OUR BELIEFS

The sixty-six books of the Authorized King James Bible contain the full and sole statement of faith of Big Sky Baptist Church of Hamilton.

The following comprise a brief set of some of the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.

The following comprise a brief set of some of the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.

(A) The Holy Scriptures. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the sole and final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments (called Scriptures) are the complete and only written divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the pastor. The sixty-six books of the Authorized King James Bible shall be the official and only translation of the Scriptures used by the church. (IITim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21)

(B) Dispensationalism. We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life, which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not different ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations – the law, the church, and the kingdom – are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (Gen. 1:28; I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10, 3:2-10, Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)

(C) The Godhead. We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing as – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13-14; John 14:10, 26)

(D) The Nature and Work of Christ.

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, manifested Himself as of the only begotten Son of God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8; Isa. 9:6)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead, for those who receive Him as Saviour. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5; I Cor. 15:42-49)
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24, 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2)

(E) The Nature and Work of the Holy Spirit.

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)
2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18, 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can better use their gifts to the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12; Titus 3:5)

(F) The Total Depravity of Man. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is sinful and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12, 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

(G) Salvation. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed for us on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; I John 1:9; Rom. 5:8)

(H) The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.

1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5; Eph. 1:13, 14)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

(I) The Church

1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external religious authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31, 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism (by immersion only) and the Lord’s Supper (with unleavened bread and unfermented wine only) as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

(J) Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances such as: piercings, and bodily markings. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9:11; Lev. 19:28; I Cor. 6:19-20)

(K) The Second Advent of Christ. We believe in the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His Earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thes. 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 19:11-16, 20:1-6) (L) The Eternal State.

1. We believe in a bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to judgment and eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, 3:21; I Thes. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with spirit, soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thes. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

(M) Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16, Ps. 51:5, 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

(N) Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others (including those in the womb), not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10, 17-21, 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; II Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18)

(O) Lawsuits Between Believers. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

(P) Missions. We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20)

(Q) Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17)

(R) Human Sexuality and Marriage.

1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of intimacy. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. We do not accept one’s altered gender in determining whether they are male or female. We will only acknowledge their original natural gender from birth. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1, 6:9; I Thes. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)
3. A couple is defined as one man and one woman united in marriage.

(S) Family Relationships.

1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate positional functions for men and women in the home (family) and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15, 3:4-5, 12)
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-29; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18, 22:15, 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 6:1-16; Eph. 5:23-33, 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7)

(T) Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. (Matt. 5:31-32; Matt. 19:3-9)

(U) Baptist Distinctives.

• Biblical Authority-(II Peter 1:16-21; II Tim. 3:16-17)
• Autonomy of the Local church-(Matt. 16:18-19)
• Priesthood of all believers-(I Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:5-6)
• Two Ordinances
  • Baptism-(Acts 2:41)
  • Communion (I Cor. 11:23-25)
• Individual Soul Liberty-(Rom. 14:5-12)
• Saved, Baptized Membership-(Acts 2:47)
• Two Offices
  • Pastor (Acts 20:28)
  • Deacons (Acts 6:1-7; I Tim. 3:13)
• Separation of Church and State-(Matt. 22:21)

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one local body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy of speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure reconciliation without delay.

We moreover engage, that if we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and principles of God’s Word. In the event there is no such church, we shall seek, with the Lord’s help, to establish one.