Little River Independent
Baptist Church
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
1. The Scriptures. We believe the Holy Scriptures (66 Books) of the Old and New Testaments to be the only verbally plenary infallible inspired Word of God ; inerrant in the original writings, but providentially preserved in its inspired state while maintaining infallibility and inerrancy in the King James Bible. We believe that the King James Bible is the only Bible in the English language that God would have us to use, preach ,teach, study, and memorize from, because it is the God preserved translation of the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus for the English speaking people. The Bible teaches that the providentially preserved Holy Scriptures are and shall remain the only complete unerring and unchanging standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
2. The Son. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Existed in eternity past with God the Father and the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ was born into this world through the womb of a virgin named Mary, that he might fulfill the plan of redemption dying as a sacrifice for all mankinds sin. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God the Son. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and on the third day arose from the dead and was glorified in the same body in which he suffered and died. He is now our High Priest in Heaven appearing before the presence of God as our advocate and intercessor.
3. The True. GodThe Bible teaches a triune Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are co-equal in power and glory as well as co-eternal.
4. The Holy SpiritWe believe in the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Triune God, equal with the Father and the Son. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; bears witness to the truth. He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption. We believe that certain of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as apostleship. prophecy, tongues, healing, and revelation were temporary and are not to be expected today. We believe that the Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads any person, at any time, contrary to the teaching of the Bible.
5. The Fall 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 and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all mankind is born with a sinful nature, is totally unable to regain their former position, and is therefore, under just condemnation to eternal ruin, in a literal hell without defense or excuse before God.
6. Salvation. We believe that salvation is by the grace of God, received as a free gift to a repentant sinner who in faith trusts Christ as Lord and Saviour. Salvation was accomplished by Christ's death and most importantly through His sinless shed blood upon the cross. Without His shed blood salvation could never be possible. We reject the false teaching of Hyper-Calvinism, and the idea that man could lose his salvation. Salvation is solely upon the merit of what Christ has done for us, including His resurrection from the dead on the third.
We believe that the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that change in the soul by the Holy Spirit by which a new nature and spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus and without it salvation is impossible.
We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity from the moment of regeneration. This security is guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal life, by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry of Christ.
7. The Local Church. Each local church is to be independent and autonomous and free from political authority or ecclesiastical hierarchy, the Lord Jesus being the only Head. We believe all ministries should go through the local church and under its authority. Para-church organizations are unbiblical because they usurp the local church. We reject the Roman Catholic version of being the universal church but rather recognize it as the synagogue of Satan. We believe God has always had a faithful testimony of sound bible believing local New Testament churches throughout the church age who were not ashamed to be identified with Baptist doctrine, neither could the gates of Hell prevail against them.Furthermore, the local church is not a building, but a called out assembly of born-again, baptized believers.We believe that the Bible teaches that the following offices of the church should be held by men only: Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Deacons, and Moderator.
8. Of Missions. We believe the command of Christ to preach the gospel to all nations is clear and that this commission was given to the churches to carry out.
9. Of Separation. Godly living is the fruit of being born-again. We are taught by the grace of God to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. We are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our mind. The Bible teaches us to be separate from worldliness, which includes pagan and heathen practices, immodest and sensual appearances, immorality, and all sinful and evil pleasures. The Bible, in principle, clearly teaches us to separate from all apostasy and heresy, including Liberalism, Modernism, Ecumenism, Pentecostalism, Charismatics, Hyper-Landmarkism, Hyper-Calvinism, Arminianism, Amillenialism, Post-millenialism and all other movements not in agreement with the holy Word of God. God's Word also commands us to expose all such apostasy and heresy along with those organizations espousing such, including the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention, etc.
10. Concerning the Ordinances. Every person who has truly been born-again is already a member of the family of God. Every person who has been born again is to seek a New Testament church and obey Christ's command to be baptized by the authority of the church. In obedience to the Lord he or she should be immersed in water to demonstrate his faith in Christ and to typify the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord's supper should be done often as a memorial of what Christ has done for the believer. As clearly taught in the Bible, the wine is unfermented and therefore new, and the bread is unleavened as a symbol of the pure and spotless life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
11. Civil Government. The Bible teaches us to be submitted to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. The only exception is when government establishes laws contrary to the Word of God then we ought to obey God rather then men.
12. Creation. Man is not a product of evolution, but was created in the image of God. All things were made by Christ and by Him all things consist.
13. The Holy Angels and Satan's Host. Satan is a person (once called Lucifer) and is the author of sin and the cause of the fall. He and an innumerable host of angels fell by reason of their rebellion against God. For Satan and his host their is reserved eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. The Holy Angels, on the other hand, are ministering spirits, sent to minister to those who are heirs of salvation as well as minister around the throne of God.
What We Beleive