Preamble
Biblical Truth as Our Foundation
New Beginning Bible Institute exists to teach the Word of God faithfully, systematically, and practically, equipping believers to know biblical truth, live biblical truth, defend biblical truth, and faithfully teach it to others.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — II Timothy 2:15
This Statement of Faith summarizes the doctrinal position from which NBBI teaches. No creed, confession, tradition, denomination, teacher, or institution stands above the written Word of God. The Bible alone is our final authority for faith and practice.
I. The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God. We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration: its very words, and not merely its general thoughts or concepts, were given by God. Scripture is true, trustworthy, authoritative, and without error.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” — II Timothy 3:16
We believe God has providentially preserved His Word. We receive and use the Authorized King James Version as the preserved Word of God for English-speaking people and as the Bible for NBBI preaching, teaching, memorization, and coursework. The Bible is our supreme and final authority.
II. Biblical Interpretation
We believe Scripture should normally be understood according to its plain, grammatical, historical, and contextual meaning. Scripture interprets Scripture, and no properly interpreted passage will ultimately contradict another properly interpreted passage.
We reject interpretations built merely upon private experience, church tradition, contemporary culture, or theological systems when they cannot be sustained from the biblical text. Our purpose is not to make Scripture conform to our theology, but continually to make our theology conform to Scripture.
III. The Triune God
We believe there is one and only one true and living God, eternally existing in three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. These three are one God, possessing the same divine nature and perfection while remaining personally distinct.
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” — I John 5:7
God is eternal, holy, righteous, just, loving, gracious, merciful, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, sovereign, and worthy of all worship.
IV. God the Father
We believe God the Father is fully and eternally God. He is neither created nor derived, but is the eternal Father within the Godhead. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things and accomplishes His purposes according to His wisdom, holiness, and will. God’s sovereignty never makes Him the author of sin, nor does it eliminate genuine human responsibility.
V. The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is eternally God the Son. He did not begin His existence at Bethlehem but existed eternally with the Father. We believe in His miraculous conception by the Holy Ghost and His virgin birth.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He lived an absolutely sinless life, performed genuine miracles, voluntarily offered Himself upon the cross as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, shed His blood for our redemption, died, was buried, and bodily arose on the third day. He bodily ascended into Heaven, presently intercedes for believers, and will personally and bodily return.
VI. The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Ghost is not merely an influence or force but a divine Person and fully God. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; regenerates those who believe; indwells every believer; seals believers unto the day of redemption; illuminates Scripture; empowers Christian service; and produces spiritual fruit in surrendered believers. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit at salvation.
VII. Creation
We believe the Genesis account of creation is actual history and not merely an allegory, myth, or theological metaphor. God created the heavens and the earth by His spoken Word in six literal days and rested on the seventh. We reject naturalistic evolution as an explanation for the origin of mankind and the created order.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1
VIII. Man, the Image of God, and the Fall
We believe mankind was uniquely created in the image and likeness of God. God created humanity as male and female and gave mankind stewardship over creation. Adam and Eve were real historical persons. Through Adam’s voluntary sin, sin and death entered the human race. Every person is therefore a sinner by nature and by choice and stands in need of salvation.
IX. Salvation
We believe salvation is entirely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and cannot be earned through religion, baptism, church membership, good works, sacraments, law-keeping, or human merit. Jesus Christ died as the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” — Ephesians 2:8–9
Christ’s offer of salvation is genuinely available to all mankind. We reject the teaching that Christ’s saving provision was intended only for a predetermined elect to the exclusion of the rest of mankind. God commands all men to repent and believe the Gospel.
X. The Gospel
We believe the Gospel centers upon the finished work of Jesus Christ—His death for our sins, burial, and bodily resurrection.
“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” — I Corinthians 15:3–4
The Gospel must neither be added to nor diminished. Salvation is not Christ plus circumcision, baptism, church membership, works, sacraments, perseverance, denominational affiliation, or any other human requirement.
XI. Repentance and Faith
We believe repentance and faith are inseparably associated with biblical conversion. Repentance is a genuine turning of the heart toward God involving a change of mind concerning sin, self, and Christ. Saving faith is personal reliance upon Jesus Christ and His finished work as the only sufficient basis of salvation.
XII. Eternal Security
We believe every person who has genuinely been born again is eternally secure in Jesus Christ. Salvation is kept by God’s power, not by human performance. Believers may suffer broken fellowship, chastening, loss of joy, testimony, usefulness, and future reward through sin, but a genuinely born-again believer cannot lose eternal life.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” — John 10:28
XIII. Sanctification and the Christian Life
We believe sanctification has positional, progressive, and ultimate aspects. At salvation the believer is set apart unto God in Christ. Throughout life, believers are commanded to grow spiritually and become increasingly conformed to Christ’s image. Ultimately, believers will be perfectly glorified in His presence.
Christian growth is accomplished through the Word of God, prayer, obedience, fellowship, the ministry of the local church, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
XIV. The Local Church
We believe the local New Testament church is a congregation of baptized believers voluntarily associated for worship, biblical instruction, fellowship, observance of the ordinances, evangelism, missions, and service. Christ alone is the Head of the church.
We believe in the autonomy of the local church. No denomination, convention, association, council, government, or ecclesiastical hierarchy possesses biblical authority over a local congregation. NBBI exists to strengthen and serve local churches, not replace them.
XV. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe Christ gave His churches two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Biblical baptism is the immersion in water of a person who has already personally trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour. It does not save but publicly identifies the believer with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial whereby believers remember Christ’s sacrificial death. The elements do not become the literal body and blood of Christ and possess no saving power.
XVI. Biblical Church Leadership
We believe Scripture establishes qualified spiritual leadership within the local church and gives qualifications for pastors and deacons in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The offices of pastor/bishop/elder and deacon are reserved for biblically qualified men. We affirm the spiritual worth, dignity, giftedness, and indispensable ministry of godly women while maintaining the distinctions in church leadership established by Scripture.
XVII. Marriage, Family, and Human Sexuality
We believe God created mankind male and female and that biological sex is part of God’s created order. Biblical marriage is the covenantal union of one man and one woman. Sexual intimacy is God’s gift for marriage and is reserved exclusively for marriage between a man and a woman.
The family is a foundational institution established by God, and parents bear primary responsibility for their children’s spiritual instruction and upbringing. Every person should be treated with dignity and compassion because every person bears God’s image and needs the grace of Jesus Christ.
XVIII. Angels, Satan, and Demons
We believe God created a host of spiritual beings known as angels. Satan is a real personal being who rebelled against God and became the adversary of God and His people. Other angels joined his rebellion and are identified as fallen angels or demons. Satan is a defeated enemy whose final judgment is certain.
XIX. Biblical Separation
We believe Christians are called to holiness and separation from sinful practices and false doctrine. Biblical separation is not isolation from unbelievers; Christ commands believers to take the Gospel into the world.
We distinguish between clear biblical doctrine, legitimate matters of Christian conscience and liberty, and mere human preference. We should draw doctrinal lines where Scripture draws them and refuse to elevate personal preferences to Scripture’s authority.
XX. Christian Liberty
We believe believers possess genuine liberty in Jesus Christ but must never use liberty as an excuse for sin. In matters Scripture does not directly command or forbid, believers should exercise biblical wisdom, maintain a clear conscience before God, consider their influence upon others, and seek God’s glory. We reject both legalism and license.
XXI. Israel and the Church
We believe Scripture maintains a meaningful distinction between Israel and the New Testament church. God’s establishment of the church does not mean He has abandoned or nullified His covenant promises concerning Israel.
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.” — Romans 11:1
We reject replacement theology that simply transfers all of God’s unfulfilled promises to national Israel to the church. God’s promises concerning Israel will ultimately be fulfilled according to His Word.
XXII. Dispensational Interpretation
We believe God has progressively revealed His truth and administered His dealings with mankind in distinguishable dispensations or stewardships throughout biblical history. These distinctions do not mean there are multiple ways of salvation. Salvation has always been by God’s grace on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work and received through faith.
We particularly recognize the biblical distinction between Israel and the church and interpret unfulfilled biblical prophecy in its normal, literal sense.
XXIII. The Rapture and Tribulation
We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church. Following the Rapture, the earth will enter the period of Tribulation described in biblical prophecy, culminating in the visible return of Jesus Christ.
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...” — I Thessalonians 4:17
XXIV. The Second Coming and Millennial Kingdom
We believe Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly, bodily, and gloriously to the earth. His Second Coming is distinct from the Rapture. Christ will defeat His enemies and establish His literal earthly kingdom. We therefore hold to a premillennial understanding of Christ’s return.
XXV. Resurrection, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. Those who die in Christ will enjoy everlasting life in God’s presence. Those who die without Christ face conscious judgment and ultimately the lake of fire.
We believe in the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20 and the eternal new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21–22. Heaven and Hell are real, eternal realities—not merely symbols of human experience.
XXVI. Evangelism, Missions, and the Great Commission
We believe every Christian and every New Testament church has a responsibility to participate in making Christ known. The Gospel is intended for every nation, people, and person.
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
NBBI seeks not merely to produce students who know more, but believers better equipped to serve Christ, strengthen churches, teach others, defend the faith, disciple believers, and proclaim the Gospel.
XXVII. The Sufficiency and Supremacy of Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the sole Mediator between God and man. No priest, pastor, church, sacrament, saint, institution, or religious system stands between the believer and God as a necessary mediator. Every believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ. Christ alone is sufficient for salvation, reconciliation, forgiveness, and eternal life.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” — I Timothy 2:5
XXVIII. Our Final Authority
New Beginning Bible Institute gladly identifies with the historic doctrines of biblical Christianity and the convictions of conservative, independent Baptist churches. Nevertheless, our ultimate allegiance is not to a denominational label, theological system, historical confession, institution, or personality.
We are committed to being biblical. Where a theological system accurately reflects Scripture, we gladly affirm it. Where tradition conflicts with Scripture, Scripture must prevail. Where our own understanding is demonstrated from Scripture to be incorrect, our understanding must change—not the Bible.
“Let God be true, but every man a liar...” — Romans 3:4
Believe the Bible. Teach the Bible. Live the Bible. Share the Gospel. Glorify Christ.
