BELONG

So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
– Romans 12:5

Statement of Faith

At Manassas Baptist Church, our ministries are built on the foundation of our shared faith in Jesus Christ. The Statement of Faith reflects what we believe as a church and serves as the guiding truth behind everything we teach and practice.
God
We believe there is only one living and true God—an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and active Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections, and to Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.

As Father, God reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father in truth to those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ, and He is fatherly in His attitude toward all humanity.
Jesus
We believe the testimony of the Gospels that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the one appointed and sent by God to fulfil the unique mission of Old Testament Israel, that is to bring the blessing of God's salvation to all nations, as God promised to Abraham. In Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, God took our human flesh and lived among us, fully God and fully human.

Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, truly God and truly man. To be acknowledged in two natures, in confusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered death, was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Humanity
We believe humanity was created in God's own image, and initially without sin. By our own free choice, we sin (rebel) against God and are dependent upon His grace to bring us into fellowship with Him. God’s indelible fingerprint resides upon all of mankind, having been created in His image; therefore, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
The Scriptures
Scripture is the preserved record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. The Bible records God's activity in the world and the spiritual principles by which all should live, and all will be judged. The Bible contains the standard by which all human conduct, confessions, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. However, the final criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ alone.

We receive the whole Bible as the Word of God, inspired by God’s Spirit, spoken and written through human authors. We submit to it as supremely and uniquely authoritative, governing our belief and our behavior. We testify to the power of God’s Word to accomplish His purpose of salvation. We affirm that the Bible is the final written word of God, not surpassed by any further revelation, but we also rejoice that the Holy Spirit illumines the minds of God’s people so that the Bible continues to speak God’s truth in fresh ways to people in every culture.
Salvation
We believe salvation involves the redemption of the whole person and is offered freely to all who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, who by His sacrifice obtained eternal redemption for all. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Salvation includes regeneration, sanctification and glorification.
The Church
We believe the church is both a local fellowship and an eternal worldwide fellowship. The local church is a body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, committed to Christ's teachings, and is an autonomous body under the Lordship of Christ. The church, as the Body of Christ, includes all of the redeemed of allages.
Evangelism and Missions
We believe God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. All Christians have a responsibility to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions, and should recognize these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and to help others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute to their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on Earth. It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the Gospel of Christ.