Beliefs

Discover the foundational beliefs we embrace at Woodland Park Baptist Church!

Woodland Park Baptist Church - Christian Church Near Chattanooga, TN - Sunday Church Service

We believe the Bible is God’s infallible written Word, comprising the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts, and is the supreme and final authority in all matters it addresses.

We follow doctrinal teachings that are commonly accepted by all genuine Christians, and are affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination.

statement of faith

At Woodland Park Baptist Church, our beliefs are rooted in the Gospel and the authority of Scripture.

  • There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality (Deuteronomy 6:4; Numbers 6:24-26; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 3:16, 17; 28:18-20; John 14:16, 17, 23, 26; 15:26). God is spirit. He is self-existent. He is infinite and eternal in His being, the creator and sustainer of all creation, and the redeemer of all who receive His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, and He is the judge of all humanity. He is sovereign. He is complete and perfect in all His attributes (Genesis 1:1-2:25; Psalm 90:2; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 135:6; John 4:24). God admonishes His people to assemble regularly for worship and participation in ordinances, edification through the Scriptures, mutual encouragement, and for being equipped for service (Hebrews10:25; Ephesians 4:11-16). We do not affirm that all religions lead to God or that the God of Islam or other religions is the same as Jehovah. We disagree with syncretistic views of God that date different approaches to the Father except through Christ.

  • Jesus Christ is God, the Living Word, Who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Hence, He is the perfect Deity, and true humanity united in one person forever (John 1:1, 14; Matthew 1:18-21 {Isaiah 7:14}; Luke 1:26-33, 35). He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone (John 1:11, 12; 6:37; 8:28, 29, 36, 46; Luke 9:51; 10:17; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 1:1-3). He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died (Luke 24:36-42; John 10:17, 18; 20:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-34). He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own (Acts 1:9-11; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 7:25; 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1, 2). Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, which is composed of all those, living and dead, who–starting at Pentecost–have been joined to Him through saving faith (John 1:11, 12; Acts 2:1-4; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

  • The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune God. He is one in nature and essence with God the Father and Jesus Christ (Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; John 14:16, 17, 23; 15:26). The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth, and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power, and control are appropriated in the believer’s life by faith (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7-11, 13-15; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:30).

  • The Bible–the Old and New Testaments–is the Word of God, and, as such, is verbally inspired, inerrant in the original autographs, authoritative, infallible, and wholly reliable. The Scriptures are the believer’s only guide and rule of faith and conduct (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 17:17; Psalm 119:89; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Our responsibility is to learn, obey, and conform to their requirements in life. The Bible is God’s final revelation to man. It is not to be added to, taken away from, or altered in any way (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 2:21; Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5, 6; Revelation 22:18, 19).

  • Humans were originally created in the image of God. They sinned by disobeying God; thus, they were alienated from their Creator. The historical fall of Adam brought all humanity under divine condemnation (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7, 16, 17; 3:6, 16-19, 23, 24; Romans 5:12, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 15:22). Humanity’s nature is utterly corrupted, and thus totally unable to please God. Every person needs regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. People have no possible means of salvation within themselves through good works (Genesis 6: 12; Romans 3:23; 5:12; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:16).

  • People’s salvation is wholly a work of God’s free grace and is not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. Salvation is received only through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as a person repents and believes the gospel. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight (John 1:11, 12;14:6; Mark 1:15; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 3:20-28; 4:16-25; Galatians 2:16; 3:24). It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any human merit but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written Word (John 1:11, 12; 3:14-18, 36; 14:16; 5:24; Romans 8:16-18; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 13:5, 6; 1 John 5:11-13; Revelation 6:9-11).

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  • The Church was founded at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit and consists of all who have genuinely repented of their sins and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The Church is manifested as believers gather for worship and service. The only members of the true Church are those who are in Christ (Matthew 16:18; John 14:16; Acts 2:1-5; Hebrews 10:25; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, His body, and, as such, has sole authority over its functioning. He is to be obeyed in everything since He is Lord of all (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18; 1 John 4:2, 3; Romans 10:9, 10, 13; Acts 10:36; Philippians 2:11).

  • At physical death, the believer enters immediately into the eternal, conscious presence of the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14). At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation (Mark 9:43- 48; Luke 16:22-24; 2 Thessalonians 1:6, 8, 9; Revelation. 20:11-15). Jesus Christ will return in the air before the tribulation for His church, to take His own–the living and the dead–home to be with Him forever (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). Jesus Christ will come again to the earth–personally, visibly, and bodily–to consummate history and the eternal plan of God (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:30; 25:31-33, 41, 46).

Philosophical Distinctives

  • Proper preaching of the Word of God must be communicated verse by verse through books of the Bible. Expositional preaching differs from the norm in that the goal is not to present the preacher’s ideas about spirituality. Rather, the goal is to EXPOSE the text with thorough exegesis in the original languages and let the Bible speak for itself, communicating the author’s intent (2 Timothy 4:2; Ezra 7:10). While it is appropriate to deal with selected topics and character studies from time to time, the objective of “exposing” the text, is still the same. Topical studies should represent the whole counsel of Scripture on a topic and must still respect the values of context and theological consistency.

  • WPBC has historically sought to define itself according to the Scriptures, even if this means taking on a different structure or practice than the dominant model of modern church culture (Romans 12:2). This requires first identifying the Biblical values relevant to a particular area, and then developing a practical plan to ensure those values are lived out (Luke 6:46; Joshua 1:7-8).

  • Our form of church government is not based on a congregational democracy but on Biblically qualified and God-called men in the church being entrusted with the responsibility to hear from God and lead the congregation in following Him. Our deacons do not function as a decision-making body of the church but rather as those whom God raises up to serve specific tasks and assist in the decisions of their ministry under the leadership of the elders and pastoral staff. The congregation participates by expressing their voice to elders and through the affirmation of major decisions.

  • We believe missions begin across the street through lifestyle evangelism of our body and extend to the whole world (Acts 1:8; 20:28; Matthew 28:18-20) through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. We recognize that the local church does not exist as an end in itself but has a responsibility to the larger needs of the body of Christ worldwide. We believe in personal involvement in missions through sending our own Biblically qualified people, direct personal support of individual missionaries through recognized mission agencies, and through commissioned short-term projects. This commitment is reflected in our stewardship of all our resources: our finances, our leaders, our time and attention, and most of all, our message concerning Christ.

  • The primary task of the church is making disciples (Mt. 28:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:2). Our programs, which are constantly changing, are designed to make us as effective as we can be at producing the product that never changes: "Disciples,” those who abide in Christ and allow His Word to abide in them, who pray according to the will of God and see those prayers answered, who bring glory to God, and who bear much fruit (John 15:7, 8). From our youngest children to our oldest adults, we are committed to providing opportunities for our people to get into the Word for themselves and to be disciplined in a growth-appropriate manner. Small group interaction is an important component of this (Acts 2:42-47).

  • God has not given the church leadership the responsibility of doing all the service work, but rather, of equipping the saints (Eph. 4:11–16). This means that they must be trained in how to walk with God and in the practical aspects of having a personal ministry (2 Timothy 2:1-2; 3:15-17). This is the most important function of our pastoral roles. Along with this comes a commitment to unleashing our laity to do works of service according to their spiritual giftedness.

  • Our message is not us trying in our power to live a life that pleases Christ, but yielding control of our life and allowing Christ to live through us (Jesus being Jesus in us – Galatians 2:20). For this to be a reality, one must cultivate the habit of regularly going to the cross in a lifestyle of repentance and surrender through the Holy Spirit’s empowering (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 3:3; Acts 20:24).

  • We recognize that God initiates true ministry (John 3:26-27; 17:4-8) and that He anoints only what He initiates. This true ministry is not the result of human commitment and striving (Psalm 127:1) but of his surrender (John 7:37-39; Ephesians 5:18) and faithful obedience to God’s leading. This emphasizes not only a person’s qualifications or education but also God’s progressively revealed call for his or her life and ministry (Romans 1:4b-5; Hebrews 5:4; Colossians 4:17).

  • We recognize that the greatest accomplishment of the Reformation was taking the Word of God out of the exclusive domain of the leadership and placing it into the hands of the laity as well. Therefore, for the church to be what it should be, all members need to be encouraged to receive the Word with great eagerness and to be equipped to study the Word for themselves so that their beliefs and behavior are shaped by the Scriptures instead of man’s opinions (Acts 17:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

  • We recognize that the church must take responsibility to train and develop its leaders from within Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:2). It must make sure that the leader is adequately equipped to walk with God, to handle the Word accurately, and cannot merely place those with leadership ability shaped in the business community or other churches (Matthew 10:25-28). This is primarily accomplished through our SALT Institute (Servant Approach Leadership Training), and the equipping work of our pastors and teachers.

  • The functioning of the church is never to bring glory to itself or a preacher, a program or a denomination, but as 1 Peter 4:11 states, “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 15:6; Colossians 3:17, 23-24).

  • Throughout the past quarter century, God has called Woodland Park to define itself not by what other churches do but by searching the Scriptures diligently to align itself with what God’s Word says. As a result, we have sought to be a model to other churches in areas where this has been undertaken (elder leadership – 1 Peter 5:1-5; church discipline – Matthew 18:15-21, etc). This dynamic expresses itself in a commitment to partnering with and assisting other churches.

Doctrinal Distinctives

  • We believe the Bible to be the pure Word of God (Ps. 12:6), wholly true (John 17:17), from which nothing can be subtracted and to which nothing can be added. We believe in their original manuscripts’ plenary, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

  • Man’s natural condition—apart from any grace exerted by God to restrain or transform man—is one of total depravity. Apart from redemption, our rebellion against God is total. While in rebellion, everything done, even what society deems “good,” is unacceptable to God. Unregenerate man is completely unable to submit to God and do good, and, as such, deserves eternal punishment (Ps. 14; Rom. 1-3).

  • We believe in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with God (Is. 7:14; 9:10; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 12:10; Jn. 1:1-3, 14; 1 Tim. 3:16), sinless in His earthly life, and, as God in the flesh, incapable of sinning (Heb. 4:15; 1 John 1:5).

  • God so loved the world, not the elect only, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Christ died not simply for the elect, but for “the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

  • We believe that no man seeks after God unless the Father draws him (John 6:37). Irresistible grace does not mean that the influence of the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted, but that He can overcome our resistance. Since man is totally depraved, he will never believe in Christ unless God overcomes his rebellion (Acts 13:48).

  • We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, a gift of God, not as a result of works (Eph. 2:8, 9). We believe we were saved unto good works (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:11-12), but not by them. Nor is our salvation sustained in any way by good works (Rom. 3:27-28).

  • When a person believes, he must recognize the sovereign election of God working hand-in-hand with his exercise of choice (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 8:28-29). Election is unconditional in that there is no condition he must meet before God chooses to save him. While election is unconditional, final salvation is not. We must meet the condition of faith in Christ to inherit eternal life (John 6:37).

  • We believe that baptism is an act of obedience required of believers (Mt. 28:19-20) and to be performed after salvation, not for salvation (1 Pt. 3:21). Therefore, we do not accept infant baptism or baptism before belief as Scriptural or appropriate. We see immersion as the method embraced and modeled in the Scriptures (e.g. the Ethiopian eunuch – Acts 8:38-39) and in early church history, consistent with the principles it is to represent, namely the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5).

  • Since true salvation is by grace through faith, it cannot be “undone” by sin. True believers are indwelt by Christ and sealed by His Spirit (Eph. 1:13), who is the “pledge” of our redemption (Eph. 1:14). For our salvation to fail, He must fail. God’s conviction of sin and wooing grace toward repentance will always abide with the genuine believer. One who continues in sin must question if he has ever experienced saving faith (1 John 3:6–10).

  • We believe in a distinction between God’s dealings with the church and with Israel (Rom. 9-11), that the rapture of the church will precede the “70th Week of Daniel” (Dan. 9:27) that a seven-year period will occur before the Lord’s return (1 Th. 4:13-5:10), and that a literal reign of Christ on earth of 1,000 years will follow (Rev. 20:1-6)

In addition to these Doctrinal positions, and those further explained in our Church Constitution, we recognize the following views as divergent:

  • Christian Reconstructionism (similar to Post Millennialism and Dominion Theology) states that the church’s task and responsibility is to usher in the Kingdom of God through the reconstruction of secular society to fit Christian standards and norms by the church’s being involved in social issues and services. While we recognize that the Bible commands that we feed the hungry, provide for widows, orphans, and the sick, and stand against evil as found in the killing of the innocent (abortion, the holocaust, euthanasia, etc.), the second coming of Christ and His ushering in the Kingdom are not dependent upon the action of the church but will happen as God promised in the Scriptures.

  • By this, we mean not the casting out demons per se, but the practice of casting demons out of Christians. Our understanding of the teaching of Scripture is that demonic habitation of a believer is incompatible with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the idea of a needed mediary to cast out such a demon, whether internal or clinging to the outside of a believer, is not substantiated in Scripture.

  • The view that God’s will is always our healing, and walking with Him leads to financial blessing—focusing on the gifts instead of the giver.

  • Not all that psychology says is wrong, but God’s Word, not psychology, has the final say. Contemporary psychology may help us understand ourselves, but only God, by His Spirit, can change us. We must be careful not to move into a mentality of change only occurring on a human, self-effort level. Any message from contemporary psychology, Secular or Christian, that affirms or suggests the inadequacy of accurately handling God’s Word to address and resolve life’s problems is divergent and unacceptable.

  • Christianity is in danger of adopting New Age ideologies in many areas, such as Holistic Health and medicine, subjective mysticism, meditation involving emptying the mind instead of filling it with Scripture, and other Eastern concepts.

  • We see the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues as an evangelistic gift (1 Cor. 14:22), not to be made prominent, not to be sought after, not a prayer language (1 Cor. 12:30, 31), not an evidence of salvation or “second blessing.” We see the baptism of the Spirit as occurring only once for all time (1 Cor. 12:13: For by [lit. “in”] one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…), our identification by the Spirit with Christ at salvation.

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