The Philadelphia Baptist Church of Decatur, Alabama is a Sovereign Grace New Testament Landmark Missionary Baptist church. It was Scripturally organized March 24, 1984 by authority of the Philadelphia Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama which was then pastored by E. G. Cook. The church teaches the Biblical doctrines of grace, perpetuity of the Lord’s church, our Lord’s pre-tribulation return for the rapture of His saints and His millennial reign. In obedience to the commission which the Lord gave unto His precious blood-bought church in Matthew 28:19-20 the Philadelphia Baptist Church of Decatur, Alabama currently supports ten missionaries and mission works, both globally and in America, in addition to its web presence via a church website for thirteen years and now here at SermonAudio.com.
ARTICLES OF FAITH I. OF THE SCRIPTURES: We believe the Bible as originally written was verbally inspired. By that we mean that the men who wrote the original Bible were under, not just Holy Spirit guidance, but Holy Spirit control. We believe these men were under the control of the Holy Spirit to the extent that the words which they wrote in the original manuscripts were actually God's own words, and that He assumes all responsibility for these words as much as if He were to stand before us bodily and speak them with His own lips. II Timothy 3:16-I7, 2 Peter 1:19-21 Matthew 4:4, Isaiah 1:10, 51:15-16, 59:21. Therefore, we reject the teaching that God inspired these men with the thought and left it to them to clothe the thought in their own words. We further believe that everything pertaining to spiritual things of any nature can only be justified by the Word.
II. OF THE TRUE GOD: We believe there is but one true and living God consisting of three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20. That He created the heaven and the earth, Genesis 1:1, that He created man, Genesis 1:26, Mark 10:6. That He made all things that were ever made, John 1:3. That the three persons of the God-head, though equal in every Divine perfection, perform different functions. That the Holy Spirit is as much God as the Father or the Son are God.
III. OF SATAN: We believe that Satan is a person, and not just an evil influence. That he is the original source of all evil. That he is the prince, or ruler of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:2, and the god of this world who blinds the mind of unbelievers, II Corinthians 4:4. I Peter 5:8.
IV. OF THE FALL OF MAN: We believe that Adam was created in the image of God, that he was sinless and innocent under the law of his creator, that he voluntarily sinned of his own free will, I Timothy 2:14 . That no other man has ever since that time been able to exercise his free will in the sense that Adam did. That because of Adam's sin all of his offspring are born in sin with a totally depraved nature, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:9-I 8. That they are not only sinners by nature, but by practice as well. That this puts them under the just condemnation of God without any excuse, Romans 1:20. They are dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1.
V. OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH: We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit and conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, Luke 1:35, Isaiah 7:14 . That He was the only person ever born into this world who was able to choose the woman that was to be His mother. Luke 1:30-31 , the time of His birth, Galatians 4:4 , and the place of His birth, Psalm 132:5-6 , Micah 5:2 . We reject any and all teaching contrary to the Virgin Birth as heresy promulgated by an infidel whether he admits being an infidel or whether he stands in a Baptist pulpit, or sits in a Baptist professor's chair.
VI. OF THE ATONEMENT: We believe the sinner's sins can be atoned for only by our Lord, Acts 4:12 , and that it is by grace from beginning to end, Ephesians 2:8 . That no lost person even desires to atone for his sins, and if he could desire to do so he does not have the ability to do it. That no saved person, though he may desire ever so much to atone for the sins of the lost, has the power to do it, Acts 15:11, Romans 3:24 , John 3:16 .
VII. OF SALVATION: We believe that our salvation is wholly and solely in, of and by the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:6, That good works have absolutely no part in obtaining, or in keeping our salvation, Ephesians 2:9 . That repentance is not an attitude toward, nor is it concerning. sin. That the Greek word METANOIO which is translated repentance simply means a change of mind. Our repentance is from dead works (the only kind a lost person has), Hebrews 6:1. That it is toward God, Acts 20:21, and it is a gift of God, II Timothy 2:25. That the faith which we must have before we can believe is also a gift of God, Ephesians 2:8. That in the light of all this, the lost, spiritually dead sinner is wholly unable to change his mind about God, to believe in Him, or to even desire to do so until God gives him the desire, Philippians 2:13. There is no new birth apart from the Word of God, I Peter 1:23-25 , and the workings of the Holy Spirit, II Thessalonians 2:13-14 .
VIII. OF THE CHURCH: We believe a church is a local assembly of Scripturally baptized saints joined together for the edification of the saints, and for the propagation of the gospel at home and abroad. That the sole head of the church is Jesus Christ, and her marching orders is the New Testament. That the officers of the church are pastor and deacons. That since the Greek word ECCLESIA which our Lord and others used when talking about what we call a church means local assembly, and since it has always meant a local assembly, we therefore reject and abhor any teaching that relates to the universal invisible church, or any modification of it. We further believe that independent Baptist churches who are of like doctrinal conviction can and should cooperate. But we hold that the cooperation should at all times be under the strict control of the cooperating church. We reject, and refuse to unionize with those who have different doctrinal conviction from that held by this church.
IX. OF THE ORDINANCES: We believe there are two and only two church ordinances. These we hold to be baptism and the Lord's Supper. Since the Greek word BAPTIZO has always meant, and still does mean to immerse, we believe there is no scriptural baptism other than immersion. And in order for this immersion to be Scriptural it must be administered upon the authority of Scriptural New Testament church which has received its authority from another Scriptural New Testament church. Therefore, we heartily reject any and all alien immersion. We further reject and abhor the teaching of a Holy Spirit baptism as heresy of the most damaging sort since it tears down all church truth. We believe the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of our Lord's death until He comes. And since it is the Lord's Supper we hold that no one, not even the church herself has any right, or authority to invite anyone to partake. We further believe that no one except the members of the individual church should participate and they only after a solemn self examination. We believe that Scriptural immersion can only follow salvation, Acts 10:47, and that the Lord's Supper can only follow Scriptural immersion. We hold the Scriptural elements of the Lord's Supper to be unleavened bread and fermented wine.
X. OF THE SECURITY OF THE SAINTS: We believe that a born again person has an eternal life that is indestructible, not only in this life, but throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity as well. Therefore, he is safe and secure for all time and eternity, I Peter 1:15, John 10:28, Romans 8:38-39.
XI. OF THE RESURRECTION: We believe in a bodily resurrection for all, both the righteous, I Thessalonians 4:16, and the wicked, Revelation 20:5. That the righteous will be raised and raptured before the great tribulation comes upon the earth, Revelation 3:10. And that the wicked will be raised before the great white throne a thousand years later, Revelation 20:5-12. Therefore, we reject all teaching contrary to the pre millennial return of our Lord, and therefore we must reject all such teaching as post-millennialism and a-millennialism.
XII. OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD: We believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in all things, including our salvation. By this we mean that God does absolutely as He pleases. That He does it when He pleases, how He pleases, and why He pleases, Daniel 4:35, Isaiah 14:24. We believe that He elects some of Adam's race to be saved, Ephesians 1:3 and that apart from that election no one would be saved, John 5:40, 6:44. But that everyone whom He has elected, or chosen before the foundation of the world will be saved, John 6:37, Romans 9:11-12, and that because He assumes the responsibility for their salvation, John 5:21. We reject all teaching that is contrary to God's absolute sovereignty in all things.
XIII. CHURCH DISCIPLINE: We believe that when a member of this church is guilty of holding to, or teaching a doctrine that is contrary to our articles of faith, or of immoral conduct, or of sowing discord among the brethren, that church discipline is absolutely essential to a normal, healthy church. That for the church to fail to discipline such a one is to displease our Lord, and to bring heartache and distress to His church. I Corinthians 5:1-7.
Service Times
Sunday
Bible Study - 10:00 AM
Morning Worship - 11:00 AM
Afternoon Worship - 2:00 PM
Wednesday
Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Decatur, Alabama
USA
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