Benton's Cross Roads Baptist Church

Our Beliefs...

I. God...
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God.

(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1st Peter 1:2; 2nd Corinthians 13:14)

II. Jesus Christ...
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He is coequal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into Heaven's glory and will return again someday to Earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

(Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 12:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1st Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)

III. Holy Spirit...
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding spiritual truths, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.

(2nd Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1st Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25)

IV. The Bible...
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 Christians' beliefs and living because it was inspired by God. The Bible is truth without any mixture of error. We believe in the Bible's truth from Genesis to Revelation without adding to or taking away anything from the truth.

(2nd Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2nd Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6, 119:105; Proverbs 30:5)

V. People...
God created man for His glory. We are to worship God with gladness and "know that He is God!" We are to glorify Him by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him. We are created in His image.

(Isaiah 43:7; Psalm 100:2-3; 1st Samuel 12:24; John 17:4; Genesis 1:27)

VI. Salvation...
Salvation is God's free gift to us. We are saved by God's Grace which is the Divine Influence upon the heart, His reflection in our life, including gratitude. Salvation is not by any works that we do. We can never make up for any sin through any type of self-improvement. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offering of forgiveness can anyone be saved from the penalties of sin. We must turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith. Eternal life then begins at the moment one receives Christ by faith.

(Romans 6:23, 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26)

VII. Eternal Security...
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation forever. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot lose it. Salvation is maintained by the Grace and Power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping-power of God that gives us this security.

(John 10:29; 2nd Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10; 1st Peter 1:1-5)

VIII. Eternity...
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally united with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God means to spend eternity in Hell, which is a place of torment. To be eternally united with Him means eternal life in Heaven, which is a place of glory. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

(John 3:16, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1st Corinthians 2:7-9)

IX. Living Out Our Beliefs...
•Passion - relentlessly striving to be the reflection of Jesus Christ in word and in action

•Excellence - continually maximizing our talents to honor God

•Integrity - good stewardship, always acting above reproach

•Reverence - protecting the holiness of God in our words and actions

•Biblically Centered - the Bible is God inspired and our absolute truth

•Unity - bound by love, acting as one, seeking peace

•Honor - having great respect for our brothers and sisters in Christ

•Generosity - seeking out and sharing with others in need

•Faithfulness - continual obedience as a body of believers moving in the same direction.