The Scriptures
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God in the original autographs, the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). The Scriptures are sufficient to equip the believer for every good work, including the work of counseling one another.
God
We believe in one true and living God, eternally existing in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things according to His sovereign will.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:33), His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23), His sinless life (Heb. 4:15; 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11), His vicarious and atoning death (1 Cor. 15:3; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 2:9), His bodily resurrection (John 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:4), His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19), and His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11; Rev. 19:11-16).
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Rom. 8:13-14; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; Eph. 4:30; 5:18). The Spirit applies the Word to the human heart in counseling and sanctification.
Man, Sin, and Salvation
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that through the sin of Adam he fell and is now in need of regeneration. Salvation is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). All who repent and believe are justified, adopted, and indwelt by the Spirit, and progressively sanctified into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
The Church
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. The local church — the visible expression of the Body of Christ — is the primary context for biblical counseling, discipleship, and the one-anothering commands of Scripture.
The Ordinances
As Baptists, we hold to two ordinances: believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. Both are commanded by Christ and practiced in the local church.
Last Things
We believe in the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ; the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost.
This statement is a summary, not an exhaustive doctrinal expression. The Baptist Initiative aligns with historic Baptist confessions including the First London Baptist Confession (1646) and Second London Baptist Confession (1689).