SOUTHEAST ATLANTA Seventh Day Baptist CHURCH

By the grace of God, we have been brought into fellowship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, and have been reconciled with one another through faith in Him. We recognize God's Lordship over us and enter into a covenant with Him and with each other as the Southeast Atlanta Seventh Day Baptist Church. We solemnly commit to living according to the following covenant, with the help of God.

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We Covenant and Agree:

 

• To live by faith in Jesus Christ and fellowship with each other in His church.

• To take the Bible, God's word, to be our final authority in matters of faith and life and will strive to pattern our lives on its precepts, endeavoring, through His Spirit, to keep the commandments of God.

• To look after each other's interests by serving each other in Christian love, protecting the unity of our church through continuous prayer and fellowship, and refusing to act in any way that will harm our church.

• To participate regularly in the services of the church.

• To cheerfully give of our resources, including our time and finances, to advance Christ's kingdom.

• To serve in the ministries of our church by discovering our spiritual gifts and talents to fulfill our calling to be servants.

 

 

10 Articles of Faith

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Seventh Day Baptists consider liberty of thought under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be essential to Christian belief and practice. Therefore we encourage the unhindered study and open discussion of Scripture. We uphold the individual's freedom of conscience in seeking to determine and obey the will of God. The following statement is not exhaustive but is an expression of our shared belief, which derives from our understanding of Scripture.

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I. God
 

We believe in one God, infinite and perfect, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe who exists eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and desires to share His love in a personal relationship with everyone. 

a. The Father

We believe in God the Father, who is sovereign over all, loving and just as He forgives the repentant and condemns the unrepentant.
   

b. The Son 

We believe in God the Son, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. He gave Himself on the cross as the complete and final sacrifice for sin. As our Risen Lord, He is the mediator between God the Father and humanity. We believe that Jesus Christ, in keeping with His promise, will return suddenly, personally and visibly, at a time known only by God.
 

c. The Holy Spirit
 

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who gives spiritual birth to believers' lives within them and empowers them for witnessing and service. We believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, convicts of sin, and instructs in righteousness.

 

II. The Bible
 

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is our final authority in matters of faith and practice. We believe that Jesus Christ, as written in the Bible, is the supreme interpreter of God's will for humankind.

 

III. Mankind
 

We believe that humankind was created in the image of God and is, therefore, the noblest work of creation. Consequently, we trust humans have a moral responsibility - created to enjoy divine and human fellowship as children of God.

 

IV. Sin and Salvation
 

We believe that sin is disobedience to God and failure to live according to His will. Because of sin, all people have separated themselves from God. Because we are sinners, we require a Savior. We believe that salvation from sin and death is the gift of God by redeeming love accomplished by Christ's death and resurrection and is received only by repentance and faith in Him. We believe that all who repent of their sin and receive Christ as Savior will not be punished at the final judgment but enjoy eternal life.

 

V. Eternal Life
 

We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally with the Father and that He will come again with power and great glory. We believe that eternal life begins in knowing God through a commitment to Jesus Christ. We believe that because He died, but lives again, resurrection with spiritual and imperishable bodies is the gift of God to believers.

 

VI. The Church
 

We believe that the church of God is all believers gathered by the Holy Spirit and joined into one body, of which Christ is the Head. We believe the local church is a community of believers organized in covenant relationships for worship, fellowship, and service, practicing and proclaiming common convictions while growing in grace and knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe in the priesthood of all believers and practice the autonomy of the local congregation as we seek to work in association with others for more effective witnesses. 

 

VII. Baptism
 

The baptism of believers in obedience to Christ's command is a witness to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe in baptism by immersion as a symbol of death to sin, a pledge to a new life in Him.

 

VIII. The Lord's Supper
 

We believe that the Lord's Supper commemorates the suffering and death of our Redeemer until He comes and is a symbol of union in Christ and a pledge of renewed allegiance to our risen Lord.

 

IX. Sabbath
 

We believe that the Sabbath of the Bible, the seventh day of the week, is a sacred time, a gift of God to all people, instituted at creation, affirmed in the Ten Commandments, and reaffirmed in the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles. We believe that the gift of Sabbath rest is an experience of God's eternal presence with His people. Therefore, we believe that in obedience to God and in loving response to His grace in Christ, the Sabbath should be faithfully observed as a day of rest, worship, and celebration.

 

X. Evangelism
 

We believe that Jesus Christ commissions us to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, baptize, and teach observance of all He has commanded. We are called to be witnesses for Christ throughout the world and in all human relationships.