Statement of Faith*

I. The Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Bible, which consists of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its content; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

II. The True God
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is YAHWEH, the Maker and supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

III. Humanity and the Fall
We believe humanity is the special creation of God; that he made mankind in his own image, male and female, as the crowning work of his creation; that he created mankind in holiness to walk in fellowship with him and to live in obedience before him; but by voluntary transgression mankind fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence of which all are now sinners, not by constraint, but choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the Lord, positively inclined to evil; and therefore, under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

IV. The Way of Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God; who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon himself our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and by his substitutionary, sacrificial death made a full atonement for our sins; that having risen from death, he is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, he is every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior.

V. Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to those who believe in him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood; by virtue of which faith his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us by God; that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity.

VI. The Freeness of Salvation
We believe that the blessings of salvation are freely offered to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a heartfelt, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel; which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.

VII. Grace in Regeneration
We believe that sinners must be regenerated, or born again, in order to be saved; that regeneration consists in giving a holy disposition to the mind; that it is accomplished in a manner above our comprehension by the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life.

VIII. Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties as well as inseparable graces which are produced in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with genuine contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior.

IX. God’s Purpose of Grace
We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God according to which he graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being perfectly consistent with the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that it is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of his free mercy; that it encourages the use of means in the highest degree; that it may be ascertained by its effects in all who truly believe the gospel; that it is the foundation of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves demands and deserves the utmost diligence.

X. Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is both positional and progressive in nature; that it is begun in regeneration when the believer is positionally perfected in God’s sight through the work of Christ and set apart unto God for his glory and purposes forever; and that it is carried on progressively in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means – especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer.

XI. The Perseverance of Saints
We believe that all who are truly united to the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith endure to the end; that their persevering faith and Spirit-wrought obedience to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special providence watches over their welfare; and they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

XII. A Gospel Church
We believe that a local church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by his laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his word; that its only scriptural officers are elders (also called pastors or overseers), and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.

XIII. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is an ordinance given to the church by the Lord Jesus in which believers are immersed in water into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that it is an act which shows forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior as well as our union with him – a union which results in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; and that it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is also an ordinance given to the body of Christ by the Lord Jesus in which its members, after self-examination, by the sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ for his church; and that in the observance of the Lord’s Supper believers are corporately proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes again and anticipating the Lord’s return to consummate his kingdom.

XIV. The Lord’s Day
We believe that Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Lord’s Day; and that it should be especially set aside for the church of Jesus Christ to gather together for the purpose of worshiping the triune God through the means of preaching and teaching God’s word, corporate prayer, congregational singing, cheerful giving, the observance of the ordinances, and the fellowship of believers.

XV. Civil Government
We believe that civil government has been instituted by God for the benefit and good order of human society; and that governmental officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.

XVI. Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image of God; and thus a rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, covenantal union, as defined by sacred Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman; that any form of sexual immorality, including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Covenant Baptist Church as the local body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the members of this church and the community, it is imperative that all members, employees, and volunteers of Covenant Baptist Church agree to and abide by this statement on marriage, gender, and sexuality. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking his mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Covenant Baptist Church.

XVII. The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in his judgment; while all who continue in impenitence and unbelief are wicked in his sight and under the curse; and this distinction holds among people both in and after death.

XVIII. The World to Come
We believe that the end of the world is approaching; that at the last day Christ will descend from heaven, and raise the dead from the grave to final retribution; that a solemn separation will then take place; that the wicked will be adjudged to endless punishment, and the righteous to endless joy; and that this judgment will fix forever the final state of people in heaven or hell, on principles of righteousness.

*Covenant Baptist Church’s statement of faith has been adapted from the 1853 New Hampshire Confession of Faith. To access a PDF version of the statement of faith that includes scriptural proofs, click here.