We believe that the Bible is the Word of God; that it was written and finished by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit so that their writings in the original were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, contradiction, or omission as no other writings have been or ever will be. They are the complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; forever settled in Heaven, and thus are the supreme and final authority in all/every matter(s) of faith, practice, and Christian fellowship. We further contend that the Bible is complete, preserved for every generation, and the King James Bible is God’s Word for English-speaking people today.

(Psalms 119:89; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

We believe in one God, who is eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable. We believe He has one nature, one essence, and one substance, yet manifests Himself to man in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; I Timothy 1:17; James 1:17; I John 4:4)

We believe the Scriptures teach that God created man in His own image and after His own likeness; that man is notably distinct from all other forms of life, being tripartite in nature and having an everlasting soul; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms of life; that the entire Genesis account of creation is to be accepted literally and not allegorically or figuratively; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly and specially, and God’s established law is that they should bring forth only “after their kind.”

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1. The Fall of Man

We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression through an act of deliberate disobedience fell from that sinless and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but of choice, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the Law of God, positively inclined to evil; that upon reaching a capability of moral action becomes a transgressor and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse.

(Genesis 1:1,11,25-27,31; 2:21-23; Exodus 20:11; Acts 4:24; Colossians 1:16,17; Hebrews 11:3; John 1:3; Revelation 10:6; Romans 1:20; Acts 17:23-26; Jeremiah 10:12; Nehemiah 9:6; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 3:1-6,24; Romans 1:18,20,28,32; 3:10-19; 5:12,19; Ezekiel 18:19,20; Galatians 3:10,22; Psalm 51:6; Isaiah 53:6; Ephesians 2:3; Matthew 20:15)

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2. Civil Government

We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interest and good of human society; that all those in authority are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the revealed will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the rulers of the earth; that civil rulers have no rights or control over, or interference with, religious matters; that churches and religious organizations should receive no help from the State, except protection and full freedom in the pursuit of spiritual ends; and that the requiring of an implicit faith and absolute blind obedience destroys liberty of conscience and reason.

(Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13,14,17; Matthew 22:21; Titus 3:1; I Timothy 2:1-8; Acts 5:29; Matthew 10:28; Daniel 3:15-18; 6:7,10; Acts 4:18-20; Matthew 23:10; Romans 14:4; Revelation 19:14; Psalm 72:11; II Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21,22; Acts 23:5; Philippians 2:10,11)

We at Bethany Baptist Church believe that man’s sinful condition requires the work of Salvation which only God can graciously accomplish. The foundation for Salvation was laid by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for the sins of the whole world as a vicarious sacrifice. We further declare that for a man to be saved and justified from sin, he must hear the Word, be convicted by the Spirit, repent from his sin, believe in his heart unto righteousness, and confess with his mouth the Lord Jesus. The work of Salvation is further experienced by the reality of a personal transformation and personal communion with God. We believe that all those who reject Jesus Christ as their Savior are already condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire.

(Romans 3:10-23; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 6:23; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6; Revelation 20:11-14)

1. Angels
We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a vast celestial kingdom of spirit beings called Angels, in ages past created holy, glorious, and higher than man; a vast company of various ranks worshiping God, ministering to His glorious Person and to His children.

(Psalm 148:2,5; Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 103;20; 104:4; Daniel 9:21,22; Luke 9:26; Mark 8:38; Daniel 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7; Psalm 80:1; 99;1,11; Revelation 4:6-8; Ezekiel 1:4-28; Isaiah 6:1-3; II Thessalonians 1:7,8; Psalm 34:7; Acts 12:7-11; II Kings 6:17)

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2. The Devil, or Satan
We believe the Scriptures teach that Satan, as the mighty angel Lucifer, was once holy, enjoying heavenly honors; but that through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the malignant “prince of the power of the air”, the unholy god of this world; that he is man’s great tempter, the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy; the lord of the Antichrist, and the author of all the powers of darkness; destined however to final defeat at the hands of God’s own son, and the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.

(Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Revelation 12:9; Jude 6; Ephesians 2:2; II Peter 2:4; John 14:30; I Thessalonians 3:5; Matthew 4:1-3; I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; Matthew 13:25,37,39; Luke 22:3,4; Revelation 12;10; II Corinthians 11:13-15; Mark 13:21,22; I John 4:3; II John 7; I John 2:22; Revelation 13:13,14; 12:7-9; 19:11,16,20; 20:1-3,10; II Thessalonians 2:8-11; Matthew 25:41)

We believe the Scriptures teach that sin is any transgression of or want of conformity to, the revealed will of God; that it has permeated the entire universe, including every realm and affecting every race and species amongst creation; that every man is born with a sin nature, an inherent inclination toward evil which results in acts of wrong-doing; that the wages of sin is death, being separation from God in this life and throughout eternity.

(I John 3:4; Numbers 32:23; Isaiah 53:13; Matthew 7:23; 23:28; Romans 6:19; Judges 20:16; Romans 3:23; I Samuel 15:23; Jeremiah 2:25; Luke 19:14; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:14,18; Romans 8:22; 1:18-32; Psalm 51:5; 58:3; John 3:19; James 4:17; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12,14; Ephesians 2:1; 4:8; Matthew 10:23; Revelation 20:15)

We believe the Scriptures teach that a Baptist Church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its only Scriptural offices are pastors (elders, bishops), and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the New Testament; that the true mission of each church is found in the Great Commission, first, to make individual disciples, second, to build up the church by baptizing those believers, third, to teach and instruct as He has commanded; that his order cannot be reversed; that each church has the absolute right of self government, free from any interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only Head of each church is Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for churches of like faith and order to co-operate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, but that every church is the sole and only judge of the measure and method of its co-operation; that in all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of each church is final.

(Acts 2:41,42,47; 5:11; 8:1; 11:31; I Corinthians 4:17; 5:5,11,18; 11:2,23; II Corinthians 8:5,23,24; I Timothy 3:5,15; II Thessalonians 3:7; Romans16:17-20; Matthew 18:15-20; 28:19,20; John 14:15; 15:10; I John 4:21; I Thessalonians 4:2; II John 6; Philippians 1:1; Acts 14:23; 15:22,23; 20:17-28; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:11; I Corinthians 12:4,8-11; Acts 6:5,6; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23,24; I Peter 5:1-4; Jude 3,4; I Corinthians 5:11-13; 6:1-3)

1. Scriptural Baptism

We believe the Scriptures teach that baptism is the immersion in water of the believer in Christ, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, performed with the church’s authority; to show forth in solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a pre- requisite to the privileges of church membership; that infants are God’s little ones, whether children of Christian or non-Christian parents, and are safe in Christ until an age of moral accountability is reached, thus making any thoughts of “infant baptism” unnecessary.

(Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 2:41; 8:12,13,26-39; 9:17,18; 10:25,26,44-48; 16:14,15,25-37; 18:7-11; Matthew 3:1-16; 21:24,25; John 3:22,23; 4:1,2; Galatians 3:27,28; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; I Peter 3:15,20,21; II Samuel 12:22,23; Proverbs 20:11)

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2. The Lord’s Supper

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord’s Supper, is a provision of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, as symbols of Christ’s body and shed blood; partaken of by the members of a church, in commemoration of the suffering and death of their Lord, and in helpful anticipation of His return.

(Matthew 26:27-30; 28:20; Mark 14:20-26; Luke 22:19,20; I Corinthians 10:16; 11:2,17-34)

We believe the Scriptures teach that it is necessary to maintain a total and complete separation from all forms of heresy and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe the Scripture admonishes us to try them, mark them, rebuke them, have no fellowship with them, withdraw ourselves, receive them not, have no company with them, reject them, and separate ourselves from them.

(Romans 16:17; II Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:11; II Thessalonians 3:6,14; Titus 1:13; 3:10; I John 4:1; II John 10,11)

We believe the Scriptures teach that giving is one of the fundamentals of the faith; that God is the Source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; that tithing is a Bible principle, and that the storehouse for the tithe in this present age is the common treasury of the church; that we are under obligation to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions; and are commanded to cheerfully, regularly, and liberally bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse upon the first day of the week.

(Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 8:18; Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23; I Corinthians 9:13,14; 16:1,2; Hebrews 7:2,4; Acts 4:35,37; Proverbs 3:9; II Corinthians 8:3,12; 9:7,8; Luke 6:38)

We believe the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ rose literally and bodily from the dead on the third day; that having ascended into glory, He alone is our merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God; that this same Jesus shall return to earth bodily, personally, and visibly; first to raise the righteous dead and catch up all living believers in the twinkling of an eye, then to return with the saints to set up His glorious kingdom of a millennium of peace and righteousness, having executed judgment upon an unbelieving world; that at the final day of judgment all Christ-rejecting sinners will be raised, judged, and cast into the lake of fire for everlasting damnation, that the saved will live with Him for eternity according to the sure promises of God.

(Matthew 28:6,7; Luke 24:2,4-6,19,51; John 20:27; I Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6,19; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 8:1,6; 12:2; I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; 5:9,10; John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Matthew 24:27,35,42; Hebrews 9:28; I Corinthians 15:25,42-44,51-53; Philippians 4:20,21; Luke 1:32; Isaiah 11:4,5; Psalm 72:8; Revelation 20:1-4,6,15; 21:7,8,24-27; 22:11; I Peter 4:7; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Hebrews 1:10-12; Revelation 1:7; I John 2:17; Acts 24:15; Luke 14:14; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28,29; 6:40; 11:25,26; II Timothy 1:10; Acts 10:42; Matthew 13:37-43,49; 25:35-41; II Peter 2:9,11,12; Revelation 20:20)