| Our Staff |
| Keith Whitt, Pastor Bobby Mayes, Youth Minister & Worship Leader Rebekah Bradford, Pianist Jon Bradford, Organist Glenna Roof, Keyboards Ruth Worthington, Paid Nursery Staff |
Our Beliefs
What We Believe
The importance of sound doctrine is emphasized throughout Scripture (Ephesians 4:
14; I Timothy 1:3; 4:1; 6:1,3; II Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2: 1,7,10; II John 1:7-11). –
Because doctrine is so emphasized in Scripture, we will strive to maintain doctrinal
integrity at North Cleburne Baptist Church. We will give appropriate attention to major
and minor doctrines, as well as appoint deacons, hire staff, and place volunteers with
doctrinal integrity in mind. The following is the Doctrinal Statement of North Cleburne
Baptist Church.
THE BIBLE
We believe that the Scriptures, in the 66 books of the Old and New
Testaments, are inspired of God. It was written by human authors, under the
supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit and error-free in the original writings. It is
the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It has God for its
author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its
matter. Exodus 24:4; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11; Isaiah 40:8;
Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:26,36; Luke 21:23; 24:44-46; John 5:39;
17:17; Acts 1:16; 2:16,42; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12;
1 Peter 1:24-25; II Peter 1:20-21; 3:16.
We believe that all the Scriptures from first to last center on our Lord Jesus Christ and
were designed for our practical instruction. Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Acts 17:2-3; 18:
28; 26:22-23; 28:23; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16-17.
GOD
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (commonly referred to as the Trinity); and that these three are one
God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and worthy of
precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. He is the Creator and Ruler
of the universe. Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-18, 10:30; Matthew 28:19,20;
Acts 5:3,4; Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Acts 1:16; 2:4; II Corinthians 13:14.
THE FATHER
The Father is the first Person of the Trinity who orders and directs all things according
to His own purpose, pleasure and grace. He has decreed all things that come to pass
for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of men, hears and
answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus
Christ. Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6.
THE SON
Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity, and is the eternal co-equal Son of
God who came to this earth as fully man and fully God. He was born of a virgin. He
lived a perfect and sinless life. He was crucified on a cross at the hands of both the
Jews and the Gentiles. He made provision for the salvation of all humanity. He was
raised from the dead after three days to demonstrate the power of God over sin and
death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to judge the world and
reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5, 14-18,
14:10-30; Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4, 3:24-26;
Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 2:17-18;
Romans 3:24-26; Colossians 2:9.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity who executes the will of God with
relation to all mankind. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness,
and judgment. The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body of Christ at the moment
of salvation as well as indwells, sanctifies, instructs, and seals them unto the day of
redemption. It is the Holy Spirit who also empowers the church to live a lifestyle
pleasing to God, endowing it with special gifts which equip believers to serve others
both inside and outside the body of Christ. John 14:16-17, 16:7-15; I Corinthians 12:1-
11, 13; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18; Galatians 5:16-25, 2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 1:8;
THE NATURE OF MAN
We believe that man (male and female) was directly created in the image of God to
enjoy His fellowship and to fulfill God's will on this earth. In Adam, all mankind fell into
sin by the disobeying of God and seeking knowledge beyond what God had originally
given; consequently all men are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both
physical and spiritual death apart from Jesus Christ. The fall of man was a once-for-all
historical fact. Sin’s spiritually deadening effect spread to all men, each of whom is
born with a sinful nature. Man can do nothing to merit salvation. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7,
17; 3:1-24; 6:5; Psalm 14: 1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-23; 5:12-21;
I John 3:8; Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:1-9.
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is
God's free gift to us because we can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or
good works. All who believe in Him are declared righteous by the Father on the
grounds of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
They are thereby the children of God forever and members in the one true church, the
Body of Christ. This salvation results in righteous living and good works as the believer
submits their life to Christ, the direction of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 4:12; John 1:12; 3:16,18; 5:24; 14:6; Romans 3:21-26; 4:4-5; 5:
1; 10:9-13; I Corinthians 15:1-4; Philippians 3:8-9; Titus 3:4-7; I Peter 1:23; I John 4:
15; 5:11-13.
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was made to be sin, and made a curse, for us,
dying in our stead. Leviticus 17:11; Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:6-9; II Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19.
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
God gives eternal life as a free gift to all who turn to God in repentance through Jesus
Christ. We believe that it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are truly born
again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured
of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior. If a person is
genuinely saved, that gift of salvation can not be "lost". Salvation is given and
maintained by the grace and power of God, not the self-effort of Christians and,
therefore, is secure in that same grace and power. John 6:27,10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12;
Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5. Luke 10:20; Romans 8:33-39; II Corinthians 5:
1; 6-8; I John 5: 11-13.
THE CHURCH
We believe that all who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit belong to the one
true church and are directed by the Scriptures to associate themselves in local, visible
churches. The local church is the only visible representation of Christ's universal
church which consists of all regenerated believers. North Cleburne Baptist Church is
self-governing, meaning it is not regulated in any way by a denominational
organization. The church is congregationally governed, appointing its own members to
the biblical positions of Deacons and Servant Leaders. The church's mandate is to
lead individuals to Christ and mature them in the faith. 1 Corinthians 12:13; Matthew
16:13-20; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1,
1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:24-25;
Ephesians 2:19-22; I Timothy 3: 1-13; Titus 1:5-9.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe each person is uniquely gifted and that God’s design is that each one of us
is to be serving the Kingdom according to our giftedness. We also believe that God is
sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts to every believer and that the purpose of
these gifts is to provide unity to the local church through their diversity. According to
Romans 12:6 we are called to actively use our spiritual gifts in and through the local
church. Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:7-12; I Corinthians 12:1-14:40.
THE CHRISTIAN WALK
We believe that we are called with a holy calling to walk, not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit, and so to live in the Spirit that we should not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; but
the flesh being still in us to the end of our earthly life needs to be kept constantly in
subjection to Christ. Romans. 8:12,13; 13:14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24;
Colossians 3:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 2:9-11; I John 3:5-9.
We believe the written Word of God is given to us not simply for knowing but for the
purpose of doing and being transformed into the image of Christ. This can only
happen by the diligent study and application of Scripture. James 1: 22-25; Romans 12:
2; Colossians 39-11; II Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17.
THE FUTURE
We believe that the souls of those who have truly trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for
salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in
conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body
reunited shall be associated with Him forever; but the souls of unbelievers remain after
death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close
of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to
be annihilated, but to be banished with everlasting punishment from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of His power. Luke 16:19-26, 23:43; II Corinthians 5:6-8;
Philippians 1:23; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 1: 6,7; Revelations 20:11-15.
We believe that the entire world will not be converted during the present dispensation,
but is fast ripening for judgment. There will be a fearful apostasy in the professing
Christian body. Then the Lord Jesus will come in person, in the air, to remove His
church, an event that we refer to as the Rapture. Both the living and dead, who are in
Christ, will escape the wrath that is to come upon the earth (The Tribulation, a seven-
year period). After which, He will come again in glory with His saints to destroy the
wicked from the earth and introduce the MILLENNIAL AGE. shall also be restored to
their own land, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord and this personal
and pre-millennial advent is the blessed hope set before us in the Gospel for which we
should constantly be looking. We further believe that the first resurrection of the just, in
I Thessalonians 4:13-18, and the second resurrection of the unjust in John 5:29 is
separated by a period of one thousand years, the millennium; after which time the
wicked dead will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and confined to Hell
with Satan and his angels. Luke 12:35-40; 17:26-30; Acts 15:14-18; I Thessalonians 4:
13-18; II Thessalonians 2:3-9; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 2:11-15; I Corinthians 15:24, 51-
58; Revelations 20:3-6; Jude 1:14,15; I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 4: 1-5; Acts 1:11;
Zechariah 14:4.
What We Believe
The importance of sound doctrine is emphasized throughout Scripture (Ephesians 4:
14; I Timothy 1:3; 4:1; 6:1,3; II Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2: 1,7,10; II John 1:7-11). –
Because doctrine is so emphasized in Scripture, we will strive to maintain doctrinal
integrity at North Cleburne Baptist Church. We will give appropriate attention to major
and minor doctrines, as well as appoint deacons, hire staff, and place volunteers with
doctrinal integrity in mind. The following is the Doctrinal Statement of North Cleburne
Baptist Church.
THE BIBLE
We believe that the Scriptures, in the 66 books of the Old and New
Testaments, are inspired of God. It was written by human authors, under the
supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit and error-free in the original writings. It is
the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It has God for its
author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its
matter. Exodus 24:4; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11; Isaiah 40:8;
Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:26,36; Luke 21:23; 24:44-46; John 5:39;
17:17; Acts 1:16; 2:16,42; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12;
1 Peter 1:24-25; II Peter 1:20-21; 3:16.
We believe that all the Scriptures from first to last center on our Lord Jesus Christ and
were designed for our practical instruction. Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Acts 17:2-3; 18:
28; 26:22-23; 28:23; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16-17.
GOD
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (commonly referred to as the Trinity); and that these three are one
God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and worthy of
precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. He is the Creator and Ruler
of the universe. Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-18, 10:30; Matthew 28:19,20;
Acts 5:3,4; Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Acts 1:16; 2:4; II Corinthians 13:14.
THE FATHER
The Father is the first Person of the Trinity who orders and directs all things according
to His own purpose, pleasure and grace. He has decreed all things that come to pass
for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of men, hears and
answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus
Christ. Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6.
THE SON
Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity, and is the eternal co-equal Son of
God who came to this earth as fully man and fully God. He was born of a virgin. He
lived a perfect and sinless life. He was crucified on a cross at the hands of both the
Jews and the Gentiles. He made provision for the salvation of all humanity. He was
raised from the dead after three days to demonstrate the power of God over sin and
death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to judge the world and
reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5, 14-18,
14:10-30; Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4, 3:24-26;
Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 2:17-18;
Romans 3:24-26; Colossians 2:9.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity who executes the will of God with
relation to all mankind. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness,
and judgment. The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body of Christ at the moment
of salvation as well as indwells, sanctifies, instructs, and seals them unto the day of
redemption. It is the Holy Spirit who also empowers the church to live a lifestyle
pleasing to God, endowing it with special gifts which equip believers to serve others
both inside and outside the body of Christ. John 14:16-17, 16:7-15; I Corinthians 12:1-
11, 13; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18; Galatians 5:16-25, 2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 1:8;
THE NATURE OF MAN
We believe that man (male and female) was directly created in the image of God to
enjoy His fellowship and to fulfill God's will on this earth. In Adam, all mankind fell into
sin by the disobeying of God and seeking knowledge beyond what God had originally
given; consequently all men are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both
physical and spiritual death apart from Jesus Christ. The fall of man was a once-for-all
historical fact. Sin’s spiritually deadening effect spread to all men, each of whom is
born with a sinful nature. Man can do nothing to merit salvation. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7,
17; 3:1-24; 6:5; Psalm 14: 1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-23; 5:12-21;
I John 3:8; Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:1-9.
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is
God's free gift to us because we can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or
good works. All who believe in Him are declared righteous by the Father on the
grounds of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
They are thereby the children of God forever and members in the one true church, the
Body of Christ. This salvation results in righteous living and good works as the believer
submits their life to Christ, the direction of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 4:12; John 1:12; 3:16,18; 5:24; 14:6; Romans 3:21-26; 4:4-5; 5:
1; 10:9-13; I Corinthians 15:1-4; Philippians 3:8-9; Titus 3:4-7; I Peter 1:23; I John 4:
15; 5:11-13.
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was made to be sin, and made a curse, for us,
dying in our stead. Leviticus 17:11; Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:6-9; II Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19.
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
God gives eternal life as a free gift to all who turn to God in repentance through Jesus
Christ. We believe that it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are truly born
again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured
of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior. If a person is
genuinely saved, that gift of salvation can not be "lost". Salvation is given and
maintained by the grace and power of God, not the self-effort of Christians and,
therefore, is secure in that same grace and power. John 6:27,10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12;
Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5. Luke 10:20; Romans 8:33-39; II Corinthians 5:
1; 6-8; I John 5: 11-13.
THE CHURCH
We believe that all who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit belong to the one
true church and are directed by the Scriptures to associate themselves in local, visible
churches. The local church is the only visible representation of Christ's universal
church which consists of all regenerated believers. North Cleburne Baptist Church is
self-governing, meaning it is not regulated in any way by a denominational
organization. The church is congregationally governed, appointing its own members to
the biblical positions of Deacons and Servant Leaders. The church's mandate is to
lead individuals to Christ and mature them in the faith. 1 Corinthians 12:13; Matthew
16:13-20; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1,
1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:24-25;
Ephesians 2:19-22; I Timothy 3: 1-13; Titus 1:5-9.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe each person is uniquely gifted and that God’s design is that each one of us
is to be serving the Kingdom according to our giftedness. We also believe that God is
sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts to every believer and that the purpose of
these gifts is to provide unity to the local church through their diversity. According to
Romans 12:6 we are called to actively use our spiritual gifts in and through the local
church. Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:7-12; I Corinthians 12:1-14:40.
THE CHRISTIAN WALK
We believe that we are called with a holy calling to walk, not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit, and so to live in the Spirit that we should not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; but
the flesh being still in us to the end of our earthly life needs to be kept constantly in
subjection to Christ. Romans. 8:12,13; 13:14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24;
Colossians 3:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 2:9-11; I John 3:5-9.
We believe the written Word of God is given to us not simply for knowing but for the
purpose of doing and being transformed into the image of Christ. This can only
happen by the diligent study and application of Scripture. James 1: 22-25; Romans 12:
2; Colossians 39-11; II Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17.
THE FUTURE
We believe that the souls of those who have truly trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for
salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in
conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body
reunited shall be associated with Him forever; but the souls of unbelievers remain after
death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close
of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to
be annihilated, but to be banished with everlasting punishment from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of His power. Luke 16:19-26, 23:43; II Corinthians 5:6-8;
Philippians 1:23; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 1: 6,7; Revelations 20:11-15.
We believe that the entire world will not be converted during the present dispensation,
but is fast ripening for judgment. There will be a fearful apostasy in the professing
Christian body. Then the Lord Jesus will come in person, in the air, to remove His
church, an event that we refer to as the Rapture. Both the living and dead, who are in
Christ, will escape the wrath that is to come upon the earth (The Tribulation, a seven-
year period). After which, He will come again in glory with His saints to destroy the
wicked from the earth and introduce the MILLENNIAL AGE. shall also be restored to
their own land, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord and this personal
and pre-millennial advent is the blessed hope set before us in the Gospel for which we
should constantly be looking. We further believe that the first resurrection of the just, in
I Thessalonians 4:13-18, and the second resurrection of the unjust in John 5:29 is
separated by a period of one thousand years, the millennium; after which time the
wicked dead will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and confined to Hell
with Satan and his angels. Luke 12:35-40; 17:26-30; Acts 15:14-18; I Thessalonians 4:
13-18; II Thessalonians 2:3-9; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 2:11-15; I Corinthians 15:24, 51-
58; Revelations 20:3-6; Jude 1:14,15; I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 4: 1-5; Acts 1:11;
Zechariah 14:4.
Lighthouse Christians
North Cleburne Baptist Church
About Us
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