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— Our Statement of Faith — (What We Believe)

Yellow Creek is part of cooperating churches called the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC), and the JST Baptist Association. We believe that there are basic beliefs clearly spoken, found in Scripture that are essentials. Principles that are clearly taught in Scripture, some of which we address here, are essentials of the Christian faith that are not up for debate; there has to be unity. However, there are other beliefs that are not essentials of our faith, so we allow freedom to believe as God has led you to understand the Scriptures. We simply ask that in all matters of faith and practice, you allow love to guide in areas of disagreement. The following is a summary of our essential doctrinal beliefs. In these, there must be unity:

— God — (The Father)

There is only one true God, and He is the Sovereign and Supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is omnipotent, omniscient, unchangeable, holy, righteous, and the only true God. He has always existed in three co-equal and distinct personalities: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while maintaining His oneness. The Father is the representative spiritual head of the Godhead equal to the Son and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1 and 1:26-27; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24 and 10:30; 1 Corinthians 11:3; and Revelation 1:8).

— Jesus Christ —

Jesus is the eternal Son of God, co-equal with the Father and Holy Spirit; Jesus is 100% God and 100% man; He was born of a virgin mother and lived a perfect, sinless human life. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all people by literally dying on the cross. He arose bodily on the third day after His crucifixion to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords (John 1:1-2,14; Acts 1:11; Philippians 2:5-11; and Hebrews 4:15).

— The Holy Spirit —

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son. He is present in the world to point people to Jesus Christ. He is the believer’s deposit from God received at conversion as the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit, ensuring identity in Christ, spiritual guidance, understanding, and gifts. Christians are to be controlled by His influence. He also convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 14:16-17; Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30; and Hebrews 2:4).

— The Bible —

The Bible is God’s Word to mankind. It is written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the God-breathed, inspired truth without any mixture of error. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction and the supreme and final authority for faith and practice in the lives of believers and in His Church (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 4:1-5; and 2 Peter 1:20-21).

— Human Beings —

All mankind is created in the image or likeness of God to fellowship with Him, to rule over the earth as God’s representative, and to reproduce His image. Yet, beginning with Adam, all mankind having rebelled against God, has fallen into sin, thus separating themselves from fellowship with God. Humans are spiritual and physical beings, the supreme object of creation, yet marred by a sinful nature. Thus, everyone sins and is separated from God by this attitude of selfishness and disobedience (Genesis 1:26-27 and 3:1-24; Romans 1:18-21, 3:21-23, 5:6-8, and 6:23).

— Salvation —

Salvation is God’s free gift to all who will accept it. Only by trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on his or her behalf can a person be saved from sin’s penalty. By repenting or turning from one’s self-ruled life of sin and turning to Jesus in faith, one can be forgiven and become right with God again. The moment a person receives the gift of salvation, he or she receives eternal life. Since salvation is a free gift that is received, the true believer can never lose that salvation. Salvation is based on the promises of God rather than the self-effort of the Christian. Faith in Christ leads to works because salvation is a supernatural work of grace from beginning to end (John 3:16, 5:24, and 10:29; Romans10:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Galatians 2:20; and Ephesians 2:8-10).

— The Church —

The Church is the body of Christ, the family of God on earth, of which Christ is the head. It consists of all true believers (the Universal Church) who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. Locally, believers are united in the local church and gifted for mutual edification and worship and equipped by the pastors and teachers to do the work of the ministry to the world (Romans12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-13; and Hebrews10:24-25).

— Ordinances Of The Church —

All who have become disciples of Christ are directed to follow the two symbolic ordinances of the church. Water baptism by immersion is the obedient act of public testimony of a new believer’s spiritual identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It is for the purpose of publicly incorporating people into the Christian, “Trinitarian,” church fellowship and is a reminder that in Christ our sin nature has been crucified and we have been resurrected to live as a new creation. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper started by Jesus for the purpose of remembering Jesus’ death on our behalf. It is to be observed, until His return, by all believers as a time of thanksgiving, communion, and renewal for daily living (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6; 1 Corinthians11:23-26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; and Galatians 2:20).

— Eternity —

When God created people, He created them for eternity. Our final destination for eternity will depend on our relationship to God. Those who have received salvation will live eternally in an actual place called Heaven. Those who choose to remain alienated from God by their sinfulness and their selfishness will live eternally in an actual place called Hell (Matthew 10:28; John 3:16; and 1 Peter 1:3-5).
As you can see, the essentials of our faith are important and relevant distinctions of Christianity. We will never vote on these or other issues where the Bible clearly speaks. If you believe differently on any of these, you may still be welcome to join in membership as long as you do not teach contrary to these doctrines. Hopefully, you have already developed an understanding of these truths. If not, please begin a study of these verses and explanations to help you understand your faith more fully. We increasingly live in a post-Christian world where even the Church denies essentials and even basic truths clearly taught in Scripture. We should not be shocked; even this falling away is taught in the Bible (Matthew 24; 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4).