Statement of Faith
What we believe at Third Avenue Baptist church is not man-made but has been revealed by God, in Scripture. Our Statement of Faith is simply a summary of biblical teaching that explains what we as a local church agree the Bible teaches about God, the Bible, sin, the church, etc. Believe it or not, as members of a church we don’t all have the same backgrounds, the same interests, and we don’t all vote the same. However, when it comes to this statement of our faith, this doctrine, we are united! As we hold onto these articles of faith, as we remind ourselves of the doctrines, we are contending for the faith. As a church, once we stop contending for doctrine, as John White argued, we die:
“Doctrine is a means to an end—the end of producing a spiritually alive, spiritually healthy, truly witnessing church. The end is more important than the means, but without the means, the end cannot be gained. There never has been and there never will be life, health and vigor in a church steeped in error. It is for this reason that both history and (more important) the Bible are insistent that we should contend earnestly for the faith.”
– John White, The Race
As you read our Statement of Faith, remember that holding these convictions isn’t simply a matter of being able to check a box, “Yep, I’m orthodox.” It’s a matter of being able to proclaim, “Yes, this is the faith I’m willing to contend for, to die for!”