In addition to the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith and the historic creeds, we have here outlined our beliefs relating to things that may not be fully addressed in those statements. 

THE LORD’S TABLE

We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by our Lord on the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-33). The Lord’s Supper is to be observed in remembrance of the Lord (Luke 22:19). It is a commemoration and proclamation of His death to be observed until He comes, and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28-32). We believe that the elements of Communion are only representative of the body and the blood of Christ, however the ordinance is an actual communion with the risen Christ who is present in a unique way, fellowshipping with His people (1 Corinthians 10:16).

We believe in practicing a closed table, meaning that our Communion is only given to those who are members in good standing within Coram Deo Reformed Baptist Church. The right to extend the invitation to partake in Communion to those who are visiting from other churches is reserved and will be discussed and determined on a case by case basis.

We fully reject the false teaching of Paedocommunion as we are Baptists who practice Credocommunion and a closed table for professing believers who have been baptized and who are able to conduct self-examination prior to receiving Communion.

THE CHURCH,  THE CULTURE & TWO KINGDOM DOCTRINAL POSITION

We believe that the purpose of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) and to edify the Saints. We are to strive for what is right and to provide a godly influence on the world around us as we are able, but our primary goal is not to shape the culture through legislative or governmental means, but by the proclamation of the Gospel so that hearts are changed and thus the culture if the Lord wills. The church is not called to fight for an earthly “Christendom,” but to fight for more citizens to be added, by God’s grace, to the ranks of His redemptive kingdom. Therefore, we reject theonomy (reconstructionism) and Christian Nationalism.

We believe in the doctrine of Two Kingdoms. These kingdoms are known as the common kingdom and the redemptive kingdom. 

The common grace kingdom was established by God in which things concerning government, justice, marriage, provision, etc. are ordered and addressed. God’s common grace is applied to this kingdom in that He ordered it and made common provisions for it. The people within this kingdom include every person. (Gen. 9:1-7; Ps. 103:19; Ps. 145:13, Matt. 5:45b; Rom. 2:14-16; Rom. 13:1

The redemptive kingdom was established by the Covenant of Grace. The people within this kingdom include those whom God elected before the foundations of the world. It does not extend to what we would consider the general world, its peoples, its laws, its governments, etc. (1 Pet 2:9–10; Heb. 11:10, 13, 16;

We are instructed how to live as citizens of the redemptive kingdom while wandering through the common kingdom of this world ( Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet 2:11-13, 18, 3:1-3, 7–8; Col. 3:1–2. We should work to be good citizens of whichever country God has sovereignly ordained us to be earthly citizens of and to live peacefully with our neighbor. We should, where able, influence and work to support God honoring laws and magistrates and honor the laws of the land as far as they are in accordance with Scripture. (Rom. 12; 1 Pet. 3:8; 1 Tim. 2) We should also live with the understanding that we may be persecuted for our faith. If this occurs we should find it all joy to suffer for the Gospel. (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:16)

These two kingdoms will only be united at Christ’s return. (Ps. 72:8; Ps. 110; Isa. 11:9; Dan. 2:44; Heb 2:8–9; Rev. 11:15)

Also, many of these beliefs are held by those who consider themselves “Christian Nationalist.” We hold that this is an erroneous belief which stemmed from the secular world. We as Christians are instructed to be good citizens of the government institutions ordained by God so long as they do not cause us to sin. (Titus 3:1; Romans 13:1-14; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Therefore, we hold that “Christian Nationalism” is unnecessary at best and error at worst. So we reject the term and beliefs of Christian Nationalism.

We deny and reject theonomy (reconstructionism). These views are not compatible with the Two Kingdom Doctrine, with our confession or with the covenantal views held by Coram Deo Reformed Baptist Church. We are citizens of heaven first and foremost and if possible, so far as it depends on us, we are to live peacefully with all men. (2 Peter 2:13-17; Romans 12:18, 13:1-14; 1 Tim. 2:1-2, 3:1, 12; Matt. 5:45; Jer. 31:30-35; Phil. 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11; 2 Cor.10:3; 2LBCF of 1689 chapter 19:4)

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

We believe that all saints are called to the work of service (1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:12; Revelation 22:12). We believe that God is using the Church to accomplish His purposes and to that end has given spiritual gifts. God has given men chosen for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12), and He also gives unique and special abilities to each member of the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 1 Peter 4:10-11). 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 believe 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, and 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).

We believe that there were two kinds of gifts given to the early church: miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing, given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message (Hebrews 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12); and ministering gifts, given to equip believers for edifying one another. With the New Testament revelation now complete, Scripture becomes the sole test of the authenticity of a man’s message, and confirming gifts of a miraculous nature are no longer necessary to validate a man or his message (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Miraculous gifts can even be counterfeited by Satan so as to deceive even believers (1 Corinthians 13:13-14:12; Revelation 13:13-14). The only gifts in operation today are those non revelatory equipping gifts given for edification (Romans 12:6-8). 

We believe that no one possesses the gift of healing today but that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith and will answer in accordance with His own will for the sick, suffering, and afflicted (Luke 18:1-6; John 5:7-9; 2 Corinthians 12:6-10; James 5:13-16; 1 John 5:14-15).

ANGELS

We believe that angels are created beings and as such are not to be worshiped. Although they are a higher order of creation than man, they are created to serve God and to worship Him (Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6- 7, 14; 2:6-7; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:10; 22:9).

We believe that Satan is a created angel. He is the author of sin and incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19), by taking numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-14), and by introducing sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-15). He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20), exerts power only to the extent allowed by God (Job 1:12: 2:6), and his destiny is the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

CREATION

We believe in the direct creation of the heavens and the earth in six literal days by fiat from Almighty God as described in the first two chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1-2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:1-3). We believe Adam and Eve were literal historical characters (Genesis 1-3;Matthew 19:4-5; Romans 5:12-21), the parents of all men of every race, tribe, and kindred (Acts 17:26). 

We believe in the literal fall of our first parents in the Garden of Eden resulting in the depraved, fallen, sinful state of all humanity, necessitating their regeneration. We believe that death, decay, and suffering entered creation for the first time as a result of this fall (Genesis 3:1-3; Romans 5:12-21). 

We believe in a literal global flood of Noah as described in Genesis 6-9. We believe that the early chapters of Genesis are literal history.

HUMAN SEXUALITY

We believe that God has given sex to the human race for the purposes of procreation and recreation and that no intimate sexual activity is to be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. (Proverbs 5:15-23; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God rejects any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.

We believe that the only legitimate biblical marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23).

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the Church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (elders and deacons) of the Church. 

Accordingly, only men are eligible to be lincensed and ordination by the Church (Galatians 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12). This differentiation of roles in the ministry of the church is not cultural but is a reflection of the order of creation (1 Corinthians 11:1-16; 1 Timothy 2:8-15).

ABORTION

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We do not believe that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable or justified (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

WORSHIP SERVICE

We practice the regulative principle of worship in our services. This includes the singing of hymns and Psalms, the proclaiming of the Word exegetically going verse by verse through Scripture, congregational participation of reciting of the creeds, catechism, and/or confession. We do not use Contemporary Christian Music in our services due to it being filled with false teachers and those who are associated with them. For this reason, the Elder’s also work to make clear who are false teachers and recommend sound teachers to the congregation. One of the Elder’s purposes in the church is to protect the flock from error and false teachings coming into the church. Therefore we will not allow false teachings to be brought into the church through music nor through materials used for teaching purposes.