Statement of Faith Emmanuel Baptist Church
This is a brief statement of our basic beliefs, please feel free to call or e-mail me if you have any questions. Thanks, Pastor Andy.
1st let me say welcome to our website. If you live in or are passing through the Belle Fourche area, I’d like to invite you to join us in worship on Sunday morning 10 am, even if you are not a “Baptist”, Come and worship with us.
All Scripture presented on this website is from the KJV.
Our desire is to know the Lord Jesus Christ, to make Him known to all, to make disciples, and to bring glory to His Name by living fruitful lives.
Mat 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
God: We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— who are infinite in glory, wisdom, holiness, justice, power, mercy, grace, knowledge, and love and that He created everything out of nothing for His own pleasure and purpose.
Genesis chapters 1 & 2. The Triune God in Creation.
One God: Isaiah 45:5-6 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
Isa 45:21-22 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Jesus is God: John 10:22 – 42 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me? The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe Me not.
But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
And many resorted unto Him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
And many believed on Him there.
The Holy Spirit is God: Act 5:1-11 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
God the Father: God, as Father, reigns over all of His universe with providential care and is all-powerful, all loving, all-knowing, and all-wise. (Gen 1:1; 1 Chr 29:10; Jer 10:10; Matt 6:9; Acts 1:7; Rom 8:14-15; 1 Cor 8:6; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 4:6)
God the Son: Jesus Christ is unique, He is God, who in His incarnation was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary and became a man. In His earthly ministry He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. By the power of God, He was raised from the dead in the same body now glorified. He ascended into Heaven where, at the right hand of God, He continually makes intercession for us. He will soon return and physically reign on the earth for 1000 years. (Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Rom 3:24-26; 8:3)
God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son; He regenerates the believing sinner; indwells, guides, instructs, seals, gifts, and empowers the believer for Godly living and service; He comforts the children of God. The Holy Spirit guides and gives power to the church, the body of Christ, to fulfill the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and points, men/women, to Jesus. Every believer is called to live in the power of the Holy Spirit so that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but to bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8; 14:16-17; 16:7-11; 2 Cor 12:7-11, 13; Eph 4:30; 5:18; Gal 5:19-25)
Scripture: We believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired, inerrant throughout, and that holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the very words of Scripture.
The Word of God is without error (2 Timothy 3:16: 2 Peter 1:21). We believe that God has preserved His Word throughout the centuries. The final guide to the interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself.
Scripture is our final authority in all matters of faith and life as revealed by the Holy Spirit to each individual believer.
The Pastor at EBC preaches out of the King James Bible.
Man, woman, and sin: Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman, were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), their fall into sin is the basis for the necessity of salvation for mankind. Death, both physical and spiritual, entered this world and affected creation as a whole, a direct consequence of man’s sin. The Word of God tells us that everyone has Adams’s sin nature, and we are all sinners, inherently from Adam and individually by choice, and are therefore subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. The Word of God clearly tells us that a man must be born again or he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3; Rom 3:10, 23)
Salvation: Salvation is the gift of God and includes the forgiveness of sins, the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ (on to the repentant sinner), and the gift of eternal life. Jesus is the only way by which man may have access to God. Union with the triune God provides all blessings in this life and the life hereafter. Salvation is received by faith alone, apart from all good works and merit. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-10; Rom 6:23.
Baptism: The Word of God states that after a person has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, then he or she should be baptized by immersion in water. Acts 8:36-40; Acts 16:30-34.
Baptism is a testimony that the person being baptized has:
(1) died with Christ to their old self;
(2) they are raised with Christ a new creature.
Baptism does not save, true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves. God commands us to believe and then to be baptized. Any believer who refuses baptism should truly examine his or her conversion, have they truly repented and believed?
Eternal Security of the believer: Every child of God possesses eternal life. Being justified by faith, sanctified by God, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, he/she is safe and secure for all eternity and cannot lose his salvation. Through sin, a Christian can lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony, and rewards, and incur the Father’s chastisement (discipline) but the relationship is eternal, being established by the new birth.
(John 10:27-29, I Corinthians 3:11-17, 5:1-5 and 11:30-32 and Hebrews 12:5-11).
The Church: A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of the church age, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. The church is composed of all those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Spirit of God by whom they have been baptized into one body of whom Christ is the head. The purpose of the church is to love, worship, and glorify God, love people, reach the lost and make disciples. We accomplish this by prayer, study, and application of the Bible, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship.
Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.
Satan: We believe as the Bible reveals that Satan is a created angelic being. Satan was originally named Lucifer. Lucifer was the anointed Cherub who guarded the throne of God until he rebelled against God. Satan is the author of sin, a liar and the father of lies, and is destined to the judgment of eternal punishment in the lake of fire. He is the adversary, enemy of both God and man.
Satan is NOT equal to God. God is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Present. Satan is limited in power, in knowledge and cannot be present in more than one place at a time. (Isa 14:12-15; Eze 28:13-19; Matt 4:1-3; Acts 5:3; 2 Cor 4:4; John 8:44; Rev 20:10)
Hell: Hell is the temporary holding place for lost souls, it is not purgatory. There is no such place called purgatory.
Hell was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41) but those who have rejected God’s mercy and grace and die in their sin will be placed in hell until the Great White Throne Judgement. Luke 16:19-31.
At the end of the Millennial reign of Christ, the unsaved will be called before the Great White Throne of God and judged. Death and hell will at that time be cast into the lake of fire. God will judge unbelievers (unsaved), they will then be cast into the lake of fire, where they will be for all of eternity.
Rev 20:11-15.
You can know if you are forgiven and have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13).
If you are unsure and concerned about where you will spend eternity click here.
Heaven: Heaven is the eternal home of those who have been redeemed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the born again or saved.
Heaven is described in the Bible as a place where the throne of God is located. A place of unimaginable beauty.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
A place where there is no sin, no sorrow, no curse, no tears, no pain.
Prayer: The Church is commanded throughout Scripture to be a people of prayer. Over and over especially in the book of Acts we see that the church is to pray and preach.
We are to pray without ceasing.
Things that should be included in our prayers: praise and thanksgiving, confession of sin, salvation for the lost, the needs of others and ourselves.
Evangelism: If the church is to grow it must prayerfully go. Matt 20:18-20, Acts 1:8.
We can and should utilize different God-honoring methods to get the Gospel in front of people, but we must not compromise or water down the message.
Evangelism simply put is taking the Gospel (Good News) to the world, beginning within our own households.
Discipleship: Once a person comes to the Savior, God has given us the responsibility to help them grow as believers.
We need to take the responsibility as lead by the Holy Spirit to guide new converts in the learning process, but it does not end there we are to learn Scriptures and application of those Scriptures throughout our lives and help and encourage others to do
the same.
Ministry: Meeting other’s needs in the Name of Jesus.
Worship: Corporate (together with other believers) and individual. Worship includes but is not limited to music. It includes prayer, Scripture reading, offerings, decisions, and most importantly the hearing of God’s Word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Worship is NOT just focused on music.
Fellowship:
At EBC: We like to fellowship after each Sunday morning service we eat lunch together. Everyone is welcome.
Fellowship with other churches of like faith: Believers in heaven will fellowship with one another. There will be no denominational separations.
So why not fellowship with believers, men, and women of like faith?
Eschatology: The Word of God has given us a glimpse of things to come. The church age will end with the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, the tribulation period will begin with the signing of the 7-year peace covenant with the Anti-christ, Israel and other nations. There will follow a 1000-year physical reign of Christ on this earth after the tribulation. The great white throne judgment will happen at the end of the 1000 years ushering in the new heaven and new earth, where there is no more curse, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more death.
Marriage: Biblical marriage is one man and one woman married to each other in a monogamous, lifetime relationship as described and defined by the Word of God.