We believe, love, and worship the one and only unchanging, sovereign, and loving God, the Creator and Ruler of all things in heaven and earth. God is manifest in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, 26; I Chronicles 29:11, 12; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; I Peter 1:2)

Jesus Christ, our Lord, is God in the flesh. He is the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, fully God, fully man, sinless. He died on the cross in our place for our sins, was buried, resurrected from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, as our Advocate, and will return to judge the living and the dead. (Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:1-18; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2:22-24; I Corinthians 15; Revelation 5:9-14)

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, exalting Christ and convicting us of our sin and need for Jesus Christ. He fully lives in every believer from the moment of salvation. He comforts, teaches, and empowers us to live in righteousness. He equips every believer with spiritual gifts for service in the Body of Christ. (Matthew 1:18; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 3:16; I Peter 4:10)

Man is made in the image of God – created to worship God, to glorify Him, and to have dominion over the earth. Sin separates man from God and man is eternally doomed unless he receives salvation in Jesus Christ.

(Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8:3-6; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 3:10-18, 23)

Since all persons are separated from God by sin and are in need of forgiveness, God offers the free gift of salvation. Each person must individually accept this gift, repent of sin, and place faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (Exodus 6:2-8; Matthew 16:21-26; John 3:15-16; John 17:3; Romans 5:1; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9)

We believe our true salvation, provided by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone, is eternally secure. It is imperishable, and no man or circumstance can snatch us out of the powerful hand of God because Jesus Christ has made an everlasting covenant with us.

(John 10:28; II Timothy 1:12; I Peter 1:4; Hebrews 7:25; II Samuel 23:5; John 3:36; John 5:24l John 14:6)

The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God to reveal God and His will to man. The Bible has God as its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error. The Bible is the sole authority for Christian living. (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Psalm 12:6; Psalm 19:7-10; Psalm 119:105, 160; Hebrews 4:12; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21)

Every believer is a minister and has direct access to God through the high priest, Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 10:19-22; Ephesians 3:7)

Jesus Christ is the head of His Body, the Church. The Body of Christ is composed of believers. The purpose of the Church is to carry out His mission in the world and is best lived out in local, autonomous churches. (Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42, 47; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:10-16; I Corinthians 12; Revelation 2 & 3)

We believe that marriage is a SPIRITUAL COVENANT, instituted by God, to be between one man and one woman: (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; Rev. 19:7-10)

1. As foundational for civilization
2. Essential for the raising of children
3. Essential for stability in society
4. A clear picture of eternal redemption through Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Groom, and we, His church, His bride

Marriage is, therefore, according to historic, orthodox Biblical teaching, different than a mere social contract between consenting individuals.

At Keystone Baptist Church, we value and love all people as “created in the image of God.” To be created in the image of God means that every person is valued, and is an eternal being who will exist and live forever, either in the presence of God, or not. The truth of the written word of God outlines the principles and boundaries for experiencing joy and human flourishing. His Word, the Bible, is the starting place for correctly defining God-centered, family living. God’s design concerning gender is clearly stated in Genesis 1:27, which says, ‘God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’ We acknowledge two genders, male and female, as defined in the Bible.

Baptism by immersion follows Christ’s example, symbolizing death, burial, and resurrection to new life in Christ. It serves as a testimony of faith after accepting Christ as personal Savior and Lord. The Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience and a testimony of faith. It symbolically memorializes the death of Jesus Christ. Self-examination and confession of sins should precede participation in the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 26:26-30; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12)

God calls individuals, whose lives best exemplify the biblical qualifications of the position of pastor, overseer/elder, ministerial staff, and deacon, to lead the local body. They are selected and affirmed by the local body after prayerful consideration. Leaders are called by God to uphold church doctrine and to live lives worthy of respect. The local church is called to submit to their authority. (Philippians 1:1; I Timothy 3; Acts 6:1-8; Acts 20:28; I Timothy 5:17-22; Hebrews 13:7, 17; Titus 1:5-9)

We believe that the Bible teaches church discipline. God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12). He uses the leadership of the church to prayerfully administer His discipline (Galatians 6:1) according to scripture (Matthew 18:15-18 and I Corinthians 5:1-13). Discipline is administered in hope of restoring the one who has fallen into sin back to a right relationship with God and the church. (Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 12; Matthew 18:15-18; I Corinthians 5:1-13)