DISTINTIVOS

DISTINCTIVES

We are a community of believers who cherish fellowship solely by the grace of Jesus Christ. Our trust is entirely in Christ as we recognize our desperate need for His death, life, and resurrection. Our mission is simple: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We desire to spread the good news of the gospel to those around us. As a community of believers, we hold the word of God as the highest authority in our lives and practice.

REFORMED BAPTIST

REFORMED CONFESSIONAL

Reformed Baptist churches primarily emerged during the Protestant Reformation in England in the 1640 and uphold the fundamental principles of historic orthodox Christianity. Their identity is marked by “trinitarian orthodoxy and Calvinistic evangelicalism” that “support the New testimony of a believer's church that practices the immersion of only those who have faith in the righteousness of Christ and manifest the marks of the new birth”

(The Baptists: One by Tom Nettles, p. 15). What defines a Reformed Baptist Church?

THE 5 SOLAS

The authority of Scriptures: Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura)
The basis of salvation: Grace Alone (S Gratia)
The means of salvation: Faith Alone (Sola Fide)
The merit of salvation: Christ AloneSolus Christus)
The purpose and end of everything: Glory to God Alone (Soli Deo)

THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE

Formed Baptists believe that salvation is solely the work of God (monergism), in contrast to common views that conceive salvation as some form of cooperation between God and man (nergism). The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is an exclusive act of God, which reflected in five important Reformed doctrines:

- Total Depravity

- Unconditional Election

- Particular Redemption

- Effective Grace

- Perseverance and Preservation of the Saints

COVENANT THEOLOGY

The theology of the covenant is a central element in Reformed theology. The Bible shows that the relationship between God and humanity is established through various covenants. For example, God made a covenant of works with Adam in the Garden of Eden. When Adam broke that covenant, sin entered world and, through sin, death (Romans 5:12 leading to the condemnation of all humanity (Romans 5:18). In mercy and love, God made a covenant of grace with His people through the Lord Jesus Christ. This covenant is revealed in the Old Testament and is formalized in the New Covenant through the person and work of (Hebrews 9:15).

THE LAW OF GOD

Those justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone are free from God's law as a covenant of works to gain eternal life (Romans 7:1-6). However, God's moral law, summarized in the Ten Commandments and even the Christian Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9-10), is given to believers as a norm or rule of life for their sanctification. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE

Reformed Baptists hold that the elements of public worship are restricted to what the Scriptures clearly establish. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 states in chapter 22, paragraph 1 that “the acceptable form of worshipping the true God is determined by himself, and limited by his revealed will, so that he cannot be worshipped according to human imaginations and devices, nor by the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or in any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.” In the face of the global growth of entertainment-centered, emotionally heightened, and consumer-oriented approaches to “church,” the Regulative Principle grounds our worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23), focusing on the preaching of God’s word, believers’ baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19), and other elements commanded or recommended in Scripture.