Our Church

The name of our website is from Romans 3:4, where Paul wrote, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” The Holy Spirit gave Paul the words, “Let God be true.”

God is true without us. We know that. We certainly do not make Him true or help Him to be true. But we want to declare God’s truth against unbelievers just like Paul did, and we want to declare that all men are liars just like Paul did. The goal of our website is to spread God’s truth to counter the ignorance and rebellion of men that is promoted and spread everywhere today.

Yes, we are a church. We are a congregation of baptized believers assembling together with the New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ as our binding agreement. An ordained Baptist minister first formed us into a church with seven baptized members in 1980. We have been assembling in this city ever since.

Read the full answer

We are strictly an independent congregation of saints without a denominational label or obligation. We are not tied to any association, convention, denomination, fellowship, organization, or university. We are a simple group of believers with a serving pastor striving to obey and worship Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Without denominational bondage or influence, we are free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit through His preserved Word.

If you must give us a label, we are Baptists. We baptize the same way John the Baptist baptized our Lord Jesus Christ. We baptize the same way the apostles baptized their converts. We require repentance and faith before baptism, and we baptize by immersion in water. We have a simple church government without popes, cardinals, archbishops, priests, or other manmade offices. Neither do we have apostles or prophets, as those Scriptural offices went away after the implementation of the New Testament order among Christ’s disciples.

Are there other Baptist churches like us?

A few. We have similarities with the Primitive Baptists, the Particular Baptists, the Sovereign Grace Baptists, and the Reformed Baptists, among others.

Are there any established church creeds to which you hold?

We hold to the Bible, as the Holy Spirit leads us to understand it. But if you want to see some historical Baptist creeds with which we find much agreement, we recommend you look at these two:

The First London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1646 (Second Edition)

The Midlands Baptist Confession of Faith of 1655

We have never sought donations, and we never will. We created this website for Jesus Christ and His saints, not the financial benefit of any church or man. We want to be very different from the money-begging ministries so common today.

Our church gives generously to support this website, and it is our pleasure to provide any benefit you obtain from it. It is for your profit, not ours. By God’s grace, we will work to keep it the best site possible for His glory and your profit.

However … in order to avoid being unscripturally rude by denying you a blessing (Pr 3:9-10; Luke 6:38) or violating the Bible’s economic equation (I Cor 9:11; Gal 6:6), we will allow your decision between the Lord Jesus Christ and your heart.

If you have benefited from the site and are convicted by God to honor Him this way and help those who have helped you, the church treasurer will deposit your donation in our church’s general fund. This fund includes maintenance of this website and general church expenses, evangelism, and poor saints.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our church occupies very modest facilities and uses its funds only for matters supported by the New Testament.

Donate

We often receive this question. You are not alone. There are others seeking a New Testament church like they read about in the book of Acts.

Read the full answer

We appreciate and respect many of the beliefs and practices of Primitive Baptists, but we are not Primitive Baptists by name or denominational connection. We are Baptists like John the Baptist; we are primitive in the sense of holding to the old or original religion of the apostles; but we are not Primitive Baptists.

We do teach and practice many of the things that are dear to most Primitive Baptists. We vigorously defend election, predestination, regeneration by the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, the King James Bible, simple services without modern additions, church history outside Roman Catholicism, and so forth.

The name Primitive Baptist did not exist before the mid-1800’s, and it includes churches today that range from Fatalists to Universalists and from Old Liners to Progressives. The formal use of Baptist also has its associations we wish to avoid, so our church is named as were the churches of the New Testament, by its location.

We jealously guard our independence as a church in order to follow the New Testament as the Holy Spirit directs us without regard for bondage or rules set up by a denomination or an association. We must reject such manmade organizations over the local church, since there is no scriptural authority for them or in them.

If you want to know more about our differences with the Primitive Baptists, please see this document: Why We Are Not Primitive Baptists.

We appreciate and respect some of the beliefs and practices of Reformed Baptists, but we are not Reformed Baptists by name or denominational connection. We are Baptists like John the Baptist; we are reformed in the sense of strongly preaching God’s sovereign grace in saving souls; but we are not Reformed Baptists.

We do teach and practice some things dear to Reformed Baptists. We vigorously defend and preach believer’s baptism by immersion, election, predestination, limited atonement, regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit, the priesthood of the believer, independent local church government, and so forth.

Baptists have existed outside Rome since the apostles, so we do not look to the Reformation for authority or our origin. Baptists are not Protestants, because they were not part of Rome to protest her. The reformation we appreciate is the one of Hebrews 9:10, when God reformed Old Testament worship to its New Testament form.

The name Reformed Baptist did not exist before the mid-1900’s, and it includes churches today that range considerably in doctrine, practice, and zeal. The formal use of the word Baptist also has its associations we wish to avoid, so our church is named, as were the churches of the New Testament, by its location.

We jealously guard our independence as a church to follow the New Testament as the Holy Spirit directs us without regard for bondage or rules set up by a denomination or association, no matter how loosely structured. We reject such manmade organizations over the local church, since there is no scriptural authority for them or in them.

If you want to know more about our differences with the Reformed Baptists, please see this detailed sermon outline carefully defining and documenting our differences, which was preached in September, 2011: Why We Are Not Reformed Baptists.

No, we are not strictly Calvinists. If you must give us such a label, we are hyper-Calvinists or high Calvinists, though we do not appreciate any connection to John Calvin for several significant heresies. We would prefer to call ourselves Bible Christians and Predestinarian Baptists. While we hold to total depravity, unconditional election, and limited atonement, the first three letters of the TULIP acronym, we modify the last two to match the truth of the gospel and exalt God’s role in salvation to eternal life considerably higher than traditional Calvinism.

See Also

Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Truth (Sermon & Outline).
Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Truth (Summary Chart).
Seven Proofs of Unconditional Salvation.
Five Phases of Salvation.
Why We Are Not Reformed Baptists
Why We Are Not Primitive Baptists

No, we are not Premillennialists! They expect an earthly kingdom in Israel with Jesus in a rebuilt temple restoring the Jews to preeminence and reinstituting animal sacrifices. There is no New Testament evidence at all for such things. We reject all such thoughts about earthly Israel and Jerusalem and a third temple as Jewish fables (Titus 1:14). We believe God set up His spiritual kingdom with the ministries of John, Jesus, and the apostles (Dan 2:44; Hag 2:6-9; Matt 3:2; 4:17; 21:31-46; 22:1-14; Luke 11:20; 16:16; 17:20-21; John 4:20-24; Acts 15:12-18; 28:17-29; Gal 4:21-31; Heb 12:22-29; 13:14; Rev 2:26-27; 3:7,21).

See Also

For a detailed and lengthy sermon outline … Gospel Millennium

No, we are not Preterists! They believe all prophecies are fulfilled. We strongly believe there are several large prophecies to still be fulfilled. We look forward to the bodily, literal, and visible return of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:9-11; I Thess 4:13-18; II Thess 2:1-3), the resurrection of all dead bodies (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), the great Day of Judgment (Matt 25:31-46; Rom 14:10-11; II Cor 5:10-11; Rev 20:11-15), and the new heavens and new earth (II Pet 3:3-15; Rom 8:17-23).

See Also

For a detailed and lengthy refutation of Preterism

Since the word “cult” is often used as a slur word to criticize people instead of using scriptural or solid arguments, it is proper to define terms a little before answering such a question. If you are asking whether we believe in a pastor having mind control over a church and demanding absolute obedience in private matters of personal liberty, we are not a cult at all.

Read the full answer

No, we are not a 501(c)(3) church.

A church is automatically considered a nonprofit organization by the IRS without any request by the church. We have chosen not to incorporate, so there was no need to solicit the IRS for approval as a nonprofit organization under IRC 501(c)(3).

The U.S. government, including the IRS, have long recognized the independence of local churches and ordained ministers of the gospel that officially lead them. They have provided special tax benefits for church members and ministers of the gospel for many decades.

If it were not for so-called patriots abusing “ordinations” or “churches” to illegally avoid taxes, the IRS would care even less about the issue of churches and charitable contributions to them.

We are thankful to God for our country. We pray for it and its leaders (Jer 29:4-7; I Tim 2:1-2).

We know we are under a de facto government, so we gladly pay Caesar (Matt 22:15-22; Rom 13:1-7).

We are thankful for the Bible that tells us to obey every ordinance of man (I Pet 2:13-17; Titus 3:1).

We are thankful the Bible uses harsh language against those who criticize government (Pr 24:21-22; Eccl 10:20; II Pet 2:10-12; Jude 1:8-10).

We are thankful the Bible tells us to use every subsidy, support, tax break, or legal protection we can draw from the government (Isaiah 49:23; Acts 25:10-11; etc.).

For many more arguments from God’s precious word that settles all political controversies for us:

God Bless the IRS!

The Christian and Taxes

God’s Ordinance of Authority

Yes, indeed, though we certainly did not learn it from any modern organization, philosophy, or movement. We have practiced family worship for the entirety of our existence in Greenville since 1980. We do not separate children for Sunday School or for children’s church or for youth groups during church assemblies. Everyone worships together; families sit together; it is family worship just like in the great preaching service of Nehemiah 8:1-8.

A woman’s hair is her covering (I Cor 11:15), so we expect our women to have relatively long hair compared to our shorthaired men, though we do not prohibit women from cutting it from time to time like some Pentecostals, who have created manmade rules.

I Corinthians 11 required secondary veils or head coverings only for those women under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost that spoke in public assemblies including men. Since that apostolic gift no longer exists, there is no reason for a woman to wear an additional head covering.

Here is our detailed commentary:  First Corinthians 11.

Far more important than a woman’s head covering is her spirit, holiness, reverence, and speech at home with her husband and in public at all times.

We dress up for church. Most men and boys wear suits, and the women wear dresses (but no hats), for these reasons: we believe Paul’s admonition to worship with reverence and godly fear (Heb 12:28-29). We read how Jacob and Israel dressed up to meet God (Gen 35:2; Ex 19:10,14). We want to give Him our best, like the expression from our grandparents, wear your “Sunday best,” for that is what He deserves and expects (Mal 1:14). We want to show respect to the Lord just as we would if we were going to meet an important person on earth (Mal 1:6-9). We resent this generation’s “casual worship” and “contemporary worship” lack of reverence.

We sing acapella, for that is what the New Testament teaches. The church loves to sing; we practice singing; we use three hymnals; it sounds wonderful. Jesus ordained congregational singing for His churches, based on grace and melody in the heart, which produces words to admonish and teach all those participating (I Cor 14:15; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16). A little study of church history will reveal that churches did not have musical instruments until the last couple centuries. David may have used harps and cymbals in the Old Testament, but those dead instruments cannot communicate anything spiritual or valuable, only noise. He also offered bullocks on altars, so any appeal to the O.T. does not mean anything to N.T. worshippers.

See Also

For PowerPoint about instruments in the church … Instrumental Music
For more about instruments in the church … Does Your Church Have a Piano?

None, unless you are saved and you love to sing, pray, give thanks, and hear preaching! We are sick of modern churches and all their carnal inventions to keep the unregenerate attending and to entertain the carnal Christians that make up the rest of their membership. We know we live in the perilous times of the last days, as men turn from sound doctrine and truth to fables and entertainment, but we will have no part of it (II Tim 4:3-4). We want authoritative godliness and worship, not a form of it; we want to love God more than any and all pleasures (II Tim 3:4-5).

See Also

For more about our rejection of Contemporary Christianity.

If we told you because the Bible tells us so, would you believe us? The Bible teaches twice, in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16, that churches should sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. David wrote the Psalms. Hymns are songs of praise directed to God. Spiritual songs are about the Christian life. We use the Scottish Psalter of 1650 for singing Psalms; we use a Presbyterian hymnal for singing hymns; we use a Primitive Baptist songbook for spiritual songs.

Yes, most definitely, because it is taught plainly in the New Testament. We exclude public sinners for large sins; we cover private sins wherever possible; we pursue reconciliation in small sins. There are three issues that must be determined: (1) is the sin a large sin? (2) is the sin public or private? (3) is the sinner repentant or not? There are eight resulting combinations of positive or negative answers to these three questions, and they determine the appropriate response of the pastor and church according to the Bible.

See Also

For a lengthy document and sermons covering details: Church Discipline.
For a commentary of relevant scriptures: Review of Church Discipline.