Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Oak Ridge Baptist Church 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.
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consisting of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, was given by Divine inspiration and is the complete, inerrant Word of God (1 Thes. 2:12; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21); that it constitutes the only perfect rule and final authority in all matters pertaining to Christian faith and practice (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11; Heb. 4:12).
THE GODHEAD
We believe that there is one God, Who created the universe in six solar days, eternally existent in three co-equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, having the same attributes and perfections, Who is True Holiness, Eternal Power, Infinite Love, Perfect Justice, and Absolute Truth (Genesis 1:1; Lev. 19:2; Matt. 28:19; Rom. 1:20, Rom. 3:26; 1 Tim. 2:5; Titus 1:2; I John 4:3, 9).
JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His conception by the Holy Spirit and birth of the virgin Mary, His sinless life, His miracles, the infallibility of His teachings, His substitutionary sacrifice through His shed blood on the cross, His literal bodily resurrection, His literal bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father where He ever liveth to make intercession for His saints, His coming for His saints, and His return to reign in power and glory (Matt. 1:18-23, Matt. 28:6; John 1:1, John 1:14, John 7:18; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Heb. 4:15, Heb. 7:25; Zech. 14:4-9).
The HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person Who moved holy men to write the Scriptures, Who illuminates the believer to understand Scriptures, Who convicts of sin, Who quickens believers in the new birth, Who seals believers and is the earnest of our inheritance, Who indwells the believer, Who baptizes the believer into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation, and Who fills the believer with power for holy living and service (John 14:16-17, John 16:8-11, John 16:14; 2 Peter 1:21; John 3:5-7; Rom. 8:11; Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 5:18;).
MANKIND
We believe, according to the Genesis account, that man was created by an immediate act of God in His own image and likeness and not by process of evolution; that, through Adam's disobedience to God, mankind fell and thereby became sinful in nature, and that since that time every man, except Jesus Christ, is conceived a sinner, spiritually dead, alienated from God, and is of himself totally incapable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12, Rom. 3:23-24; Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:1, Eph. 4:18; Col. 1:14-21, Col. 2:13; Heb. 9:1).
SALVATION
Salvation is offered to man as a gift from God and cannot be obtained by human works. This gift was made possible by Christ's shed blood and death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection. This gift is available to mankind by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, and is the only condition for man’s salvation (John 1:12; 3:3-7; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 6:23; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:1).
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive. At the moment of salvation, the believer is sanctified in Christ. Sanctification is a continuing work of grace, not involving the eradication of the old nature, but rather, revealing in the believer the growth of the new life in Christ toward perfection (Rom. 8:32; John 17:19; 2 Cor. 1:2, 2 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 5:25-27; 1 Thes. 4:3-7; 1 John 1:8-10).
THE CHURCH
We believe that the church universal, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons in this present church age (Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 5:25-27).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures, with its mission defined in our Lord's Great Commission to evangelize, baptize, and teach believers to observe all things He has commanded (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 14:27, 20:7; 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 3:1-15).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures, with its mission defined in our Lord's Great Commission to evangelize, baptize, and teach believers to observe all things He has commanded (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 14:27, 20:7; 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 3:1-15).
ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
Water Baptism
We believe baptism is by immersion, and not necessary for salvation, but is for believers, a symbol of what already has taken place in the heart; that is, of our having died with Christ and our having been raised with Him unto newness of life. We believe that it is the privilege and duty of every believer as an open confession of his faith in Christ. We hold that members are received into our church membership only after their testimony of baptism by immersion after their salvation is shared publicly or with church deacons or pastors. (Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 10:47-48, Acts 19:5; Rom. 6:4-5; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:20-21).
The Lord's Table
We believe that the Lord's Table is commemorative, to be observed often in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, showing forth His death till He comes, and picturing our union with Him and our life of dependence upon Him. We believe it is for believers who are walking in obedience to their Lord and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 10:16, 1 Cor. 11:23-34).
We believe baptism is by immersion, and not necessary for salvation, but is for believers, a symbol of what already has taken place in the heart; that is, of our having died with Christ and our having been raised with Him unto newness of life. We believe that it is the privilege and duty of every believer as an open confession of his faith in Christ. We hold that members are received into our church membership only after their testimony of baptism by immersion after their salvation is shared publicly or with church deacons or pastors. (Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 10:47-48, Acts 19:5; Rom. 6:4-5; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:20-21).
The Lord's Table
We believe that the Lord's Table is commemorative, to be observed often in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, showing forth His death till He comes, and picturing our union with Him and our life of dependence upon Him. We believe it is for believers who are walking in obedience to their Lord and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 10:16, 1 Cor. 11:23-34).
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the "Blessed Hope," the personal, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones (the Rapture), and in His subsequent return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Titus 2:13; 1 Thes. 4:13-18, 1 Thes. 5:9; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16, Rev. 20:1-6; 2 Thes. 1:7-10, 2 Thes. 2:1-8; Rev. 3:10).
THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, John 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-13).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; 1 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, Phil. 3:21; 1 Thes. 4:16-17).
We believe that the souls of the unbelievers are, at death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; 1 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, Phil. 3:21; 1 Thes. 4:16-17).
We believe that the souls of the unbelievers are, at death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).