Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Bible Baptist Church of Potchefstroom based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God
The Virgin Birth
We believe in the biblical God, that is one God represented in three manifested persons: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. We believe in the divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, while on this earth, was God manifest in the flesh. Not only is he our Saviour, but he is also our God.
1 John 5:7; John 1:1, 14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 1:6-8; Matthew 1:21-23; Colossians 2:9.
1 John 5:7; John 1:1, 14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 1:6-8; Matthew 1:21-23; Colossians 2:9.
We believe that the Old Testament prophecies of a child being born of a virgin have been fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God dispatched the Holy Spirit to overshadow Mary, and thus she conceived and was found with child through that miraculous event.
Isaiah 7:14; Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26-35.
Isaiah 7:14; Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26-35.
Second Advent
Salvation
We believe that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is two-fold.
A. Rapture: All that have entered the body of Christ will eventually be caught up together into Heaven. We are patiently looking forward to this great event.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 John 3:1-3.
B. Revelation: We believe in the future, literal, visible, and physical return and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. After conquering the rebellious of this world, we believe the Lord Jesus Christ will set up His Kingdom on the earth for a period of one thousand years to reign with His saints.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-7.
A. Rapture: All that have entered the body of Christ will eventually be caught up together into Heaven. We are patiently looking forward to this great event.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 John 3:1-3.
B. Revelation: We believe in the future, literal, visible, and physical return and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. After conquering the rebellious of this world, we believe the Lord Jesus Christ will set up His Kingdom on the earth for a period of one thousand years to reign with His saints.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-7.
We believe a man MUST be born again. Salvation is totally independent of a man's religion, tradition, education, or works. A man must believe in his heart that Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary payment for his sins, was buried, and on the third day rose again. A man must then repent and turn to God by receiving the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. We believe the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ washes away all of our sins, no matter how vile. We further believe that once a man in this age is saved, he is eternally secure and forever a child of God.
John 3:7; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 20:21; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:8-13; Acts 16:30-31; John 1:12-13; 10:26-30
John 3:7; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 20:21; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:8-13; Acts 16:30-31; John 1:12-13; 10:26-30
The Holy Bible
Ordinances
We believe in the divine inspiration and preservation of the Holy Scriptures. Men, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote and produced the words of Scripture. As the works of these men were completed, God breathed into their writings, thus inspiring and bringing those words to life. The words ceased to be only of men, but could then properly be recognized as, and called, the very words of God. We believe that God Almighty has preserved His words in the way He wants us to have them. We do not believe that the words of God are only available in their original languages, but that the power of God is sufficient to reproduce His words in any language. Concerning the English language, we believe the Old King James Bible, originally of 1611, to be pure, free from contradiction or mistakes, and thus rightfully takes the nomenclature of God's words and our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
Psalms 12:6-7; 1 Peter 1:23; Matthew 24:35; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:15-16.
Psalms 12:6-7; 1 Peter 1:23; Matthew 24:35; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:15-16.
We believe a biblical New Testament local church should regularly observe two ordinances:
A. Water baptism: We believe water baptism is by immersion. This is a figure of the believer's union with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We completely reject the idea of infant baptism, more properly called sprinkling, as it is found nowhere in the Scriptures. We do not believe water baptism is a requirement for salvation, but rather an act of obedience to Christ's command and an answer of a good conscience toward God.
Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:18-19; 1 Peter 3:21.
B. The Lord's Supper: The observance of the Lord's Supper is not a repeating of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, but rather a memorial thereof. Barring any strange circumstances, the elements to be used are new wine (pure grape juice) and unleavened bread. This memorial is to bring to the believer's mind: 1) the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; 2) His imminent coming. We believe that these ordinances are to be done regularly, but we do not recognize any specific schedule or frequency by which they must be done.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 11:2, 20-34.
A. Water baptism: We believe water baptism is by immersion. This is a figure of the believer's union with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We completely reject the idea of infant baptism, more properly called sprinkling, as it is found nowhere in the Scriptures. We do not believe water baptism is a requirement for salvation, but rather an act of obedience to Christ's command and an answer of a good conscience toward God.
Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:18-19; 1 Peter 3:21.
B. The Lord's Supper: The observance of the Lord's Supper is not a repeating of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, but rather a memorial thereof. Barring any strange circumstances, the elements to be used are new wine (pure grape juice) and unleavened bread. This memorial is to bring to the believer's mind: 1) the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; 2) His imminent coming. We believe that these ordinances are to be done regularly, but we do not recognize any specific schedule or frequency by which they must be done.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 11:2, 20-34.