Our Beliefs

We believe in one God, who is eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable. We believe He has one nature, one essence, and one substance, yet manifests Himself to man in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in every divine perfection and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Deuteronomy 6:4; I Timothy 1:17; James 1:17; I John 4:4).

We believe that man was created in God’s image and likeness, but has fallen into a sinful nature through his own free will. Because of man’s sinful condition he is under God’s condemnation and separated from God, unable to make himself righteous but that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We believe, therefore, that those who by faith receive Christ as Lord and Saviour will rejoice forever in God’s presence and those who refuse to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour will be forever separated from God. We also believe that because God created all men in His image and died for them, everyone’s life is sacred and worthy of respect. (Gen. 1:26-27, Rom. 5:12, 3:23)

We believe that salvation is the free gift of God received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. The redemption of mankind is only possible because of the shedding of Jesus’s sinless blood. Salvation includes man’s regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. We believe in the eternal security of every believer because they are redeemed by the full payment of the blood of Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 6:23, Heb. 9:22, John 3:16-18, John 10:27-30)

We believe that Heaven and Hell are real places. Heaven is a place of complete perfection that God has prepared as the eternal home of all believers and His angels. Hell is a place reserved for all Satan, demons, and all unbelievers for the purposes of everlasting torment. We believe that the believer’s spirit immediately goes to heaven at death while their body remains on earth, and that they will be rewarded according to their deeds at the judgment seat of Christ after the rapture. We believe that the unbeliever’s spirit immediately descends into Hades to be punished until the Great White Throne Judgement where they will then be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan and his demons for everlasting torment. (Luke 23:43, Matt. 25:46, 1 Cor. 5:8)

We believe that the BIBLE is the WORD OF GOD and that it is divinely inspired. We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration, that it is the only complete and final revelation of the will of GOD to man, and the supreme, infallible authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We use the King James Bible (Authorised Version) for all teaching and preaching. (Psalm 12:6-7; II Timothy 3:15-17; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:19-21).

We believe in the Church: a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that the local church is visible and its members are born-again believers in Jesus Christ, immersed on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that to those local churches we are committed, for perpetual observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and the enthroning of Him as Lord and Master. We believe that the human betterment and social improvements are the inevitable by-products of such a gospel, but we do not believe that a social gospel will save. (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 1:15; Acts 2:41-43; Acts 11:15; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 15: 51-58; Ephesians 1:12-14; Ephesians 5:25-30; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 3:4-15).

We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from any ecclesiastical or political authority; therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions with each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.

We believe that spiritual gifts are given to the church for the express purpose of winning the lost and edifying other believers. The Holy Spirit is given to each believer upon acceptance of Christ and His purpose is to exalt and bring people to Christ. Speaking in tongues was the least important of these gifts and was given as a sign for unbelieving Jews. That is why Derry Baptist Fellowship doesn’t teach or practise speaking in tongues.

We believe in the eternal security of all blood-bought individuals or believers and that such inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled and that each believer is kept by the power of God and nothing can separate us from Him, ourselves included. We believe that believers can lose the joy of fellowship with God, can grieve God and can quench the Spirit of God in him or her, but not lose his/her salvation.

We believe that Christ is the founder and head of the church. We believe that He promised to continue the work in and through the church that He started until He comes again. We believe that the ministry of reconciliation is committed to every believer and that every believer is a saint and priest with God who can be directly involved in the ministry.

We believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in their grammatical and historical context. We believe in the pre-tribulational Rapture of the church saints, followed by the seven-year Tribulation. We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth and His literal rule of one thousand years. Following this one thousand years is the Great White Throne judgment and then the new Heaven and new earth(I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Thessalonians 5:1-9; Revelation 19-22).