What We Believe

As a cooperating member of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, the congregation of RBC fully affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 in all of its parts. And while the Scriptures serve as the ultimate foundation for our faith, our guide for worship, and the basis of all that we believe and teach, our core beliefs are summarized below.

RBC Statement of Faith

We believe in one God, eternally existent as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (1 Thes. 1:9; Gen 1:1, 26; Mt. 28:19; John 14:9; Rev. 19:6).

We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired and infallible Word, and is the supreme standard and final authority for all conduct, faith, and doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; 1 Pet. 1:25).

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:8; 10-11), in His virgin birth (Mt. 1:18-23), in His sinless life (Heb. 2:18; 4:15), in His miracles (Jn. 20:30-31; 21:24-25), in His vicarious and atoning death (Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 4:4-5; Col. 1:19-20), in His bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-8; 1 Thess. 1:10), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:16), and in His premillennial, personal return in power and glory (Jn. 14:3; Acts1:11; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 Tim. 6:14; Tit. 2:13).

We believe that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), but by willful transgression became sinful and is justly under the condemnation and wrath of Almighty God (Rom. 3:9-10, 23; 5:12-14; Col. 1:19-22).

We believe that the only salvation from this guilt and condemnation is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Jn. 14:6), and that this salvation is the free gift of God’s love and grace (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5-6).

We believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit and that His ministry is to reveal Christ to men, to convict of sin (Jn. 16:7-15), to regenerate repentant sinners (Rom. 6:3-23; 7:6; 8:2-6) and, by His presence and power, to sanctify the lives of the redeemed (Rom. 15:16).

We believe that a New Testament Church is a body of believers, baptized by immersion (Acts 2:38-47), associated for worship (Heb. 10:24-25), service (Gal. 5:13; Rom. 12:10-11), and the spread of the Gospel of the grace of God to all the world (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

We believe that there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust (Rev. 20); the just, having been redeemed by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be with Him throughout eternity in glory (Rev. 20:4-6; 22:1-5); the unjust, having died impenitent and unreconciled to God, to eternal condemnation in Hell (Rev. 20:11-15).

The above is an abbreviated statement of faith. The full text of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 can be found here: http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp