What We Believe

Rome Baptist Temple holds to the historic, fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the King James Bible, which we believe to be the preserved and inspired Word of God in the English language.

The Scriptures

We believe the Bible, in the King James Version, to be the verbally and plenarily inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, and that it is God’s complete and final revelation to man. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Godhead

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — equal in every divine perfection, each executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary death on the cross for the sins of mankind, His bodily resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, and His personal, imminent, and premillennial return. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person who convicts the world of sin, regenerates and indwells every believer at the moment of salvation, and empowers the believer for godly living and service. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8).

The Fall and Depravity of Man

We believe man was created in the image of God but fell through sin, bringing upon himself and all his posterity both physical and spiritual death. All men are therefore sinners by nature and by choice, utterly unable to save themselves. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, received by grace through faith alone in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from any human works or merit. Salvation cannot be earned, and once received, is eternally secure in Christ. “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). “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

The Local Church

We believe the local, New Testament church is a body of baptized believers voluntarily joined together for worship, fellowship, the observance of the ordinances, the accomplishment of the Great Commission, and the mutual edification of its members. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external hierarchy or denominational control.

The Ordinances

We observe two ordinances given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the local church: believer’s baptism by immersion, as a testimony of a believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; and the Lord’s Supper, observed in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice until He comes again. We believe these ordinances are a testimony of salvation already received, not a means of obtaining it.

The Great Commission

We believe every believer is called to carry the Gospel to a lost and dying world, both at home and abroad, until the Lord returns. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

The Second Coming

We believe in the personal, bodily, and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to catch away His church, followed by the tribulation period and His subsequent millennial reign on the earth. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Separation

We believe the believer is called to a life of holiness and separation from the sinful practices and philosophies of the world, walking instead in fellowship with God and in service to the local church. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers… Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17).