Our Beliefs
South Mountain Baptist Church is firmly grounded in the following Doctrinal Beliefs:
The Bible:
We believe that the Bible, both Old, and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words establish the record of Himself to humanity. It is therefore authoritative in all matters (2 Tim. 3:16).
God the Father:
We believe in one God, Creator of all things (omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent), infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Trinity (Eph. 4:4-6).
God the Son:
We believe that Jesus Christ is the true God and true Man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:26-38). He died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on High. He is our High Priest and Advocate (John 3:16).
God the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son and equal in deity. He indwells, guides, instructs and empowers the believer for godly living and service. He convicts individuals of their sinfulness and of the righteousness of Christ, draws them to the Savior, and bears witness to their new birth (John 16:7–11; 1 Thessalonians 1:5–6; Romans 8:16). At regeneration and conversion, the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Mankind:
We believe that human beings were created in the image of God but fell into sin and are therefore lost. Only through personal faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. Everyone is born with a sinful nature and needs to be reconciled to God (Romans 3:9–18, 23). Jesus Christ is our only mediator to Him (1 Timothy 2:5).
Salvation:
We believe that salvation is offered as a free gift by God to all and must be received personally through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4; Ephesians 2:8–9). An individual is united to Christ by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20). The believer is acquitted of all guilt and brought into a new relationship of peace with God (Romans 5:1).
The Church is the Body of Christ:
Christians are commanded to be baptized upon profession of faith and encouraged to unite with a local church for mutual encouragement and growth in discipleship through worship, nurture, service, and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world (Acts 2:41–42, 47; Luke 24:45–48).
The ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18–20). It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3–5). The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and of the cup by believers together as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. It is an act of thankful dedication to Him and serves to unite His people until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:23–26).
The New Heaven and New Earth:
We believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth suddenly, personally, and visibly in glory according to His promise (Revelation 1:7; 3:11; John 14:1–3). The dead will be raised, and Christ will judge mankind in righteousness (John 5:28–29).
The unrighteous will be consigned to the everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10). The righteous, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their reward and dwell forever with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). We believe at death the body and soul separate. The body goes to the grave (awaiting the return of Christ and our “Resurrected Body”) and the soul goes back to God immediately after death (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 Message Translation; Luke 23:43).