Core Beliefs
Our beliefs are rooted in the Story given to us in the Bible. The Bible narrative tells the true story of the world – the Story of a God who created a beautiful world, the sin that began to destroy his creation, and the plan to rescue it all.
God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Genesis 1:1; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
Genesis 1:1; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord. Genesis 18:1; Psalms 2:7; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is true & is the inspired Word of God.
2 Timothy 3:16
2 Timothy 3:16
Salvation
We believe that the world is broken because of mankind’s sin and that all people sin and are separated from God because of our sin.
Genesis 3, Romans 3:23
We believe that the penalty for our sin is death, but God has offered eternal life through JESUS CHRIST - GOD’S SON, born of the virgin Mary.
Romans 6:23, Luke 1:26-35
We believe that Jesus Christ literally came into the world, lived a sinless life, was hung on a cross, died a physical death, and physically rose from the dead. We believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. We believe that salvation and reconciliation back to God is found in grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. John 3:16, Romans 4:24-5:2
Genesis 3, Romans 3:23
We believe that the penalty for our sin is death, but God has offered eternal life through JESUS CHRIST - GOD’S SON, born of the virgin Mary.
Romans 6:23, Luke 1:26-35
We believe that Jesus Christ literally came into the world, lived a sinless life, was hung on a cross, died a physical death, and physically rose from the dead. We believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. We believe that salvation and reconciliation back to God is found in grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. John 3:16, Romans 4:24-5:2
lifestyle statements
The Bible as our sole authority
Spirit-led Living
Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when we are faced with a decision is, “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe. (2 Timothy 3:15)
We believe the only way to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 5:18, John 15:5)
Autonomy of each local church
Christ is the recognized head of our church, not a person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control. In relating to our “daughter churches” we sponsor, we encourage each congregation to determine its own strategy, structure, and style. (Colossians 1:18)
Evangelism
It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the good news with those God brings us into contact with. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church. (1 Peter 3:15)
Priesthood of every believer
Marriage
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his/her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading. (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6)
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. (Genesis 1:26-28 , Genesis 2:15-25, Colossians 3:18-20) (Adapted from the Baptist Faith and Message: Family)
Tithing
Parenting
At Cedar Grove, we practice tithing for support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving. (Leviticus 26:30)
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle examples and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents. (Exodus 20:12, Colossians 3:21, Deuteronomy 6:4-9) (Adapted from the Baptist Faith and Message: Family)
Baptism
Gender & Sexuality
We practice baptism by immersion under water - the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands. (Colossians 2:12)
God made humanity in his image as both male and female, which reflects the harmony and relationship of the Trinity, supplies the foundation for the different roles and responsibilities of men and women, was reaffirmed in the life of Jesus Christ, and cannot be reinvented or dissolved by new cultural standards. (Genesis 1:26-28) (Adapted from the Gospel Coalition: Humanity as male & female)
The Lord’s Supper
Sanctity of Life
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus at the time of his final meal with his disciples. The bread and the cup point to his broken body and shed blood and are symbols of the New Covenant in Christ. We observe the Lord’s Supper as a reminder to the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross so that we could have salvation. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed by professing followers of Jesus. (Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. (Micah 6:8, Psalm 139:13-16) (Adapted from the Baptist Faith and Message: The Christian and The Social Order)
southern baptist convention
Cedar Grove is part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) which is a network of more than 50,000 cooperating churches and church-type missions banded together to make an impact of God's Kingdom. While no two Southern Baptist churches are alike, there are certain commonalities that bind Southern Baptists together, regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic status, language, or locale.
For any additional information about the beliefs of the baptist faith and message, click here.
For any additional information about the beliefs of the baptist faith and message, click here.