THE SCRIPTURES:

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures. This constitutes the Word of God as authoritative and sufficient. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed and opinion shall be tried. We believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved Word of God for the English speaking world.

THE TRUE GOD:

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that they are equal in every divine perfection and are executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of Mary, a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men; that He is both the Son of God and God the Son.

THE HOLY SPIRIT:

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature. It is He who convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the Restrainer of the Evil One until God's purpose is fulfilled. He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel and is the agent in the new birth, baptizing all true believers into the Body of Christ. We reject the practice of the modern experience-oriented Charismatic movement.

THE CREATION:

We believe in the Genesis account of creation i.e. that God literally created by His direct act from nothing all that exists in heaven and earth in six literal days. We absolutely reject any form of evolution including theistic evolution.

THE HUMAN RACE:

We believe that man was created in the image and after the likeness of God, but he by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy estate. The resulting consequences are that all men are now sinners not by constraint but by choice and are therefore under the just condemnation of God, without excuse or defense.

THE DEVIL:

We believe in a real and personal devil; and that he was created by God as a angel, but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.

THE SALVATION OF MEN:

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through faith and that Jesus is the only way of salvation. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free by the Gospel and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest of sinners but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel.

THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER:

We believe that those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior are eternally secure. Their security rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ and all of the redeemed are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever.

THE FUTURE:

We believe in the "Blessed Hope," the personal, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial, imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at which time the Church will be given glorified bodies and shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air prior to the Tribulation. We believe that the Tribulation will be culminated by the revelation of Christ in great power and glory to sit upon the throne of David and establish the millennial kingdom.

THE CHURCH:

We believe that the local visible church is a congregation of baptized believers practicing the New Testament principles, believing its doctrines, observing its ordinances i.e. baptism and the Lord's Supper, and exercising its autonomy. We believe this congregation of believers is lead by Pastors who are assisted by deacons appointed by the congregation. We believe it is the responsibility of the local church to propagate the Gospel to the world. Every church and Christian should have a part in the ministry.

THE SEPARATION OF THE BELIEVER:

We believe in the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness, ecclesiastical apostasy i.e. neo-orthodoxy, liberalism, ecumenism, new evangelical compromise, and the disorderly brother who, by his on-going Biblically-improper conduct, disgraces the cause of our Lord.

THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT:

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society. Believers should obey its laws, excepting those things opposed to the Word of God, faithfully pray for those in positions of authority and honor them according to the Word of God.

THE IMMORALITY OF SOCIETY:

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of homosexuality, incest, fornication or adultery are forbidden by the Bible.

THE DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE:

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorced men are not qualified for the office of Pastor or Deacon.

THE ABORTION OF LIFE:

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.

A DECLARATION OF THOSE THINGS WHICH
ARE MOST SURELY BELIEVED AMONG US

I. CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, made up of sixty-six books, which constitute the Old & New Testaments -- The Word of God. We believe that holy men of God were "moved by the Holy Spirit" to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the Scripture -- historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical -- and the Scriptures are therefore uniquely inspired, infallible, and inerrant in their totality in the original writings. Moreover, we believe God, by His singular care and providence, has preserved His Word(s) pure throughout all ages. We believe His Word is preserved in Hebrew by the Masoretic Text, in Greek by the Majority Text, and in English by the Authorized Version. We believe the Scriptures are to be interpreted in a plain, literal way, allowing for the normal use of language. We believe the Scripture is the final authority and is to be the final court of appeal in all matters of faith and practice.

II. CONCERNING THE TRUE GOD

We believe in the one Triune God, the creator of heaven and earth. God exists eternally in three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. We believe each member of the Godhead exercises distinct yet harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. We believe that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Heavenly Father of all those, and only of all those, who have come to a saving knowledge of His only begotten Son.

III. CONCERNING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, being eternally the Son of God, was ordained by the Father to be the Mediator between God and man; the Prophet, Priest and King; The Head and Saviour of the Church; Heir of all things; and Judge of the world. In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. Having the very nature of God, He took upon Himself the nature of man, becoming eternally the God-man -- Very God of Very God and Very man of Very man. The Lord Jesus Christ, having taken the nature of man, with all the essential properties and common infirmities, lived totally apart from and without sin. The sinless, spotless Son of God gave Himself as a voluntary, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross for our sins. After three days and three nights, the Lord Jesus rose victorious from the grave bodily, becoming the firstfruits of those that were asleep. We believe the Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, where He now makes intercession for us, and where He also now awaits the Father's good time to come again for His own.

IV. CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead, possessing the same nature, attributes, and perfections as the other members of the Trinity. We believe the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit in all ages is to bring glory to the Son.

We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, as well as, presently restrains evil in this world.

Furthermore, we believe in and are completely open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit among God's people as recorded in and mandated by the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is the supernatural agent involved in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, filling, guiding, teaching, and sealing them until the day of redemption.

We believe the ministry of the Holy Spirit, although alike in most ways, was somewhat different in the Old Testament. Especially is this true in reference to His present ministry of baptizing all believers into one body and thereby forming the Church, which is distinctive to this age.

In the future, after the rapture of the Church, the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain sin in and through the Church, allowing the full manifestation of the mystery of iniquity in the person of the Antichrist.

We believe the Lord Jesus chose the Apostles for the purpose of establishing the Church and completing the Scripture. The Holy Spirit, in a unique and non-repeatable way, led them and authenticated their ministry with signs and wonders and mighty deeds. Upon the passing of the Apostles and completing of the Canon, the signs of an apostle ceased. Although open to, and even insistent upon, the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, we reject the practice of the modern experience - oriented, biblically - denuded, and ecumenically - compromised Charismatic movement.

V. CONCERNING CREATION

We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally and not allegorically or figuratively, i.e. that the Triune God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing in six literal days, that man was created directly in God's own image and after His own likeness, that man's creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change or an evolutionary kind of development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms, that all animal and vegetable life was made directly, and that God's established law was that they should bring forth only "after their own kind". Further more, we absolutely reject theistic evolution.

VI. CONCERNING MAN

We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in God's image and after His likeness by the direct act of God. Having been created in a state of positive holiness and righteousness, Adam willfully sinned against God and fell from that state. The consequence of the fall is that all men are now constituted sinners and are totally depraved -- sinners both by nature and choice. Fallen human nature is devoid of the ability to do good or to please God and, in reality, is positively inclined to evil. Man, therefore, apart from the grace of God is already under the condemnation of God and will be consigned forever to eternal punishment because of his condition. Although not every individual is as sinful as he could be, this sinful state manifests itself in all men in thought, word, and deed.

VII. CONCERNING THE DEVIL

We believe in the personality of Satan and that he was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels, that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man's greatest tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, and accuser of the saints, and author of all the power of darkness; destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God's own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.

VIII. CONCERNING SALVATION

We believe man, being a sinner both by nature and by choice, is in a state of perpetual enmity against God, from which he is able to do nothing to change or improve his condition. God, because of His grace and boundless love, ordained before the foundation of the world that His Son would be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, and give Himself a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us to God. We believe that only through God's gracious gift of His Son -- the shed blood of Christ -- does mankind have hope of salvation. This salvation is totally of God's grace, apart from anything man can do, whether this be good works, ceremonies (such as Baptism or the Lord's Supper), or church affiliation; it is only Christ's blood -- His finished work on Calvary -- that saves. By the grace of God, upon repentance from sin and personal faith in Christ, a person partakes of this great salvation. This great salvation means we are "born again" into God's family as newborn children, and that we are adopted into God's family with all the rights of adult children, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

Moreover, we believe that just as nothing can be done to earn salvation, nothing can be added to salvation. At the moment of salvation the believer receives all spiritual blessings and is complete in Christ. Although the believer will certainly grow in his realization of this great salvation, at the moment of salvation the believer stands complete in Christ and in need of nothing.

Moreover, we believe, owing to the gracious nature of salvation, the unending intercession of Christ, the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and the indisputable promises and power of God, the believer is kept and is secure in Christ forever.

IX. CONCERNING JUSTIFICATION

We beieve that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification, that justification includes pardon of sin, a position of righteousness before God, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness, that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood, His righteousness is imputed to us. God justifies the sinner, not because he is righteous, or because he does righteous deeds, but because of the righteousness of Christ having been imputed to his account. Christ's obedience and righteousness are imputed to the sinner's account, and our sin is imputed to Christ's account, and thereby God's holy wrath and justice are satisfied. God has judicially declared on this basis that the believer is just-as-if-he-had-never-sinned.

X. CONCERNING SANCTIFICATION.

Sanctification is that great work that, although distinguishable from justification, can and must never finally be separated from justification. It is an act and process whereby God sets apart all believers unto holiness. In the work of sanctification, which follows and flows from justification, God imparts His righteousness to the believer in the past at the time we receive Christ, presently in the progressive imparting of His righteousness and in the future in being totally separated from sin unto God. Most assuredly those who are saved are saved unto good works, and are to maintain good works.

Good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and living faith. By good works believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their fellow Christian, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and ultimately glorify God.

Moreover, we believe that because of this union with Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, the believer will progressively manifest a life that is separated from the world and unto God. This relationship with God will cause the believer to avoid all forms of evil that might bring reproach upon his Saviour.

We believe that God's work of sanctification will affect the whole person, in the totality of life. However, at the same time, the believer will never be perfect in this life, some remnants of the Fall will remain, and a continual war will ensue until the day we see our Lord and are changed into His image -- are glorified together with Him.

XI. CONCERNING THE FUTURE

Having been justified by His blood, and being sanctified at the present time by His Word and Spirit, the believer now anxiously awaits the time when he will be glorified with His Lord.

We believe the Lord Jesus came unto His own in the first advent, and was rejected by His own people Israel, who were in turn set aside. In the eternal plan and wisdom of God, an era and work unknown to the Old Testament Prophets was inaugurated -- a mystery -- that is, the Church. God is now calling out of the Gentiles a people for His name, and this will be His work and our responsibility until the full number of the Gentiles are saved. The next great event in prophecy will be the Lord's coming in the air for His own, to catch away His bride. We believe the Blessed Hope is imminent and will be pre-tribulational, that is, it will precede the tribulation period.

We believe after the rapture of the Church, a time of tribulation will begin in this world in which Satan's emissaries, the Antichrist and the false prophet, will be allowed free reign. This will be a time of great tribulation such as never has been, and if those days were not limited by God no one would physically survive. This seven year tribulation is in fulfillment of Daniel's seventieth week and is also called the "Time of Jacob's Trouble."

Although a horrific time, many will be saved when God again begins to graft Israel back in. We believe at the end of the seven year tribulation, the Lord Jesus will come again with His own, bringing to a close the "Time of the Gentiles." At the end of the Tribulation the Lord Jesus will come with His own in the clouds with great power and glory: to bind Satan for one thousand years in the bottomless pit, to begin to lift the curse which now rests upon the whole creation, to restore Israel to her own land, to allow Israel to realize God's covenant blessings, to bring the whole world to the knowledge of God, and to establish the Millennium -- the Lord's righteous reign upon the earth for one thousand years.

We believe at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence, and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon spirit, soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory. But the spirit of the unbeliever remains in death, conscious of condemnation and misery, until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.

XII. CONCERNING THE CHURCH

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Church of Jesus Christ, distinct from Israel in the Old Testament, was inaugurated at Pentecost and must be considered in two aspects: the local Church and the "Church which is His Body."

The "Church which is His Body" is the entire company of believers in Christ, irrespective of race, gender, or social standing; they are simply all who have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost until the rapture of the Church. All believers, regardless of denominational affiliation or present position in Heaven or earth, are a member of His body due to the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

The local Church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated together by a covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word. Essentially, the local church is a place where the Word of God is proclaimed, the ordinances are administered, and discipline is exercised.

We believe the offices of the local Church are two: Pastors (also called Bishops and Elders) and Deacons. The Pastor's primary functions are those of leading, overseeing, and teaching, while the Deacons are to be the servants of the Pastors and the Church, assisting both to further the cause of Christ's Church. The calling, qualifications, and duties of these two offices are clearly defined in the Pastoral Epistles, Acts, 1 Peter, and Hebrews and are limited to men who meet the Biblical standards. Women, while they can not Scripturally serve as pastors or deacons, can serve in many other capacities necessary to the health and success of the local church as can men who do not meet the Biblical standard. Furthermore, we believe, under the leadership of the Pastors, the Deacons and the Saints are to strive together to reach the Church's God-given objectives.

We believe each local church is autonomous and is to be self-governing under the Headship of Jesus Christ. Each local church is free to associate with other local churches of like faith.

We believe the Lord has divinely ordained two other institutions: the home and human government. We believe the local church is to actively promote and protect the nuclear family, which would normally consist of a father, mother and children. We also believe the church is to support and promote godliness and justice in government by praying for those in office, obeying its law under God, and seeking the appointment of godly leaders.

We believe the Local Church has been given two major objectives by the Risen Christ. As the gathered Church, our objective is ministering to the body. This would include such activities as edification, encouragement, organization, and worship. As the scattered Church, our objective is ministering to the world. This would include such activities as evangelizing the lost, supporting worldwide missions, living Christ-like lives before the world, and serving God in our particular calling.

We believe, in obedience to our Lord's commands, two Ordinances are to be perpetuated in the Local Church. Firstly, we believe in the baptism of believers in water one time by immersion. This is to be done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and is a symbolic act symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and our union with Him in dying to sin and rising again to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to membership and privileges in the local church. We reject any form of baptismal regeneration -- that is, that baptism in any way saves. Secondly, we believe that the Lord's Supper (also called Communion) is a memorial &/ commemoration of His death until He comes. The partaking of the symbols of unfermented fruit of the vine and unleavened bread must be preceded by solemn self-examination in remembrance of the sinless Christ and His substitutionary death. The frequency of the Lord's Supper, being nowhere delineated in Scripture, is determined by the desire of the Church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

XIII. CONCERNING SEPARATION

We believe the Church is to be a pure church, as is our Lord's intent and command. Moreover, we believe that the local church is to separate itself, organically and inorganically, in fellowship and doctrine, from any and all organizations and individuals that are engaged in action and practice, by method or by teaching, in any activity or doctrine that is contrary to the plain teaching of the Word of God. This includes the entire antichrist ecumenical movement as well as all of its components: Neo-evangelicalism, Neo-orthodoxy, liberalism, and any such groups of individuals. It also includes those that disgrace the cause of our Lord by improper conduct in the practice of their religion. We believe in the separation of believers unto Christ and from the world so as to maintain good works and to have no fellowship with the evil works of darkness, but rather reprove them. We therefore urge upon every member of Lifegate Baptist Church to abstain from "every appearance of evil" in religion, dress, conversation, amusement, business habit, etc., according to the teachings of God's Holy Word.

XIV. CONCERNING CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that the government's authority is ordained of God for the good of the citizens under its jurisdiction, that believers in Christ are to strive to obey its constitutional ordinances, excepting those things opposed to the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we are to faithfully pray for those who occupy positions of civil authority. We believe, however, in the absolute separation of church and state, that each has been ordained of God to render service in entirely different spheres and for different purposes, and therefore neither is to dictate to the other, nor are they to form any organic union whatsoever.

XV. CONCERNING HUMAN SEXUALITY

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex.

XVI. CONCERNING DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of Pastor or Deacon.

XVII. CONCERNING 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 selections, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.

XVIII. CONCERNING 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.

XIX. CONCERNING GIVING

We believe that every Christian, as steward of the 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.

XX. CONCERNING THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Statement Of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members.