resurrection of Christ, the death of Christians to the world, the washing of their souls from the pollution of sin, their rising to newness of life, their commitment to serve God and their resurrection at the last day.
The Lord’s Supper: We believe that this is a commemoration of the death of Christ for our sins, in the use of bread which He made the emblem of His broken body, and the cup, the emblem of His shed Blood, and by it the believer expresses his love of Christ, his faith and hope in Him, and pledges to Him perpetual fidelity.
Washing the Saint’s Feet: We believe that this is a scared ordinance, which teaches humility, the necessity of the servanthood of every believer, and reminds the believer of the necessity of a daily cleansing from sin. It was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ as an example on the night of His last supper and Betrayal.

We believe that Adam, while in the Garden of Eden in a state of innocence and in the image of God, was commanded by God not to eat of the tree of knowledge and of good and evil, and if he did, he would surely die. As a result, Adam was liable or subject to death, but not under the result or penalty of it. However, when he disobeyed and rebelled against the command of God, he passed under the result and penalty of death, and as Adam represented all the human race, death passed upon all men.

We believe that there is much mystery associated with the act or fact of dying. Therefore, no living person can completely understand it. However, the Bible assures that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, changed death from the destroying scourge to the doorway to heaven to all who exercise saving faith in Him.

We believe that the soul does not die with the body, but immediately after death enters into a conscience state of happiness or misery, according to the individual’s relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Article 19. The Doctrine of the Resurrection

Article 20. Doctrine of Last Things

Article 21. Doctrine of Angels

We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of people, each in his own order, the Christian to eternal life and the non-Christian to eternal damnation.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again to glorify His saints, to judge the world, and to consummate His eternal kingdom.

We believe that angels are created spiritual beings. Angels are ministering spirits and messengers of God. Angels convey instructions of God to Men, announce special events, protect the faithful, both individually and collectively, and execute punishment on the adversaries of the work of God.

Article 22. Doctrine of Satan

We believe that Satan is a created spirit being. Names applied to Satan in the Bible are: Lucifer, Belial, Beelzebub, the Devil, the Evil one, the Accuser, the enemy, the tempter, the Prince of Demons, the Prince of the power and the air, and the Ruler of this world.

In the New Testament Satan appears as a distinctive personality. He incites people to shut their ears to God’s message. He maliciously hinders Christian endeavor and is essentially a power of darkness, the enemy of the Light and of God, though he sometimes disguises himself as an angel of light.

Though Satan is all of the above, man is a free moral agent and is responsible for his own sins and is responsible for his acceptance or rejection of Christ, who gives victory over all evil.

Our Beliefs, Church Covenant, Articles of Faith