What follows is neither a creedal statement nor an exhaustive treatise of Christian doctrine. It simply expresses the major emphases of faith and life that define Hillendale Baptist Church as seeking to be within the great biblical and orthodox traditions of the Christian faith. We echo what has often been said throughout church history: "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."
ABOUT GOD
We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and everything in it, and from that beginning God has been relentlessly desiring and pursuing a personal, intimate, and eternal relationship with us.
(Genesis 1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Ephesians 1:11-12)
ABOUT HUMANITY
We believe that all humanity is made in the spiritual image of God – i.e. to be like God in character and action. Humankind is the supreme object of God’s creation and love. We are relational beings and have been made from love, for love.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:3-6; Ephesians 1:4-6)
ABOUT SIN
Although we have tremendous potential for good, we are marred by an attitude of disobedience towards God called “sin.” This attitude prohibits our full participation in the kingdom of God until the relationship is restored through personally entrusting our lives to Jesus Christ.
(Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59: 1-2; Genesis 3; Romans 1-3)
ABOUT JESUS
Jesus reveals God to us. When we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus. In him, we discover a God who is merciful, kind, other-seeking, and – most profoundly – loving.
Jesus provides the story through which we make sense of our lives. In him, we discover our purpose, significance, and ultimate vision of the good life.
On the cross, the powers of death, loneliness, greed, and self-interest had their final say and have been defeated. Through the resurrection, God’s beautiful world of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and justice breaks into our world of brokenness.
We believe that our longings to be reunited with God found their fulfillment in Jesus, who is mysteriously God in the flesh – fully God and fully human. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted and set captives free. He lived a sinless life, proclaiming the arrival of God’s Kingdom. He was rejected by many, crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. His death and resurrection bring hope to all creation. For all who personally entrust their lives to Jesus and receive his sacrifice and resurrection he gives eternal life, forgiveness of sin, and reconciliation with God which leads to one’s full participation in God’s eternal kingdom.
(Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; Romans 5:1-11, 8:1-39; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25)
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who is active in regeneration, sanctification, and discipleship and who empowers the people of God to use their gifts to bring honor and glory to God through Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit lives within every believer in Jesus and that the Spirit is our abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
(John 14 & 16; Acts 2; Romans 8; I Corinthians 12 - 14)
ABOUT THE BIBLE
We believe the Bible to be the voices of many who have come before us, inspired by God to continue to speak to us today. We believe that the Bible contains the distinctive and authoritative testimony for all Christian belief and practice, and that Jesus Christ is the interpretive principle of the Scriptures. God calls us to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures and to continue to faithfully live out its story today as we are led by the Spirit.
(2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Hebrews 1:1-3; Luke 24:44-47; Romans 7:6, 8:1-4)
ABOUT THE CHURCH
As followers of Jesus, we are called into a new community called the Church which puts God on display to the world. In our life together, each of us is called to share our gifts in service, and through the power of the Spirit our life together leads to the renewal and healing of our lives, our neighborhood, and our world.
We believe there is one true church, universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We practice the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and await the return of Christ. We believe the church is called together by God's Spirit as an agent of reconciliation in the world, to engage the culture, and to put the resurrected Christ who lives in and through us on display to a broken and hurting world. We believe that God works through the church to bring God’s family back together through Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 16:18; Acts 1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16)