| Richland Hills Baptist Church 1631 W. Ave D, Muleshoe TX |
Our Statement of Faith…
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I. God
There is one living and true God, the creator of the universe (Exod. 15:11; Isa. 45:11; Jer.
27:5). He is revealed in the unity of the Godhead as God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection (Exod. 15:11; Matt. 28:19; II Cor.
13:14).
— God the Father is the supreme ruler of the universe. He providentially directs the affairs
of history according to the purposes of his grace (Gen. 1; Ps. 19:1; Ps. 104; Heb. 1:1-3).
— God the Son is the Savior of the world. Born of the virgin Mary (Matt.1:18; Luke 1:26-
35), He declared his deity among men (John 1:14, 18; Matt. 9:6), died on the cross as the
only sacrifice for sin (Phil. 2:6-11), arose bodily from the grave (Luke 24:6, 7, 24-26; I Cor.
15:3-6), and ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19). He is at the right
hand of the Father, interceding for believers (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25) until he returns to
rapture them from the world (Acts 1:11; I Thess. 4:16-18).
— God the Holy Spirit is the manifest presence of deity. He convicts of sin (John 16:8-11)
teaches spiritual truths according to the written Word (John 16:12-15), permanently indwells
believers (Acts 5:32; John 14:16, 17, 20, 23), and confers on every believer at conversion
the ability to render effective spiritual service (I Peter 4:10, 11).
II. The Scriptures
— The Scriptures are God’s inerrant revelation, complete in the Old and New Testaments,
written by divinely inspired men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Tim. 3:16; II
Peter 1:21). Those men wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the
Holy Spirit (I Cor. 2:13).
— The Scriptures provide the standard for the believer’s faith and practice (II Tim. 3:16,
17), reveal the principles by which God will judge all (Heb. 4:12; John 12:48), and express
the true basis of Christian fellowship (Gal. 1:8, 9; II John 9-11).
III. Creation
The World
— God created all things for his own pleasure and glory, as revealed in the biblical account
of creation (Gen. 1; Rev. 4:11; John 1:2, 3; Col. 1:16).
The Angels
— God created an innumerable host of spirit beings called angels. Holy angels worship God
and execute his will; while fallen angels serve Satan, seeking to hinder Gods purposes (Col.
1:16; Luke 20:35, 36; Matt. 22:29, 30: Ps. 103:20; Jude 6).
Man
— God created man in his own image. As the crowning work of creation, every person is of
dignity and worth and merits the respect of all other persons (Ps. 8; Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Matt. 10:
28-31).
IV. Satan
Satan is a person rather than a personification of evil (John 8:44) and he with his demons
opposes all that is true and godly by blinding the world to the gospel (II Cor. 4:3, 4),
tempting saints to do evil (Eph. 6:11; I Peter 5:8), and warring against the Son of God (Gen.
3:15; Rev. 20:1-10).
V. Depravity
Although man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26: 2:17) he fell through sin and that
image was marred (Rom. 5:12; James 3:9). In his unregenerate state, he is void of spiritual
life, is under the influence of the devil, and lacks any power to save himself (Eph. 2:1-3; John
1:13). The sin nature has been transmitted to every member of the human race, the man
Jesus Christ alone being excepted (Rom. 3:23; I Peter 2:22). Because of the sin nature, man
possesses no divine life and is essentially and unchangeably depraved apart from divine
grace (Rom. 3:10-19; Jer. 17:9).
VI. Salvation
The Meaning of Salvation
— Salvation is the gracious work of God whereby he delivers undeserving sinners from sin
and its results (Matt. 1:21; Eph. 2:8, 9). In justification, he declares righteous all who put
faith in Christ as Savior (Rom. 3:20-22), giving them freedom from condemnation, peace
with God, and full assurance of future glorification (Rom. 3:24-26).
The Way of Salvation
— Salvation is based wholly on the grace of God apart from works (Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:9).
Anyone who will exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be
saved (Acts 16:30-32; Luke 24:47; Rom. 10:17).
The Provision of Salvation
— Christ died for the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; 3:16; I John 2:1, 2). Through his
blood, atonement is made without respect of persons (I Tim. 2:4-6). All sinners can be
saved by this gracious provision (Heb. 2:9; John 3:18).
Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom
— God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom are two inseparable factors in the salvation
experience (Eph. 2:4-6). The two Bible truths are in no way contradictory, but they are
amazingly complementary in the great salvation so freely provided. God, in his sovereignty,
purposed, planned and executed salvation in eternity; while man’s freedom enables him to
make a personal choice in time, either to receive this salvation and be saved, or to reject it
and be damned (Eph. 1:9-12; 1:13, 14; John 1:12, 13).
VII. Santification
All believers are set apart unto God (Heb. 10:12-14) at the time of their regeneration (I Cor.
6:11). They should grow in grace (II Peter 1:5-8) by allowing the Holy Spirit to apply God’s
Word to their lives (I Peter 2:2), conforming them to the principles of divine righteousness
(Rom. 12:1, 2; I Thess. 4:3-7) and making them partakers of the holiness of God (II Cor. 7:
1; I Peter 1:15, 16).
VIII. Security of the Believer
All believers are eternally secure in Jesus Christ (John 10:24-30; Rom. 8:35-39). They are
born again (John 3:3-5; I John 5:1; I Peter 1:23), made new creatures in Christ (II Cor. 5:
17; II Peter 1:4), and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; I John 4:4), enabling their
perseverance in good works (Eph. 2:10). A special providence watches over them (Rom. 8:
28; I Cor. 10:13), and they are kept by the power of God (Phil. 1:6; 2:12, 13; I Peter 1:3-
5; Heb. 13:5).
IX. The Church
The Nature of the Church
— A New Testament church is a local congregation (Acts 16:5; I Cor. 4:17) of baptized
believers in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41) who are united by covenant in belief of what God has
revealed and in obedience to what he has commanded (Acts 2:41, 42).
The Autonomy of the Church
— The Church acknowledges Jesus as her only head (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18) and the Holy
Bible as her only rule of faith and practice (Isa. 8:20; II Tim. 3:16, 17), governing herself by
democratic principles (Acts 6:1-6; I Cor. 5:1-5) under the oversight of her pastors (Acts 20:
28; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24).
The Perpetuity of the Church
— Instituted by Jesus during his personal ministry on earth (Matt. 16:18; Mark 3:13-19;
John 1:35-51), true churches have continued to the present and will continue until Jesus
returns (Matt. 16:18; 28:20).
The Ordinances of the Church
— The Church’s two ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the
immersion in water of a believer as a confession of his faith in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19;
Rom. 6:4) and is prerequisite to church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper
(Acts 2:41, 42). The Lord’s Supper is the sacred sharing of the bread of communion and
the cup of blessing by the assembled church (Acts 20:7) as a memorial to the crucified body
and shed blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:19, 20; I Cor.11:23-26). Both ordinances must be
administered by the authority of a New Testament church (Matt. 28:18-20; I Cor. 11:23-
26).
The Officers of the Church
Pastors and deacons are the permanent officers divinely ordained in a New Testament
church (Phil.1:1). Each church may select men of her choice to fill those offices under the
leading of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:1-6; 20:17, 18) according to the divinely given
qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-13).
— Pastors (elders, bishops) are authorized to oversee and teach the churches under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28; Heb 13:7, 17, 24; I Peter 5:1-4). Each church is
responsible to follow them as they follow Christ (I Cor. 11:1; I Thess. 1:6; Heb. 13:17) and
to provide a livelihood for them that they might fulfill their ministries (I Tim 5:17, 18; Phil. 4:
15-18). Pastors are equal in the service of God (Matt. 23:8-12).
— Deacons (ministers, servants) are servants of the churches and assistants to the pastors,
particularly in benevolent ministries. Each church may select her own deacons according to
her needs, and no church is bound by the act of another church in that selection (Acts 6:1-6).
The Ministry of the Church
— The Church’s mission is evangelizing sinners by preaching the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Luke
24:45-47), baptizing those who believe (Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-38), and maturing them by
instruction (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42) and discipline (Matt. 18:17, 18; I Cor. 5:1-5).
The Fellowship of the Church
— The Church is free to associate with true churches in furthering the faith (II Cor. 11:8;
Phil 4:10, 15, 16) but is responsible to keep herself from those who hold doctrines or
practices contrary to Holy Scripture (Gal. 1:8, 9; I John 2:19). In association with other
churches, each church is equal and is the sole judge of the measure and method of her
cooperation (Matt. 20:25-28). In all matters of polity and practice, the will of each church is
final (Matt. 18:18).
X. Civil Authority
Human government was instituted by God to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. It is
separate from the church, though both church and state exercise complementary ministries
for the benefit of society (Matt. 22:21).
— Christians should submit to the authority of the government under which they live,
obeying all laws which do not contradict the laws of God, respecting officers of government,
paying taxes, rendering military service, and praying for the welfare of the nation and its
leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13, 17; I Tim. 2:1, 2). They should vote, hold office, and
exercise influence to direct the nation after the principles of Holy Scripture.
— Civil authority is not to interfere in matters of conscience or disturb the institutions of
religion (Acts 4:18-20), but it should preserve for every citizen the free exercise of his
religious convictions.
— Churches should receive no subsidy from the government, but they should be exempt
from taxation on property and money used for the common good through worship,
education, or benevolence.
XI. Last Things
Return
— Our risen Lord will return personally in bodily form to receive his redeemed unto himself.
His return is imminent (I Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 22:20).
Resurrections
— After Jesus returns, all of the dead will be raised bodily, each in his own order: the
righteous dead in “the resurrection of life” and the wicked dead in “the resurrection of
damnation” (John 5:24-29; I Cor. 15:20-28).
Judgments
— Prior to the eternal state, God will judge everyone to confer rewards or to consign to
punishment (Matt. 25:31-46; II Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15).
Eternal States
— Heaven is the eternal home of the redeemed (John 14:1-3) who, in their glorified bodies
(I Cor. 15:51-58), will live in the presence of God forever (I Thess. 4:17) in ultimate
blessing (Rev. 21, 22). Hell is the place of eternal punishment and suffering (Luke 16:19-31)
for the devil, his angels (Matt. 25:41), and the unredeemed (Rev. 20:10-15).
Addendum
1. We believe in the premillennial return of Christ to earth, after which he shall reign in peace
upon the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6).
2. We believe the Scriptures to teach two resurrections: the first of the righteous at Christ's
coming; the second of the wicked at the close of the thousand-year reign (I Thess. 4:13-17;
Rev. 20:6, 12-15).
There is one living and true God, the creator of the universe (Exod. 15:11; Isa. 45:11; Jer.
27:5). He is revealed in the unity of the Godhead as God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection (Exod. 15:11; Matt. 28:19; II Cor.
13:14).
— God the Father is the supreme ruler of the universe. He providentially directs the affairs
of history according to the purposes of his grace (Gen. 1; Ps. 19:1; Ps. 104; Heb. 1:1-3).
— God the Son is the Savior of the world. Born of the virgin Mary (Matt.1:18; Luke 1:26-
35), He declared his deity among men (John 1:14, 18; Matt. 9:6), died on the cross as the
only sacrifice for sin (Phil. 2:6-11), arose bodily from the grave (Luke 24:6, 7, 24-26; I Cor.
15:3-6), and ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19). He is at the right
hand of the Father, interceding for believers (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25) until he returns to
rapture them from the world (Acts 1:11; I Thess. 4:16-18).
— God the Holy Spirit is the manifest presence of deity. He convicts of sin (John 16:8-11)
teaches spiritual truths according to the written Word (John 16:12-15), permanently indwells
believers (Acts 5:32; John 14:16, 17, 20, 23), and confers on every believer at conversion
the ability to render effective spiritual service (I Peter 4:10, 11).
II. The Scriptures
— The Scriptures are God’s inerrant revelation, complete in the Old and New Testaments,
written by divinely inspired men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Tim. 3:16; II
Peter 1:21). Those men wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the
Holy Spirit (I Cor. 2:13).
— The Scriptures provide the standard for the believer’s faith and practice (II Tim. 3:16,
17), reveal the principles by which God will judge all (Heb. 4:12; John 12:48), and express
the true basis of Christian fellowship (Gal. 1:8, 9; II John 9-11).
III. Creation
The World
— God created all things for his own pleasure and glory, as revealed in the biblical account
of creation (Gen. 1; Rev. 4:11; John 1:2, 3; Col. 1:16).
The Angels
— God created an innumerable host of spirit beings called angels. Holy angels worship God
and execute his will; while fallen angels serve Satan, seeking to hinder Gods purposes (Col.
1:16; Luke 20:35, 36; Matt. 22:29, 30: Ps. 103:20; Jude 6).
Man
— God created man in his own image. As the crowning work of creation, every person is of
dignity and worth and merits the respect of all other persons (Ps. 8; Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Matt. 10:
28-31).
IV. Satan
Satan is a person rather than a personification of evil (John 8:44) and he with his demons
opposes all that is true and godly by blinding the world to the gospel (II Cor. 4:3, 4),
tempting saints to do evil (Eph. 6:11; I Peter 5:8), and warring against the Son of God (Gen.
3:15; Rev. 20:1-10).
V. Depravity
Although man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26: 2:17) he fell through sin and that
image was marred (Rom. 5:12; James 3:9). In his unregenerate state, he is void of spiritual
life, is under the influence of the devil, and lacks any power to save himself (Eph. 2:1-3; John
1:13). The sin nature has been transmitted to every member of the human race, the man
Jesus Christ alone being excepted (Rom. 3:23; I Peter 2:22). Because of the sin nature, man
possesses no divine life and is essentially and unchangeably depraved apart from divine
grace (Rom. 3:10-19; Jer. 17:9).
VI. Salvation
The Meaning of Salvation
— Salvation is the gracious work of God whereby he delivers undeserving sinners from sin
and its results (Matt. 1:21; Eph. 2:8, 9). In justification, he declares righteous all who put
faith in Christ as Savior (Rom. 3:20-22), giving them freedom from condemnation, peace
with God, and full assurance of future glorification (Rom. 3:24-26).
The Way of Salvation
— Salvation is based wholly on the grace of God apart from works (Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:9).
Anyone who will exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be
saved (Acts 16:30-32; Luke 24:47; Rom. 10:17).
The Provision of Salvation
— Christ died for the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; 3:16; I John 2:1, 2). Through his
blood, atonement is made without respect of persons (I Tim. 2:4-6). All sinners can be
saved by this gracious provision (Heb. 2:9; John 3:18).
Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom
— God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom are two inseparable factors in the salvation
experience (Eph. 2:4-6). The two Bible truths are in no way contradictory, but they are
amazingly complementary in the great salvation so freely provided. God, in his sovereignty,
purposed, planned and executed salvation in eternity; while man’s freedom enables him to
make a personal choice in time, either to receive this salvation and be saved, or to reject it
and be damned (Eph. 1:9-12; 1:13, 14; John 1:12, 13).
VII. Santification
All believers are set apart unto God (Heb. 10:12-14) at the time of their regeneration (I Cor.
6:11). They should grow in grace (II Peter 1:5-8) by allowing the Holy Spirit to apply God’s
Word to their lives (I Peter 2:2), conforming them to the principles of divine righteousness
(Rom. 12:1, 2; I Thess. 4:3-7) and making them partakers of the holiness of God (II Cor. 7:
1; I Peter 1:15, 16).
VIII. Security of the Believer
All believers are eternally secure in Jesus Christ (John 10:24-30; Rom. 8:35-39). They are
born again (John 3:3-5; I John 5:1; I Peter 1:23), made new creatures in Christ (II Cor. 5:
17; II Peter 1:4), and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; I John 4:4), enabling their
perseverance in good works (Eph. 2:10). A special providence watches over them (Rom. 8:
28; I Cor. 10:13), and they are kept by the power of God (Phil. 1:6; 2:12, 13; I Peter 1:3-
5; Heb. 13:5).
IX. The Church
The Nature of the Church
— A New Testament church is a local congregation (Acts 16:5; I Cor. 4:17) of baptized
believers in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41) who are united by covenant in belief of what God has
revealed and in obedience to what he has commanded (Acts 2:41, 42).
The Autonomy of the Church
— The Church acknowledges Jesus as her only head (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18) and the Holy
Bible as her only rule of faith and practice (Isa. 8:20; II Tim. 3:16, 17), governing herself by
democratic principles (Acts 6:1-6; I Cor. 5:1-5) under the oversight of her pastors (Acts 20:
28; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24).
The Perpetuity of the Church
— Instituted by Jesus during his personal ministry on earth (Matt. 16:18; Mark 3:13-19;
John 1:35-51), true churches have continued to the present and will continue until Jesus
returns (Matt. 16:18; 28:20).
The Ordinances of the Church
— The Church’s two ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the
immersion in water of a believer as a confession of his faith in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19;
Rom. 6:4) and is prerequisite to church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper
(Acts 2:41, 42). The Lord’s Supper is the sacred sharing of the bread of communion and
the cup of blessing by the assembled church (Acts 20:7) as a memorial to the crucified body
and shed blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:19, 20; I Cor.11:23-26). Both ordinances must be
administered by the authority of a New Testament church (Matt. 28:18-20; I Cor. 11:23-
26).
The Officers of the Church
Pastors and deacons are the permanent officers divinely ordained in a New Testament
church (Phil.1:1). Each church may select men of her choice to fill those offices under the
leading of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:1-6; 20:17, 18) according to the divinely given
qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-13).
— Pastors (elders, bishops) are authorized to oversee and teach the churches under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28; Heb 13:7, 17, 24; I Peter 5:1-4). Each church is
responsible to follow them as they follow Christ (I Cor. 11:1; I Thess. 1:6; Heb. 13:17) and
to provide a livelihood for them that they might fulfill their ministries (I Tim 5:17, 18; Phil. 4:
15-18). Pastors are equal in the service of God (Matt. 23:8-12).
— Deacons (ministers, servants) are servants of the churches and assistants to the pastors,
particularly in benevolent ministries. Each church may select her own deacons according to
her needs, and no church is bound by the act of another church in that selection (Acts 6:1-6).
The Ministry of the Church
— The Church’s mission is evangelizing sinners by preaching the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Luke
24:45-47), baptizing those who believe (Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-38), and maturing them by
instruction (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42) and discipline (Matt. 18:17, 18; I Cor. 5:1-5).
The Fellowship of the Church
— The Church is free to associate with true churches in furthering the faith (II Cor. 11:8;
Phil 4:10, 15, 16) but is responsible to keep herself from those who hold doctrines or
practices contrary to Holy Scripture (Gal. 1:8, 9; I John 2:19). In association with other
churches, each church is equal and is the sole judge of the measure and method of her
cooperation (Matt. 20:25-28). In all matters of polity and practice, the will of each church is
final (Matt. 18:18).
X. Civil Authority
Human government was instituted by God to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. It is
separate from the church, though both church and state exercise complementary ministries
for the benefit of society (Matt. 22:21).
— Christians should submit to the authority of the government under which they live,
obeying all laws which do not contradict the laws of God, respecting officers of government,
paying taxes, rendering military service, and praying for the welfare of the nation and its
leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13, 17; I Tim. 2:1, 2). They should vote, hold office, and
exercise influence to direct the nation after the principles of Holy Scripture.
— Civil authority is not to interfere in matters of conscience or disturb the institutions of
religion (Acts 4:18-20), but it should preserve for every citizen the free exercise of his
religious convictions.
— Churches should receive no subsidy from the government, but they should be exempt
from taxation on property and money used for the common good through worship,
education, or benevolence.
XI. Last Things
Return
— Our risen Lord will return personally in bodily form to receive his redeemed unto himself.
His return is imminent (I Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 22:20).
Resurrections
— After Jesus returns, all of the dead will be raised bodily, each in his own order: the
righteous dead in “the resurrection of life” and the wicked dead in “the resurrection of
damnation” (John 5:24-29; I Cor. 15:20-28).
Judgments
— Prior to the eternal state, God will judge everyone to confer rewards or to consign to
punishment (Matt. 25:31-46; II Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15).
Eternal States
— Heaven is the eternal home of the redeemed (John 14:1-3) who, in their glorified bodies
(I Cor. 15:51-58), will live in the presence of God forever (I Thess. 4:17) in ultimate
blessing (Rev. 21, 22). Hell is the place of eternal punishment and suffering (Luke 16:19-31)
for the devil, his angels (Matt. 25:41), and the unredeemed (Rev. 20:10-15).
Addendum
1. We believe in the premillennial return of Christ to earth, after which he shall reign in peace
upon the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6).
2. We believe the Scriptures to teach two resurrections: the first of the righteous at Christ's
coming; the second of the wicked at the close of the thousand-year reign (I Thess. 4:13-17;
Rev. 20:6, 12-15).
"Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’?
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest." — John 4:35, NIV
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest." — John 4:35, NIV