Home
Doctrinal Statement Of
Pioneer
Baptist Church
Thurmont, Maryland
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an
answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear:
THE BIBLE
We believe and accept the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, and therefore the altogether sufficient and authoritative rule of faith and practice. Further-more, in light of all the confusion and questions caused by the many modern versions, we believe and accept the 1611 King James Translation as the Word of God, with all the characteristics thereof.
II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; I Peter 1:23; Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5-6; John 10:35; John 17:17; Revelation 22:18-19
THE GODHEAD
We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God, who is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being, eternally existent in three persons...God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and perfect in His being, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; He is absolutely holy in His character and, as the creator and supreme ruler of all creation, is worthy of all worship and adoration.
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy
6:4; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 139:7-9; Matthew 28:19, John 10:30; John 15:26; John
5:17
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the second person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and only begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person, He became man through the miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, that as man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death by the shedding of His blood upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose from the grave in a glorified body; that as our great High Priest He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before God as our Advocate and Intercessor.
John 1:1; 1:14; 3:16;
Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; I Corinthians 15:3-4; II
Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 2:1-2
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Triune God, and the divine agent in nature, revelation, and redemption; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, seals, and anoints all who come to God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers. Furthermore, while accepting the Biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit, we believe that the sign gifts, including speaking in tongues, gradually ceased while the canon of Scripture was being completed, and are not valid gifts of the Holy Spirit today.
John 3:5; 14:16-17; 16:7-14; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 2:4; I Corinthians 13:8-10
MAN
We believe that man was the direct creation of God, made in God's image and likeness; and that by willful and voluntary transgression fell into a sinful state, the consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice, and is thus alienated from the life of God, and therefore under the righteous judgment and wrath of God without defense or excuse; and is, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
Genesis 1:27; 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God to man, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The basis upon which God saves and forgives guilty sinners is the substitutionary death and shed blood of Jesus Christ upon Calvary. We believe that, although not all men will be saved, salvation has been secured, and is available to all who will come to Christ through repentance and faith. We believe that those in Christ shall never perish; and that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.
John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 6:37; 10:28; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:22-26; 5:8; II Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:18-19; 3:18; II Peter 3:9
REPENTANCE AND FAITH
We believe that repentance and faith are solemn responsibilities, effected in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt of sin and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, and confession, at the same time receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, and openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Savior.
Acts 20:21; John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 7:10; I Thessalonians 1:10; Luke 12:8; 18:13; Romans 10:9-10; Psalm 51:1-4; Isaiah 55:6-7
CHRISTIAN LIVING AND GODLY WORKS
We believe every believer should be faithful in righteous living and godly works, not as a means of salvation but as its proper evidence and fruit; that all who claim to know Christ as Savior should live so as not to bring reproach on His name; that we therefore should set our affections on things above, not live in conformity to this present evil world, and engage in the faithful discharging of our solemn responsibility and privilege of bearing the gospel to a lost world; remembering that we will stand individually at the Judgment Seat of Christ and give account of the things done in our bodies, whether good or bad.
Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:15; Colossians 3:1-2; Romans 12:1-2: II Corinthians 5:18-20; I Corinthians 3:12-15; II Corinthians 5:9-10
SATAN
We believe in the existence of Satan, who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His people, leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God, that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb, and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 14:12-15; I Peter 5:8; II Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; I John 3:8; Revelation 12:9-11; 20:10; Ephesians 6:10-18
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the pre millennial second coming of Christ, first to receive the saved unto Himself, wherein the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible and those living saints shall be translated that they should not experience death; that this coming for His own is imminent, and after which the wrath of God will be poured out upon this earth during the seven-year period known as the Tribulation, which will be brought to conclusion by the return of Christ to the earth in great power and glory; that upon His return to the earth He will establish His glorious and literal kingdom for a thousand years.
John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6
HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe in the literal existence of both Heaven and Hell; that, although the body is buried, at death the spirits and souls of the saved go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven; that likewise at death the spirits and souls of the unsaved go immediately to Hell, where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time they, body, soul, and spirit, will be raised to stand before the Great White Throne, and then be cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final, conscious, and everlasting punishment.
John 14:2; Hebrews 9:24; 10:34; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 4:1-2; 21:1-2; Mark 9:43-48; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Luke 16:19-24; Revelation 20:13-14
THE FAMILY
We believe in the institution of the home as defined by Scripture; that it was divinely established in the beginning as the union by marriage of a male and female and is the basic unit of society; that each family member, husband, wife, or child, has distinct duties and responsibilities; that it is the responsibility of parents to train up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to provide them Godly instruction and discipline.
Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 15:3-6; Genesis 3:16; 18:19; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 32:46; Psalm 78:5-6; Psalm 127; Proverbs3:12; 13:24; 22:6; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; I Corinthians 6:9-10
THE CHURCH
We believe that a New Testament church is local and visible and is an assembly of baptized believers associated together by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel, whose purpose is the proclamation of the gospel, the instruction and edification of the saints, the observance of the ordinances; and the faithful contending for the faith once delivered to the saints; that its Biblical officers are two, pastor, (elder, bishop), and deacon; and that each local church has the absolute right of self government without any outside interference, whether individual or ecclesiastical , and that the one and only Head of the church is Christ. We further believe in the authority and responsibility of the church to exercise New Testament church discipline upon offending members and that each member is subject to such discipline if, in the judgment of the church, the member is determined to be a reproach upon Christ and the church in either attitude, creed, or conduct. Therefore, any person desiring membership in a New Testament church willingly submits himself or herself to the disciplinary authority of the church. Furthermore, we believe that in the event of differences and conflicts arising between believers, the Scripture requires that those differences and conflicts be settled between the believers involved or, if necessary, with the judgment of the church, without resorting to the secular court system.
Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:11-12; I Corinthians 11:23-34; Jude3-4; Acts 14:23-27; 20:17-28: I Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 6:5; 15:22, 25; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23-24; I Corinthians5:4-7, 11-13; I Corinthians 6:1-8
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in matters contrary to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience.
Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1-2; Titus 3:1; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20: 5:29; Daniel 3:17-18; 6:1-10; Psalm 72:11; Philippians 2:10-11; I Timothy 6:14-16
CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe that the ordinances of the church are two, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that scriptural baptism is by immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; with the authority of the local church; that baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the believer's identification with the same; that baptism is a pre-requisite to church membership and the participation in the Lord's supper, which ordinance, by sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorates the broken body and shed blood of Christ, which observance is to always be preceded by solemn self- examination.
Matthew
28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:4-8; Matthew 26:26-30; I Corinthians 11:23-34