What Does LOGOS Teach?

The Bible is the highest doctrinal authority for Logos Baptist Church. The following Biblical beliefs serve as our Doctrinal Statement.

1. The Bible

We teach that Bible is the authoritative Word of God. The Bible consists of the 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. God inspired human authors who, using their own unique gifts, passions, and communication style, wrote His Word (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20–21). The Scriptures are inerrant in everything they address, including matters of faith, science, and history (Proverbs 30:5). The Scriptures are infallible and achieve the ends for which God intended them (Isaiah 55:11). The Scriptures are clear, “making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). The Scriptures are sufficient, and “are useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
Because the Bible is God’s Word, it is the final authority for matters of faith and practice.

2. The Trinity

We teach that God is the eternal, uncreated Creator and Sustainer of all things (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16–17). He is the First and the Last, and the only one true God (Isaiah 44:6). This one God exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, also known as The Trinity (Genesis 1:2; Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 3:16–17). Each member of the Trinity thinks, acts, feels, speaks, and relates, because each is a person and not an impersonal force. Each member of the Trinity is equally God, sharing all the divine attributes. God is holy (Isaiah 6:3), unchanging (Malachi 3:6), omniscient (Isaiah 46:10), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7–8), omnipotent (Job 42:2; Luke 1:37), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), gracious (Exodus 33:19), and loving (1 John 4:8).
Because love and community flow from the Trinity to us through the Holy Spirit, we seek to live in loving community with God and others.

A. God The Father

We teach that God the Father is the eternal, infinite, personal Spirit. He is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We teach that He infallibly foreknows everything that will occur, that He concerns Himself with the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all that come to Him through faith in Jesus (Matthew 23:9; Luke 10:21–22; John 3:16; John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1–2; 1 Timothy 2:5–6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6). Because God is a loving Father who speaks, we seek to hear from Him through the preaching and teaching of His Word and test everything by His written Word.

B. God The Son

We teach that the eternal Son of God and second person of the Trinity became flesh, adding humanity to his Divinity, and entered into human history as the God-man, Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:4–5). Jesus alone is fully God and fully man. He eternally existed before the creation of the universe and was enthroned in heaven receiving worship and adoration (Isaiah 6; John 12:41; John 17:5). Jesus Christ is the Word, or Logos, of God because he is the personal, eternally existing Creator of the universe, distinct from, yet equal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. He continually said that He alone was the means by which man could be reconciled to God. He continually claimed, and proved, that He was equal to God, eliciting the anger of His enemies (John 5:18, 10:30–33, 14:6; Acts 4:28). He was tempted in every way, just as we are, and yet never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). According to the Father’s perfect plan laid out in eternity past, He gave himself up freely as a payment for our sins (Mark 10:45; John 10:18; Acts 4:28; Ephesians 1:3–6; Philippians 2:6–11; Revelation 13:8). He was crucified by sinful men (Acts 2:36) and rose from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4). After showing himself to many witnesses and commissioning his disciples to carry out the Great Commission, Jesus ascended back into heaven (Acts 1:6-11). Today, He sits at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning, until His second coming, for which we eagerly wait (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:9–10; Revelation 1:7). Because He is our Lord, God, Savior, and example, we deeply love Jesus and seek to live with and like Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

C. God The Holy Spirit

We teach that the Holy Spirit is fully God (Genesis 1:2; Acts 5:3–5). He is given as our Helper (John 14:26) and is the Deposit who guarantees the inheritance of every believer (Ephesians 1:13–14). He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7–11). He is the leading agent in the planting and building up of the church, since His job is to point people to Jesus and to the truthfulness of the Gospel (Acts 1:8, John 15:26). The Holy Spirit gives gifts to each believer for the building up of the church and the proclamation of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 12:7, 14:22). While every believer is told to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit alone decides which spiritual gifts each believer receives (1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 11).

3. Man

We teach that in love God created the first human beings, Adam and Eve, as male and female, equal in dignity, value, and worth, in order to mirror and reflect God as an act of worship and obedience (Genesis 1:26–27). We teach that human beings, as God’s sole image bearers, are under God and over lower creation (Hebrews 2:7-8). He created man morally perfect with a free will to choose good or evil. God said that it was not good for man to be alone, so God created Eve as a suitable partner, helper, and wife for Adam. God officiated the first wedding as a covenant (Genesis 2:18-22). God’s command was for man to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the Earth, thereby bringing glory to God (Genesis 1:28).
Because God created human life and marriage, we value the sanctity of life, which begins at conception. and godly marriage in covenant between one man, one woman, and God.

A. Sin

We teach that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were fully capable of choosing to obey God and live under blessing or to disobey God and die under a curse (Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 2:16–17). Satan, a rebellious fallen angel and our enemy, deceived Eve. She willingly disobeyed God and encouraged her husband Adam to do the same (Genesis 3). In their disobedience (sin), they were separated from the source of life Himself. Every part of man was affected by this original sin; his will, desires, mind, body, and conscience were affected by the fall (Jeremiah 17:9). God cursed man with immediate spiritual death (separation from God) and eventual physical death (Genesis 3:19). Because of their choice, their descendants are given a sinful nature at conception and are held equally responsible for Adam and Eve’s disobedience (Psalms 51:5). Every person also chooses of his own free will to disobey God as revealed in Scripture (Galatians 3:10; James 2:10); therefore, every person is a sinner by nature and by choice (Psalm 14:1–3). As a result, every person is an enemy of God (Job 15:14; 25:4), under His righteous wrath, and without excuse (Romans 1:18–32). Man is dead in his sins, and apart from the grace of God cannot and will not seek after God (Jeremiah 13:23; John 6:44; Romans 3:10–18, 8:5–8; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1–3; Colossians 2:13).

4. The Gospel

We teach that that because every person has sinned against God by refusing to honor him as God and obey His Law, God is under no obligation to save anyone from His wrath. In fact, all men deserve eternal punishment (Romans 1:16–32). The Gospel is the Good News that God has chosen to save some undeserving sinners from His righteous wrath for His own glory (Ephesians 2:5–7; Titus 3:4–7). He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to do what man could not do and would not do: live a sinless life and submit perfectly to God. Jesus lived the life we could not live and died the death we should have died(Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2). According to the eternal plan of God (Isaiah 53), God the Son was betrayed and abandoned by his friends, arrested, beaten, mock tried, scourged, forced to carry His cross on His back, crucified between two criminals, and mocked by His enemies, whom He prayed for. After suffering the full weight of the wrath of God, He victoriously declared: “IT IS FINISHED!” (John 19:28-30). After fully atoning for sin, Jesus gave up his spirit to God the Father. Then, Jesus was pierced through the heart with a spear by a Roman executioner to ensure His death and was buried in a rich man’s tomb fulfilling the prophecy of Old Testament Scripture (Isaiah 53:9). On the cross, He exchanged his righteousness for our unrighteousness. He died for all who would believe in Him and be their salvation. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin, death, and Hell (1 Corinthians 15:3–4, 17).
Because Jesus died for our sins, we seek to humbly confess our sins to Jesus Christ and one another, put sin to death in our life, forgive one another, and happily invite others to do the same.

5. Salvation

We teach that salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who confess Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. By His death and resurrection, Jesus obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification (John 3:16, 6:44; Acts 2:37–38, 4:12, 11:18, 17:30; Romans 4:1–5; 2 Corinthians 7:10–11; 2 Timothy 2:25).
Because Jesus is alive forever, we confidently trust that one day we will likewise rise from our grave to live together as God’s people with Him forever.

A. Regeneration

We teach that regeneration is a change of heart given by the Holy Spirit who gives life to those dead in their sins. In regeneration, the Holy Spirit grants the ability to understand the Word of God, to exercise faith in the Word of God, and to love and practice holiness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1–6; Titus 3:5; 1 John 5:1).

B. Conversion

We teach that repentance and faith in Jesus are required by God for salvation. A regenerate (born-again) person turns from sin (repentance) and turns to Christ (faith) as a result of his new nature (John 6:44; Acts 2:37–38, 11:18, 17:30; Romans 4:1–5; 2 Corinthians 7:10–11; 2 Timothy 2:25). God has promised to save anyone who repents of their sins and trusts in the finished work of Christ alone for forgiveness and reconciliation with God (John 3:16, 6:37; Acts 4:12).

C. Justification

We teach that God chooses to justify, or declare both not guilty and righteous, every person who repents of sin and believes the Gospel. Though no person is righteous, God counts a believer’s faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as righteousness (Romans 4:1–5). Through faith, the righteousness of Christ is credited to the believer, and the believer’s guilt through sin is credited to Jesus. No believer is justified by good works, but each believer displays evidence of justification by doing good works (Galatians 2:15–16; James 2:20–24). Salvation is the work of God from start to finish, not a work of man, so that no man may boast (Romans 9:11; Ephesians 2:8–9) or despair (John 10:28–30).

D. Sanctification

We teach that sanctification is the lifelong process of becoming like Jesus. Those who have been justified are also sanctified by God’s Word and Spirit dwelling in them. God chose us to obey him and be holy (Titus 2:11–14; 1 Peter 1:2). In becoming like him, we know him more intimately and display His glory. The process of sanctification will culminate in the resurrection of our physical bodies when we will be without sin (John 17:19; Romans 8:29–30; 1 Peter 1:23; Revelation 21:1–8, 22–27).

E. Glorification

We teach that glorification is the final part of salvation. We will live in a new creation with God forever, free from the presence of sin, and free to enjoy God’s presence forever (Romans 8:29–39, Revelation 21:1–22:5).

6. The Church

We teach that every person who repents of sin and believes the Gospel is a member of the universal church, which consists of all believers who have lived, are living, and will ever live (Colossians 1:24). The universal church is the only institution that will not and cannot be defeated (Matthew 16:18). Christ died for His Bride, the Church, and will sanctify the Church to present her to himself without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:25–27).
Because we are members of God’s universal church, we partner with other Christian local churches and ministries for Kingdom ministry and are devoted to building up our local church family.

A. The Local Church

We teach that the local church is a visible expression of the universal church, and we believe God has called every believer to join a local church. A local church is made up of a group of living believers who live in covenant together to preach the Gospel, to care for one another and others, and to live lives under the authority of God’s Word (Acts 2:42–47, 11:26, 12:5, 14:23). God has graciously given each believer spiritual gifts, which include but are not limited to those listed in Romans 12:4–8, 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 and 27–28, Ephesians 4:11–12, and 1 Peter 4:9–11. These gifts are to be used to honor God, to build up the church, and to evangelize the lost; they should never be used to draw attention to one’s self (1 Corinthians 13:1–3, 14:12). As Christ’s ambassadors, believers have the joy and privilege of caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the oppressed.

B. Church Leadership

We teach that God has graciously given elders and deacons to serve the church. The elders are set aside by God to serve by leading the church, equipping the saints, preaching the Word, and praying (Ephesians 4:11–12; 1 Timothy 3:1–7, 5:17–18). Their service is to be done humbly in service to God and to His church. Leaders are to shepherd the flock willingly, not under compulsion or for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in their charge but serving as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:2–3). In response, believers are to humbly submit and obey their leadership (Hebrews 13:17). Deacons are set aside by God to serve the church and to free the elders to devote themselves to prayer and ministry of the word (Acts 6:1–7; 1 Timothy 3:8–13).

C. Evangelism and Discipleship

We teach that the church and individual believers are God’s means for preaching the Gospel by which He draws people to Himself. The preaching of the Gospel to all peoples is the joyful duty of every Christian. God the Father wants us to participate alongside Him in what He is doing. The Great Commission is clear: make disciples, baptize them, and to teach them to obey Jesus’ commands (Romans 10:14–15; Matthew 28:18–20). We seek to make disciples of all nations by joining in church planting efforts at home and abroad.

D. The Roles of Men and Women

We teach that both men and women were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and therefore have equal worth and dignity. We also teach that men and women have distinct roles in the home and in the church, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have distinct roles in the Trinity. In the home, husbands are called to love their wives as themselves just as Christ loves the church, in a sacrificial way. Wives are called to submit to and respect their own husbands (Ephesians 5:22-33). In the church, every believer is called to use his or her spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ. Women are permitted to teach; however, they cannot have a pastoral position, or perform the pastoral function, for that puts them in authority over men (Titus 2:3-5; 1 Timothy 2:11-14). By submitting to God’s wisdom in these areas, we can flourish in both the home and the church as God intended.

E. Biblical Marriage

We teach that marriage was instituted by God at creation to be a loving covenant between one man and one woman until they are parted by death. Any other form of “marriage” is contrary to the Scriptures (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:18-25; Mal. 2:15; Matt. 19:4-6; Lev. 18:22; 20:13a; Rom. 1:26-27; Eph. 5:22-33). Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His church. We highly value marriage and seek to see families flourish as God intended.

F. Divorce

Though never required, we teach that divorce is permissible in cases of adultery or abandonment. In such cases, we seek repentance and reconciliation by God’s grace, as a first measure. God allows divorce because of the hardness of the human heart, not because He wills it. (Mark 10:11-12; Matt. 19:1-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-16).

7. Worship

We teach that human beings, made in the image of God the Trinity (who is Himself a worshiping community), are unceasing worshipers created to continually outpour all they are and all they do to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Worship includes praise, service, evangelism, discipleship, participation, sacrifice, and submission. We teach that the corporate worship of a local church is to be God-centered. We teach that the corporate church worship should include Bible preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 4:13), prayer (Acts 2:42), financial giving (2 Corinthians 2:9), singing and music (Colossians 3:16), and keeping of the two ordinances: baptism (Matthew 28:19) and The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).
Because we are worshippers, we embrace all of life, including our corporate church gatherings, as an opportunity to passionately worship God in practical ways.

A. Baptism

We teach that Jesus commanded every believer to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18–20). Baptism by immersion serves as a symbol of being buried with Christ and being raised to walk in new life. Therefore, baptism is only to be performed on professing believers after repenting of their sins and being born again (Romans 6:4–6). Baptism is a matter of conscious obedience to Jesus’ command, and serves as a public witness. It does not grant salvation to anyone.

B. The Lord’s Supper

We teach that the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion, was instituted by Jesus on the night He was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:23). The Lord’s Supper consists of bread and grape juice or wine (according to conscience), which represent His body that was broken for believers and His blood that was shed for believers (1 Corinthians 11:24–25). The Lord’s Supper serves as a reminder to both believers and non-believers that Jesus has died, is risen, and is coming again (1 Corinthians 11:26). We will share communion with any believer of like faith and practice, but we will not allow unbelievers or those openly living in unrepentant sin or those under church discipline to participate, since these people would be eating and drinking judgment upon themselves (1 Corinthians 11:27–30).

8. The Last Things

We teach that the full consummation of the Kingdom of God awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age. We teach that every person will spend eternity in a literal place of blessing called Heaven or a literal place of cursing called Hell (Matthew 25:31–33). The time between Jesus’ resurrection and our resurrection is a lengthy ministry season of love, grace, and mercy as news of the gospel goes forth, inviting sinners to repent of sin and enjoy the present and future salvation of Jesus Christ.

We teach that physical death involves no loss of our immaterial consciousness (Revelation 6:9-11), that the soul of the believer passes immediately into the presence of Christ (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8), that there is a separation of soul and body (Philippians 1:21-24), and that, for the believer, such separation will continue until The Lord’s Return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), which initiates the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6), when our soul and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with our Lord (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, 50-54). Until that time, the souls of the redeemed in Christ remain in joyful fellowship with our Lord Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:8).

We teach the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life (John 6:39; Romans 8:10-11, 19-23; 2 Corinthians 4:14), and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:13-15). We teach that the souls of the unsaved at death are kept under punishment until the second resurrection (Luke 16:19-26; Revelation 20:13-15), when the soul and the resurrection body will be united (John 5:28-29). They will then appear at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) and cast into Hell, the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41-46), cut off from the life of God forever (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Because our eternal home is in the Kingdom of God, as we journey home our mission is to joyfully invite others to join us while we throw parties, have fun, and make friends to practice for eternity.