Oak Grove Baptist Church Core Beliefs

The following are the core beliefs of Oak Grove Baptist Church. They are based on the
foundational truths taught in the Holy Bible. All teachings and ministries at Oak Grove Baptist
Church are rooted in and flows from the Holy Bible, Sola Scriptura.

The Holy Bible
- We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired word of God, inerrant
in the original writings, complete as a revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and
final authority in faith and life.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21)

The Trinity
- We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each
person is fully God, sharing the same nature and attributes.
(Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19)

God the Father
- We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit; perfect in holiness, wisdom, power
and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers
prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(John 16:23-27, Galatians 4:4-6, Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 1:17-23)

God the Son
- We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is true God and true man, conceived by
the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We also believe in His sinless life, His
substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His priestly intercession on
behalf of His people, and His personal visible return from heaven.
(Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:23, Luke 24:1-8, John 4:14-16, John 7:24-25, Revelation 19:1-27)

God the Holy Spirit
- We believe the Holy Spirit is a person and is fully God. He regenerates, baptizes into the body
of Christ, indwells every believer, guides and empowers believers, and gives gifts to all believers
to be used in ministry so that the church functions properly.
(Matthew 28:19, John 3:5, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-13, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 4:11-16)

Man
- We believe God created man, male and female in the image of God and free from sin. We
further believe that man because of his fall in Adam, is a sinner by nature and choice and is
therefore spiritually dead, in need of salvation.
(Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7-3:19, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12-21, Romans 6:23)

Salvation
- We believe in salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We believe that this
salvation is offered to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave.
Salvation is received by man through faith alone, apart from any human merit, works or ritual.
Salvation results in righteous living, good works, and proper social concern.
(John 1:12, John 3:3-7, John 5:24, Romans 3:21-24, Romans 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Timothy 2:5)

The Church
- We believe that the church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. The true church is
composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the
Holy Spirit. This body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members are baptized
believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two
ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges
invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth for the
glory of God alone.
(Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:41-47, Ephesians 5:21, Colossians 1:18, Hebrews 10:24-25)

Christian Conduct
- We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in his life. The believer
should live blamelessly before the world, be a faithful steward of his possessions, and seek to
realize for himself the full stature of maturity in Christ.
(1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 1:28, 1 Timothy 6:6-9, 1 Peter 1:14-15)

Family
- We believe God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The
husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The
marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as
Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to
lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband
even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.
(Genesis 1:26-28; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:22-6:4)

Government
- We believe in the separation of church and state. We believe that governmental authorities are
to be prayed for and honored. We believe governmental authorities are to be obeyed; except only
in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of lords and King of
kings.
(Acts 4:19-20; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17)