The Beliefs of Piner Baptist Church:

I. Bible:

We believe that the Holy Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. The Bible is complete with 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible was inspired by God which means it is God-breathed. God the Holy Spirit carried the chosen human writers along so that what was written down and passed along to us are the very words of God. We believe that the Bible is authoritative, eternal, infallible, inerrant, sufficient, alive, and active. Furthermore the Bible, God’s Holy Word should be read, studied, believed, and obeyed.

We believe that there is one true and living God who has revealed Himself sufficiently to man by the Word of God recorded in the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ His Son. God is the self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal God who created, sustains, and owns everything. God is a personal God who has many attributes that the Bible speaks of and that He demonstrates. He has all power and authority, He has all knowledge and wisdom, and He is everywhere at all times at the same time. God alone is worthy of man’s worship. God is one, who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This triune God is often referred to as the trinity; these three distinct persons are co-equal and co-eternal.

1. God the Father:
God the Father is the first person of the trinity. He is a Spirit and the head of the trinity. He is the beloved Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the personal Father of all believers, and He is fatherly to all. The heavenly Father gives gifts to all men as He pleases and also He receives true worship, praise, and prayer through the one mediator of man—the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. God the Son—Jesus:
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten eternal Son of God who became man. Jesus is the second person of the triune God who was born of a virgin and lived a perfect, sinless life. At age 33, Jesus died on a Roman cross as payment for the sins of man. He arose as the victor over sin, death, and hell and is alive forevermore. He ascended back to the Father and is presently interceding to the Father for God’s children. Jesus is the only Savior of mankind who is willing and able to save and to keep saved all who come by faith to Him. He will come back to earth one day to complete God’s plan of the ages.

3. God the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God. He is at work today in the world to bring people to Jesus. He convicts man of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. He is the one that birthed the Church and adds to the Church by bringing about the new birth to repentant believers. He also works in the church to keep her clean, to build her up, to train her in the word of God, and to direct and empower her in doing the work of God in this world. The Holy Spirit performs many other needed works in the lives of people, especially in believers.

We believe that man is created by God in His image. Man fell into sin and thus marred God’s image in man. Because of the fall of man, man has contracted a sin nature and sin by choice and practice. Our sin separates us from God, who is holy; therefore we need forgiveness from God and His salvation from sin and eternal condemnation. Man has one option for escaping this separation from God and that option is through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We believe that salvation is a free gift from God offered to sinful man. Because of the sinless, perfect life, the sacrificial, substitutionary death, and the victorious, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, salvation is available to all repentant believers. Salvation gives a person many blessings including: spiritual life, eternal life, abundant life, a relationship with God and a home in heaven.

We believe that the Church is made up of blood bought, born-again, children of God. The Church is the body of Christ on earth who will be the bride of Christ forever in heaven. The Church is built, owned, and empowered by her head, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church has the purpose of carrying out the commission and commandments of Christ in this world. The individuals who make up the local Church, which is part of the universal Church, should worship the Lord by supporting their local congregation with their life, their lips, their time, their talents, and their tithes and offerings.

1. Believer’s Baptism
We believe that water baptism is the outward testimony of an inward change. This change is created by God in the repentant believer’s heart and is called among other things the new birth. Water baptism doesn’t save, but every saved person should have it administered to them. Water baptism is to be submitted soon after salvation as a first step in a life of obedience. Water baptism is to be by full immersion and the formula to be used is in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit.

2. Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is one of the two ordinances, the other being water baptism, that Jesus left with His Church to observe. This ordinance has no saving grace, but should be observed by everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is to remind the Church of Jesus’ death until He comes again. This ordinance should be observed with a repentant heart periodically until Jesus comes back for His Church.

We believe that Satan is a real person with a real agenda against God and His people. Satan is called in the Bible, among other names, the tempter, the devil, and the accuser of the brethren. Satan has been defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He will one day be cast into the Lake of Fire along with all of God’s enemies for eternity.

We believe that God will at His appointed time bring this world as we know it to an end. God will also bring all people to judgment. The saved will have their works judged and will ultimately be ushered into eternal heaven. The unsaved will be judged at the Great White Throne and ultimately cast into the Lake of Fire forever for rejecting Jesus Christ. God will recreate the heavens and the earth and begin eternity which will have no end.