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What We Believe

What We Believe
1. We believe that the Bible is inspired by God; that it is the only infallible, authoritative word of God, and our final authority in faith and practice.
2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection, and in his ascension to the right hand of the Father.
4. We believe that all people have been under the bondage and power of sin since the fall of Adam, and deserve the judgment and wrath of God.
5. We believe that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone, through grace alone, and that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.
6. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
7. We believe that the Church is the body of Christ and that all Christians are members of it. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers.
8. We believe that the primary task of the Church is to preach the gospel to all creation, and make disciples of all nations.
9. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
10. We believe that Jesus Christ will come again in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

What About Baptism?

                                                    Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-22-12

      A friend recently asked me what my ideas about baptism were. It was a good time to synthesize my ideas about baptism in a concise way. This is what I came up with. I believe that baptism is an outer expression of an inner spiritual reality. Baptism does not save us. A person is a Christian before the actual, public water baptism. Repenting of our sins and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross saves us.  When we come to Jesus in this way, we are completely forgiven of our sins by our holy God. This is atonement. When a person accepts Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. We become new creations, with a new hope and a changed life direction. We are set free from the power of sin to live a new life in Christ. This is redemption. Such peoples’ hope is in God’s kingdom. They seek Jesus and his Kingdom as of first priority. (Matt 6:33) They become children of God. They are saved and God sees them as his precious children. As they live out their pilgrimage on earth, they grow in Jesus’ likeness, his holiness, and in his image. This is sanctification. Baptism is a symbol and public declaration of our faith. It reveals forgiveness, atonement, redemption. Sanctification is a process.

 

      There are different ways of having a baptism. Some do sprinkling and others do full immersion water baptism. I am more inclined towards full immersion water baptism. I like full immersion water baptism; because it is an apt expression of what dedicating our life to Jesus is all about. (It also seems to me to be part of the American Christian experience.) Going into the water we die to our sins and this world. When we rise up, the grace of Jesus washes our sins away and we are new creations. Our rising up out of the water symbolizes our rising up to newness of life in Christ. It is a public event.  We publicly declare our faith before all of God’s people.  

    There is a time of preparation before the baptism. This preparation may include a couple of Bible studies about baptism; the memorizing of the Lord’s Prayer; the Apostles’ Creed and the Ten Commandments. It may also include a preparation of a personal testimony about the grace of Jesus in the person’s life.

 

     Baptism is one of the most important events in one’s Christian life. (It is right up there with conversion, marriage, graduation, etc.) It is a very special and holy time. It is a time of public celebration.

 

 

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