ireland_241_bg_062102.jpgCastlewoods Baptist Church believes that the Bible is the supreme authority in all spiritual and doctrinal matters. Yet, to make certain that there is no confusion in the doctrinal stance of the church, CBC adopted the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith as a tool and summary of the church's beliefs. The beliefs of all ministers and leaders of the church must be in agreement with the 1689 LBCF, which is summarized succinctly below:



STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. We believe the Bible is the written revelation of God, completely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and totally infallible. We believe the Scriptures to be “God-breathed;” therefore, we embrace the Bible as the final authority in all matters.


2. We believe in one immutable Sovereign God eternally existing in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit described by the term “Trinity”.


3. We believe our Sovereign God created all things and mankind for His own glory. Man, created in the image of God, rebelled against his Creator; thereby in Adam, all mankind fell into sin, becoming spiritually dead, incapable of seeking God and unable to save themselves.


4. We believe in the deity of the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, atonement, bodily resurrection, ascension into Heaven to the right hand of the Father, and His triumphal return to earth as the Judge of all.


5. We believe in the deity of the eternal Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, effects the regeneration of the elect, sanctifies the life of Christians, and seals and assures Christians of their salvation unto eternity.


6. We believe God, from eternity past, chose a people for Himself, the church, to be redeemed through His Son Jesus Christ, who died in the place of His elect people providing complete forgiveness of sins leading to eternal life through the sealing of the Holy Spirit.


7. We believe salvation is only from the irresistible grace of God on the basis of the redemption of His Son Jesus Christ through the gift of faith, given only to the elect without any basis of foreknowledge of human merit or decision.


8. We believe salvation brings a changed life by the forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, and the ability to live holy lives through the power and promises given to us in Jesus Christ.


9. We believe that by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christians will, in obedience to Jesus Christ, actively serve in a local church as a reflection of His redeeming love, seeking to serve Him by loving one another and reaching out to the lost.


10. We believe that Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, and every proclaimed believer shall be baptized by immersion. It is a prerequisite to church membership and to participation in the Lord’s Supper.


11. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, to be observed by His Church in remembrance of His covenant promise that was made possible through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection.


12. We believe that although we may temporarily backslide into selfish sinfulness, God’s redeeming discipline will return all straying believers to repentance and restoration, thereby affirming that we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.


13. We believe there will be a resurrection and judgment with the saved receiving an eternal heavenly reward and the unsaved being punished eternally in hell.