What We Believe

We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God (consisting of 66 books), and the only rule of faith and practice. That it was written by men as they were divinely inspired by God  and that the Holy Bible is verbally inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instructions; God is the author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; 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 shall be tried. 

(II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21). We believe the Authorized King James Version of the Bible is the only version that is to be used in preaching and teaching at Old Roaring River Baptist Church.

Trinity:

We believe that there is only one true God, Father, Son (Lord Jesus Christ), and Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit), and these three are one. We believe these three are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, each with distinct personal attributes but without division in nature, essence or being.                                                                              

The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ: 

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and that our Lord Jesus Christ is eternally equal with God; that He became man by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God, the Son; that He lived a sinless life with a perfect earthly ministry (teaching, preaching, healing the sick and raising the dead): that He died on the cross at Calvary as the only satisfactory sacrifice (without spot or blemish) for sinners; that His body was buried in and that He bodily arose from the tomb on the third day; that He ascended to Heaven and was glorified as a man at God’s right hand; that He sent the eternal spirit on the day of Pentecost to convict the world; to regenerate, indwell and empower believers, and to build the church; that He is coming again for His church and then to set up His kingdom on earth (Genesis 3:15; Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 4; Matthew 1:20-23; Acts 1:9; Romans 5:11-19; I Timothy 2:5; I Corinthians 6:19, 12:13; Philippians 4:13; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 19:28; 25:31).                                                                                                                             

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit: 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in creation; that in His relationship to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He is the author of the new birth; that He  indwells, seals, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer (John 14:16-17; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:14, 16, 26-27; Ephesians 4:30).

We believe that Satan is a distinct personality; a created angel that fell; that he is the god of this age, the author of sin, the cause of the fall; the enemy of God and man, and that he is the author of all powers of darkness and sin, and that he is destined to the judgment of an eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Genesis 3:14; Revelation 20:1-3, 10; II Corinthians 4:4).            

Heaven: 

We believe in a literal place called Heaven, where God’s immediate presence is manifested; where all believers in the Lord go after death, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (Christ descended from Heaven and ascended back there after His special work of redemption). In Heaven, our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ now makes intercession, and it is from Heaven that He shall judge the living and the dead (Psalm 102:19; Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 22: 30; John 14:1-4, 16:28; Acts 1:11; II Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25; I John 2:21; II Thessalonians 1:7-10).   

Hell: 

We believe in a literal Hell, the lake of fire which shall be the place of eternal punishment of Satan, fallen angels, demons, and all unbelievers.  Who because of unbelief reject Christ as the only way to be saved and never repent of their sins.  (Revelation 19:20, 20:15, 21:8; Luke 16:26; Mark 9:48; Matthew 26:24).          

We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution in any form. We believe in the literal six-day account of creation and that on the seventh day God rested (Genesis 1:2, 2:3; John 1:3; Colossians 1:17).

We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into sin, thus placing the whole race of man in a state of condemnation and death; and further that all mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity, and as willful sinners are without excuse before God, and in need of salvation through the redemptive work of Christ (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32). 

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of the grace of God through the mediatorial office of the Son of God, Who, by divine appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him the nature of man, yet without sin; honored the divine law by His personal obedience; and by His death made a full and a vicarious atonement for our sin; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but by a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree of His own cross, having risen from the dead is now enthroned in Heaven uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, and that He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all self–sufficient Savior (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53: 4-7; I John 4:10; I Corinthians 15:3;    II Corinthians 5:21).

We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary plus nothing; sinners are called by the Spirit, converted, regenerated, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and that all who are thus regenerated are by the Holy Spirit born again. In the new birth, the one dead in trespasses and sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God and shall never finally fall away (John 3:3, 6-8; II Corinthians 5:17, 19; I John 5:1; Acts 16: 30-33; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1).

We believe that sinners are justified in the sight of God only by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness. Justification is not by any works of righteousness which we have done, but that His righteousness is imputed to us solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood (Romans 5:1, 9; Romans 10:4; Acts 13:38-39; Isaiah 53:11).

We believe that sanctification of the believer is the divine setting apart of the individual unto God, accomplished in a threefold manner:        

First:  

Sanctification is an eternal act of God based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he / she trusts the Savior.                        

Second:  

Sanctification is a continuing process in the life of a Man, Woman, Boy or Girl that begins the moment they accept Christ by faith as their Savior. The Holy Spirit then begins to apply God’s Holy Word to their life and teaches them how to be obedient to His commandments and how to live a life that strives to do His will daily (see Article V-Articles of Faith, Section 2: The True God The Godhead) all three parts.  

Third: 

The consummation of this process will occur at the Lord’s return (Hebrews 3:10:10-14; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:27; II Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-26; I Thessalonians 4:3-4, 5:23-24; I John 3:2; Jude 25; Revelation 22:11).

First:  

We believe in the unity of all true believers in the church, which is the body of Christ. The church, a mystery in the Old Testament, was established in the New Testament by the indwelling Holy Spirit of all repentant sinners who believe the Gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, to the saving of their soul.  The moment the repentant sinner believes upon Christ he or she is immediately baptized as a believer by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. 

Second: 

We believe that this church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of born- again and immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship in the Gospel, observing the specific ordinances of Christ and governed by His laws: exercising their gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word, and that its ordained officers should include pastor and deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men / women as we have opportunity.

Third:  

We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with one another in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the method of government. The will of the local church is final ( Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:1-6, 23-24; I Corinthians 11:2, 12:12-13; Acts 13:13-18, 20:17-18; I Timothy 3:1-7; Colossians 1:8).

We accept the Scripture’s commands to separate from worldliness, modernism, and apostasy, and from any individual or group that threatens or interferes with the church’s ministry to glorify Jesus Christ                   (I Corinthians 11:2, 12:12-13; Ephesians: 1:22-23, 3:1-6, 23-24; Acts 13:13-18, 20:17-28; I Timothy 3:1-7; Colossians 1:18).

Baptism: 

We believe the only true mode of baptism is immersion. It depicts in a beautiful and solemn way our faith issuing in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership. The baptism by immersion is to be administered by the pastor or other appointed men of the church which have been ordained (deacon or minister). The pastor may appoint a non-ordained man to help him in baptism if requested by the one being baptized (such as father or other male member of the church).                                          

Lord’s Supper: 

We believe the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of our Lord’s death (until He comes again), and our continual fellowship with Him, and should logically be preceded by baptism and always careful self-examination (we practice open communion; Acts 8:36; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-32). The Lord’s Supper will be served, at times designated by the church, by the pastor and deacons. All attending such service shall be invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper, who have been saved and baptized. The elements shall be grape juice and unleavened bread.

Administering the Ordinances: 

We believe that no minister / deacon has the right to administer the ordinances of the Gospel, except such as are regularly called, and come under the imposition of the hands by the presbytery (Mark: 3:14; II Corinthians 3:6, 4:1, 5:18; I Timothy 1:12, 4:14).

We believe that all who are truly born again are eternally kept by God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:6; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39: Jude 1; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).

We believe that there is a radical difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of God are truly righteous in His esteem, while all who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; that this distinction holds among men both in after death in the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost (Genesis 18:23; Proverbs 14:32; Malachi 3: 18; Matthew 25:34-41; Luke 6:25; John 8:21; Romans 6: 17-18, 23, 7:6; I John 5:19).

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that all elected officials (local, state, and federal) are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of conscience and the coming Prince of the Kings of the earth (Romans 13: 1-7; II Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21-22; Acts 4:18-20; 5:29, 23:5, Matthew 22:21; Daniel 3:17-18). 

We believe in the sovereign election of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people; that they are now dispersed because of his disobedience and rejection of Christ; that he will be completely re-gathered in the Holy Land after the completion of the Church and saved as a nation at the Second Advent of Christ (Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37).

The Eternal State: 

We believe in the bodily resurrection of ALL the saved (men, women, boys and girls) to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment; that at death the souls of the redeemed are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be forever glorified with the Lord; that the souls of the unbelievers after death remain in conscious misery in hell until their resurrection, when with spirit, soul and body reunited, they shall appear before the Great White Throne of Judgment where they shall be judged and sentenced to their eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Luke 16: 19-26; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; Philippians 1:23; II Corinthians 5:8, 10; Revelation 20:10-15).                                                                                                                                       

The Second Advent of Christ: 

We believe in the Blessed Hope; the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, and in His return to the earth, after the tribulation, with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:6-12; Revelation 20:1-6: Jude 14).                

Judgment Seat of Christ: 

We believe that every saved person will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to be judged by the Lord regarding their individual faithful service (I Corinthians 3:11-13: II Corinthians 5:10).        

The Great White Throne Judgment: 

We believe all who reject Christ and never repent of their sins, shall appear before the Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment with Satan and his angels (Revelation 20: 11-15).          

The Millennial Kingdom: 

We believe the Millennial Kingdom on earth will be ruled by Jesus Christ from the throne of David and will last for a period of 1,000 years upon the earth (Luke 1:32; Acts 2:21; Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 20:1-6).

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male and female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). 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, legitimate meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins a biological man and a biological woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25; Mark 10:6-9; I Corinthians 7:1-9; Ephesians 5:22-23). Further, the pastor and any officers of the church shall only participate in weddings between one man and one woman as stated above. 

Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility owned, leased or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man to one woman as their gender was determined at birth. Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines and biblical positions will govern.

We believe that any form of sexual activity engaged outside of marriage as defined in section 1 above, (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). See section 3 above when there is a conflict between church and any new legal view.                                             

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this statement on marriage, gender, and sexuality (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; I Thessalonians 5:22).

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who will confess and forsake their sin seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; I Corinthians 6:9-11) Every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31) Hateful or malicious attitudes or activities directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Old Roaring River Baptist Church.

Roles of Men and Women:

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God (Galatians 3:28) but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors, elders and deacons) of the church (Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 3:1-13).

The church does acknowledge that sometimes due to health issues, accidents, death or children born outside of marriage that the reality of a mother or father having to become the sole head /provider of the house and perform all duties of care and training of the child / children does occur. As a church, we need to uphold him / her in our prayers and pray that if he / she does not know Christ as their personal Savior that they will receive Him and train their children in the way of God’s Holy Word.

Family:

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society and the church. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church and gave His life for it (Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:3-5; Ephesians 5:25-33; Colossians 3:19). The wife is to submit herself to the scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the leadership of Christ (I Corinthians 7:1-5; Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18).

Children:

We believe that children are a wonderful gift and heritage from God (Psalm 127:3-4). It is the scriptural duty of husband and wife to pray and work together to teach them the Word of God. Parents are scripturally responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate training and discipline. This training and discipline, if done accordingly with the Word of God and the Love of God, will also teach the children that they too have responsibility to the God and their parents (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21).