What We Believe

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES                                                       

We believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God; reveals God, the fall of man, the way of eternal salvation, and God’s plan and purpose through out time. Here at Southside Baptist, we teach from the KJV. We are not critical or mean about this and we hope you find our hearts sincere in the love of the Gospel. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Gen. 1:1; Gen. 3; John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10)

GOD

We believe there is one and only one true and living God, an infinite, sovereign Spirit, the Creator and Supreme ruler of heaven and earth; glorious in holiness and worthy of all honor and praise, that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.  (Is. 46:9-10; Jer. 10:10-12; I Cor. 12:4-6; Matt. 3:16-17)

JESUS CHRIST

We believe in the deity and humanity of Christ; His virgin birth; His sinless life; His shed blood for the atonement for sin; His bodily resurrection; His visible bodily ascension into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God the Father and is our intercessor; and His future visible, bodily, personal, and glorious second coming. We believe The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to God and believe that He alone paid the penalty for sin and justifies us.  (John 1:1-2; John 1:14; Luke 1:26-35; Heb. 4:15; Matt. 28:5-6; Acts 1:9-10; Rom. 8:34; Acts 1:11; Titus 2:13)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, and that He inspired and illuminates Scripture, exalts Christ, convinces of sin, regenerates, indwells, teaches, comforts, sanctifies, seals, assures, gives spiritual gifts to, enlightens and empowers the believer.  (Heb. 9:14; Matt. 28:19; II Tim. 3:16; I Peter 1:21; II Cor. 2:9-12; John 16:14; John 16:7-9; John 3:5-6; Rom. 8:9; John 14:26; II Thess. 2:13; II Cor. 1:22; Rom 8:16; I Cor. 12:3-11; John 16:13; Acts 1:8)

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD                                                       

We believe in the absolute sovereignty of God; that God has decreed in Himself from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things whatsoever comes to pass.  (Isa. 46:10; Psa. 103:19, 135:6; Dn. 4:35; Eph. 1:11)

CREATION

We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man’s body was created from the dust of the ground, by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life ; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.  (Gen. 1 & 2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3)

FALL OF MAN

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God and placed under the law of His maker; but the voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and upright state, and thus all men sinned in him, in consequence of which, men are completely and totally depraved, are partakes of Adam’s fallen nature, and are spiritually dead in trespasses and sin; and therefore are under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.  (Gen. 1:26, 3:1-6; Rom. 3:10-19, 5:12, 1:18,32)

SALVATION

We believe in an individuals eternal salvation from sin and death by God’s grace through faith; and that not of ourselves. That eternal salvation is the free gift of God, not earned by any virtue or works of any individual but wholly by The Lord Jesus Christ, and is imputed to God’s chosen people. We believe once an individual is regenerated he/she then has the ability to exercise personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a commandment in scripture. Salvation from sin in its broadest sense included the regeneration, sanctification, and glorification of the believer.  (Eph. 2:8-9; Rev. 22:17; Rom. 6:23; Gal. 2:16; John 1:12; Rom. 8:29-30)

DOCTRINE OF GRACE

We believe the Scripture teaches that salvation is by God’s grace through faith; and that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. We believe in the total depravity of man, and we believe that God chooses, draws, changes, justifies, redeems, glorifies, and preserves His saints. (Gen. 6:5; Isa. 1:5-6; Eph 1:4; John 6:37; Acts 13:48; Rev. 17:8; Isa. 53:11; John 10:15; Rom. 8:28,30; Psa. 110:3; Col. 1:21-23; Eph. 1:13-14; Phil. 1:6; John 17:11; I Thess. 5:23)

THE CHURCH

We believe that the New Testament Church is a local, visible, autonomous body of baptized believers who come together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.  Founded by Jesus Christ while on earth, the church operates through democratic processes under the head leadership of Jesus Christ, seeking to fulfill the mission and purposes he gave, which is the Great Commission, and committed to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, and observing the two scriptural ordinances, (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and recognizing the two scriptural officers (Pastors and Deacons).  (Acts 1:14-15, 2:41-47; I Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Matt. 16:18, 28:18-20; I Cor. 12:25-28; Phil. 1:1; I Tim. 3:1-8)

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

We believe the two ordinances given to the local church by Jesus Christ are water baptism and the Lord’s supper.  Baptism is to be by immersion in water of believers only.  It is a prerequisite to the privileges of the church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is restricted to the members of the local assembly; in which they, by the use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, show their Lord’s death till He comes.  (Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 8:35-38; Mark 14:22-25)

THE FAMILY

We believe marriage was ordained by God and is solely defined as one male and one female becoming one flesh.  We believe it was God’s design that a man and a woman enter the marriage union for life. (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:3-9; Romans 7:2; Ephesians 5:22-32)

We believe God has provided for intimate sexual relations between man and woman within the covenant of marriage; any sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage, including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, pedophilia, among others alluded to in God’s Word are a sin.  We also believe acts that defile God’s human creation, such as gender modification, through medical procedures or by appearance, and participation in the sexual degradation of others and/or themselves through pornography, are attacks against the family unit, and are against the will of God, and are sins. (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 6:6-10; 7:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:3-5; I Thessalonians 4:8)

We believe in the sanctity of human life. We believe human life begins at conception, and from conception through the elderly adult years should be respected as a creation of God. (Genesis 1:27; Exodus 20:13; Leviticus 19:32; Job 12:12; Psalms 139:13-14; Isaiah 44:2, 24; Jeremiah 1:5; Romans 9:20-22; I Timothy 5:1-2)

We believe children are a blessing from God and are to be taught spiritual and moral values by their parents, who are to rear them with loving discipline following the example and instruction of our Lord. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Psalms 78:4-7; 127:3; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4)

SATAN

We believe in the existence and personality of Satan also known as the Devil or Lucifer; that he seeks to deceive and destroy all people and opposes God; that he is the prince of many devils or evil spirits; that he was defeated and judged at the cross; and that his final doom is certain.  (Matt 4:1-11; I Chron. 21:1; II Cor. 12:7; Luke 4:8; Rev. 12:9; John 12:31-33; Rev 20:10)

DEATH/RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD

We believe that the spirit and souls of the eternal saved go immediately to be with the Lord at the time of death; that the spirit and souls of the eternally unsaved descend immediately into torment; and that the bodies of both await resurrection – the eternally saved shall be resurrected to eternal life and the eternally unsaved shall be resurrected to eternal punishment.  (II Cor. 5:8; Luke 16:2-3; Acts 24:15; John 5:28-29; Matt. 24:31-26)

THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

We believe that God will create a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, and which will be the abiding place of the redeemed for all eternity, where Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  ( II Peter 3:13; Rev. 19:16; 21:1-27)