Historic Baptist Principles
The following paragraphs simply summarize what we believe as a church family. We believe the Bible and teach it to be perfectly true. Every belief and teaching of Abundant Harvest Baptist flows from God’s Word.
| A Baptist is a born-again Christian whose beliefs regarding the Bible and its teachings can tend to differentiate him from many other professed Christians. Strictly speaking, Baptists are not Protestants. Our spiritual forefathers were in existence long before the Reformation. Bible believers have held these basic truths from the Scriptures that have identified them apart from both the Catholic Church and Protestants throughout recorded history back to the first century, even though they have been known by various other group names, including Ana-Baptists, Paulicians, Waldensians, etc. |
Being in agreement with the historical doctrinal position of Baptist Churches, we choose to be called a “Baptist Church,” until at such time this name shall be wholly associated with apostasy, heresy and teachings contrary to the historical Baptist principles listed:
(A) The pre-eminence of Jesus Christ as our Divine Lord and Master. He is the only Head over, and Lawgiver to, His churches. Local churches cannot make laws of God, but only execute those which He has given. We will not submit to any self-claimed religious leader, official or overlord, nor to any system of ecclesiastical machinery among our churches. Jesus is to be Lord in both our lives and our churches.
(B) The supreme authority of the Bible as God’s only divine, complete, and infallible revelation. It is sufficient as our only guide and standard of authority in all matters of faith, practice, and morals; whatever it teaches is to be believed and whatever it commands is to be obeyed; whatever it commends is to be accepted as both right and useful; whatever it condemns is to be avoided as both wrong and hurtful; but what it neither commands nor teaches is not to be imposed on the conscience as of religious obligation.
(C) The competency of the individual soul to approach God and to interpret the Word of God according to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is the privilege of every person to read and understand the Bible for himself, without dictation from, or dependence on anyone, being responsible to God alone for his use of the sacred truth.
(D) All born-again believers are their own priests having Jesus Christ as their High Priest, who alone can mediate between man and God. Because we are priests, according to Scripture, we may approach God, pray to Him, and worship Him freely and fully at any time. We need no other human intermediary since we have direct access to God through Christ.
(E) The Church membership is to be made up of only born-again individuals, who having understood their sinfulness, and need of a Saviour, have by faith alone, repented of their sinfulness, and trusted in Christ as God’s only way of salvation, and then having been Scripturally baptized by full immersion in water.
(F) There is to be absolute separation of Church and State. No organic union of the two can be accepted. The Church should neither ask for, nor accept of, support from civil authorities, since to do so would imply the right of the same civil dictation and control. The support of the Church belongs to those who belong to it. Because Human Government is of divine appointment, we are to be subject to and obey those vested with governmental authority in all secular matters, but not contrary to conscience and the Word of God. But, civil governments, rulers and magistrates have no right of dictation to, of control over, or of interference with the practice of a Christian’s faith, so long as one does not intrude upon, interfere with, or do injustice to the basic rights of others.
(G) The practice of one’s faith is to be free and voluntary, based solely upon one’s conscience, both in respect as to beliefs, worship and service; neither conformity to, nor support of religion in any form should be Church or State mandated. Christian faith and practice are matters of conscience and personal choice, and not subject to official dictation; and for either civil or ecclesiastical authority to enforce conformity, physically punish dissent, or compel the support of any form of worship, is a crime against the right of man, is an assumption of divine prerogatives on the part of humans, and is treason against Christ, the only Lord of the conscience and Sovereign of the soul.
(H) The local congregation of believers is to be completely autonomous. Each local church assembly is, with God’s enabling, to be self-governing, and independent of all other churches, and of all persons and bodies of men whatever, as to the administration of its own affairs. In the realm of spiritual matters, it has the right to be free from any other human authority, whether civil or ecclesiastical.
(I) There are only Two Church Offices: Pastor (which is another word for bishop or elder), and Deacon. There are no archbishops, Vicars, Nuns, priests, or anything else that would imply a hierarchy. A Baptist Church is composed simply of brethren (Matthew 23:8), with shepherds (pastors) leading them as they all follow Jesus Christ by obeying the commands of the Word of God, the Bible.
These basic principles identify a Baptistic type of church throughout history.
