In affirming our belief corporately as a church, the essentials of the faith that are non-negotiable in becoming a part of BHF in addition to what we believe to be the necessary components of being a true Christian, the following statement of faith is hereby embraced and believed.
God
We believe in one God, triune in nature, headed by the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen, visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father, a part of the Godhead. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He alone is the mediator between God and man and that there is no earthly counterpart. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is very God with Them. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
The Holy Bible
We believe in the holy Scriptures, including all of the Old (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon or Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) and New (Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, 1&2 Peter, 1,2,&3 John, Jude, and Revelation) Testaments.
We believe the holy Scriptures are given by inspiration of God and therefore from the very mouth of God Himself and is the only truth to be the rule of faith and life to all. That their authority is timeless and eternal. That as Christians, we are to pursue holiness and obedience to them.
We believe Scripture to be inerrant, that it affirms nothing contrary to itself, that it always affirms the truth and by definition, is truth itself about all things.
The Church
We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church and that only those who believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ are heirs and have a part in it. We believe the church has a special eternal bond, interconnected and interdependent on one another for God’s glory.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and the life of His kingdom to come. Amen.
Salvation
We believe all men fall short of God’s perfect standard and are under condemnation for their rebellion against God and transgression of His perfect law of liberty and love. Salvation from God’s wrath to come for a man’s sin can only be through faith (sola fide – by faith alone) in the Lord Jesus Christ and that there is no other name under heaven by which a man may be saved (solo Christos – through Christ alone). We believe that faith in Christ is possible through the grace of God alone (sola gratis – by grace alone), and not by works. We believe that salvation is accomplished by a divine, initiated act of God Himself and that all glory goes to Him for it (soli Deo gloria – glory to God alone).
