Our Statement of Faith

Our Inspiration

We believe the Holy Scriptures, both Old, and New Testament, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writing, the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of man, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith, life, and conduct. Furthermore, we believe in the divine preservation of God’s Word. That is that God has preserved His Word to every generation. We believe that God has preserved His Word in the King James version; therefore, we use it exclusively in all of our preaching and teaching ministries.

The Trinity

We believe in one God. Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:1, John 4:24, John 10:30, Acts 5:1-4).

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power, merciful towards men, hearing and answering prayer, providing salvation to all who come to Him through Christ.
(Isaiah 6:3, Job 42:2, Genesis 1:1, Romans 5:8, 2 Peter 3:9, Exodus 3:13-14, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 14:6)

Jesus Christ

We believe in God the Son. That Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life and died for our sins on the cross, there being a perfect and complete sacrifice for the sins of all mankind: and that He rose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven, where He is now seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high and ever lives to intercede as our High Priest and Advocate.
(Luke 1:35, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 8:1)

Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, baptizes, seals, indwells, fills, enlightens, guides, and empowers the believer for Godly living and service. (John 16:8, John 16:13-14, Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 5:18)

Satan

We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the author of sin and the cause of man’s fall, that he is the avowed enemy of God and man, and that he is doomed and shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire.
(Job 1:6-7, Ephesians 6:11-12, Revelation 20:10)

Man

We believe that man was directly created by God in His own image and likeness but that he willfully chose sin. The entire human race became alienated from God and is, therefore, eternally lost. The natural man, of himself, is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
(Romans 3:10 & 23, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-2)

Blood Atonement

We believe that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins for all mankind. (Romans 3:24-26, Hebrews 9:22)

Repentance

Saving faith includes repentance. Repentance is a change of heart and mind towards God, self, and sin so that the desire of the heart is to think and act as it would please God according to His Word. (Luke 13:3, Luke 24:47, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30)

Justification by Faith

We believe that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that only by regeneration of the Holy Spirit can salvation and eternal life be obtained.
(John 3:3-5, Acts 13:38-39, Romans 3:24-25, Romans 5:1, Colossians 1:14)

Eternal Security of the Believer

We believe that all born again believers, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, are eternally secure in Christ and shall never come into condemnation for sin. While it is the believer’s privilege to rejoice in the assurance of salvation, this is not cause for license or liberty as an occasion to the flesh.
(John 10:28-29, Romans 8:39, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 6:1-2)

Resurrection

We believe in the physical resurrection of all men, the saints to everlasting joy and bliss, and the wicked to conscious and eternal torment in the lake of fire. (Acts 2:32-36, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Revelation 20:4-15)

The Local Church

We believe that a church is a company of born again, immersed believers called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith, and the observance of the ordinances. We believe the local church is a sovereign independent-body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts, and privileges under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. (Acts 2:41-47, Matthew 18:15-17, Ephesians 4:11-16)

Separation from the World

We believe that all redeemed ones are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices. (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 6:14, James 4:4, l John 2:16)

Two Natures

We believe that all who are born again possess two natures, with the provision made for the new nature to be victorious over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We believe that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural.
(Romans 6:13, Galations 5:16-25, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:1-10, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 John 3:5-9)

Gifts of the Spirit

We believe that God gives spiritual gifts to all believers. Some gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent and are to be used throughout the Church Age. Other gifts were temporary and were given in the Apostolic Age for the purpose of founding the Church. Having fulfilled their purpose, they are not necessary and are not given today. We believe the temporary gifts include the gifts of miracles, healing, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
(Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, Hebrews 1:1-2, Hebrews 2:3-4)

The Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the personal, pretribulational, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; that this blessed hope has a vital influence on the personal life and service of the believer; and that Christ will subsequently return to the earth at the end of the seven year tribulation with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom.
(Acts 1:11, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; l Thessalonians 1:10, l Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19:11-21)

The Ordinances

We believe that water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s table are ordinances to be observed by the Church during this present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation.
(Acts 8:12, Acts 8:26-40, Acts 10:44-48, 1 Corinthians 11:23-33)

Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of every born again believer to bear witness by life and word to the truths revealed in the Word of God and to proclaim the Gospel to all the world. (Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, Mark 16:15)

Sexuality & Marriage

  • We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
  • We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)

Sanctity of Life

  • We believe that the Bible consistently depicts fetal life as both personal and human, and we believe that our thinking about issues related to contraception, the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, and abortions should be governed accordingly. (Jeremiah 1:5, Isiah 44:24, Exodus 21:22)
  • We oppose suicide on the grounds that God owns human life. (The Bible nowhere depicts suicide as a commendable personal choice [1 Sam. 31:4; 2 Sam. 17:23; 1 Kings 16:18-20; Matt. 27:5; Acts 1:18]).
  • We oppose all forms of euthanasia since God reserves the right to determine life’s end (1 Cor. 6:19-20; Job 14:5). We recognize that scientific advances have raised significant ethical questions concerning the indefinite prolongation of life through medical support systems. These questions have to be handled individually by the family of those suffering. But in general, we believe that although Christians should sustain life wherever possible, we are not obligated to prolong the process of dying.

The Book of Life

We believe that all who stand at the great white throne judgment, will not find their name in the book of life, as a result they will not enter heaven, but will be cast into the lake of fire at the conclusion of their judgment. (Rev 20:11 – 21:27) Every living soul is recorded there, but upon final rejection of salvation, and upon death, their name is blotted out. (Ex. 32:33, Duet. 29:20, Ps. 69:28)
All who believe in, and receive Christ as Saviour, are born again, and saved, and their names remain in the Book of Life and they will spend eternity with the Lord. (John 3:16, Rom. 10:9-10)

    Street Address

    5 Penobscot Ave.
    Howland, ME 04448

    Worship Gathering Times

    Wednesday Prayer service @ 6:00 pm
    morning Sunday school @ 9:15 am
    Sunday Morning services @ 10:30 am
    Sunday Evening Services @ 6:00 pm

    Mailing Address

    P.O BOX 656
    Howland, ME 04448

    Phone & Email

    (207) 732-3170
    pastor@howlandbaptist.org