Statement Of Faith

A) Doctrine of the Bible
We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every word) and plenary (completely) inspired Word of God and that all portions of scripture are equally inspired and contain no contradiction. We equally hold that the King James (authorized) translation to be the preserved Word of God for English speaking people and shall be the official and only translation used by the church.

B) Doctrine of God
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections; and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. (Gen. 1:1, 25; John 1:1; 14:16, 17; I Timothy 3:16)

C) Doctrine of Jesus Christ
We believe in the essential Deity and Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, not having human father, and is all God and all man; that He is man's only hope of salvation from sin, being the only mediator between God and man; that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that our justification is made sure by his literal and physical resurrection from the dead; that His return for His Church, the Body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into Heaven is imminent; and that He will come to this earth to set up His millennial reign.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4, 10:30, 14:6; I Timothy 2:5,6; I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:4-6; Acts 2:18-36; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 2:24; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24; I John 2:1,2)

D) Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:8; I Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)

We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

E) Doctrine of Man
We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is conscious and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not born again, he is eternally lost. Man of himself is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen 1:26, 27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Rev. 21:8; Romans 3:10-23; Romans 5:12; I Cor. 15:21, 22; Rev. 21:11-15)

F) Doctrine of Salvation
We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin and exercises faith by receiving Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. The basis of our salvation is the precious blood of Christ according to I Peter 1:18-19, which states that we are redeemed "...with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." We believe salvation to be the work of God that encompasses the responsibility of man to believe. (John 1:12)

We believe that the scope of salvation includes the forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ, and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at his return for his own.

We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain in everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (John 1:13, 5:24, 10:28-29, Rom 6:23, II Cor 5:21, Eph 2:8-9, I John 5:17, Rom 8:19-23, I John 3:2, II Thes 1:7-9, Hebrews 9:27, II Peter 2:9, Rev 20:12-15, Rev 21:8)

G) Doctrine of Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38-39; I Cor 1:4-8; I Pet 1:4-5)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

H) Doctrine of the Church
We believe that the local church is composed of:

1. A local body of believers who are autonomous and self-governing with no ecclesiastical organization in authority over
    them.2. Believers who are baptized by immersion.
3. Believers who are organized and have for their officers, pastors and deacons with such other leaders as God has given
    special gifts to render as a ministry to the church.
4. Believers who meet regularly to hear the Word of God and offer him praise in song.
5. Believers who observe the two ordinances of the church; baptism and the Lord's Supper.
6. Believers who carry out the commission given them as a church by the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Cor 12:13; Acts 2; I Thes
    4:13-18)

I) Doctrine of Separation
We believe that God commands Christians to be separated to be a separated people according to II Corinthians 6:17-18 and 7:1 "Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

The Promised Land Baptist Church will be separated from all forms of apostasy and religious inclusiveness. We reject the ecumenical movement joining all churches into one body regardless of doctrine or practice and the charismatic renewal movement with its unscriptural emphasis on tongues and healing. The church will enjoy fellowship with churches of like faith and order, but will have no part in any council of churches that is ecumenical in nature or thrust.

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; I Cor. 6:19-20; II Cor. 6:14; 7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11)

J) Doctrine of Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen 1-2; Ex. 20:11)

K) Doctrine of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person. He is a created being who sinned and became the arch enemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God's children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord and when he cannot succeed in this he seeks to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels and demons to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome by the power of God, doing no more than God allows for God's purposes. His doom is sealed in the Lake of Fire forever. (Job 1-2; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-14; Rev. 12:10; 20:10)

L) Doctrine of Last Things
We believe there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of Jesus Christ, and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised to be forever with the Lord and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the Lake of Fire. We believe in the "Blessed Hope" which is the personal, bodily, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial and imminent return of our Lord and Savior for His church (the rapture) and His later return to the earth in power and glory with his saints to set up His Kingdom. (John 14:13; Acts 1:9, 11; 24:15; I Cor. 15:3-20; Phil. 3:20; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 7:25; I John 2:1, 2; Rev. 21:1-8)

M) Doctrine of the Eternal State
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

N) Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the church, and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14)

O) Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

P) Family Relationships
We believe that men and woman are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen 1:26-28; Ex 20:12; Deut. 5:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15, 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12: I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7)

Q) Divorce and Remarriage
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except for the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:5)

R) Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16: Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18: Luke 1:44)

S) Euthanasia
We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of intention. Life is a fight of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Ex 20:13; 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

T) Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers, those who oppose us and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18: Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:19-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; II Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18)

U) Lawsuits between believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

V) Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20)

W) Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17)