Statement of Faith

Written below are the foundational doctrines that we at Union Baptist Church hold to be true. This church is dedicated to these beliefs and we have built our individual lives on them, as well. Indeed, we place our eternal destiny into the truthfulness of these following statements. Please understand that this is not a comprehensive listing of every doctrine to which we adhere. There are other aspects to our beliefs but there is simply not feasible to include them all in a document of this nature.

The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God’s infallible written Word, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.

From God’s Word, we believe in the following doctrinal statements:

1. - There is only one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.
3. - Jesus Christ is God, the Living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and virgin birth. Therefore, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.
5. - Jesus lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men and women by dying on the cross as the perfect substitute for sinners, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.
6. - Jesus rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.
8. - Jesus ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, makes intercession for His own.
10. - Man was originally created in the image of God. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from His creator. That historic fall brought all mankind under divine condemnation.
12. - Man’s nature is corrupted and he is totally unable to please God on his own. Every man is in need of regeneration (to be made alive) by the Holy Spirit.
13. The salvation of man is wholly a work of God’s free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony or fervor. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight.
15. - It is the privilege of all who are truly born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word.
17. - The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer’s life of faith.
19. - Every believer is called to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God.
20. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith.
21. God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.
23. - At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.
25. - At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation.
27. - Jesus Christ will come again to the earth - personally, visibly, and bodily - to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
29. - The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.”

Affiliation

Union Baptist Church associates with three groups of churches:

1. The Knox County Baptist Association. This is a voluntary association of over 150 churches that fellowship and work together to reach Knox County for Christ.

2. The Tennessee Baptist Convention. Churches from East to West Tennessee which associate together to reach the state for Christ.

3. The Southern Baptist Convention. Over 40,000 churches that cooperate together in a world wide effort of missions.

Just what is the Southern Baptist Convention?

a. It is the largest association of Christian churches in America. One out of every 10 churches in America is affiliated with the SBC. There are 40,000 churches and over 16 million Southern Baptist church members, more than most other denominations combined.

b. It is one of the most diverse associations of churches. SBC churches include every race, nationality, and ethnic group. Each Sunday, services are held in over 80 languages in the U.S.

c. It is one of the fastest growing Christian groups in the world. SBC churches baptize an average of 1,000 new Christians a day in the U.S. and start nearly 5 churches a day.

 

Why not just be an independent church?

 
UBC is an independent church! Every Southern Baptist Church is completely independent. There is no denominational control or hierarchy, as there is in most other denominations. Each church is self-governed and determines its own affairs. At Union Baptist Church, we:

· Choose our own staff.

· Set our own budget.

· Own our own buildings and property.

· Determine our own programs.

What are the advantages of affiliating with the SBC?

1. It allows us to identify with other Christians around the world who are known for their commitment to the Bible. Unlike other groups, Southern Baptists have no man-made creed. The Bible is our only authority.

2. It allows us to participate in the largest missionary organization in the world. Through the SBC Cooperative Program, we help support over 7,500 missionaries in over 100 countries around the world.

3.Through the SBC Cooperative Program, churches voluntarily contribute a percentage of the undesignated receipts to help support missions and education related projects at the state, national, and international level. Six Southern Baptist seminaries are funded through the Cooperative Program, as are North American missions, International missions, Baptist Children’s Homes, Baptist homes for the aged, state Baptist colleges and universities, and other state and local missions related projects.

www.sbc.net

www.tnbaptist.org