What We Believe…

If you have accessed this site, most likely that means you have some need, interest, concern, or questions about a church. We understand that the world and many churches are changing fast. Change is expected concerning this world; but if a church is one of The Lord’s, “…which he hath purchased with his own blood…,” (Acts 20:28) who authorized the changes? We hope that you will feel free to ask hard and direct questions. Those with nothing to hid do not mind such enquiries.

This Baptist Church was established back in 1844.
This is a Baptist Church based upon, and stiving to be true to the words as “…given by inspiration of God…” (II Timothy 3:16) which He has promised to “…preserve…” “…for ever…” (Psalm 12:6-7)
The “…doctrine…” (John 7:16) held by the pastor and the other members of this Baptist Church, is based upon what The Scriptures identify as “…the faith…” (Jude 3)
The beliefs held by the members of this Baptist church are not in any way derived from the differing theologies and “…doctrines of men…” (Colossians 2:22) (“…the faith…” is spoken of in Jude 3 and 23 other places in Scripture)
The purpose of this Baptist church is:

To help reach those, of all ages, who are unsure of where they will spend eternity, so they have the opportunity to receive the “…gift…” of “…eternal life…,” (John 10:28, Romans 6:23, I John 5:13) which is “…eternal salvation…”(Hebrews 5:9)
To do our best to encourage those who profess to be “…born again…” (John 3:3,7) serve The Lord from their “…heart…” (Ephesians 6:6) and by their own free will: while forcing no one against their will.
To provide a place and an atmosphere suitable for The Presence of The Lord to meet with people, without the influence of worldly philosophies and humanistic ideals.
To teach and preach lessons and messages designed to help individuals and families with the many struggles of this life and help them to be prepared for life in eternity.

What Hilltop Baptist Church Is NOT

Acts 20:28-30 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

Those prophetic words of warning state that it will be The Lord’s kind of churches which will be infiltrated by deceivers from the outside, and, that in His churches there will be those who once were faithful, who will attempt to divide The Lord’s kind of churches from the inside. That is exactly why there are now so many different “brands” of Baptist churches. It is a shame that we are now at the time, when in order to know what a Scriptural Baptist Church is, that it must be stated as to what it is NOT.

Here are some things that this Baptist church is NOT.

We are Not associated with the IFB (Independent Fundament Baptist) movement.
We are Not an Emergent-Baptist Church.
We are not a Contemporary-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Denominational-Baptist Church.
We are not an Ecumenical-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Non-Denominational-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Protestant-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Dispensationalist-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Calvinistic-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Charismatic-Baptist Church.
We are Not a Baptist Bride or Landmark-Baptist Church.
We are not a Southern-Baptist Church.

Here are some questions you might want to ask.

What is the number one factor in choosing a church?
Of the 168 hours God gives every soul, why should church be allotted at least a couple hours?
Why should a church be a priority, especially, in these days?
How can I trust a church and those involved in the administration of it?
Why are there so many differences in the beliefs of churches?
How does a church help me and my family?
What does God’s Word say about church?
What do you believe about the Bible?
How can those beliefs help me and my family?
Why are there so many different versions of the book called Holy Bible?
What does God claim as to what He has written about His Book?
Can I trust what men say about God’s Book?
What is written in God’s Book about going to Heaven when a person dies?
Why are there so many differing opinions about how a person gets to Heaven?
Can a person know for sure where their soul will go when their body dies?
Are Hell and The Lake of Fire real places?
What has God written about baptism?
Does being baptized wash away sins?
What is the difference between what God expects and what some man says is expected of me?
Is there such a thing as absolute truth?
Why are some Baptist churches called “Fundamental Baptists”?

Ministries of The Hilltop Baptist Church

Adult and Youth Sunday School Scripture Studies on Sunday Morning
Youth Scripture Studies and Activities on Wednesday Evenings
Preaching Services Sunday Morning and Evening
Wednesday Evening Teaching and Preaching Services
Hilltop Livestream Church Services
Hilltop Baptist Academy
Baptist Old Paths Preparatory School
Breaking Of Bread Church Planting
Bus Ministry
World Messenger Outreach
Hilltop Publications
Hilltop Baptist Book Store (In house and online)
Hilltop Printing Ministry
Pastoral Counselling

The Overall Attitude We are Working to Achieve.

I Peter 5:2-4 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

Galatians 6:1-4 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

Our goal is to be:

A Baptist Church with people who want to see the next person receive Jesus as Saviour.
A Baptist Church seeking to honor only the words of The Scriptures.
A Baptist Church which puts doctrine before personal preference.
A Baptist Church knowing it consists of imperfect but redeemed individuals.
A Baptist Church of people who can chose to obey The Scriptures by their own free will.
A Baptist Church with a pastor, deacons, and staff, who force no one to serve against their will.
A Baptist Church with members, willingly working to hold to Scriptural standards which are far higher than ourselves.

A Brief Doctrinal Statement of The Hilltop Baptist Church

A printed Doctrinal Statement will only tell you what we “say” we believe. The basics to follow are not all that we claim to believe; but are the foundation for the many other Scriptural areas of belief and practice to which we desire to be faithful. Much more details are to follow these preliminaries.

The following statements are the absolute basics of what we believe.

We believe The Scriptures give many promises that God is responsible to preserve every word in a perfect copy of His Book for us to read. (Psalms 12:6-7)
We believe Jesus died, was buried, rose up from the grave, and offered His blood in Heaven to pay the price for the sins of all who will trust Him to save them.
We believe that any person can learn from the words of God’s Book, exactly what The Lord Jesus said, about the only way any soul will avoid Hell and gain Heaven. (John 3:3 John 14:6)
We believe there is only one kind of “…eternal salvation…” for all who will receive it. (Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 9:12)
We believe that before a person can know they are “saved,” that they first must understand what and where they are being saved from. (Revelation 20:13-14)
We believe that salvation must be obtained by asking Jesus, by name, for His “…gift…” of “…eternal life…”(Romans 6:23)
We believe that it is impossible for salvation to be gained by a person’s good works or deeds. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We believe that if a person is saved, the Holy Spirit is “…sealed…” in them and He can never leave. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
We believe that only those who have received Jesus as their Saviour can then be baptized in water. (Acts 8:35-38)
We believe that being baptized in water is God’s means of membership into His kind of churches. (Acts 2:41, I Corinthians 12:27)
We believe that the next world changing prophetical event to take place, will be that all who have received “…eternal salvation…” since the cross, and those alive who are saved now, will be called out and up at the sounding of “…the trump of God…” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
We believe that 7 years from that day, Jesus, as The Jewish Messiah, will then return to earth to establish His 1,000-year reign.
We believe God forces no one against their will; every soul has the liberty to believe and do as they choose; even if such decisions are not according to The Scriptures; but, all people, after death, saved or lost, will ultimately have to answer to God for their personal choices. (II Peter 3:9, Proverbs 1:29, I Corinthians 9:17)
We believe that when those basics are in order, that every “…born again…” (John 3:3, I Peter 1:23) person then has the opportunity to learn, grow, and enjoy God’s will for their lives.

Specific Doctrinal Beliefs

Please note, if you look up The Scriptures referenced, unless you read directly from the words of old King James copy of God’s Book, you will not fully understand what we “say” we believe.

Because we firmly believe that The Truth can not have two differing versions of itself, that necessitates that there has got to be one source of written truth from God.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Because it is impossible for there to be more than one ‘original’ of anything, we accept from the words of God’s Book that His only Original Book has always existed and is “…settled in heaven…” (Psalm 119:89, John 1:1-2)
We believe that The LORD, as The Creator and Master of Languages, by means of The Holy Ghost, and 44 chosen human writers, has taken the sole and personal responsibility, to transfer the exact words of His only Original Book, with respect to necessary language distinctions, into perfect copies to be read on earth.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Psalms 12:6-7

We believe that because The LORD has promised to “…preserve…” the “…words…” of His Book “…for ever…,” that means there cannot be two differing versions of His Word in English. (The same for copies in any other languages)

Note: Please consider this thought along with the words in the three verses of Scripture to follow. Because there are many so-called “versions” of the bible to date, of a book said to be authored by God; it is no wonder that there is so much “…confusion…” about beliefs and practices among churches.

I Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”

Our hope and prayer is, that you will look to “…Jesus the author…,” and see what He has written about His Book.

Definition of the word Author: “The primary sense is one who brings or causes to come forth. One who produces, creates, or brings into being. The beginner, originator, former, or first mover of any thing. One who composes or writes a book.”

Proverbs 22:20-21 “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make

thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send

unto thee?”

Note: God, The Author of His Holy Book, has never written another book that corrects, contradicts, changes, or compliments His original Book. But more over, He has never authorized or given authority to any Apostle, preacher, teacher, human author, man, women, infidel or publishing company….. to revise the Book of His own Authorship! He has however promised in His written Word, to preserve “…every word…” (Luke 4:4) of His writing, to every “…generation….”(Psalm 12:7) Those who have tampered with even one of the words He placed in His Book, had better consider His written promise to those who would dare attempt to edit or rewrite His Book for their own gain.

Proverbs 30:6 “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from

it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”

Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any

man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any

man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book

of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

We firmly believe that what any man, woman, or ministry, believes about The Book of God, that it will be their foundation for all other beliefs and practices.

The following is a more concise Doctrinal Statement of the Hilltop Baptist Church. It is fully believed by its Pastor, Deacons, and honest Members who have agreed to, or are in the process of learning this Doctrine.

The Written Book of God

We believe that all 66 books from Genesis to Revelation, and no others, to be the inspired, only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We know that The LORD used 44 Jewish men beginning with Moses and ending with The Apostle John, to copy out every word as written in God’s One “…settled…” (Psalm 119:89) Book which has always been in Heaven. We believe without doubt or reservation, that God has preserved all of His words for the English-speaking world in the Authorized King James Version of today and back to its 1611 printing.

II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for

correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all

good works.”

Psalms 12: 6-7 “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.”

God

We believe that God is three distinct persons, yet one in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. God has always been in existence in and of himself.

Psalms 90:2 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, even

from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Isaiah 44:6-8 “… I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God… Is there a God beside me?

yea, there is no God; I know not any.”

Jesus

We believe that Jesus Christ is God. We believe in His virgin birth; in His sinless life; in His miracles; in His substitutional death and atoning sacrifice for every individual; in His shed blood; and in His bodily resurrection.

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of

Peace.”

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,

and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the

keys of hell and of death.”

The Shed Blood of Jesus

Many seem to think that the blood shed at the events of Calvary has little importance in our salvation; but we firmly believe in the power and the absolute necessity of the blood of Jesus being shed for the sins of all sinners. It is not just His death that covers our sin, but His precious atoning blood.

Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no

remission.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins…”

Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

I Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot…”

His Bodily Resurrection

We believe that Jesus rose from the grave after three days, in an actual body.

John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.”

Acts 10:40 “Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly.”

His Second Coming for His Saints

Hopefully soon, God will call all who are born again, Jew and Gentile, at the sounding of the trumpet, and seven years after that, Jesus will return to this earth with His saints, to establish His 1000-year reign based in Jerusalem.

I Thessalonians 4:15-17 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain

unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [go before] them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,

to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

I Corinthians 15:51-53 “Behold, I shew you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be

raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruptible, and this mortal

must put on immortality.”

Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The Holy Ghost

We believe that the Holy Ghost is an actual person of the three-fold “…Godhead….” (Colossians 2:9) He is not just an influence. We believe that He as The Spirit of God, has a ministry at the present time of convicting the sinner, regenerating all who believe, trust, and ask Jesus by name for salvation. He indwells, seals, instructs, reproves, teaches and guides the believer. He fills and will control every life that is willingly yielded to Him, as they obey the words written in The Book of God.

John 14:16-18 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you

forever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth

him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will

come to you.”

Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…”

John 3:3-5 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, be cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can be enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [physical birth] and of the Spirit, [regeneration] he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Salvation

We believe eternal salvation is a gift paid for in full by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned by the doing of any form of good works or by personal merit. Salvation is offered to all and must be personally received by trusting and placing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that when a sinner repents after understanding he or she is a sinner condemned, and then turns in faith to the fact that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again from the dead to pay for their sins, and asks Jesus to save them from Hell; that they will then immediately receive the gift of eternal life and be born again. We believe salvation is eternal and cannot be lost.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life…”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “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.”

Titus 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him…”

I John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Baptism

We believe in water baptism by immersion for believers only after salvation. This is only to be to be administered under the authority of a local, individual, Baptist Church. We believe that being baptized is also God’s way for a born again person to become a member “…in particular…” (I Corinthians 12:27) of one of His kind of Churches. Baptism in water has nothing to do with a sinner being washed from their sins; but has everything to do with the beginning of a saved persons service to The Lord Jesus.

Matthew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Note: John “…the Baptist…” (13 times in Scripture) and The Lord Jesus, have set the example as to the only Scriptural mode of water baptism. God gives us no other means than that which He Himself practiced.

Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism…”

Acts 8:36-38 “And as they went on their way, they came unto certain water: and the eunuch said, see, here is water: what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to be still: and they went down both in to the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

I Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

I Corinthians 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

Separation from the World

We believe that a born again believer, as a child of God, has a Scripturally commanded responsibility to their Heavenly Father, to be and live differently in their manner of life than that of the rest of the world in their attitude, actions, and appearance. While we are not to present ourselves as pharisaical in dealing with those who do not yet know, understand, or practice this truth; we are to present ourselves as a holy and peculiar people before the eyes of The God who saved us from the penalty of the sin in which we once lived.

Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

II Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

I Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Separation from those professing to be saved; but are involved with doctrinally false ministries.

We believe that as members of a Scriptural Baptist Church, we must not join in with religious organizations of this world, Protestant churches, or with other Baptist churches that do not hold true to the “…doctrine…” of “…the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) Even with this strong stand for “…doctrine…,” our first goal is to “…restore…”those “…overtaken…” by falsehood.

Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…”

Acts 20:28-30 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

Romans 16:17-18 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrinewhich ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

II Timothy 4:2-4 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

II John 10-11 “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Jude 3-4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Family of God

We believe that every person who is truly born again becomes a member of the Family of God the moment they by faith trust and ask Jesus to save them from the penalty of their sin. We believe that these saved individuals must then be Scripturally Baptized in water under the authority of a doctrinally sound Baptist Church. Baptism makes them one of the “…members in particular…” in the kind of church “…purchased…” by the blood of Jesus. We believe that all Gentiles who are born again are adopted into the family of Abraham. We do not believe that all who are saved automatically become members in a “universal church.”

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all…”

Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Galatians 3:7 “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”

Ephesians 3:14-15 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…”

The Church

We believe that the kind of Churches that Jesus said He would build, have always been organized assemblies, of Jews and also Gentiles, who met in local physical places on this earth. These congregations, or churches have always been made up of believers before the cross, (such as Abraham) who exercised faith that Christ would come; and then also of Gentiles who now exercise the same faith back to the cross of Christ. The Lord’s kind of churches have always consisted of those who have united together by faith, and were organized under the authority and specific direction of the words and doctrine in The Scriptures.

We know that the kind of church taught in The Scriptures was definitely in existence long before the time of Matthew 16:18 and Pentecost. We believe that God established His first physical, local “…church…” according to the inspired words of The Holy Ghost in Acts 7:38, back with Moses.

Acts 7:37-38 “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us…”

We know that the Church in Jerusalem was made up of Jewish Believers who were already part of the “…one fold…”

John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

Jews from that Local Church at Jerusalem were commissioned and sent out to establish the Churches of the Gentiles. We believe that a true Church of this day, purchased by and belonging to The Lord Jesus, ought to be in doctrine, belief structure, and in practice, a Scripturally, doctrinally correct, individual, local Baptist Church.

I Timothy 3:14-15 “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know bow thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

We are NOT Dispensationalist in the “…doctrine…” we hold.

Dispensationalism is something which clearly has not been authorized by God. Those Baptists who are involved in such doctrinal falsehood, have been deceived into receiving and teaching a theological system of beliefs which came out of Ireland in the 1850’s, from the mind of an Anglican Priest. His name was John Nelson Darby. He was the first to use such terms as “Dispensationalism,” and “The Church Age.” Mr. Darby eventually joined the Plymouth Brethren; and after that, he became a Protestant Presbyterian. After that, through his trips to the United States, the father of Darbyism then met an American man named James Brooks. Mr. Brooks, also a Protestant, had a Presbyterian Bible School in the city of St. Louis Missouri. Brooks began to teach Darby’s false “…doctrines…” Then right around 1877, an attorney moved his practice to St. Louis. His name was Cyrus Ingerson Scofield. Mr. C.I. Scofield, an Episcopalian, is said to have had some sort of religious experience, and around 1879, he began to learn dispensationalism from James Brooks. Three years later, Mr. Scofield took a Congregational church in Dallas Texas and started a correspondence school. The curriculum of that school was based on the notes Scofield had gathered and written in his bible; which became widely used and known as The Scofield Study Bible. Those notes were taught to Congregational clergy students in his school. After C.I. Scofield died, that school then became the Dallas Theological Seminary; in which his notes formed the curriculum for the theological training of Denominational Southern Baptist theology students.

Question: Are Scriptural Baptists supposed to get their “…doctrine…” from the leftovers of Protestantism; or, were we commanded to keep “…the doctrine…” of “…the faith…” the same, as given by The Holy Ghost of God?

Jude 3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Romans 16:17-18 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrinewhich ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

This is only a small sample of the “…doctrine…” held and taught at The Hilltop Baptist Church. If you have questions, please contact us. Or, better yet, come and visit us this Sunday.