Pinecrest Baptist Church

DECLARATION OF FAITH
At PINECREST BAPTIST CHURCH, we believe that the Holy Bible is the final and all sufficient authority in doctrine, polity and life.
3.1 Concerning Salvation
(A) We believe in salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
(B) We believe all humans are sinners that can be saved by God’s grace (Romans
3:23); God loves all humans and provides a way to a fulfilling relationship with
Him for each human by His forgiveness of sign through our accepting of Jesus
into our hearts and lives (John 3:16) and God’s amazing unconditional love  (1 Corinthians 13).
(C) We believe in sanctification as a process of spiritual growth in the believer,
culminating in complete likeness to Christ when “we shall see Him as He is”  (1 John 3:1).
(D) We believe in the resurrection of the dead, with eternal life for the righteous and
eternal death (separation from GOD) for the wicked (John 3:16).
3.2 Concerning the Individual
(A) We believe in the supreme worth of the individual and the dignity of human
life (Genesis 1:27).
(B) We believe in personal-competency, the ability of the individual soul to deal
directly with God (John 14:6).
(C) We believe in personal freedom, the right of every individual to deal with God for
himself without the interferences of man or institution (John 14:6).
(D) We believe that all members are to abide by the standard of sexual purity,
integrity, and faithfulness as stated in the Bible (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians
5:3-5) and that homosexuality is a sin in God’s eyes as stated in Romans 1:18-27.
(E) We believe each individual BELIEVER is a PRIEST in his/her own right.
(I Peter 2: 9; Hebrews 4: 14-16)
3.3 Concerning the church
(A) We believe that the visible church is a company of baptized believers in a given
community, organized according to New Testament principles; that the invisible
church is the universal church including all true believers.
(B) We believe salvation is a requisite to Church membership.
(C) We believe only two church officers are scriptural – Pastors                          (I Timothy 3: 1-7)
and Deacons (I Timothy 3: 8-13); that other elected officers and committees are in the nature of helpers.
(D) We believe there are two Ordinances of the church – Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper; and said ordinances are symbols of spiritual truths.
(E) We believe that Baptism, the immersion of a believer in water, is a symbol of the believer’s death to sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ; and that the Lord’s Supper commemorates the death of Christ on the cross for the sins of the world.
(F) We believe that marriage is between one man and one woman in a life time
commitment to each other (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6).
ARTICLE IV
COVENANT
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as
our Savior and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God and this assembly most
solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love and
unity; 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 contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of
the Church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and private devotions; to educate our children in the
Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in
the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our
deportment; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another
in prayer; to aide one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling
and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation;
and to strive to be obedient to the commandments of Christ.
We moreover engage that when 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 the
principles of God’s Word.
ARTICLE V
POLITY
Ultimate authority lies in Christ as the head of the church and in the Scripture as the basis
for all faith and practice. The government of this Church is vested in the body of believers who
compose it and administered by its officers in accordance with Biblical guidelines for church
leadership. This Church is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body. It recognizes
and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation, and is associated with the
Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.

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.

GEN. 1:1; PSALM. 19:7-10; LUKE 21:33; HEB. 1:1-2

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

DEUT. 4:1-2; TIM. 3:16; II PET. 1:21; JOHN 10:35

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

GEN. 3:15;MATT. 1:21; ACTS 17:30-31; GAL. 2:20