Evangelical Christian Baptism
We believe that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), and by this we mean that the entire Bible is inspired of God, because holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit when they wrote it (2 Pet. 1:21). This divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture—including the historical, poetic, didactic, and prophetic books. Thus the Bible is inerrant in the original text, authoritative, and sufficient for all time (2 Pet. 1:19; John 5:39). It is Christocentric—telling about Christ.
The central focus of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ—Lord and Savior, His person and His work in the first and second coming. In this way, no part of the Bible, including the Old Testament, can be considered properly read or perceived, if it does not point to Him (Luke 24:27,44; Acts 17:2-3, 18:28, 26:22-23, 28:23). Therefore, having the authority of God and the power to impact people, Holy Scripture as the Word of God is given to us for practical instruction in all areas of our lives (Is.55:10-11; Ps.119:105; Ro.15:4; 1 Cor.10:11).
Our faith is built upon revelation: God reveals Himself in human history, and the 66 books of the Bible (39—Old Testament and 27—New Testament) are the expression of His self-disclosure (Heb. 1:1-3).
We believe that, on the one hand, Scripture is the trustworthy testimony of pious men about God, whom they loved and whom they served; and on the other hand—through the means of the unique role of the Holy Spirit in its composition—Scripture is the testimony of God and divine knowledge in human form. Absolute confidence that Holy Scripture comes from God and consists of His wisdom and truth comes only from Jesus Christ [through the testimony of] His apostles, who taught in His name.
- Jesus Christ viewed the Bible (our Old Testament) as the written instructions of His Heavenly Father, to which He submitted (Mat. 4:4, 7:10, 5:19-20, 19:4-6, 26:31, 52-54).
- The Apostle Paul described the Old Testament as fully “inspired,” coming forth from the Spirit of God, exactly as did all creation and the entire universe.
- The Apostle Peter unequivocally asserts the divine origin of Biblical instruction (2 Pet. 1:21, 1 Pet. 1:10-12).
In as much as the apostolic teaching about Christ is true revelation in words inspired by God (1 Cor. 2:12-13), the church justly considers the authentic apostolic writings to have completed the Bible.
We believe that what Scripture says—God says, because the Bible is simultaneously both a human and fully divine book. Thus all of its multi-faceted contents—history, prophecy, poetry, songs, wisdom, sermons, letters, and all others must be accepted as being from God.
The recognition of the Bible as the authoritative and inerrant Word of God obliges us to: be grateful to God for the gift of His written Word (2 Cor. 9:15); be zealous in building our faith and lives wholly and exclusively upon Scripture (Rom.10:17, Jd.1:20).
We believe that the interpretation of Scripture—as a divine book [given] on behalf of man, must start with a literal understanding (Luke 10:26). Therefore the use of allegory, which does not pay attention to the author of the book or the historical background of its composition, is unacceptable.
Every book of the Bible was written, not in coded language, but in such a way that it could be understood by the readers to whom it was addressed. This applies also to those books which widely use symbolic language—the books of Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation.
When reading and interpreting Holy Scripture, we must adhere to two principles:
- to accept the facts, commands, promises, and warnings which God communicates to us exactly as they are written (literal interpretation) –Luke 8:5-8;
- to prayerfully, on the basis of Scripture, meditate upon and discover that which God desires to reveal to us. –Luke 8:9-15.