What we Believe

THE BIBLE

We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit to write words of Scripture exactly as God intended. Therefore, the Bible is authoritative for church and life and without error in its original manuscripts. The resulting sixty-six books, no more and no less, comprise the finished canon of Holy Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 1:13, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:160, Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5)

GOD

We believe in one God eternally existing in three distinct persons (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

GOD THE FATHER

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

(Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.)

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and is now at the right hand of the Father acting as

our High Priest and our Advocate. He will return again at any time to judge the nations, reward the faithful, and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way that man can enter into a right relationship with God. (Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5, John 14:6,10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Hebrews 3:1, 1 John 2:1-2, Titus 2:13)

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. No one can enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ without the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation to conform them into the image of Jesus Christ. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:14-17, John 3:3-8, John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 1:2, Titus 3:5-7)

MAN

We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by his own effort or deeds. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, Colossians 1:21, Isaiah 59:1-2)

SALVATION

We believe that the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person turns from their sin and places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This means a person believes in the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God (He is Lord). This also means that a person trusts in the atoning work (His sinless life, His substitutionary death as the sufficient payment for his or her sins, and His bodily resurrection) that Jesus Christ did on his or her behalf to establish a right relationship with God (He is my Savior). (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; 1:12, Titus 3:5, Galatians 3:26, Romans 5:1)

BAPTISM

Baptism is a new believer’s step of obedience after salvation. Baptism is a public profession of one’s faith in Jesus Christ and should always follow faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism by immersion also symbolizes a person’s dying to their old self and the beginning of their new life in Jesus Christ. At Chatt Valley Church, it is a membership requirement that every member should be baptized AFTER they have trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior even though many of them may have been “confirmed” as children or “christened” as infants. This was the same step of obedience taken by members of churches in the New Testament. If you have already been baptized by another church by immersion AFTER trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is not necessary to be baptized again to join Chatt Valley Church. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:41, Acts 8:38-39, Acts 10:43-47, Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12)

CHILD DEDICATION

Some churches practice a “Baptism of Confirmation” for children by sprinkling them. This covenant between the parents and God to raise their children in the faith began as a custom some three-hundred (300) years after the Bible was completed. While it is surely a meaningful experience for the parents, this is different from the baptism talked about in the Bible which was only for those old enough to believe. The purpose of Baptism is to publicly confess your personal relationship with Christ.

At Chatt Valley Church, parents may choose to bring their child before the church for a time of dedication. During this time, we are not saying the child is baptized or is becoming a Christian. This dedication serves a two-fold purpose. First, it’s a time for the parents to commit before God and their church family that they will bring up their child to know Jesus. And, it’s a time for the church family to pray for the parents and for the child to one day come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

At Chatt Valley Church, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them. We believe this is an approach that most closely aligns with Scripture.

ETERNAL SECURITY

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (John 10:29, 2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14, 1 Peter 1:3-5)

ETERNITY

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. (John 3:16, I John 2:25; 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)

SANCTITY OF LIFE

All human life is a sacred gift from God and is to be protected and defended from conception to natural death. We will uphold the sanctity of life and bring the grace and compassion of Christ to those who face the realities of previous abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and end-of-life illness.

MARRIAGE/GENDER

Marriage is God’s idea. God created and sanctioned marriage to bring together one man and one woman in a covenant relationship with Himself (Genesis 2:18-25). Marriage between one man and one woman for life is uniquely designed to reflect Christ’s relationship with His Church (Ephesians 5:21-33). Marriage also serves as the foundational unit of a stable society (1

Corinthians 7:2). It provides the best chance that children will grow up in the same home with both their mother and father (Ephesians 6:1-3).

Gender, likewise, matters. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female (Psalm 139:13-16), and these distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen 1:26-27). Human sexuality is a wonderful gift from God (Song of Solomon) intended and designed for the marriage relationship between one man and one woman. The Bible is clear in its teaching that any form of sex outside of marriage, whether it be heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is sinful and must be avoided (Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 5:17-20; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 19:4-5; Rom 1:26-27; I Cor 6:9-11; I Tim 1:8-10; Jude 6-7).

CHURCH STRUCTURE

Chatt Valley Church is an autonomous church and is not governed by any other body or organization, though it is affiliated with the Russell Baptist Association, Alabama State Board of Missions, and Southern Baptist Convention. Chatt Valley Church is shepherded by the pastors and elders who are responsible for the general oversight and spiritual welfare of the church.

Our Pastor serves to lead day to day operations, while our body of elders help oversee the vision, mission, function, and direction of the church. Committees and teams, whether temporary or permanent, exist to fulfill the functions of each ministry area. These teams are established and set by the approval of the body of elders.

For More Detail on What We Believe, See: https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/