Our Beliefs
--About Scripture
We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the words of God that form our Scripture. The Bible is the truth without any mixture of error. The Bible is the sole and final authority for faith and life. It provides encouragement, guidance, comfort, and instruction for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
--The Godhead –(Trinity)
We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one true God that eternally exists in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Each is equal in divine nature and attributes, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19, John 1:14, John 10:30, 2 Cor. 13:44).
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God The Father
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We believe that God the Father is First Person of the Trinity and is eternal, immutable, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy. He is the Ruler and Sustainer of the universe and is completely sovereign. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, John 5:19-21, John 17:1-5; Isa. 40:21-28, Isa. 43:10-13, Isa. 46:8-11; Rom. 8:14-16).
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God The Son
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We believe that Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal Son of God. He became flesh to be the Savior of the world. Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a life without sin and died on the cross as an all-sufficient, substitutionary sacrifice for all the sins of all men of all time. He was buried, bodily rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, intercedes on our behalf, and will return in the air to claim his bride, the church. (John 1:1,14, John 1:18; John 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:3,9; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:22-24; John 1:29; Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24, 1 Pet. 3:18; John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:7; Matt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).
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God The Holy Spirit
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We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He indwells the believer, and securely seals the believer unto the day of redemption. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for the purpose of edifying the church in accordance with the teachings of scripture (1 Cor. 13:8, 1 Cor. 14:22; John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:19, 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, Gal. 22-23; Rom. 8:5-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8).
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--The Way of and Freeness of Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for forgiveness of sins and salvation, which is the free gift of God’s grace. We believe that the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and heirs of eternal life. (Eph. 1:7:13-14; John 1:12-13, John 3:1-7, John 14-16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 1:16, Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 8:14-17, Rom. 31-39; John 10:27-29, Rom. 14:6; Acts 26:20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
--Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect, in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism, along with the Lord’s Supper (Communion) are the only two ordinances of the church given by the Lord (Matt 28:19-20, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, 1 Cor 11:23-26 Mark 14:22-25, Mat 36:26-29).
--Evangelism & Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations... to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the Gospel of Christ (Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, Rom 10L14-15).
--Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions (Mal 3:10, 1 Cor 4:1-2, 2 Cor 9:6-7, 1 Pet 4:10, 1 Tim 5:8).
--Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God's image. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage (Gen 1:27, Gen 2:24, Psalm 127:3m Eph 5:22-25, Col 3:1-21).
Our Mission
Glorifying God - Making Disciples - Building Community - Changing Lives
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church seeks to be a free and faithful voice of the Gospel, witnessing with integrity to Jesus Christ and the mission of the Church. We value excellence in worship, theological depth and diversity, authentic Christian community, deliberate church growth, congregational courage, responsible Christian stewardship, and a missional consciousness where every member is mobilized to serve Almighty God.