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Articles of Faith
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Baptist
Missions to Forgotten Peoples (BMFP) is a mission board
raised up of God to have a specialized ministry among
special peoples. We are an Independent Baptist mission
board that is fundamental in doctrine and is dedicated
to the position and ministry of the local church. Below
are the beliefs that we strongly hold to.
The Word of God - We believe the Bible is the
divinely inspired Word of God in its entirety, written
by men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and that
it is the sole authority for the Christian's faith and
conduct. We believe that the King James Version of the
Bible (KJV) is the preserved Word of God for the
English-speaking people of the world. (Psalm 12:6-7, II
Peter 1:20-21)
The Godhead - We believe in one God, eternally
existing in three persons: The Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. We believe that they are equal in every divine
perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious
offices in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 1:26,
Matthew 3:16-17)
God the Son - We believe that Jesus Christ was
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin,
in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men;
that He is both the Son of God and God, the Son. (Isaiah
7:14, Luke 1:26-28, II Corinthians 5:21)
God the Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy
Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and
God the Son, and of the same nature. It is He who
convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He is
the Restrainer of the Evil One until God's purpose is
fulfilled. He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel
and is the Agent in the new birth, baptizing all true
believers into the body of Christ. (John 14:7, I
Corinthians 12:12-13)
Man - We believe that man was created in the
image and after the likeness of God, but by voluntary
transgression fell from his sinless and happy estate.
The consequences of which all mankind are now sinners
not by constraint, but by choice; and therefore, under
the just condemnation of God, without excuse or defense.
(Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3:6, Romans 5:12)
Atonement - We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a
representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that
all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of
His shed blood. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)
Salvation - We believe that the salvation of
sinners is wholly of grace through faith and that Jesus
Christ is the only way of salvation. We believe that the
blessings of salvation are made free by the Gospel, that
nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner
but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection
of the Gospel. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Security - We believe that those who receive
Jesus Christ as Saviour are eternally secure. Our
security rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and
that all the redeemed are kept by God's power and are
thus secure in Christ forever. (John 3:16, I John 5:12)
Christ's Resurrection - We believe in the resurrection
of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His
ascension into Heaven and in His present life there as
High Priest and advocate. (Acts 1:9, I Corinthians
15:3-4)
Second Coming - We believe in "that blessed
hope"- the personal, premillenial, pretribulational, and
imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
when the church will be "gathered together unto him." (I
Thessalonians 4:13-16, I Corinthians 15:50-52)
Bodily Resurrection - We believe in the bodily
resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting
blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment
of the lost. (I Corinthians 15:50-52)
Scriptural Ordinances - We believe that the
Scriptural ordinances of the church are Baptism by
immersion and the Lord's Supper, and are to be
administered to believers only as a symbol of their
belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; and as a testimony to
the world of that belief and of their death, burial and
resurrection with Him; and that the Lord's Supper should
be partaken of by believers only to show forth His death
"till He come." (I Corinthians 11:23-26)
The Church - We believe that the visible church
is a congregation of baptized believers, practicing the
New Testament principles, believing its doctrines,
observing its ordinances and exercising its autonomy. We
believe that it is the responsibility of the local
church to propagate the Gospel to the world. Every
church and Christian would have a part in this ministry.
(Acts 2:41-47)
We take a stand against any trends in doctrine and
practice which lead to discrediting the Bible and
undermining the fundamentals of the faith.
Neo-Orthodoxy - This theological persuasion is a
result of a futile attempt to reconcile "the higher
scientific Biblical Criticism" with the true Biblical
interpretation. Such an appeal to Biblical revelation is
based upon half-truths and as such is false and
deceptive. We utterly reject this method and position.
Neo-Evangelicalism - This movement, while
claiming to be fundamental in theology, has actually
compromised the underlying principles of the Christian
Faith. It questions inspiration, literal interpretation,
accepts liberals as Christians, takes a new attitude
toward the ecumenical movement, promotes ecumenical
evangelism, denies both ethical and ecclesiastical
separation, restructures eschatology, and over stresses
the social aspects of the Gospel. We hold this position
to be unscriptural.
Ecumenical Movement - The attempt to unite the
different faiths today on the basis of the least common
denominator of doctrine is a betrayal of the true unity
of believers based upon sound doctrine of the historical
Christian faith. Its dialogue with other religions is
dialectic. Its method of operation is subversive and
shows a tendency of totalitarianism. Scripture does not
support its concept of an ecclesiastical kingdom. We
reject all cooperation with this movement.
The Tongues Movement - We believe that the gift
of tongues was given as a sign to Israel and like the
gifts of Apostleship and prophecy, which were for the
founding of the church, (Ephesians 2:20; I Corinthians
14:21, 22), and is therefore not being given today.
While we recognize that God may give any gift to the
Church at any time, we believe that the current
resurgence of the practice of the tongues which is not
Scripturally regulated and which is usually divisive is
not the Scriptural gift of tongues. We, therefore, urge
that members of the Mission base their experiences on
the written Word of God, seek to use the more important
gifts (I Corinthians 12:28), and cultivate
Christ-likeness, (Galatians 5:22- 23), none of which
requires the use of genuine or spurious tongues. BMFP
will not accept, or tolerate, a staff member or
missionary who practices or encourages the practice of
speaking in tongues. |
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