About Our Statement of Beliefs
Statement of Beliefs of Highlawn Baptist Church
1. The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and it serves as the basis for all doctrine and practice.
2. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the Scriptures who recorded God’s revelation to man.
3. God is One but exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
4. God is eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sovereign.
5. Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine as He lived on earth. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, physically died, and was raised again to complete the redemption of sinful mankind. Jesus returned bodily to earth to receive His followers.
6. The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts people of sin, brings regeneration to those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on their behalf, and dwells within each believer enabling them to live a life acceptable and pleasing to God through a new life born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit prays for us, and gives gifts of ministry as well as teaching, and provides guidance for the building of the church.
7. Angels have a ministry and Satan exists.
8. The Church is God’s ordained institution for working out his plan of salvation on earth. Therefore it is the mission of the church to evangelize the world and nurture all Christians through worship, teaching, and fellowship as they reach the level of Christian maturity planned for them by God.
9. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a prerequisite for the privileges of Church membership.
10. The role of lay Christians is to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of ministry, the expenses of the Church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel. The Pastor will help to equip the laity for the work of ministry as he leads us to function as a New Testament Church.
11. God created marriage to be the union of one man and one woman intending it to be a lifelong relationship wherein the man the woman become “one flesh”. (Genesis 2:20-24; Mark 10:6-9). Marriage is not merely a human institution; it is a divine metaphor illustrating the union of Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:22-32). For this reason, only a marriage between a man and a woman can properly express the metaphor of Christ’s relationship to the church.
We are a member of the West Virginia Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. Click on the following links for more information:
West Virginia Baptist Convention
American Baptist Churches USA