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what we believe

What we believe...

As a baptist church we don't have a specific creed or set of teachings that are handed down to us. At the same time, we are part of a family of churches that hold similar beliefs and practices. Though we don't have a "creed," it is helpful to say what we believe together about certain things: 

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​God

  • God is good and he is in control;

  • God is one Being in three equal, uncreated Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

    • God is NOT a male (other than Jesus, who came as a male human), but the traditional use of male pronouns follows the pattern in the Bible, and avoids the more confusing use of "it" (God is a person, not an impersonal spirit) and "they" (God is One being, not three gods)​

  • God's goodness and control extends over everything, forever

 

The Bible

  • The Bible is God's Story about himself. We can (and do) trust it to be true and try to follow it, as best as we are able, with God's help​.

 

People

  • People matter. They matter to God and they matter to us. At the same time, people do a lot of things that separate them from God and from one another—the Bible calls this sin. Our sin doesn't just separate us from God, it sets us against him.​

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Jesus

  • Jesus, the unique Son of God, who is fully God and fully human, made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, and is the only one who can make things right between us and God.​ What's more, his sacrifice isn't just the only thing that can make us right with God, it is all that is needed to make us right with God.

 

Our Salvation

  • Our part in becoming right with God is to say "Yes" to Jesus' death and resurrection. Our acceptance of this free gift (our forgiveness and reconciliation) â€‹is all we need!

 

The Holy Spirit​

  • When we say "yes" to Jesus' gift of salvation, he sends his Holy Spirit to live in us, work in us, and lead and empower us​. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire and the ability to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. He is the voice of Jesus and the power of God in the life of every person who follows Jesus.

 

The Church

  • The Bible describes how people who follow Jesus become part of his community—the church. Being in relationship with other followers of Jesus is an indispensable part of being in relationship with Jesus​!

 

The Return of Jesus

  • Jesus is coming back, just as he promised he would! His return is the certain hope that all things that are wrong will be made right, that sin and death will be completely defeated, and that we will spend all of eternity with the God who made us and who loves us!

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Strathcona Baptist Church is part of a larger family of churches: The Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.

Our statement of beliefs is adapted from and in agreement with the CBWC Statement of Beliefs.

What does it mean to be Baptist?

Something that Baptists are known for is being fiercely independent of one another in how they practice their Christian faith. There are, however, some specific beliefs and practices that have, through the years, been common amongst Baptists. While not necessarily unique to Baptists, these together are what make us Baptist...

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​Believer's Baptism by Immersion

  • We baptize people who have made the decision, themselves, to be a follower of Jesus.

  • We baptize people by immersing them completely in water, symbolizing their participation in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

 

The Lord's Supper, or Communion

  • We celebrate the Lord's supper, or communion, on a regular basis, as a community. At SBC, we typically observe communion on the first Sunday of the month, and our communion table is open to anyone and every one who desires to receive from Jesus.

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Soul Liberty

  • It is our firm conviction that each individual, created in the image of God, is personally responsible before God for what they believe. This means that no one has the right to force any belief on another person. 

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Congregational Governance

  • We believe that the authority and responsibility for running the local church ultimately lies with the local church. While we select leaders from amongst ourselves, and also associate ourselves with other baptist congregations, it is the membership of each local congregation that has the authority and responsibility to follow Jesus for themselves.

 

Separation of Church & State

  • Because each individual is responsible before God for what they believe, no human authority or government has the right to show favouritism to any particular religious belief or practice. There is no place for a state church or state religion. This belief is foundational for the freedom of all religions.

 

The Priesthood of all Believers​

  • We believe that every follower of Jesus is a member of God's priesthood. That is: every follower of Jesus has equal access to God, and every follower of Jesus is responsible to represent God to his or her fellow human beings. While we do have an ordained vocational clergy (i.e. Pastors and Ministers), we do not believe that they have any kind of preferential standing before God.

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Beliefs
CBWC Family
Baptists
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