Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland - Beliefs and Doctrinal Statement

Beliefs and Doctrinal Statement

The churches of the Association hold to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ as Head of the Church. The church is His and was purchased by His blood shed on the Cross. His will is expressed in the Scriptures which are the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. The truth of Scripture is received by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit.

The churches stand in the conservative and evangelical understanding of the Scriptures. While there are differences of interpretation, emphasis and practice evident among the churches each church affirms the Doctrinal Statement of those things which are commonly believed.

Each Church in the Association affirms the following doctrines which are commonly believed among us:

• The Scriptures: The verbal inspiration and total inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as originally given by God; their sole-sufficiency and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

• God: One God in three persons, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-equal, co-eternal, sovereign and active in creation, providence and redemption.

• The Lord Jesus Christ: The essential deity and perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ,the only mediator between God and men; His virgin birth, sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross as the only substitute for sinners; His burial, bodily resurrection and ascension to heaven; His high priestly ministry and personal return.

• The Holy Spirit: The work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating the sinner and indwelling, sanctifying and empowering the believer.

• The Devil: The personality of the devil; his evil activity and final doom.

• Man: The creation of man in the image of God; the entrance of sin through Adam's disobedience; the fallen and totally depraved state of all men; their subjection to God's wrath and condemnation; their responsibility to repent and believe the Gospel.

• Justification: The justification of the sinner by God's grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone; the eternal security of the believer.

• The Church: The church, the body of Christ, made up of those drawn from every tribe, language, people and nation throughout history who are added to it by the work of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; the scriptural expression of the church in the world as the local company of baptised believers gathered under the headship of Christ for worship, fellowship, instruction and evangelism, in separation from all systems of belief that do not adhere to the Scriptures and are unfaithful to the gospel of salvation by grace alone; the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper: baptism being the immersion of believers on profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a symbol of their identification with Him in His death, burial and resurrection; the Lord's supper being a remembrance of Christ until He comes and a renewal of commitment to Him; the offices of elder and deacon; the gifts of evangelist and pastor-teacher; the priesthood of all believers and their unity in the Body of Christ; the separation of church and state.

• The Future State: The unconditional immortality of the soul; the resurrection of the body; the eternal joy in heaven of the believer; the conscious eternal punishment in hell of those who die impenitent.

• Christian Behaviour: The responsibility of all believers to obey and serve the Lord and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives; the duty of each church to exercise godly discipline in a loving and caring fashion.

This Statement was last updated and approved by the churches in May 2004.