Statement of Faith

The Bible

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the sixty-six books of the Bible, and that Biblical revelation is complete. Since the Scripture is the authoritative and infallible Word of God, without any admixture of error, it is to be the sole authority for a believer’s faith and practice. Not only did God inspire the authors of the Scripture as they wrote the Bible, but over the ages He has also preserved His words for believers today. The King James Version will be the only translation used in an official capacity by the Champlain Valley Baptist Church.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Psalm 12:6-7, Matthew 5:18)

God

We believe that the only true God eternally exists as a Trinity of three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We further believe that these three are one God, but separate in personality and work. 

God is our Creator, having spoken the world into existence during a literal six-day creation. By virtue of His divine character and position as our creator, God is mankind’s ultimate authority and is sovereign in human affairs.

God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. His nature is defined in Scripture as both loving and holy. 

(Genesis 1:1-2, John 1:1-4, Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 John 4:8)

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, eternally existing yet born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life, making His death on the cross substitutionary for the sins of the whole world. 

After making atonement for the sins of the world with His own blood, He ascended into Heaven with a glorified body where He is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the saints as our High Priest.

(John 1:1-4, Matthew 1:20-23, Luke 1:35, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Galatians 4:4-5, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 9:22)

Salvation

We believe that every person is born sinful due to the fall of Adam. Man, in his natural state, is condemned to a literal hell as a result of his sin. Only a personal faith in the work of Christ on the cross is efficacious to save a man’s repentant soul.

Through Christ’s vicarious death, salvation is available to all who freely place their faith in Christ. We reject any teaching that undermines God’s invitation for all mankind to accept Christ. 

Furthermore, we believe that all individuals who have placed their faith in Christ are eternally sealed to the day of redemption. The eternal security of the believer is a work of God, independent of the process of progressive sanctification. However, the Scriptures explicitly forbid Christians from using this assurance to excuse immoral behavior.

(Romans 3:10, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9, Acts 16:30-31, 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16, John 10:28-29, Romans 6:1-2)

Church

We believe that the local church is a group of believers who have been saved by the grace of God and baptized in water who are assembled to bring glory to God and fulfill the Great Commission. In pursuance of these objectives, the church should evangelize the lost, edify and exhort the saved, support individual believers as they grow in grace, and worship the Lord with believers’ praise and holiness. 

Each believer has been equipped by the Holy Spirit with gifts and abilities for the purpose of fulfilling the work of the church. Sign gifts, such as speaking in tongues and healing the sick, were temporary gifts that are not given to believers in this time.

We believe that the evangelism of the lost is the responsibility of each believer individually and also of the local church collectively. The lost that God has called us to evangelize include unbelievers in the community of the local church and also unbelievers in all areas of the country and world. The church is able to evangelize other regions of the country and other nations by supporting missions.  

We believe God’s program today is centered on the local New Testament church, which is to be independent of any denominational structure, as evidenced by the example set forth in the book of Acts.

We believe that the offices of the church as authorized by the Scripture are pastor and deacon.

Baptism by immersion and observance of the Lord’s supper are the only ordinances of the church.

(1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:25-27, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 5:19, Hebrews 10:25, Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, Acts 13:1-4, Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Holiness

For all those who accept God’s free gift of salvation, the Lord has predestinated us to a life of sanctification, holiness, and purpose. All believers are engaged in a process of being transformed into the image of God. Since God is both loving and sinless, we are expected to become more loving and to reject our sinful nature. Believers are empowered to do this through the work of Christ on the cross and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 8:29, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 2:5, John 15:9, 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2 Peter 3:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)

End Times

We believe the Lord Jesus is coming again in the air at any moment to rapture His church and to bring them to heaven with Him. 

All those who are left behind will go through a seven-year period of tribulation, after which Christ shall return visibly to the earth with His saints to set up His Kingdom of one thousand years of righteous rule. After this, the unbelievers of all the ages will stand at the Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God forever, while believers of all the ages will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord.

(Zechariah 14:4-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Mark 13:32, Titus 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Revelation 3:10, Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:15)