Sierra Baptist Church Core Beliefs

Bible

We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God.

• That the 66 books of the Old and New Testament were inspired by the Spirit of God as originally written
• That the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct · 2 Timothy 3:16

God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit, 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 but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Exod. 20:2,3; I Cor.8:6; Rev.4:11).

Jesus Christ

We believe in the absolute and essential deity of our Lord Jesus Christ

• In His eternal existence, with the Father in pre-incarnate glory
• In His work of creation, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death and bodily resurrection
• In His triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry and personal return

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 the creation; that in His relation 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 bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer (John 14:16,17; Matt.28:19; Heb.9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Gen.1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5,6; Eph.1:13,14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Rom.8:14,16,26,27).

Mankind

We believe that Adam was divinely created in the image of God

• That by the sin of disobedience he fell from that state
• That all his posterity inherited spiritual depravity and defilement
• That all men therefore are guilty before God and condemned to physical and spiritual death

Salvation

We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was 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; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tender sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and all sufficient Savior. We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith (Jonah 2:9; Eph.2:8; Acts 15:11; Rom.3:24, 25; John 3:16; Matt.18:11; Phil.2:7,8; Heb.2:14-17; Isa.53:4-7; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor.15:3; 2 Cor.5:21; 1 Pet.2:24).