Statement of Faith

The Bible is the perfect word of God, without error, complete, and fully sufficient.  All Christians and Christian churches fall under its supreme authority and guidance.  However, throughout the years, the church fathers and spiritual leaders have adopted various creeds and statements of faith based on, and in full agreement with the Bible.  One of those statements of faith that we at North Bay Fellowship adhere to, and explains what we believe about the Bible is called the Baptist Faith and Message (rev. 2000).  The entire document is available to read online here: Baptist Faith and Message (2000).

Here's a short summary of what we believe:

We believe:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired by God, and is God's revelation of Himself to man.  It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and is the truth, without any mixture of error.

God.  There is one, and only one living and true God.  He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being; the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.  The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son (Word), and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image.  He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation.  By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.  Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship.  God created man in His own image, and Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every ethnicity, "race", and lineage possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and trust Him as their Lord and Savior.

Security of the believer.  Those whom God has justified through faith in Christ, and is sanctifying through His Holy Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.  Believers may fall into sin, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

A New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.  Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor and deacon.  While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

Church Ordinances.

• Baptism is an act of obedience, symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.
• The Lord's Supper (Communion) is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Worship on Sundays.  The first day of the week is the Lord's Day.  It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead on the first day of the week.

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe, and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King.

The end.  God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.  According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth.

Evangelism and Missions.  It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

Education.  Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence.  In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage.

Stewardship (giving).  God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.  Christians are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions.  According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, and generously for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

Cooperation.  Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom.

Social Issues.  All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.  Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography.  We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick.  We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.

Peace and War.  It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.  In accordance with the Spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.

Religious Liberty.  The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.  It is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience to our civil government in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God.

The Family.  God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.  Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.  It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church, and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means of procreation of the human race.  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.  The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image.