What We Believe

The Bible is God’s word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it has salvation for its end and is truth without any mixture of error.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in these persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are God.

• The Father – He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. He reigns with providential care over the universe, and human history flows according to His purpose and plan.
• The Son (Jesus) – Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus has eternally existed and became man at His Incarnation. He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. After three days, He was resurrected from the dead to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to Earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
• The Holy Spirit – He is the third person of the Trinity. He guides men into all truth, exalts Christ, convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, bestows spiritual gifts by which believers serve God, and seals the Believer until the day of final redemption. His presence in the lives of Believers is the assurance of God to bring us into the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.

When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.

Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone.

A New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of born-again Believers who are associated by their common faith and fellowship with Jesus. The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth.

It is the duty of every born-again follower of Jesus Christ and of every church to make disciples of all people everywhere. It is the command of Christ for every believer to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. At Gloucester Point Baptist Church, we believe our purpose is to Love God, Love Others, and Serve in the World.

Matthew 28:18-20 says: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Baptism by Immersion – We believe that scriptural Baptism is (1) by being completely immersed underwater and (2) after salvation. Jesus was immersed, and all baptisms in the New Testament were by immersion. These two facts set the standard for Baptism today. Baptism has no saving power but is the first act of obedience symbolizing (1) the Believer’s faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, (2) the Believer’s death to sin and resurrection to walk anew in Christ, and (3) the Christian’s belief that he will die, be buried, and that Jesus will resurrect him from the dead.
The Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby Believers remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and anticipate his second coming. The bread is symbolic of His body and the juice represents His blood.

To live in harmony with other Believers is clearly the teaching of the New Testament. It is the responsibility of each Believer to endeavor to live in fellowship with each member of Christ’s Church.