Bethel Baptist

Marquette, MI

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Our Beliefs


 

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Our Mission:

     Bethel…becoming Christ-followers who grow, connect, serve & tell

  • Grow in your relationship with Christ
  • Connect with others in biblical community
  • Serve in your God-given ministry
  • Tell others about the good news of Christ

Our Beliefs

What We Believe

  • We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully and uniquely inspired and without error in the original manuscripts.  It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is our supreme source of truth for our belief system.  It is also the final authority in faith and practice. [i]
  • We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of whom equally possesses all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.  We believe God is the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the universe.[ii]
  • We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love.  We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind;  He hears and answers prayer; and He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.[iii]
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only eternal Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who is both true God and true man.  We believe in His sinless life, miracles, and teachings.  We believe that He voluntarily atoned for the sins of all who trust in Him alone by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation.  We believe Jesus rose from the dead in the same body and then ascended bodily into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.  He is the only mediator between God and man, continually making intercession for His own. We believe in the visible, personal, and imminent return to earth of our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.[iv]
  • We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son.  He is present in the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to make all people aware of their need for Jesus Christ.  We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer in Christ from the moment He gives them spiritual birth.  He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Spirit desires to empower the Christian to live by faith, moment by moment, in His fullness and control.  He thereby enables them to bear fruit, which glorifies God.[v]
  • We believe that men and women were originally created in the spiritual image of God. They are the supreme objects of God’s creation.  Although all people have a tremendous potential for good, they are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates them from God not only in physical death but also in spiritual death.  We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are guilty sinners in thought, word, and deed.[vi]
  • We believe that salvation is a gift from God to us.  We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.  We believe that God’s only means of salvation from sin is by trusting in Jesus Christ as our substitute.  His shed blood on the cross and resurrection provide the means for anyone to be saved from sin’s death penalty.  Eternal life begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ into our life by faith.  This spiritual birth, by the Holy Spirit, makes each believer a child of God.  We believe the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirits that we are children of God.[vii]

 



 

  • We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Jesus Christ is the Head.  It is composed of all men and women, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith.  We believe the local church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ.  We believe our primary task and purpose is to honor God by making disciples who are developing dynamic relationships with God, with other believers, and with a hurting and unbelieving world.  We pursue our mission by focusing on the priorities of worship, nurture, fellowship, service, and outreach based on the Bible as the standard of truth.  We believe God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures, and for mutual encouragement.[viii]
  • We believe that the members of the local church are mutually accountable to one another;  therefore, in regards to holiness and doctrine, we strive to teach, admonish, exhort, and rebuke, as necessary, anyone who is living outside of God’s will and plan as stated in the Scriptures.  We believe that matters of discipline and correction are given to the members of Christ’s Church and are to follow the pattern of Matthew 18:15-20.  The oversight of these matters rests ultimately with the church leadership who has the discretion of asking for Biblical counsel or arbitration from outside of the church.[ix]
  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  We believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes all Christians when they are born again. We believe water baptism follows a profession of faith, and we practice believer’s baptism by immersion, which best symbolizes our identity in Christ.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper is open to all true believers who are walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.[x]
  • We believe that every human being can have a direct relationship with God and is ultimately responsible to God alone in all matters of faith, but is also responsible to the Church and its leadership.  We believe that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any religious or political authority;  therefore, the church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from each other’s control or influence. [xi]
  • We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization.  Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches.  Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.  Churches may likewise cooperate with inter-denominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis.[xii]
  • We believe that Jesus Christ will come again to the earth – personally, visibly and bodily – to complete  history and the eternal plan of God and establish His kingdom.  We believe in the bodily resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.  We believe that at physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.  At physical death the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation.[xiii]
  • In light of Christ’s return, we believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God.  This means that we are to love God and each other as stated in the two Great Commandments.  We believe God’s goal for each believer is full maturity in Christ.  We believe the Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation.  The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. [xiv]