WHAT
WE BELIEVE
Our Doctrinal Statement is the core theological positions we believe to be truth.
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY.
We believe good missiology comes from a healthy ecclesiology. Therefore, our philosophy of ministry is shaped by our allegiance to and dependence on the local church. If we are to find direction for ministry in this world, it should come through that which Christ Himself ordained. For clear direction in ministry, we believe the role of the church has been established to prepare, send, and support those who undertake the various ministries to reach and teach.
We acknowledge and submit to Christ as the head of the church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18). There is no person that can remove or replace that authority (1 Corinthians 3:11). We believe as leaders in ministry, we are called to a position of responsibility and we will be held accountable for our work (Hebrews 13:17), our motives, and our attitudes; but we are never more important than Christ, His teachings, or His plan for the local church as revealed in the Word.
In all things and at all times we should reconcile ourselves to Scripture to check our hearts. Ministry must be centered in sound doctrine. Paul told Timothy not to get entangled with the enticements of this world (2 Timothy 2:4), but to be ready to preach the Word (4:2) after establishing sound interpretation through study (2:15).
We believe the nature of doctrine should be exclusive, but the spirit of doctrine is always inclusive. Good doctrine is incredibly closed to those facts as only the Word reveals. Then again, Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Christ did not come the first time to judge; but came to help. Therefore, however exclusive our Doctrinal Statement may be, we still invite the lost, and we invite our Christian brethren interpreting the Bible poorly, to come and join us. We invite them to learn truth.
We believe the Bible is the revelation of God’s character and attributes and that we should know Him so personally that we can then discover how to conduct ourselves from Scripture. The order is important. When we know Him and conduct ourselves in a glorifying manner, then we can represent Him in ministry (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 1:22).
OUR DOCTRINE.
For its conciseness and clarity in teaching our students the foundations of the faith, OBM uses the Baptist Faith and Message as its Doctrinal Statement. You can read the Baptist Faith and Message here: Baptist Faith and Message 2000
However, there is theology not specifically addressed in the Baptist Faith and Message that OBM adheres to in addition to those eighteen listed. For example:
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We believe that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith (John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We teach, in this respect, that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles in the beginning days of the church were for the purpose of pointing to and authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth, were never intended to be characteristic of the lives of believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4) , and thus those Apostolic gifts have never been the measure of a true or mature Christian (Matthew 7:16-20; Galatians 5:22-24).
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Within the confines of the revealed Word of God, and recognizing the authority and clear purpose of the local church, we believe in both soul competency (Philippians 2:12) and the priesthood of each believer. Soul competency does not mean we are sufficient apart from God, or that we can believe anything we want. It recognizes dependence upon Scripture as the primary means of God’s revelation, and acknowledges Jesus Christ as the fullest revelation of God. It simply means that each person (soul) is individually and personally accountable to God and "competent" to relate to God without mediation through other humans or human institutions. Closely related is the priesthood of each believer, which articulates that following Justification we were Regenerated as having responsibilities and characteristics of priest-kings (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 5:10). All Christians have a new job description as an ambassador for the Kingdom that gives us duties consistent with those professional duties of the Levites prior to the day of Calvary (2 Corinthians 5:20; Numbers 8:26; Matthew 27:51).