OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH 
(Doctrine)

As a body of New Testament believers, we affirm our belief in the inspired authority of the Scriptures; in the virgin birth and essential Deity of our Lord; in His atoning death and bodily resurrection; in His ascension into heaven and the promised empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and in His personal, visible return; and ultimate and undisputed kingdom and reign. 

Our Purpose — Why We Exist 
"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no division among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." 
1 Corinthians 1:10

Our purpose comes from two scriptures given by our Lord Jesus Christ called the Great Commandment and the Great Commission:

- To love God with all your heart is worship.
- To love your neighbor as yourself is fellowship or ministry. 
-  To go and make disciples is evangelism or missions.
- To teach to obey everything Jesus commanded is instruction or discipleship.

Merlin Community Baptist Church exists for: 
W — worship: expressing our love for God
I — instruction: helping believers to grow spiritually
F — fellowship: demonstrating God’s love to others
E — evangelism: sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ

Our Mission Statement: 
"We preach Jesus Christ: crucified, risen, and coming again."

Our Statement of Faith 
- GOD
God is the Creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are co-equal in power, in nature, and in eternality, and are one God. 
(Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 1:35 & 3:21-22; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)

- JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the promised Old Testament Messiah who was virgin-born of a human mother Mary by the Holy Spirit. He was fully human and fully God, co-equal with God the Father. He lived a sinless human life and offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. His bodily resurrection from death on the third day demonstrated His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven where He continually makes intercession for believers. One day He will return to earth to ransom His Bride the church to eternal glory, to judge the earth and Satan, and to establish His eternal kingdom, that He might reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-19; Isaiah 7:14-16; Isaiah 9:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

- THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He is present in the world to bring people to an awareness of their sin and need for a savior. He also lives spiritually in all believers from the moment of their salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living and for witnessing; for understanding spiritual truth; and for guidance in doing what is right and pleasing to God. He gives every believer spiritual gifts for serving Jesus Christ and building up other believers in their faith. As Christians we seek to live under the control of the Holy Spirit daily.
(John 16:7-13 & 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7-13; Galatians 5:16-26)

- THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s revelation to us, written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the faithful, inspired, infallible, inerrant record of what God wishes us to know about Himself, the world in which we live, how we are to live, and our ultimate destiny.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:105, 160)

- SALVATION
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior, can we receive God’s forgiveness and be saved from the penalty of our sin, which is spiritual death. Salvation is God’s free gift of grace to us, but we must accept it by faith, having repented for our sin.
(John 1:12 & 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23 & 6:23, Titus 3:5)

- ETERNITY
The Scripture tells us that God has created every person in His own image to exist forever. Each person will either live 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 heaven. The Scripture is filled with promises of both God’s love and mercy, and His judgment of those who refuse His grace in Jesus Christ.
(John 3:16-1 7; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:10-15)

- BAPTISM
We practice "believers’ baptism by immersion." In the New Testament we have the record of those who committed their lives personally to Jesus Christ, professing their faith in Him, and then being baptized. The Biblical model of baptism is immersion. Baptism does not confer salvation — it is merely a symbol and a public confession of what has already taken place in a believer’s heart, and that is repentance and regeneration by the Holy Spirit through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-4)

- THE LORD’S SUPPER
Along with baptism, the Lord’s Supper (communion) is an ordinance Christ gave to His church. It, too, is symbolic — the bread and cup symbolize the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given for the remission of our sins. In the act of celebration, we commemorate the Lord’s death for us, as we look forward to His promised return for His church at the end of the age.
(1 Corinthians 11:23-29)