Statement of Faith

Simple Faith Baptist Church, Oceanside, California

Where the Bible changes us, we don't change the Bible.

We believe in the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures. We believe the original manuscripts were given by inspiration of God and without error. We believe the God who gave His Word to man has the power to preserve it and promises to keep it whole (Psalm 12:6-7; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). We believe the incorruptible Word of God which cannot pass away is available to the English-speaking world in the Authorized (King James) Version. This Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

We seek to let the Bible speak for itself by comparing Scripture with Scripture. For paralleling the doctrine we uphold in this Statement of Faith for communication in the Spanish tongue, our pastor has chosen to use La Biblia Reina-Valera Gomez (https://www.reinavaleragomez.com). After extensive research into the original editions of 1569 and 1602, and verse-by-verse comparisons across four other widely used Spanish translations, our pastor concluded that the Reina-Valera Gomez accurately preserves the words, translation, and doctrinal integrity we seek to maintain through our use of the King James Bible.

Disclosure: We are not hyper-KJV-only to the position that salvation can be communicated only through this translation, or that people are unable to learn or discern anything outside the KJB. However, we do believe that spiritual growth in doctrine and teaching can be hindered when translations omit verses which the KJB preserves.

We believe the best method to properly discern, distinguish, and clarify the revelations God has dispensed to man from Genesis to Revelation is by rightly dividing the Word of God. The following explanation best reflects our position. From the writings of Pastor James W. Knox of Bible Baptist Church in DeLand, Florida, in his book The Law and Rightly Dividing the Word Reconsidered, pages 103-112: “The sum of the matter is this: the most certain way to rightly divide the word is not between the Old Testament and the New, but between the years before God was manifest in the flesh and the years after His incarnation.”

All who go to Heaven will go there based on a threefold foundation: the grace of God, the blood of Christ, and the faith of man.

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God”
(1 Corinthians 10:32). We believe that when the student of the Holy Bible can properly discern the biblical differences between the people groups God identifies, he can appropriately teach, instruct, and interpret doctrine safely by using this method.

We believe and interpret the creation account found in the book of Genesis by applying a literal method of interpretation, as God expresses within Genesis and other portions of Scripture that allude to the creation of the universe. We believe the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—was active during the creation process, with each Member functioning according to the will of God the Father. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, although Scripture describes Him by various names, submitted Himself to the Father’s will by creating all things (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:12-17). We believe in the literal account of creation: each day reflecting a 24-hour period, concluding on the sixth day, with God resting on the seventh (Genesis 2:1-3).

We believe in one God eternally existent as the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost (1 John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17). We believe God to be the Creator and Sustainer of all things, both visible and invisible (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17). We believe the universe and all that is therein is held together by the power of His Word. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), crucified, buried, risen, and coming again (1 Corinthians 15) to receive His church (1 Thessalonians 4) and then to return to establish His kingdom (Revelation 11:15). We believe the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, and that by His ministry of convicting lost sinners, after they respond to the gospel in faith, He secures and seals them by His indwelling presence (John 14-16). It is the Holy Spirit who ministers to us individually and corporately through the reading, teaching, and preaching of the inspired and preserved Word of God.

We believe salvation is available to all, provided by God’s grace, when anyone responds to the gospel of Jesus Christ through faith.

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

This verse assures anyone who believes by faith alone in the gospel of Jesus Christ that he presently has eternal life.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

When anyone believes personally and sincerely, with all his heart, that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), the Bible declares that he (or she) will be saved.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

Repentance: When one is ready to repent before God—that is, humbly admitting he is a guilty sinner who has broken the laws of God that He has placed within his conscience, and exercising a sincere willingness to turn from trusting, believing in, or participating in those things, in order to turn to Jesus—and exercises sincere faith to believe on and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart, he will be saved immediately (Acts 3:19; Acts 11:18; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:20; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21).

There is no amount of human works that can assist the sinner in receiving salvation by faith in the gospel. We believe the saved child of God is eternally secure and sealed, taught and comforted by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). We believe salvation makes one a member of the body of Christ spiritually, and that His members should assemble physically in a local church near them, where they may minister to one another (1 Corinthians 12; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:27).

We believe it is the responsibility of every believer to proclaim the saving gospel to all men by personal testimony and by giving of his finances to support the missionary efforts of his local church (Romans 10:15; 1 Corinthians 16; 2 Corinthians 8-9). Once a person comes to saving faith by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, he is immediately given spiritual gifts, callings, and spiritual duties and roles upon conversion, which should be made manifest in assembling with a local church to help and assist its spiritual growth. We believe believers should continually assemble with the church whenever possible. We encourage each member of our church to present their body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is one’s reasonable service, so that they can glorify God in their clothing, speech, attitude, and conduct toward one another.

We believe all men rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in the conscious torment of a literal lake of fire, while those receiving the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in the glorious presence of God. We believe all saved men and women should strive to live separately from the world’s influence both inwardly and outwardly, thereby being holy in spirit, mind, soul, and strength. We believe, however, that spiritual growth in righteousness does not necessarily come by or through the keeping of laws and commandments, but by an inner change of heart whereby love for God triumphs over the demands of the law. Sanctification has been credited to us positionally in Christ at conversion, and is also worked out practically in daily life; since we continue to live in our mortal bodies, Christ has created a new man within us. It is the responsibility of every saved child of God to yield to the new man and to put off the old man, whereby the Holy Spirit can help us daily in our resistance against sin, the world, and the devil.

We therefore place emphasis on the inner condition, trusting the outward appearance to follow accordingly. As Bible-believing Christians, we seek to adhere to the rules and guidelines set forth in the New Testament for our corporate and individual conduct and behavior. As such, we emphasize the need for our members to lead by example. We believe the home is the most important ministry to any believer: for those who are married, their God-given roles as husband and wife; for children, their roles as son or daughter, are all to reflect the church in their behavior and attitude toward one another.

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”
(Titus 2:11-13).

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)”
(Ephesians 6:1-2)

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
(Ephesians 5:21”

As Christians, the liberty with which Christ empowers us provides the ability to no longer live as we did prior to our conversion, in the world or in our prior lifestyles (Ephesians 2), but rather to mature in the newness of life provided us in Christ, “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Therefore, our lives should reflect the faith we so dearly cling to of the one true and holy God in whom we trust and believe, “giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed” (2 Corinthians 6:3).

We accept the Bible’s definition of what constitutes matrimony: a union between a biological male and female (Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:18-25). Although a nation, people, or culture may attempt to redefine what is acceptable for this God-given union, we, as a Bible-believing church, will uphold and stand on biblical principles and practice for anyone who desires to marry within this church. The Apostle Paul wrote on these matters under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for New Testament church practice, in passages including but not limited to Romans 7, 1 Corinthians 7, and Ephesians 5. We will hold any Christian accountable who desires to marry within this church, or anyone who comes to seek biblical counsel on marriage, by the guidelines set forth in the Scriptures: that Christians are to marry Christians, as commanded in 2 Corinthians 6:14. Lastly, we will hold the married couple and their family, to the best of their mutual response, accountable to proper Christian conduct and behavior, as each member of the household is commanded to act (1 Corinthians 7; Ephesians 5; 1 Timothy 2 and 3; Titus 1).

We believe that any attempt by the state to interfere with the working of the church, or by the church to interfere with the working of the state, is a violation of God’s purpose for both. Our local assembly is an independent entity and is responsible for all actions conducted within. As a Bible-based church, we conduct church discipline as instructed by the New Testament writers and administer the statutes of the Word of God for the New Testament church, thereby endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers and decry any manner of exalting one member of the body of Christ, or one gift of the Spirit, above another. We believe that the church is a body of which Jesus is the Head. Thus, it is not a democracy to be run by the will of its members, but is to conduct its temporal as well as its spiritual business in strict accordance with the Word of God.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 3:14)

Proper Christian practice should be encouraged and reinforced through “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), in order to properly apply what is commanded for the New Testament church and what is not. We acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ established rules and guidelines for His church while on earth, recognizing ordinances and offices for the church age. The Apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 11: “Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” We acknowledge that these are expressed in water baptism by full immersion and Communion (or the Lord’s Supper). We believe that partaking of these ordinances clearly distinguishes and separates the believer from the world. We should therefore live not as ordinary men and women, but as those who have put away their old lives to allow the Lord Jesus Christ to manifest His life in us. The ordinances of water baptism by full immersion and Communion among born-again believers are symbolic, and serve as a powerful witness to the inward transformation that manifests itself through outward obedience. We acknowledge that the offices for which only Christian men may apply and serve are defined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, namely those of Bishop and Deacon.

We believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful figure our identification with the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, through whom we died to sin and rose to new life; and that it is the answer of a good conscience toward God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes again, and should be preceded by solemn self-examination (Acts 8:36, 38; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42).

We believe in the blessed hope, an event which can occur at any moment, and that at this future event the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies first, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seven years of Jacob’s trouble (the Tribulation)
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-54; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 3:10).

We hold to the pre-millennial position of eschatology. The blessed hope of the body of Christ is to be raptured unto her Saviour; thereafter those left behind will experience a seven-year period of tribulation on the earth, with the middle of that seven-year period beginning the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s trouble, when God will resume His physical dealings and judgments with the literal nation of Israel in the land of promise. At the end of this future seven-year tribulation, we believe in the literal return of Christ in power and great glory, accompanied by the body of Christ glorified, to establish and confirm His throne, to sit upon the throne of David, and to establish the millennial kingdom of heaven, ultimately culminating in both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven being merged in one, with the Son of God to subject the kingdom unto God the Father for the eternal age to come.
(Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-9; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 20:1-4, 6).

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:18-20).

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).

We believe that Israel was called out of the nations to be God’s people, to whom He made an everlasting covenant beginning with Abraham (Genesis 12); that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ (Matthew 23:37-39); and that she will be re-gathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a born again nation at the second advent of Christ (Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37; Isaiah 66:8; Daniel 7-12). Because of our aforementioned methodology, we therefore distinguish, by rightly dividing, between the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32). God’s promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s descendants have been clearly established in Scripture, and we ought to recognize and carefully distinguish those promises in order to properly discern what is applicable to the church and what is applicable to Israel. We therefore pray for the peace, safety, and salvation of Israel and the Jewish people.