White Oak Baptist Church Statement of Faith

We believe that there is one and only one God, the Creator, Preserver and Sustainer of all things, an intelligent, personal and spiritual being, infinite in all perfections. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity and hears and answers prayer. To Him all creatures owe the highest love, worship and obedience.

We believe that God exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.

We believe that God has an enormous, unconditional love for us as His creatures and is at the same time also holy and perfect in every way.

We believe that God from all eternity decrees or permits all things that occur, and constantly upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events, yet God is not the author or approver of sin, and His providence does not destroy the will or responsibility of intelligent creatures.

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are the only sufficient, certain, and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience, and are totally and entirely trustworthy in all that they affirm.

We believe that God has eternally chosen persons in Christ unto everlasting life, not because of foreseen merit or faith in them, but only because of His free mercy and grace in Christ; those chosen by God are also called, justified and glorified. Those whom God has elected choose to repent and believe the gospel.

We believe that God originally created humanity, both male and female, in His own image and free from sin. We believe that since Adam's sin, all persons are sinners by nature and by choice. Through the temptation of Satan, the first man disobeyed the command of God and fell from his original holiness and righteousness. As bearers of the Divine image, all people are worthy of honor and dignity from the point of physical conception.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Having eternally existed as God, He took on human nature, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Thus, He is fully God and fully man. He perfectly fulfilled the law, living an authentic human life, yet without sin. In His substitutionary atoning death, by bearing God's wrath for sins, Christ died on the cross for the salvation of those who would believe in Him. He was buried, bodily rose again on the third day, and ascended to His Father. He is the only Mediator between God and humanity, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church and the Sovereign of the Universe.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. He inspired the writing of the Scriptures, convicts the world of sin, and applies the work of Christ to those who are saved by regenerating them and by progressively sanctifying them. He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our Salvation and the Guarantor of our inheritance in Christ.

We believe that regeneration is a change of heart accomplished by the Holy Spirit, who makes alive those dead in sin and renews their whole nature, so that they desire to love and practice holiness. Regeneration is the work of God's free and special grace alone.

We believe that repentance is a gracious effect, first demonstrated when a person, being made aware by the Holy Spirit of the evil of his sin, is humbled for it and chooses to walk before God so as to please Him in all things. Repentance should be an ongoing experience for every Christian.

We believe that saving faith is the belief of God's authority, accepting and resting on Christ alone for eternal life. It is accomplished in the heart by the Holy Spirit, is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.

We believe that justification is God's gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe in Christ, on account of the obedient life and atoning sacrifice of Christ, as they receive and put their faith in Christ and His righteousness alone.

We believe that those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God's word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is a progressive growth in holiness, making use of the appointed means of spiritual growth: prayer, hearing and doing the Word, church fellowship, and the ordinances.

We believe that those whom God has regenerated in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end, and be kept through the power of God by faith unto salvation.

We believe that the Lord Jesus is the only Head of the Church, which is a living spiritual body composed of all His true disciples. The two regular offices of a church are Bishops, Elders or Pastors, and Deacons or Servant Ministers. Teaching and edifying believers and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ are the primary duties of the local church.

We believe that particular churches may cooperate with other like-minded churches in seeking to extend the Kingdom of God and fulfill the Great Commission.

We believe that water baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory on every believer. It is a sign of the believer's fellowship with Christ in His death and resurrection. Immersion in water in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the New Testament method of Baptism.

We believe that the Lord's Supper is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ to be observed by His churches until the end of the world. In it, the people of God remember and proclaim the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and anticipate the return of Christ. It is in no way a sacrifice.

We believe that every Christian should live for the glory of God and seek to realize the full stature of maturity in Christ. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, Christians owe primary allegiance to Jesus Christ, the Supreme Ruler.

We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from any human doctrine or commandment which is in any way contrary to God's Word or not contained in it.

We believe that the bodies of men and women decay after death, but their spirits remain conscious and go immediately to their appointed place — the righteous in Christ to rest with God, the wicked to be reserved in darkness for judgment. We believe that at the end of this age, the Lord Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to consummate His Kingdom, and in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal blessedness of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

We believe that the whole Bible is God's message to us, setting out His plan for the world and for us as His people. It has the voice of authority in our daily lives, individually and as a church.