Statement of Faith - White Springs Baptist Church

What we Believe

White Springs Baptist Church is a contributing member of the Southern Baptist Convention

Baptist Foundations

WSBC affirms the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention as our doctrinal statement.

Click here to read the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 in its entirety, complete with Scripture proofs.

Here is a brief summary of the principles in the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.

Section 1. The Scriptures

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.

Section 2. God

There is one and only one living and true God. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

Section 3 — Man

Man was created by the special act of God in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Therefore, all of humanity inherits a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that, Christ died for man; therefore, every man possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Section 4 — Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense, salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

Section 5 — God’s Purpose of Grace Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is a glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

Section 6 — The Church A New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are 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. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ which includes the redeemed of all ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Section 7 — Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the Church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Baptist Distinctives

WSBC treasures the 8 Baptist Distinctives that set us apart from other denominations.

These teachings maybe remembered by associating them with the letters that form the word

“BAPTISTS.”

B. Biblical Authority:

The Bible is the final authority in all matters of belief and practice because the Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself. Whatever the Bible affirms, Baptists accept as true. No human opinion or decree of any church group can override the Bible. Even creeds and confessions of faith, which attempt to articulate the theology of Scripture, do not carry Scripture’s inherent authority. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

A. Autonomy of the Local Church: The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church’s beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a “member” of any other body. (Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5,19,23)

P. Priesthood of the Believer:

“Priest” is defined as “one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God.” Every believer today is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people. As priests, we can study God’s Word, pray for others, offer spiritual worship to God. We all have equal access to God whether we are a preacher or not. (1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 5:9-10)

T. Two Ordinances:

The local church should practice two ordinances: (1) baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and (2) the Lord’s Supper, or communion, commemorating His death for our sins. (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)

I. Individual Soul Liberty:

Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. No one should be forced to assent to any belief against his will. Baptist have always opposed religious persecution. However, this liberty does not exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself. (Romans 14:5,12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9)

S. Saved, Baptized Church Membership:

Local church membership is restricted to individuals who give a believable testimony of personal faith in Christ and have publicly identified themselves with Him in believer’s baptism. When the members of a local church are believers, a oneness in Christ exists, and the members can endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 4:3)

T. Two Offices:

The Bible mandates only two offices in the church-pastor and deacon. The three terms — “pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop,” or “overseer” — all refer to the same office. The two offices of pastor and deacon exist within the local church, not as a hierarchy outside or over the local church. (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 20:17-38; Philippians 1:1)

S. Separation of Church and State:

God established both the church and the civil government, and He gave each its own distinct sphere of operation. The government’s purposes are outlined in Romans 13:1-7 and the church’s purposes in Matthew 28:19 and 20. Neither should control the other, nor should there be an alliance between the two. Christians in a free society can properly influence government towards righteousness, which is not the same as a denomination or group of churches controlling the government. (Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 15:17-29)

Believer’s Baptism

WSBC adheres to Christian baptism by immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The proper mode of Christian baptism is immersion in water. The English word baptism is actually a transliteration of the ancient Greek term baptisma.

It is generally acknowledged that the early church immersed the people coming for baptism. The Greek word baptizo means to “dip, immerse,” and the word has been used in several ways: “to sink a ship,” “to sink (in the mud),” “to drown,” and “to perish.” The emphasis of Scripture in recording Jesus’ baptism indicates that He was immersed: Jesus was baptized by John “in the Jordan,” and He came up “out of the water” (Mark 1:9-10; cf. Acts 8:38). On the other hand, the Greek has words for sprinkle and pour that are not used for baptism.