A Statement of Faith is a written declaration of the church’s position on matters that pertain to the essentials of historical Christianity. The following statements comprise Lighthouse Baptist Church’s Statement of Faith:
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired and infallible, authoritative Word of God and that God gave the words of Scripture by inspiration without error in the original autographs (2 Tim. 3:16–17, 2 Peter 1:21). God promises that He will preserve His Word; Jesus said, “My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). A complete and final written revelation from God.
Doctrine of God
We believe that there is only one God, who is eternal and immutable, and manifests Himself in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30)
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the Second Person of the Trinity, is the promised Messiah (John 1:36-42), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35), totally without sin (Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26), God in human flesh (John 1:1 & 14, John 20:28) the One Who died on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9), was buried (John 19:40-42), rose again from the dead on the third day (John 2:19), and ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, where He now intercedes for us who believe in Him. (Mark 16:19, Acts 7:56, 1 Timothy 2:5)
We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, the Agent of conviction, regeneration, indwelling, baptism, sanctification, and illumination of all who are born into God’s family through Jesus Christ (John 3:5–6, Eph. 1:13–14). We are opposed to the charismatic movement and its sign manifestations, such as speaking in tongues.
Doctrine of Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days, and that God created all life (Gen. 1). We reject the man–made theory of evolution occurring over millions of years and believe that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old (Gen. 5,11). We believe that God created man in His own image, but man chose to sin. Hence, all persons inherit a depraved nature and are lost sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:10, 23).
We believe the human race was created as male and female by a direct act of God to fully reveal His image. (Genesis 1:26-28)
We believe marriage is a sacred covenantal union between a man and a woman that limits sexual relations to monogamous, heterosexual marriage. (Genesis 2:24)
We believe that the solemnizing of a marriage is a sacred and profound event that shall be entered into only where the proposed covenantal union is in compliance with the Word of God. (Genesis 4:1)
We believe that the solemnizing of a marriage between men and women of the same sex is contrary to the Word of God and is a sin before God. (Romans 1:21-27)
Doctrine of Salvation
We believe that all humanity is lost and born with a sinful nature, and can only be saved by a personal faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by any human merit or performance. (John 3:16-19, John 5:24, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5) God does not pre–elect persons to heaven or hell (Rom. 10:13, Rev. 22:17).
Doctrine of the Church
We believe in the spiritual unity of the body of Christ, called the Church. It is composed of all born-again believers who have by faith accepted Jesus Christ as Savior (Eph. 2:8–22, 3:1–21, 4:4–16, 5:23–32). God has ordained the local church for the perpetuation of His truth and work in the world (1 Tim. 3:15). The two ordinances of the local church are baptism by immersion and a regular observance of the Lord’s Supper by believers (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23–28).
Doctrine of Sin
We believe in a real/literal devil, called Satan, who, along with all his fallen angels, demons, and evil spirits, are destined to spend eternity in hell. He introduced sin to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1–13), and seeks to deceive the world, defeat the believers, and destroy the work of God. Eternal hell was created for Satan, his demons, and people who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Matt. 25:41, John 3:16, Rev. 20:15). Satan can be resisted by believers, who are protected by God, the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord. (Genesis 3:1, Job 1:6-12, Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 22:31-32, 1 John 4:4, Revelation 20:10)
The Believer
We believe that genuine believers are born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and are in-dwelt, baptized into the body of Christ, the true church, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and thus, unable to be separated from the love of Jesus Christ. (John 3:1-6, Acts 1:4-5, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 1:13-14) We believe that all believers need to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a godly life and to be bold in our witness for the Lord. (Romans 8:13-14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 5:18)
We believe in the spiritual unity of all genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ which is manifested by the spiritual gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence through His love. (I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 4:8-12)
The End Times
We believe that Jesus Christ is going to return in the clouds for His church before the tribulation that is coming upon the whole earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16), the Rapture of the saints will be followed by a seven-year Tribulation, after which Christ will return in glory to judge the world and set up His millennial reign on earth (Rev. 20:1–3, 21:1–5).
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: those that are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life in heaven, and those that are lost unto the resurrection of eternal damnation in a literal lake of fire (John 5:28–29; 1 Cor. 15:12–20, 35–58; Rev. 20:10, 15).
These Articles of Faith do not exhaust the extent of beliefs or practices of Lighthouse Baptist Church. The Bible, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, is the final authority of all that we believe concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind.
