The DeGraff Freewill Baptist Church
A declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us. (Luke 1:1)
1.) THE BIBLE.
We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, that it is infallible, inerrant, entirely accurate in every detail. It is the final authority in all matters, is the complete revelation of the will of God, and should never be added to or taken away from. The Authorized King James Bible of 1611 is God’s preserved Word.2.) THE TRUE GOD.
We believe that there is only one living and true God: infinite, all-wise, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, just and merciful; perfect in holiness, and worthy of all honor, praise, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three co-equal persons: eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, executing distinct but harmonious offices.3.) THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles; that He died on the cross, was buried, and raised bodily from the dead; that He ascended into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father as our Intercessor, Advocate and High Priest.4.) THE HOLY GHOST.
We believe that the Holy Ghost is God; that His work is regeneration, sanctification, convicting of sin, righteousness, and judgment; He indwells the believer from the moment of the new birth, comforts, and guides into all truth; He glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ and empowers the believer for godly living and Christian service. It is the privilege and duty of every born again believer to be filled with the Holy Ghost.5.) THE CREATION.
We believe in the Bible account of creation and that it is to be accepted literally and not allegorically. God is the creator of all things, man was created as a direct act of God, and all theories of evolution are both silly and false.6.) THE FALL OF MAN.
We believe that man was created in holiness, innocence, and in the image and likeness of God, but by voluntary transgression fell from that sinless and happy state. As a consequence, the descendants of Adam and Eve inherit a sin nature and come into a world that is far different from the paradise of man’s beginning. All men are sinners, not by constraint but by choice, and are thus separated from God.7.) THE WAY OF SALVATION.
We believe that all are lost in sin and must be born again to enter Heaven and avoid Hell; that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on the cross as the only means of redemption. Salvation is offered to whosoever will, and is equally possible to all. Nothing prevents the salvation of even the greatest sinner, but his own voluntary rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If any man dies lost, the fault is wholly his own. It is the sinner's immediate duty to repent and come to Christ by an obedient faith. True salvation brings about a change so radical that it is described as being made a new creature in Christ Jesus. Any individual living in the practice of sin must be considered by that evidence to be lost. This we hold in distinction from those who suggest that a man may live in sin and be saved. The Bible warnings concerning sin and its consequences should be taken very seriously by the child of God.8.) SANCTIFICATION.
We believe that sanctification is the process by which the child of God grows spiritually. It is a progressive work begun at the new birth, and it enables the surrendered believer to become more and more like Jesus Christ. This work is carried on through what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. The power of the Holy Ghost, the Word of God, and the blood of Jesus Christ effectuate a continuing maturity as the believer submits to Christ through self examination and prayer.9.) CHRISTIAN CONDUCT.
We believe that the supreme task of the Christian is to glorify God, that his conduct should be holy and blameless, that He should walk in the Spirit so as to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, that he should serve God faithfully through the local church: attending regularly all of the church services, praying diligently and without ceasing, witnessing and making every effort to win souls, studying the Bible, tithing and giving to the Lord through the local church, and showing loving kindness to fellow believers.10.) SEPARATION.
We believe that the child of God should live a holy life and that separation from worldly, sinful practices is commanded by God. The Christian should abstain from drinking intoxicating beverages, smoking, dancing, immodest dress, media programs/literature/music with immoral and ungodly content. This further includes separation from religious apostasy: (i.e. the ecumenical movement, Catholicism, Lodges, compromising and modernist churches, the Charismatic Movement, ministerial associations, cults and divergent religious groups.).11.) THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
We believe that God concerns Himself mercifully in the lives of His children; that He hears and answers prayer, supplies all of our needs, provides daily strength for victorious and abundant living, chastises when necessary, heals the sick, and causes all things to work together for good to them that love Him.12.) THE CHURCH.
We believe that a scriptural church is a local, visible congregation of baptized believers who assemble regularly on the first day of the week to worship God; united by a church covenant and sound Bible doctrine; observing the ordinances, governed by the Word of God, and striving to please the Lord in all things. The Head of the church is Jesus Christ. It is the duty of every true child of God to join and be a faithful member of a scriptural, independent Bible-believing church. We reject the notion of a universal, invisible church.13.) HEAVEN AND HELL.
We believe that Heaven is a real, literal place; that it is the abode of God; that it has walls of jasper, streets of gold, gates of pearl, mansions prepared, rare and indescribable beauty, no sorrow, no pain, no suffering, no sickness. We further believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, immediately absent from the body and present with the Lord in Heaven, where in conscious joy and bliss they await their resurrection, when their bodies will be raised and reunited with the spirit and soul to be forever with the Lord. We also believe in a literal Hell that burns with fire and brimstone, where there is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth; and that all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ will experience conscious, everlasting torment and punishment there.14.)THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE.
We believe in the imminent, pre-tribulation return of the Lord Jesus Christ to resurrect the bodies of the dead in Christ and to catch up the living Christians to Himself in the air. That all true believers, at that moment, receive glorified bodies like unto His glorious body and are taken with the Lord back to Heaven to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.15.) THE SECOND COMING AND THE THOUSAND YEAR REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST.
We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, with His saints, to the Earth at the end of the Tribulation to establish His thousand year reign; and that Christ shall reign over the entire Earth until He has put all enemies under His feet. During this time, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit, the Earth will flourish, swords will be beaten into plowshares, etc. At the close of the thousand year reign, Satan will be loosed from his prison for a little season, gathering together all who oppose Christ. They will be destroyed and cast into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment. Finally, the Heavens and the Earth will be renovated by fire, cleansing and making all things perfect throughout eternity. There will be New Heavens and a New Earth.16.) SATAN.
We believe that Satan was created a holy cherub (Lucifer), but through pride and evil ambition fell, and drew after himself a host of angels (now demon spirits); that he is now the prince of the power of the air, the unholy god of this world. He is man’s tempter, the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the accuser of the brethren, the author and instigator of all false religion, the chief power behind the present apostasy, the lord of the Antichrist, and the ruler of all the powers of darkness. He is destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son, and to eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire. We also believe that the true Christian, through the power of Almighty God, may live in victory over the Devil in this present age.17.) THE ORDINANCES.
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to show forth in a solemn figure (symbol) our faith in the crucified, buried and resurrected Savior, and our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Scriptural baptism is a pre-requisite to church membership. We reject infant baptism, sprinkling, and baptismal regeneration. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ until He comes again. The use of unleavened bread and the cup are symbols of His broken body and shed blood. This memorial is to be preceded by serious self-examination on the part of each believer. We practice open communion, and oppose the use of intoxicating wine to represent the shed blood of the Savior.18.) THE LORD’S DAY.
From the creation of the world, God set apart one day in seven for sacred rest and holy worship. Under the former dispensation, the seventh day of the week, as commemorative of the work of creation, was set apart. Under the Gospel dispensation, the first day of the week, in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is observed as the Lord’s Day for Christian believers. On this day all men are commanded by God to refrain from secular labor and devote themselves to the worship and service of the Lord Jesus Christ.The DeGraff Freewill Baptist Church
State Route 235/100 East Miami Street
DeGraff, Ohio 43318
James R. Roby, Pastor
Scott Wisniewski, Youth Pastor
