SALEM REFORMED BAPTIST
Statement of Faith
We believe that...
We believe that a clear statement of faith is a wonderful gift to the church of Jesus Christ. Similarly, our statement of faith seeks to establish historical continuity and unity with other Christians. We aim to show that we are not given to theological novelties, but stand with two feet firmly planted in the historic Christian tradition.
SALEM REFORMED BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH
Introduction
We believe that a clear statement of faith is a wonderful gift to the church of Jesus Christ. Christians have codified and summarized Christianity’s core convictions and doctrines in brief and clear statements and confessions since the inception of the church. These clear doctrinal statements (creeds) were used by the early church as hymns and confessions of faith in order to teach the truth of the Gospel, hold strong to the apostolic tradition, prevent confusion, and protect the church from false doctrines and teachers.
Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently stated, “In a time of confusion, one of the greatest gifts that can be given to and by Christ’s church is clarity, and clarity requires at times that matters of truth, matters of truth in particular times of trial, should to be put into words in order to bear the testimony of that clarity.”
The Bible is and must always be the supreme authority in the life of the church in all matters of faith and practice.
A confession of faith is a response to God’s revelation. Thus, the confessions of faith of a church must correspond to the boundaries and
and molds of biblical truth that God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. The Bible is and must always be the supreme authority in the life of the church in all matters of faith and practice. This Statement of Faith reflects substantially and accurately what our local church believes, teaches, and proclaims.
One important aspect of confessions is unity. A clear confession of faith can be very helpful in providing doctrinal unity in the life of a church. As Robert Gonzales Jr. stated, “A substantial amount of doctrinal agreement is necessary for biblical unity. A confession of faith can be a helpful tool in achieving this unity.” Therefore, we confess that doctrinal clarity is extremely helpful for the Christian church! Contrary to our modern concept that “doctrine divides,” we believe that a lucid and coherent statement of faith is the only way of achieving sound unity.
The things we omit in our declaration of faith, on the other hand, provide members of the church with freedom of conscience and space for disagreement in secondary matters. The unity promoted by the statement of faith consequently brings peace among the members.
One other crucial aspect about declarations of faith, which is often neglected, is protection for the life of the church. Most creeds and confessions throughout the history of the church originated from the desire to protect the Gospel and the church from heresies and heretics.
Our statement of faith seeks to establish historical continuity and unity with other Christians. We aim to show that we are not given to theological novelties but stand with two feet firmly planted in the historic Christian tradition. This statement of faith relies much on documents such as the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, and other historical and orthodox confessions. So here is what we believe: