Articles of Faith

ARTICLE I

THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Bible is a supernatural book, that it is the very Word of God, that it is in the sixty-six books the full, final and complete revelation of God’s will to man. We believe the author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit, and by inspiration we mean the plenary, verbal inspiration, that Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit as revealed in Second Peter chapter one. We believe that the only correct translation is the Authorized 1611 King James version. We reject the modern paraphrased versions, the modern common version and others which delete the pure meaning of redemption and do injustice to the Deity of Christ. We believe and teach that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
II Tim 3:16-17, Heb 4:12, II Peter 1: 19-21, Isa 8:20, Psalms 119:89, Romans 15:4

ARTICLE II

GOD THE FATHER
We believe and teach that there is one, and only one, true and living God. He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributes, and holy in character. He is the Creator of all things, animate and inanimate. He is Immutable, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, Eternal and Sovereign.
Eph 4:6, I Tim 1:17, Psalms 147:4, Exodus 20-2-3, Romans 11:33, Gen 17:1, John 4:24, Psalms 90:2, Psalms 139:7-10.

ARTICLE III

GOD THE SON
Jesus Christ is as much God as God the Father and God the Spirit. He was virgin born and incarnate in flesh. He lived a sinless life and is the only true Savior of mankind by His vicarious death on the cross. He resurrected bodily from the tomb, into Heaven and is now the believers’ High Priest, ever interceding for them.
Isaiah 9:6, II Corth 5:21, Gen 3:15, Heb 10:11-14, Isaiah 53:5, John 1: 1-5, 14, Heb 4:12, Gal 3:13, Col 1:13-17, Heb 2.17-18, I Peter 3:18, Heb 1:2

ARTICLE IV

THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person; He is equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature, and was active in creation. In relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; He convicts of sin, judgment and righteousness; He is the agent of the new birth and indwells, seals, guides and directs the believer.
John 14:16-17, John 14:26, John 15:26-27, Romans 8:16, Eph. 1:13-14, Romans 8:26-27

ARTICLE V

THE DEVIL AND SATAN
We believe that the Devil is an actual being and not an imaginary influence: that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he through pride, ambition and self will betrayed God and as a result brought down upon his head the judgment of God. He operates today as the god of this world and the Prince of the Power of the air, that he is the arch deceiver, and father of all lies; that he is the greatest enemy, the biggest tempter and the greatest opposition of the Saints. His final abode shall be the lake of fire which is the eternal place of punishment for the Devil and his angels.

Isa 14:12-15, Jude 6, 1 John 3:8, Ezek 28:14-17, I Peter 5:8, John 8:43-44.

We believe the Genesis record of creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the Heaven and the earth in a direct act, that He brought forth all original matter out of nothing. We believe that man was created directly in God’s own image and not by the hypothesis of any kind of evolution. God’s established law says that all species shall bring forth “after their kind”.
Gen 1:1, Acts 17:23-26, Romans 1:20, John 1:1-3, Heb 11:3, Gen 1:26-27

ARTICLE VI

CREATION
We believe that man was created in innocence and holiness and by voluntary transgression of the Lord’s command, fell from the state in which he was created and as a consequence became a sinner alienated from God and brought upon himself and all mankind just condemnation. Man is now, by virtue of his fallen nature, void of holiness, positively inclined to evil and actually condemned to eternal ruin without excuse.
Gen 3:6-24, Romans 5:19, Eph 2:1-3, Romans 5:12, Romans 1:18, Romans 1:28

ARTICLE VII

THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of the Virgin Mary as no other man was born or can be born of woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
Luke 1:35, Gen 3:15, Isaiah 7:14, Matt 1:18-25, John 1:14, Mark 1:1

ARTICLE VIII

THE VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that the lost sinner is guilty and under just condemnation and is by nature alien to God and because of sin condemned to die; that the atonement for sin was provided through the mediatorial office of the Son of God who by divine appointment freely took upon himself our nature, yet without sin, that He through obedience during His earthly walk personally honored the divine law by keeping it, and through His death on the cross actually satisfied the Law for the penalty of sin. His obedience and sacrificial death made full and vicarious atonement for all sin.
Romans 3:25, 1 John 1:7, Isa 53:12, Heb 9:22, John 10:17-18, Heb 12:2

ARTICLE IX

THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe and teach that salvation is by God’s grace and that salvation is free to all through the Gospel, that it is the duty of all to accept, by faith, that Salvation, and those who voluntarily reject salvation will face eternal separation from God in a literal place of punishment called Hell in the scriptures. When a sinner repents and receives Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour he receives eternal life. The eternal purpose of God in Salvation is first of all to preserve the believer forever in Christ, the believer is saved eternally. It is also the eternal purpose of God that the believer will conform to the image of His Son. This salvation wrought by grace then assures us that we are preserved in Christ by the power of God and no man can pluck the saved from the Father’s hand. Salvation is Everlasting, and the glorious truth “once in Grace, always in Grace,” is true.
John 3:15-16, I Peter 1:5, John 1:12, John 10:27-30, Rom 10: 1-13, John 5:24

ARTICLE X

THE GRACE OF SALVATION
We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and inseparable prerequisites for salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, and as the sinner is deeply convicted of his guilt and helplessness he turns in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, surrendering himself wholeheartedly, and receiving Him as personal Saviour and Lord, he is immediately born again.
Acts 3:19, II Cor 7:9-10, Mark 1:15, Acts 2:37-38, Acts 20:21, Matt 3:1-2

ARTICLE XI

REPENTANCE AND FAITH
We believe and teach that the local, visible assembly of called out believers into a public place of worship and service is the only one found in the New Testament. We do not believe in an invisible or universal church. The local New Testament Baptist church is the only one authorized to carry out the great commission. The first New Testament Baptist church was founded by Jesus Christ during His own personal ministry, and entrance into the local church is by scriptural baptism. We believe and teach that the Local New Testament Baptist church is an independent congregation and is not governed or controlled by an ecclesiastical hierarchy … The will of the Local Church is final.
Eph 3:21, Acts 2:47, I Tim 3:15, Matt 16:18, Col 1:24, Eph 1:22, Acts 16:5, Acts 11:22, Acts 8:1

ARTICLE XII

THE CHURCH
We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only two local church ordinances set forth in the local church by Jesus Christ. Scriptural Baptism began with the John the Baptist. John’s baptism was not Old Testament dispensation or an intermediate but New Testament baptism. Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted this baptism himself and accepted those that John baptized into the church that He organized during His own personal ministry.
A. Baptism – Believer’s baptism, to be scriptural, must involve: 1) The Proper candidate, the one who has been Born Again. 2) The Proper Mode or Method – this is immersion. 3) The Proper Design or Motive – to show the death, burial and resurrection of the believer to a life in Christ, and to make him a member of Christ’s assembly. 4) The Proper Administrator or authority to administer scriptural baptism.
B. The Lord’s Supper – We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper administered by the authority and instruction of the local Baptist church. It symbolizes the broken body and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, only members of the local church whose spiritual lives are in a right relationship with God are qualified participants in the Lord’s Supper service. We also teach and believe that there is no saving power or grace in either Baptism or the Lord’s Supper.
Matt.3:13-17, Matt 28:19-20, I Cor 11:23-34, Acts 8:36-39, Romans 6:3-5, Matt 26:17-30

ARTICLE XIII

THE CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ arose bodily from the grave. We also believe and teach that this resurrection assures all believers the same bodily resurrection when the Lord returns for the Saints at the time of the Rapture. There will also be a resurrection of the unsaved to stand in judgment before the Lord, known in the Scriptures as the Great White Throne Judgment.
Matt 28:6-7, John 20:27, I Cor 15:42-52, Heb 9:27-28, I Thess 4:13-18 I Cor 15:1-11

ARTICLE XIV

THE RESURRECTION
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ shall catch away all believers before the Tribulation Period. At the close of the Great Tribulation, the Saints will return with Christ to the earth and shall live and reign with Him 1,000 years. The Rapture of the Saints is an imminent truth.
I Thess 4:13-18, I Thess 3:13, 1 Cor 15:51-55, Rev 19:11-16, Jude 14-15, Rev 20-1-6, Zech 14:1-5, Titus 2:13

ARTICLE XV

THE RAPTURE AND RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ shall catch away all believers before the Tribulation Period. At the close of the Great Tribulation, the Saints will return with Christ to the earth and shall live and reign with Him 1,000 years. The Rapture of the Saints is an imminent truth.
I Thess 4:13-18, I Thess 3:13, 1 Cor 15:51-55, Rev 19:11-16, Jude 14-15, Rev 20-1-6, Zech 14:1-5, Titus 2:13

ARTICLE XVI

THE GRACE OF GIVING
We believe and teach that God’s method of financing His work of spreading the Gospel is by the tithes and offerings of His people in and through the local New Testament Baptist church, which is the storehouse. The time to tithe is upon the first day of the week, and everyone is accountable to the Lord for one-tenth of his income. Tithing was instituted before the law, and by Christ in the New Testament Baptist church.
Matt 23:23, Lev 27:28-34, I Cor 16:1-2, Luke 6:38, II Cor 9:6-15, Gen 14:17-20, Mal 3:7-10, II Cor 8:1-8

ARTICLE XVII

THE CHURCH AND MISSIONS
We believe that all missionary endeavor should be carried on within the confines of the local church; that mission boards and mission hierarchies tend to corrupt and usurp the authority of the local church. The Great Commission was given to the local New Testament Baptist church, therefore, the authority to preach, baptize and teach rests solely with the local church, and not with any school, board, denomination or other religious organization. It is therefore our responsibility to train those who go forth to spread the Gospel, and to supervise their labors under the direction of the Holy Spirit. We do believe that it is the privilege and right of local churches to cooperate with each other in carrying out the great commission. This cooperation should be carried on in such a manner as to preserve the sovereignty and autonomy of each local body in all matters of faith and practice.
Man 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, II Cor 9:1-15, II Cor 8:1-6, I Cor 16:1-3

ARTICLE XVIII

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
The original intent of our founding fathers was to keep civil government in its proper perspective. We believe civil government should be influenced by the prayers, preaching, teaching and involvement of all believers in Christ. We believe Christians should be actively involved in the electoral and legislative processes, and working to promote godly government.
The requirement of license, certification and taxes on the church of Jesus Christ is unconstitutional and non-Biblical. The churches’ ministers and ministries are God-ordained and need no man’s approval or control. The Holy Spirit calls and maintains the work of God.

The state is not above God. The state is not equal to God. The state is to be a “servant of God” to the people for good; it is accountable to God for its acts. God is the Supreme Sovereign and to seek to place man or state above is to limit the sovereignty of God. We believe that we should, “as much as lieth in us.” Live peaceably with all men. We, however, will resist peaceably all efforts of civil governments to control the churches of Jesus Christ. The separation of church and state is a misnomer. There is nothing in the first amendment to the United States Constitution which supports the idea of “separation of church and state.” The original intent was clear: our founding fathers wanted to prohibit the establishment of a state religion and guarantee the free exercise of religious belief. The division between church and state is one of function; it is a division of labor; the church is to be a minister of grace; the state is to be a minister of justice. Both are branches of His government and both are to serve the Lord God. God never intended for church and state to exist independently and separately. The church is to influence the state to godly and righteous rule. The state is to protect the good and prevent the evil. We, therefore, exhort our members to be active in praying and working for Scriptural, godly civil government.
I Tim 2:1-2, Rom 13:1-7, Acts 5:29, Matt 22:15-21, Prov 8:15-17, Exodus 18:11, Rom 12:17-18, I Peter 2:13-20, Job 34:24

ARTICLE XIX

OF LAST THINGS

Christ’s Return
John 14:3, Zech 14:1-8, Acts 1: 11,
James 5:8, Matt 24:1-51, Phil 3:20-21

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
I Thess 4:16-17, I Corth 15:51-55,
II Thess 2:1-12, Mark 13:27-31,
Luke 21:25-31, Luke 21:8-19

The Tribulation Period
Dan 12:1, II Thess 2:1-12
Matt 24:21, Rev 6:16-17
Luke 21:25-26, Rev 16:11-21,
Rev 14:1-16

The Conversion of the Jews
Zech 12:10-14, Zech 13:6-9
Matt 24:38, Romans 11:1-26

The Battle of Armageddon
Rev 16:12-16, Rev 19:11-21
Zech 12:1-4, Ezekiel 38:1 -23

The Millennium
Rev 20:1-6, Jeremiah 23:5
Rev 11:15-17, Isaiah 32:1
Isaiah 11:9, Isaiah 2:1-5

The Great White Throne Judgment
Rev 20:11-15

Whereas “the last days” are set forth in Scripture as perilous times, and recognizing that these days are upon us, and seeing a departure from the Word of God, be it resolved that we, the members of the Bible Baptist Church of Wahpeton, North Dakota, make the following declaration of our Biblical position:
We declare ourselves to be Old Fashioned Baptists and oppose the Interdenominational and New Evangelical trends of our day. We stand for the Faith once delivered to the Saints and oppose the modern liberal trends of our day. We declare ourselves to be a separative, autonomous Baptist church, rather than a denominationally controlled Church. We believe in the Pre-Millennial, Pre-Tribulational view of the Rapture. We declare ourselves to be local church centered rather than ecumenical in policy. We believe in the separation of the believer from all forms and trends of worldliness. We believe in the Scriptural account of creation and stand opposed to the many hypotheses of evolution.
We stand opposed to the modem charismatic movement with its unscriptural practices. We know from Scripture that such experiences do not give evidence of regeneration. We believe these so-called gifts have ceased as Scripture declares.
I Corth 13:1-13, Heb 2:1-4, I Corth 14:22-34

ARTICLE XX

OF LAST DAY MOVEMENTS
Whereas “the last days” are set forth in Scripture as perilous times, and recognizing that these days are upon us, and seeing a departure from the Word of God, be it resolved that we, the members of the Bible Baptist Church of Wahpeton, North Dakota, make the following declaration of our Biblical position:
We declare ourselves to be Old Fashioned Baptists and oppose the Interdenominational and New Evangelical trends of our day. We stand for the Faith once delivered to the Saints and oppose the modern liberal trends of our day. We declare ourselves to be a separative, autonomous Baptist church, rather than a denominationally controlled Church. We believe in the Pre-Millennial, Pre-Tribulational view of the Rapture. We declare ourselves to be local church centered rather than ecumenical in policy. We believe in the separation of the believer from all forms and trends of worldliness. We believe in the Scriptural account of creation and stand opposed to the many hypotheses of evolution.
We stand opposed to the modem charismatic movement with its unscriptural practices. We know from Scripture that such experiences do not give evidence of regeneration. We believe these so-called gifts have ceased as Scripture declares.
I Corth 13:1-13, Heb 2:1-4, I Corth 14:22-34

ARTICLE XXI

OF THE PLAN FOR SALVATION
You need to be saved: “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23
You cannot save yourself. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” Titus 3:5
God has provided for your salvation: “Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation: “Jesus saith unto him. I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” John 14:6
God wants to save you: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9
God can save you now: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10: 13

ARTICLE XXII

HUMAN SEXUALITY

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a biological man and a biological woman.  We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery, or medical intervention, or appearance.  (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

 

2. We believe that the only Biblically legitimate marriage is the joining of one biological man and one biological woman for life.  (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

ARTICLE XXIII

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church.  The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church.  Accordingly, only men are eligible for ordination by the church and/or the position of the Pastor.  (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.  The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church.  The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ.  Children are a heritage from the Lord.  Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction.  (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7)

ARTICLE XXIV

DIVORCE and REMARRIAGE

We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. In the case of problems and division between spouses, the Bible encourages reconciliation between the spouses. If one or both of the spouses can no longer live with the other, God allows separation but never approves of Divorce and Remarriage. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor, deacon or Sunday School Teacher before children.  (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 1:18-20, 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Cor. 7; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)