We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Old and New Testaments, and that God’s Word is true without any mixture of error. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity, and final authority in faith and life. The Authorized King James Version is the official and only Bible translation used in the ministries of Chilhowie Baptist Church. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

We believe that there is only one living and true God, that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; “ yet one in essence and equal in every divine perfection. (Exodus 20:2-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 John 5:7)

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, is true God and true man (John 1:1,14; Luke 1:35). Jesus died on the cross as a vicarious substitute for man’s sin. He was buried, rose again bodily, and ascended to the right hand of the Father according to the Scriptures. (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, co-existent with the Father and the Son. He is the chief agent in the conviction of sin, in regeneration, and the comfort of the believer. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ, permanently indwells him, and seals him in salvation for all of eternity. (2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16-17; Romans 8:14-27)

We believe in the distinct personality of Satan, that he is the god of this world and the prince and power of the air; that he is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10)

We believe that God created the heaven and the earth, including all life, by direct act, in six literal 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1,2; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3)

We believe that man is the direct creation of God, and created in His image with a body, soul, and spirit. Adam, the first man, sinned by disobedience. This act resulted in the fall of mankind, and incurred both physical and spiritual death for all. We believe that all men have sinned, and are therefore guilty before God, and under his condemnation. (Romans 3:23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3; Matthew 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10)

We believe that all who, by faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are born again by the Holy Spirit and thus become the children of God. Salvation is a gift of God, apart from works, and based solely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12)

We believe that salvation is not only a gift of God, but that it is also sustained by the power of His Spirit in the believer. Therefore, since salvation is wholly of the Lord, we hold that the believer shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. (John 3:16, 10:28-29)

We believe in the literal, personal, premillennial, pre-tribulation return of Jesus Christ for His church. At this event, the dead in Christ and living believers will be translated to meet Him in the air. At the end of the seven year tribulation, Christ will visibly descend with the saints to establish His earthly millennial kingdom. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in Glory, and everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost in hell. (Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 19-22)

We believe all the saved are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and alliances. This would include personal and ecclesiastical separation, and entanglement with moral and doctrinal impurity. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

We believe that a New Testament church is a local group of baptized believers united for His purposes, that it was established by Jesus Christ, who is the Head, that it began with the New Testament saints and will be consummated at the coming of Christ in the Rapture. We believe it to be completely independent with no other person, group, or body having any authority, right or control in any form whatsoever over or within a local church; that Baptism and the Lord’s Table are the only two ordinances given to the local church; that it has the absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit; and it is answerable only to the Bible, and that in all matters of membership, government, discipline and benevolence, the Scriptures are our final authority. (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:4-5, 7:17, 11:16; 1 Timothy 3:1-15)

We believe that all Christians should strive to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and enjoy fellowship together with those who have obtained like precious faith. We would avoid, however, any group that promotes compromise or heresy among God’s people. We stand opposed to modernism, liberalism and ecumenical movements, and could not fellowship with groups that interfere with local church autonomy. (Ephesians 4:3, 11; 2 Timothy 3:5)

We believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ at salvation, without tongues or other outward “signs”. The gift of tongues never was, nor is, proof of the Spirit’s Presence or evidence of a spiritual experience. The modern “Tongues Movement” contains much doctrinal error, and we are non-Charismatic in belief and practice. (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; 1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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. (Genesis 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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. (Genesis 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

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 mental well-being of a mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. 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. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17- 18; 1 John 3:17)

We believe that scriptural baptism is the immersion of believers, administered by a New Testament church.

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members of Chilhowie Baptist Church.