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What We Believe At Coastline Baptist
Church:
A. Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, consisting of the Old and New
Testaments alone, to be the verbal-plenary inspired Word of God.
We believe the Bible is inerrant and that it is the supreme and
final authority on all matters of faith and practise. Psalm 12:6;
Psalm 119:89; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21
Furthermore, the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the
Received Text of the New Testament (Textus Receptus) are those
texts of the original languages we accept and use; the King James
Version of the Bible is the only English version we accept and
use.
B. Godhead
We believe in one God who exists eternally in three
persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We
believe that they are equal in every divine perfection and are
executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of
redemption. Matthew 28:19; John 4:7-12; John 16:7
C. Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, begotten by
the Holy Spirit: that He is fully God and fully man. We believe
Jesus shed His blood to atone for our sins, willingly gave His
life as a ransom for all, was bodily raised from the dead and
ascended into Heaven, where He now makes intercession for us, and
is coming again to receive His own. Matthew 1:18-21; John 1:1-2;
Acts 1:8-11; Colossians 1:19-20
D. Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third
person of the Godhead, and that He convicts of sin,
righteousness, and judgment, that He indwells the believer at the
moment of regeneration, and that He fills and empowers believers
for service as they yield themselves and surrender to His will.
John 15:26; John 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18
E. Sin
We believe that man, who was created in God's image,
became a sinner through voluntary disobedience to God's Word,
and that through one man's sin the curse of sin came upon all
humankind, resulting in not only physical, but also spiritual
death. There is not one without sin, therefore all are in need of
a Saviour. Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23; Revelation
20:14-15.
F. Salvation
We believe sinful humankind can only be saved by grace
through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that through His
resurrection we have the free gift of eternal life, and that by
the power of God we are secure in Christ, eternally saved. The
blood of Christ cleanses from all sin - past, present, and
future, and is sufficient to save anyone who will believe. John
10:27-30; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9.
G. Church
We believe the New Testament Church is a local organized
assembly of immersed believers actively engaged in carrying out
the Great Commission and the observance of the two ordinances:
Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe the local church is
the visible manifestation of the Body of Christ and was founded
by Him. Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians
12:12-31; Hebrews 10:25.
H. Baptism
We believe that baptism is one of two ordinances committed
to the local New Testament Church, that immersion is the only
scriptural method, and salvation it's only prerequisite. It
is a step of obedience and a symbol that publicly identifies the
believer with Christ. Romans 6:1-5; Acts 2:41; Acts 8:36-38.
I. Lord's Supper
We believe the Lord's Supper to be a church ordinance
in commemoration of the Lord's death till He comes again. The
unleavened bread representing His body, and the cup
(non-alcoholic grape juice) symbolic of His blood are the
elements used. The Lord's Supper should be partaken of by
believers who are scripturally baptised and members of a church
of like faith and practice and that only after careful
self-examination. I Corinthians 11:23-32.
J. Last Things
We believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to raise
the dead in Christ, and rapture His saints out of this world,
following which there will be a seven-year period of tribulation
upon the earth, after which Christ will return with His saints to
set up His millennial kingdom, a literal 1000 year period, during
which Satan shall be bound.
At the close of the millennium, Satan is again loosed for a short
season, but is afterward banished forever to the Lake of Fire.
The unsaved will be judged to eternal condemnation at the Great
White Throne, and the saved will enjoy eternity with the Lord in
Heaven. Matthew 24:1-51; I Corinthians 15:51-52; I Thessalonians
4:13-17; Revelation 6:16; Revelation 20:13.
K. Present Trends In Doctrine & Practice
NEO-ORTHODOXY - This theological persuasion is a futile attempt
to reconcile, "The higher scientific Biblical criticism with the true
Biblical interpretation." Such an appeal to Biblical revelation is
based on half-truths and as such is false and deceptive. We utterly
reject this method and position.
NEO-EVANGELICALISM- This movement, while claiming to be fundamental
in theology, has actually compromised the underlying principles of the
Christian faith. It questions inspiration and literal interpretation; it
accepts liberals as Christians, takes a new attitude toward the
ecumenical movement, promotes ecumenical evangelism, denies both ethical
and ecclesiastical separation, restructures eschatology, and
over-stresses the social aspects of the Gospel. We hold this stand to be
unscriptural.
ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT - The attempt to unite the different faiths today
on the basis of the least common denominator of doctrine is a betrayal
of the unity of believers based upon sound doctrine of the historic
Christian faith. Its dialogue with other religions is dialectical. Its
method of operation is subversive and shows a tendency to totalitarianism.
Its concept of an ecclesiastical kingdom is not supported by Scripture.
We reject all cooperation with this movement.
THE TONGUES MOVEMENT - We believe that the gift of tongues was given as
a sign to Israel and like the gifts of Apostleship and prophecy, which
were for the founding of the church, is therefore not being given today.
We believe that the current resurgence of the practice of tongues, which
is not Scripturally regulated and which is usually divisive, is not
the Scriptural gift.
CALVINISM.- We believe the five points of Calvinism, as represented in
the acronym TULIP, to be in error. We believe that Jesus Christ, God's
only Son, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and paid the penalty
for the sins of all mankind, and that man has a responsibility to
respond to the Gospel. The man who ends up in Hell is not eternally
condemned because God ordained it so from the beginning, but rather,
because of his own disbelief, or disobedience and willful rejection of
the truth of God's plan of redemption.
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTLAN MUSIC: We believe that Contemporary Christian
Music, also known as CCM, is dangerous not only for its worldly rhythms,
but also because it is characterised by the use of unscriptural lyrics.
We believe the use of Contemporary Christian Music brings great and
rapid change upon its entry into the church.
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