Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ
as our Savior and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of
God, angels, and this assembly: most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with
one another, as one body in Christ.
We pledge, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian
love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort;
to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline,
and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin;
to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses
of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
We also will endeavor to maintain family and secret devotion (whenever possible);
to educate our children in the Word of God; to seek the salvation of our kindred
and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings,
faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling,
backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating
drink as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our
Savior.
We further pledge to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other
in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy
in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for
reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.
We moreover pledge that, when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible
unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and
the principles of God's Word.
Section #1 - The Holy Scriptures. We believe in the divine inspiration and authority
of the Scriptures. By this is meant a miraculous guidance of the Holy Spirit in their
original writing, extending to all parts of the Scripture equally, applying even
to the choice of words, so that the result is the very Word of God, the only infallible
rule of faith and practice. Moreover, it is our conviction that God has exercised
such singular care and providence through the ages in preserving the written Word
that the Scriptures as we now have them are in every essential particular as originally
given and contain all things necessary to salvation. By Scriptures is meant the 39
books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament always accepted
by historical fundamental Christian churches. We receive the Received Text and reject
Westcott and Hort. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
Section #2 - Of the True God. We believe that there is only one living and true God,
infinite in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons
- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, -- yet one in substance and equal in
every divine perfection. (Exodus 20:2-3; I Cor. 8:6; I John 5:7)
We believe in the absolute Deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; that He was divine
as no other man can be, being very God of very God, existing from all eternity co-equal
with the Father and the Spirit; that He never ceased to be God for one instant and
that His humiliation did not consist in laying aside His deity; that as a man He
was miraculously begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (John 1:1-2;
I John 5:20; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:26-38)
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, co-equal with the Father and
Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts of sin, righteousness
and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of the New Birth and that
He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer,
indwelling every true Child of God. (II Cor. 13:14; John 14:16-17; Romans 8:14-27;
Eph. 1:13-14, 4:20; I Cor. 12:13)
Section #3 - The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a personal being,
a fallen angel, prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver,
the adversary of Christ and His people, the accuser of the brethren, whose end is
the Lake of Fire. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; II Cor. 4:3-4; I Peter 5:8;
Rev. 12:9-10, 20:10; Matthew 25:41)
Section #4 - The Creation. We accept the Genesis account of Creation as literal and
historical and believe that man came by direct creation of God, created a full man,
and not by evolution, and occurring in a six-day week, each day having twenty-four
(24) hours. (Genesis, Chapters 1 and 2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3)
Section #5 - The Fall of Man. We believe that man was created in innocence under
the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy
state in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by constraint,
but of choice; and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse. (Genesis
3:1-6, 24; Eph. 2:1-10; Romans 5:10-19)
Section #6 - The Virgin Birth. We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost
in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a Virgin, as no other man was ever born or
can ever be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Genesis
3:15; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:18, 23, 25; Luke 1:35; John 1:4)
Section #7 - The Redemption from Sin. We believe that the only escape from the condemnation
of sin is through the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took
upon Him a human body and nature, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death, and
resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man through
His blood, that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace
to all who believe and confess that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these
offers of mercy. (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:1-7; Heb. 10:4-14; Acts 16:30-33)
Section #8 - The New Birth. We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be
born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous
and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is
made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of
God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension,
solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with the Word of God, so as
to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears
in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life. (John 3:3, 6-8; II
Cor 5:17, 19; I John 5:1; Acts 16:30-33; II Peter 1:4; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1; Col.
2:13; James 1:18)
Section #9 - Salvation by Grace. We believe that faith in the finished work of the
Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation from sin and this salvation
is wholly by grace; that no works, however good, make that salvation more secure.
(Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Rom. 10:9-13)
We believe that all who take Christ as their Savior are born from above and are eternally
secure in Christ. (John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Phil. 1:6)
Section #10 - The Local Church. We believe that a local church is a congregation
of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel;
observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His Word; and exercising the gifts,
rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are Pastors
and Deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.
We believe the true mission of the church, the Body of Christ, is the faithful witnessing
of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the
absolute right of self-government free from the inheritance of any hierarchy of individuals
or organizations; and that the one and only Head is Christ through the Holy Spirit;
that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending
for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the
sole judge of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the
local church is final. (Acts 2:14; 15:13-18; 20:17-28; I Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:12, 22;
4:11; 5:23-24; II Tim. 3:17; Col. 1:18)
Section #13 - Civil Government. We believe that civil government is of divine appointment
for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed
for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of
our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince
of the Kings of the earth. (Rom. 13:1-7; II Sam. 23:3; Exodus 18:21-22; Matthew 22:21;
Acts 4:19-20, 5:20, 23:5; Dan. 3:17-18; I Tim. 2:1-11; I Peter 2:13-15)
Section #14 - The Resurrection, Personal, Visible, Premillennial Return of Christ
and Related Events.
(a) We believe in the Bodily Resurrection. (Matthew 28:6-7; Luke 24:2-6, 39; Mark
16:6; John 20:27; I Cor. 15:4)
(b) The Ascension. (Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 12:2)
(c) The High Priesthood. (Heb. 8:6, 2:17, 5:9-10; I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1)
(d) Of the Return of Christ. We believe in the bodily, personal, premillennial return
of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the seven-year tribulation period to catch
away His church, coming only into the air, and that He will come with His church
at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom
on earth. (I Thess. 4:13-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Rev. 19:11-21 and others; John 14:3;
Acts 1:11; James 5:8; Heb. 9:28)
1. The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead. (I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:42-44,
52)
2. The Change of the Living in Christ. (I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:13-18; Phil.
3:20-21)
3. The Judgment Seat of Christ. (I Cor. 3:13-15; Rom. 14:10; II Cor. 5:10; Matthew
12:36)
(e) The Millennial Reign. (I Cor. 15:25; Isaiah 11:4-5, 32:1; Psalm 72:8; Rev. 20:4,
6)
(f) The White Throne Judgment. (Rev. 20:11-15)
(g) The New Heavens and the New Earth. (Rev. 21:1-5)
Section #15 - Separation and Sanctification. We believe that the Scriptures clearly
teach non-conformity to the world for every believer; that born-again people should
be separated from the world unto Christ; that it is clearly commanded of God to all
believers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and to
be holy as He is holy. We believe that sanctification is to be progressive throughout
the entire life-span of a believer here on earth. God's provision for holy living
is in the believer's identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension;
the indwelling person and power of the Holy Spirit and the believer's yieldedness
to Him; and by the powerful Word of God. (Col. 1:13, 3:1-4; II Cor. 3:18, 6:14-17,
7:1; Titus 2:14; I Peter 1:14-16; Heb 4:12, 10:1, 14; II Peter 3:18; Rom. 6:1-14,
12:1-2; John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-27; I John 2:15-17; James 4:1-4)
Section #16 - The Family. We believe the family unit is the blessing of His institution
of marriage. We purpose to strengthen the Christian family unit through scriptural
instruction as to the place and role of each member of the family. This instruction
is meant to supplement the scriptural teaching obtained within the family and not
to compete with or replace it. (Eph. 5:15-6:9)
Chadds Ford Baptist Church
Section #11 - Baptism and The Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian Baptism is
the immersion of a believer in water, one time backward, to show forth in a solemn
and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, as a testimony
to our death to sin and resurrection to a new life, that it is pre-requisite to the
privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration
of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.
(Acts 8:26-39; John 3:23; Rom. 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Col. 2:12; I Cor. 11:23-28)
Section #12 - The Eternal State of the Saved and the Lost. We believe in a Heaven
and a Hell. Heaven--the place of eternal conscious joy for all who receive Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior. Hell--the place of eternal conscious punishment
in the Lake of Fire for all who reject Jesus Christ and those who have never heard
the Gospel of Christ are condemned to Hell by the witness of God's glory in creation.
(John 8:24, 14:1-6; Psalm 9:17, 16:11; Phil. 1:21, 23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:10-15;
Rom. 1:19-20, 2:1; Acts 4:12)
