Baptist Beliefs
Together with Christians in all the mainstream denominations, Baptists assent to
and uphold the beliefs contained in the historic creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene
Creed etc). This makes us ‘orthodox’ in our faith. Alongside these, just over 100
years ago the Baptist Union of Great Britain agreed a ‘Declaration of Principle’
which summarizes the particular emphases of Baptist belief:
“That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and
absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in
the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.
That Christian Baptism is the immersion
in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who
have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who 'died
for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day'.
That
it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.”
From this we can say that:
1. Jesus Christ is at the centre of our faith. We believe him to be the Son of God,
fully human and fully divine. He is God’s supreme revelation to the world. Through
repentance and faith in Jesus our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to God.
His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection on Easter day enable us to be ‘born
again’ by the Holy Spirit and become adopted as God’s children. Now and for ever.
And all this because of his great love for us.
2. The Bible is God’s written revelation to us, describing the story of his creation
and involvement in the world, and in particular showing us his plan of salvation
in Jesus. We believe the Bible to be inspired by God and able to speak to us today
- teaching, encouraging and showing us how to live the Christian life. Reading the
Bible is a vital part of our faith.
3. The authority of the local church. Baptist churches are grass-roots organisations
whose members make all the major decisions affecting their life and work. We are
democratic rather than hierarchical, with regular meetings of all church members.
We elect leaders to serve and guide the church, and who are accountable at all times.
But we are also connected to other local churches – here in Preston as part of Christians
Together in Paignton and as a denomination with other Baptist churches in the South
West, nationally and globally.
4. Believer’s Baptism. Based upon our reading of the New Testament, Baptists have
always understood baptism to be the response of those who have personally committed
themselves to following Jesus. Although we may give thanks for the birth of a child
and dedicate that child and its family for God’s blessing and care, we only baptise
a person when they have expressed Christian faith for themselves. Such occasions
are great celebrations!
5. Sharing our faith. Jesus told his first disciples to go into the world and tell
others the good news of salvation and wholeness in him. Baptists recognise that
this commission of Jesus still stands, and as his followers today we seek to be obedient
to him. At Preston we realise that modern culture is rapidly changing, and we are
trying to find creative ways to declare and live out the unchanging gospel into our
local community and beyond.
