"What Do You Believe?"

This is a pretty broad question, but often times when people ask this question they are focused on one of several key issues affecting our churches today.  So,  in no prioritized order I give you my Statements of Belief. 

This list is by no means comprehensive of what I believe, but it touches on key points to establish where I stand on issues affecting Southern Baptist Life today.

Statements of Belief

Personal Mission Statement and Philosophy of Ministry

 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

As a Pastor my role is to minister to the ministers of the body of Christ; seeking their full maturity in Christ Jesus; that they may learn to love their God with all their heart, soul, and mind; that they may fulfill their mission to make disciples of a lost and dying World in need of a Savior; that they too may grow a disciple to full maturity.

I believe the best way to accomplish this is through the expositional preaching of the full counsel of God’s Word. Expositional preaching is the preaching of a complete book of the Bible from beginning to end.  This type of preaching forces the pastor to preach topics that often make both the pastor and congregation uncomfortable due to the subject matter but necessary for personal growth in the Lord.  Expository preaching protects the congregation from missing the life transforming Word of God and protects the pastor from the accusation that he chose a topic to personally attack members of the congregation.

The Great Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40 tells us what is most important and who we are to love, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” 

 The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 tells us how we can fulfill that love, “they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.  And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

We show our love to God through our Worship and our obedience to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a World in need of a Savior. We show our love to our neighbor by preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

 

Philosophy of the Family in Ministry

I have been married to my wife Tracy since 1993, she is a woman who openly confesses that she loves her God more than she loves her husband and because she does she can love her husband better.  We have two beautiful blessings from the Lord, my son Elias born 2002 and my daughter Erin born in 2005. Our ministry is a family ministry and I have the full support of my wife as we seek the Lord’s will together. 

As a minister of God’s Word I am obligated by God to care for my family, scripturally if I am found lacking as a husband and as a father I am unqualified to serve as a pastor of God’s Church.  As such, my Scriptural priorities are first my God, second my family and third my service to God’s Church.  Keeping these biblical priorities in their order allows me to serve the Lord’s church even better with full confidence in the blessing of the Lord and a clear conscience before God.   

Personal Statements of Belief

I affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as a confession of statements of faith regarding Biblical doctrines of truth found in Scriptures.

 

I am in full support of the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention.  I believe the Cooperative Program is the great envy of all other denominations and is the best program for supporting Southern Baptist Agencies; it has served the SBC and State Conventions well since its inception.  It has been preparing young men and women for ministry and for reaching a lost and dying world for Christ both overseas (IMB) and at Home (NAMB), I believe any plan that reduces the Cooperative Program to one program among many shall eventually reduce the effectiveness of the Southern Baptist Convention as a whole.  

 

I believe the Bible is the inerrant (free from error) and infallible (incapable of error) Word of God. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the only safe and infallible revelation of God to man.  Thus, it is the infallible rule for a believer’s life and practice.  The authority of the Bible is based in that it is “inspired (God-breathed) by God,” because its authority is God.  It is necessary for knowing the Good News of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17), for maintaining spiritual life (Deuteronomy 32:46-47) and for knowing God’s will (Romans 12:2).  It is sufficient for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4), it will guide you through life’s difficult choices and draw you to God’s purpose and expectations for you.  By learning who God is, His character, and expectations we are able (with the help of the Holy Spirit) to become more like Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).  We as God’s people are called not only to be hearers of His Word but doers of the word (James 1:22-25) for blessed are those who hear and observe it (Luke 11:28).  The Bible needs neither our opinion nor our vote only our obedience.  God’s Word is not to be voted on for approval by the Church.

           

The Church exists to Glorify God, Edify the Body of Christ, and Evangelize the Lost.  If we are unwilling to fulfill this call we lose the right to exist as a body.

Any vision for God’s church, whether personal or corporate, must be guided by the fulfillment of the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:37-40; 

³⁷ And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' ³⁸ "This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' ⁴⁰ "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

And the fulfillment of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20;

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

God’s vision is for His people to love Him and to love those for whom He died.  We accomplish this only through fulfilling the mission for which we remain in a sin-sick world, to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we do not fulfill that for which we have been called what right do we have to exist as a church of the Living God or as individual servants of the Most High God.

           

I am not a Calvinist. I do not believe God predestines some people to a right relationship with God against their will and I do not believe God predestines the rest to hell with no hope of ever an opportunity to repent and believe in the Gospel.  God is no respecter of persons and to believe such is to call God a liar. 

God does not predestine who comes to Him, but how one may come to Him.  “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (Ephesians 1:4-5).”

I can break bread in fellowship and work together for the common good of the Kingdom’s work with my brothers and sisters in Christ who are Calvinist, but I would draw the line at their teaching within the confines of the Church I am accountable to God for.  I do not condone nor do I allow Calvinistic distinctives to be taught within the Church I Pastor

As a Bible Believing Baptist I neither adhere to the Calvinist nor the Arminian argument of God’s sovereignty vs. man’s freewill.  The argument is a fight within reformed denominations and should hold no place in Biblical beliefs of the Christian faith.  God is Sovereign and man is free to either accept or reject the Grace of God through Jesus Christ, it is not an either/or argument but a both/and truth.

I believe in the eternal life of those who place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  “Once saved, always saved.”  This is not a license to sin, but the freedom to live and serve God. 

Regarding Eschatology (Study of “Last Things” in the Book of Revelation) I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church (God’s removal of His people prior to the Tribulation) and the pre-millennial reign of Christ Jesus (a literal 1,000 year reign of Jesus on earth).  I believe the Jewish people still have a role to play in God’s redemptive history, but they too must be saved by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe in the literal six 24 hour days Creation by God as is clearly expressed in the Scriptures.

 
The Church is Christ Ruled, Congregationally Governed, Deacon Served, and Pastor Lead.


Priorities in Life and Ministry;  My God, My Family, and My Ministry in Church.  Specifically in that order.

So if you were asked, "What do you Believe?"  What would you say? 

Be ready, we live in a world that is looking for answers.  It may not like the answers, so know why you believe what you believe and what you base your answers upon.

 

 

Blessings,

Pastor Eric

Galatians 2:20