Faith Statement
WE BELIEVE in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority for faith and practice. They are to be interpreted in a dispensational, literal, historical, and grammatical manner, and they are as applicable today as the day they were written. (Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
WE BELIEVE in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the three persons of the Godhead are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 5:7)
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was the person of the Godhead responsible for creation (John 1:1-4), and that He did it by speaking the world into existence in six consecutive literal days (Genesis 1). In the fullness of time, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary as the eternal Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God, and is true God and true man. We believe that His substitutionary death on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and His bodily resurrection on the third day were for our justification. We believe that He ascended into heaven and that He is now exalted at the right hand of God, where He officiates as our High Priest and Advocate. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; Acts 1:10-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 9:24)
WE BELIEVE in the person of the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to reveal Christ to men in the regeneration and sanctification of their souls as He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe that He indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers at the moment of salvation. We believe that His continuing ministry to believers includes teaching, guiding, enabling for service, and interceding. We believe that the Holy Spirit used the gift of tongues until the canon of scripture was completed, but that it is not beneficial or necessary to our Christian life. We believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, can heal the sick, but that He does not have to heal, and that He does not use so called “faith healers”. (John 14:16-17; 16:8-15; Romans 8:9, 14, 26; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:13; 14:22; Ephesians 1:13; James 5:14-15)
WE BELIEVE in “That Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:13) – the personal, imminent and pre-tribulational return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in the air for all true believers – and in the subsequent, pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth. (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:10; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
WE BELIEVE in the person of Satan and that he is the author of sin and the cause of the fall, that he is the avowed enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
WE BELIEVE that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12) We believe that man is totally depraved and of himself is totally lost and unable to remedy his lost condition. (Ephesians 2:1-3, 12-13)
WE BELIEVE that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become children of God and are eternally His. We believe that salvation is not by works of righteousness but is the gift of God. (John 1:12; 3:16; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
WE BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness and joy of all saved persons and the everlasting punishment of all lost persons. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29)
WE BELIEVE that it is the urgent duty and blessed privilege of every believer to be a witness for Christ, and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind. (Matthew 4:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
WE BELIEVE in the Universal Church. She began on Pentecost and is the body of Christ composed of all born again believers with Christ as her head. We believe in the Local Church. Its beginnings were also on the day of Pentecost and it is composed of baptized believers united for worship, for propagating the Great Commission, and for observing the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 11:17-30; Ephesians 5:25-26)
WE BELIEVE that the Bible teaches separation FROM the world and UNTO God. As individuals, we are to pattern our life after Christ, setting holiness as our goal (1 Peter 1:14-16), while constantly remaining on guard against the wickedness of the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 John 2:15-17). In the religious and church arena, our Lord and the apostles have stated that Satan will infiltrate the ranks of God’s people. The scriptures, therefore, warn of being unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14), challenge us to separate ourselves from anything unclean (2 Corinthians 6:16-18), and admonish us about aligning ourselves with those believers who hold impure doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:3).
WE BELIEVE that God has ordained the family, consisting of a married husband (male) and wife (female) and their children. We believe that fornication, adultery, and homosexuality are sin, and are deviations from what God designed. While the sinner is to be loved, the sin must be hated. (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 5:27-28; Romans 1:16-32; Ephesians 5:3)
WE BELIEVE that God created the human race with two distinct, complementary genders, male and female, which reflect the image and nature of God. This gender is biologically created at conception and is not fluid or changeable. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of God’s design for the individual. (Genesis 1:26-27 Psalm 139:14)
Adopted by BIM Board 11-3-2000
Revised by BIM Board 3-16-2023