Statement of Faith
The core of The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada and the reason for our national unity, is our commitment to a set of shared beliefs. The following Belief Statement, or Affirmation of Faith, is a declaration of the truths that unite us in ministry. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we affirm the following as a summary of what we believe to be basic truths about God and His works.
The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God; that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and were entirely free from error; that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union.
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all, holy, sovereign, eternal, existing in three equal Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence with the Father in pre-incarnate glory, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry and personal return.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit Who convinces of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; Who regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Satan
We believe that Satan exists as an evil personality, the originator of sin, the archenemy of God and man.
Man
We believe that man was divinely created in the image of God; that he sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in total depravity, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by the sovereign, electing grace of God; that by the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, expiatory and propitiatory death; that justification is by faith alone in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that those whom God has effectually called shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.
Future Things
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and in the judgment and conscious, eternal punishment of the wicked.
The Local Church
We believe that a church is a company of immersed believers, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus, voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith and the observance of the ordinances. We believe it is a sovereign, independent body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and privileges under the Lordship of Christ, the Great Head of the church. We believe that its officers are pastors and deacons.
Ordinances
We believe that there are only two ordinances for the church regularly observed in the New Testament in the following order:
- Baptism, which is the immersion of the believer in water, whereby he obeys Christ’s command and sets forth his identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
- The Lord’s Supper, which is the memorial wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, bread and wine, which symbolize the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.
The Church and State
We believe in the entire separation of church and state.
Religious Liberty
We believe in religious liberty; that every man has the right to practice and propagate his beliefs.
The Lord's Day
We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s day and that, in a special sense, it is the divinely appointed day for worship and spiritual exercise.
Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except only in the things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and Prince of the kings of the earth.
The Character of God
The Holiness of God
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habakuk 1:13
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Isaiah 59:2
The Justice of God
For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face. Psalm 11:7
But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16
God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. Psalm 7:11-12
The Depravity and Condemnation of Man
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment Isaiah 64:6
For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ACCURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM. Galatians 3:10
The Great Dilemma
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15
Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly? Genesis 18:25
God's Action
While maintaining His holiness and justice, the Bible also affirms that God is love, and that in love He has responded to the plight of man.
Motivated by Love
God is love. By this the love of God is manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10
The Cross of Christ
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26
The Resurrection
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25
Response of Man
Repentance begins with a recognition and confession that what God says about us is true that we have sinned.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Psalm 51:3-4
A genuine recognition of our sinfulness and guilt will also lead to genuine sorrow, shame and even hatred for what we have done.
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? Romans 7:24
Apparent sincerity of confession alone is never definite evidence of genuine repentance. It must be accompanied by a turning away from sin.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16
therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10
Faith Defined
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:21
Faith Based on The Promises of God
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved Acts 16:31
Example of a Believer
worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh Philippians 3:3
The Basis of Genuine Assurance
True conversion: A true Christian is a new creation and will live a life that reflects God's radical work of re-creation in his/her life.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? Matthew 7:16
Assurance is based upon self-examination in the light of Scripture.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
Test of Biblical Assurance
1 John 1:5-7 (Walking in the Light)
In claiming to know God who 'is light' we are to seek to live lives that reflect His light which are holy and righteous.
1 John 1:8-10 (Confession of Sin)
Being aware that our best days come mixed with sin we are to confess our sins, turn from them, and apply through faith the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
1 John 2:3-4 (Obedience)
Out of gratitude to God for His grace to us in Christ, a pattern of increasing obedience to God's revealed will in Scripture is to mark the life of a believer.
1 John 2:9-11 (Love for the Brethren)
Love for one another, expressed in practical ways, is to mark the fellowship of believers.
1 John 2:15-17 (Hatred for the World)
This is not a hatred for people in the world, but all that the world exalts over God. 1) A preoccupation with physical appetites-an overwhelming, controlling passion to gratify physical desires. 2) A consuming love of things - inordinate desires for everything we see, a love of possessions. 3) Obsession with our own status or importance - a self exalting pride in our achievements and our possessions.
1 John 2:24-25 (Perseverance in Doctrine)
Holding to the biblical and historical gospel: a continuing conviction in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the character and nature of God, and the character and nature of man, and the need for repentance and faith.
1 John 3:10 (Righteousness)
Living in right relation to God and others – lives marked by a love for God and love for others.
1 John 4:13 (Spirit's Testimony)
The personal experience of God's presence, power and love which enables us to live godly lives.
Hebrews 12:5-8 (Discipline)
God's correction and training in the believer's life which are meant for our benefit and are evidence of God's Fatherly love. This correction and training usually comes in the form of various difficulties or trials in life.
