Introduction
The following paragraphs simply summarize what we believe as a church family. We believe the Bible and teach it to be perfectly true. Every belief and teaching of Mount Greylock Baptist Church flows from God’s Word. For more detail, feel free to request an official doctrinal statement from the church office.
The Bible
We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that every word was given by divine inspiration. As such, we believe the Scriptures are infallible, inerrant, and entirely trustworthy. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice and is sufficient for every area of life. We believe that God has providentially preserved His Word and that it remains complete and reliable for every generation. For reasons of textual reliability, accuracy, and consistency in public teaching and worship, Mount Greylock Baptist Church uses the King James Version as our preferred translation.
(Psalm 12:6–7; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Peter 1:23–25; 2 Peter 1:19–21)
God
We believe in one God; who is eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable. We believe He has one nature, one essence, and one substance; yet manifests Himself to man in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 1:17; James 1:17; 1 John 4:4)
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ to be the one and only Saviour of mankind. We believe Jesus Christ to be eternally God and to possess all the attributes of Deity. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was virgin-born, that He was God incarnate, and that the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to redeem men, and to rule over God’s kingdom. We believe Jesus Christ never relinquished any attributes of His Deity, but merely veiled them. We believe He lived a perfect, sinless life, at the end of which He was offered for all mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. This sacrifice was a just payment to God for the forgiveness of sin. It was activated by His death through the shedding of His blood on the cross and was accepted by God upon His resurrection. We believe He ascended into Heaven after His resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father and is now waiting for the time of receiving His church at the rapture, which is followed by His return to earth to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years.
(Psalm 2:7–9; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 43:11; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:25; Luke 1:26–35; John 1:1, 3, 14, 18, 29; Romans 3:19–25; 5:6–15; Philippians 2:5–11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16; Titus 2:10–15; Hebrews 7:26; 9:24–28; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:2; 1 John 1:3; Revelation 20:1–6)
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person who has personality and all the attributes of Deity. We believe the Holy Spirit has always been involved in the affairs of mankind; however, we believe He has a special ministry that began at Pentecost and will continue until the rapture. This ministry includes reproving the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit was also sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal, and fill all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1:2; John 3:5–6; 14:16; Acts 1:5; 11:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19–20; 12:13)
Sin and Salvation
We believe that all men are born with a sin nature, inherited from the first man, Adam; that all men are sinners by choice; and that there is nothing that man can do to remove his sin. It is only the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross that can remove a person’s sin. Salvation and forgiveness of sin were accomplished by the death and resurrection of Christ, and are received by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ, apart from any human work or effort. We believe that all those who receive Christ as their Saviour are eternally secure in Him, and those who reject Jesus Christ as their Saviour are already condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire.
(Genesis 5:1–5; Acts 4:19; 16:31; Romans 3:10–23; 5:6–12; 6:23; 10:9–10; Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5–6; Revelation 20:11–14)
The Church
We believe that the church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel. The local church observes the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; and the officers of ordination are pastors (elders, bishops) and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the purpose of the church is to evangelize the lost, disciple believers, and worship the Lord. We believe that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 16:16–18; Acts 1:15; 2:41–43; 11:15; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51–58; Ephesians 1:12–14; 5:25–30)
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer for the purpose of edifying the church, serving others, and bringing glory to God. These gifts include teaching, serving, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, and others that are active in the church today. We believe that some of the sign gifts—such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, and revelatory prophecy—were given for a specific time in the early church to authenticate the gospel message and the ministry of the apostles. We believe these particular gifts ceased with the completion of the New Testament canon and the passing of the apostolic era. While we affirm that God still heals and works in miraculous ways according to His sovereign will, we do not practice or promote the sign gifts as part of regular church life. Our focus is on the orderly, Spirit-filled exercise of biblical gifts to build up the body of Christ in love and truth.
(Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 13:8–10; 14:33, 40; Ephesians 4:11–13; Hebrews 2:3–4)
The Last Days
We believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in their grammatical and historical context. We believe in the rapture of the church, the return of Christ to the earth, His literal rule of 1,000 years, the Great White Throne judgment, and the new heaven and new earth.
(1 Corinthians 15:51–58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 5:1–9; Revelation 19–22)
Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution and all unscriptural theories of origin.
(Genesis 1–2; Exodus 20:11)
Marriage, Sexuality, and Biblical Roles
We believe marriage to be the joining of one man and one woman in a covenant relationship for life. We believe that any sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage is sin. We believe that God created two distinct and complementary genders—male and female—and we reject modern attempts to redefine gender and human sexuality.
We also believe that God has established distinct roles for men and women, rooted in creation and affirmed throughout Scripture. God calls men to servant leadership in both the home and the church. In the home, the husband is to lovingly lead his family as Christ leads the Church. In the church, men are called to the offices of pastor and elder, while women are equally valued and gifted to serve within God’s design.
These roles are not based on ability or worth, but on God’s good and wise order for human flourishing and His glory.(Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:24-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 2:11-14; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)