Section 1: The Scriptures

We believe the Holy Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testament, as originally written, was verbally and plenarily inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men. Therefore, it is truth without any admixture of error. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried.

2 Peter 1:19-21; John 17:17; Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

Section 2: The True God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite and intelligent Spirit, the Maker and supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and is worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

Deuteronomy 4:39; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Psalm 45:6; Revelation 1:8; John 4:24; Revelation 4:11; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 28:19-20

 

        Section 2a: God the Father

We believe God the Father reigns with providential care over His created universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, everywhere present, and all wise. He is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ and is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Psalm 19:1-3; Acts 17:24-28; Colossians 1:6; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26; Psalm 139:1-6; 1 John 4:7-8; Psalm 139:7-12; Matthew 6:9-15; Romans 8:14-15; Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 7:7-11

 

       Section 2b: God the Son

We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is divine as no other man can be, existing from all eternity, co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. He never ceased to be God for one instant, and His humiliation did not consist in laying aside His deity. As a man, He was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. His two natures remained distinct and yet acted in complete harmony with each other in subjection to the will of the Father.

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We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. After teaching His disciples for forty days, He ascended to the Father’s right hand where He acts as Advocate and Intercessor on behalf of the saints.

John 1:1-3; 10:30; John 8:58; 1 John 1:1-2; Philippians 2:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25; John 4:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Acts 1:3; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:20-23; I John 2:1; Romans 8:34; 

 

       Section 2c: God the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature. He was active in creation. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand truth. He glorifies Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He sanctifies, cultivates Christian character, comforts, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which believers serve God through His Church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. In his relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled.

 

We believe the sign/revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit have fulfilled their purpose and are not applicable to the work of the Holy Spirit today.

Psalm 139:7-8; Acts 5:3-4; Genesis 1:1-3; Psalm 33:6-7; 104:30; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 John 2:27; John 16:14;

John 16:8-11; John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 5:16-26; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:16-17; Hebrews 9:13-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 5:30-32; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Corinthians 12-14

 

Section 3: Mankind Created and Fallen

We believe the Genesis account of creation teaches that God created the heavens and the earth in six 24-hour days by direct act and not by any process of evolution. We believe man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God. Man’s creation, as it is written in the Genesis account, is to be accepted literally. Man fell through sin. Sin is inherited from Adam and is failure to meet God’s standard in any thought, motive or action. As a consequence of man’s sin, he lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and became subject to the power of the devil. Every human is born with a nature which possesses no spark of divine life and is essentially and unchangeably sinful apart from divine grace. Thus, all humans are sinners and rightfully deserving of hell. The Man Christ Jesus alone was sinless. Though scarred by sin, man continues to bear God’s image which means life is to be valued from conception until natural death.

Genesis 1-2; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:10; Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12;

Romans 1:20-21; 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; James 3:9

 

Section 4: Salvation

We believe the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe Jesus, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior. By the shedding of His blood in His death, He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin. His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. Having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven. Uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation.

John 15:16; Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 2:14-17; 1 Peter 2:24; 2Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:4-7; Philippians 2:7-8; Ephesians 1:20-23; Hebrews 1:3; John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:1, 6

       

        Section 4a: Grace and the New Birth

We believe in order to be saved, sinners must be born again. The new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus. It is instantaneous and not a process. In the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God. The new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel. Its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of faith, repentance, and newness of life. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God, prompted by the Holy Spirit, and is an integral part of saving faith.

John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4; John 3:8; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 4:17-32; Luke 3:8; Acts 2:38; 3:19

       

       Section 4b: Justification

We believe justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ. It is bestowed, not in consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s shed blood.

Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9

       

        Section 4c: Sanctification

We believe sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to their life; and third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return.

1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 10:10-14; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24

 

        Section 4d: Security of Believers

We believe all who are truly born again are secure in Christ and kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ.

John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Philippians 1:6

 

Section 5: Angels

We believe there are angelic beings created by God for the purposes of carrying out His divine program. Some of these angels are good in that they perform God’s will, especially in relation to the saints on earth. Some of the angels are evil, having fallen from their original state under the leadership of Satan, and are his ministers of evil in the world.

Matthew 13:41; Hebrews 1:14; Ephesians 6:12; Jude 6; Revelation 12:9

 

Section 6: The Devil, or Satan

We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil. He was created by God as an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator. He became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.

Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9; 20:2-3; Ezekiel 28:14-17; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10

 

Section 7: The Church

We believe a local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privilege invested in them by His Word. Its officers are pastor(s) and deacon(s), godly men whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.

 

We believe the true mission of the church is to glorify God. We do this by equipping the saints for the work of the ministry and faithfully telling others about Christ as we have opportunity. The local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations, and the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit.

 

We believe it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel. Each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. On all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.       

 

We believe in the unity (universal church) of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Acts 2:37-47; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 1:22-23;

1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 1:27; Jude 3; Acts 15:13-18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:1-6; Colossians 1:18

 

Section 8: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe there are two ordinances to be observed by the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

 

We believe Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water to show, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our identification with the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life. Baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church and is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.

 

We believe the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, should be enjoyed by all who are born again believers, and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination.

Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29

 

Section 9: The Righteous and the Wicked

We believe there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. Only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem. All such as continue in unrepentance and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse. This distinction holds among all people both in and after death, in the everlasting bliss of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the Lake of Fire.

Genesis 18:23; Malachi 3:18; 1 John 5:19; Romans 6:23; 7:6; Galatians 3:10-14; 1 John 3:4-6; Matthew 25:34-41; Luke 16:25; Revelation 20:14-15

 

Section 10: Civil Government

We believe civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society. Government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of kings.

Exodus 18:21-22; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Matthew 22:21; Acts 23:5; Daniel 3:17-18; Acts 4:19-20, 5:29

 

Section 11: Rapture and Subsequent Events

We believe in the pretribulational rapture of the church, an event that can occur at any moment. At that moment, the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death. All those in Christ will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seven years of the tribulation. We believe that the Tribulation, which follows the rapture of the church, will be culminated by the premillennial return of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish His Kingdom upon this earth. We also believe in a literal 1,000-year millennium.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-54; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 21:1-22; 5Revelation 20:1-6

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Section 12: Separation from the world

We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe in personal separation from secret societies.

Romans 12:1-2; 16:17-18; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-19; 2 John 9-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:22

 

Section 13: Israel

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people. Israel is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ. She will be regathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ.

Genesis 13:14-17; Ezekiel 37; Romans 11:1-32; Revelation 7:4-8

 

Section: 14: Marriage, Gender and Sexuality

We believe God wonderfully and unchangeably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct and complementary genders together reflect the image and the nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

 

We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a biological man and a biological woman who are married to each other.

 

We believe any form of sexual immorality (including, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.

 

We believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in agreement with Scripture nor the doctrines of Saint Ansgar Baptist Church.

 

We believe in order to preserve the function and integrity of Saint Ansgar Baptist Church as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the members of the church, it is imperative that all persons employed by Saint Ansgar Baptist Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this statement of Marriage, Gender and Sexuality.

 

Saint Ansgar Baptist Church believes Holy Scripture grants two life-enhancing options for human sexual behavior: (1) the conjugal “one flesh” marital union of one biological man and one biological woman; and (2) celibacy. Each is a gift from God. Faithful singleness is to be celebrated and affirmed within the universal Church.

 

The pastor(s) of this church shall only officiate weddings and solemnize marriages between one biological man and one biological woman. The facilities and property of this church shall only host weddings in compliance with this policy. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized by Saint Ansgar Baptist Church as a legitimate marriage only to the extent that it is consistent with this policy.

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-25; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Acts 3:19-21;

Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31; Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Isaiah 54:1; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:5-8; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5; Isaiah 56:3-5; Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 7:6-8; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13