Regular Arkansas Baptist Convention

 National Baptist Convention, USA

St. James is a gift driven Missionary Baptist Church led by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative and infallible Word of God and is our sole rule of faith and practice. It is the standard by which all-human conduct and creeds should be tried. We believe that there is only one true and living God who is manifested in three eternal and coequal persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God possesses holiness, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, love, mercy, and all other perfections. All humankind owes to Him supreme faith and obedience. We believe that humankind has been created in the image of God but through Adam's fall is now sinful, lost and condemned. By deliberate choice all participate in sin, which is open rebellion to God's law. Notwithstanding the fall, all human life through creation has value and dignity. We believe that human beings can be forgiven of sin and justified solely through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ who died for sinners and rose again from the dead. Only by repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord can acceptance with God be attained. We believe that regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit by which the believer receives a new nature from God. Christian growth or sanctification is the continuation of the new life principle, which begins, in the new birth. We believe that the church in its widest sense includes all believers of all ages. The church is manifested visibly in the local body of baptized believers who covenant together to worship, observe the ordinances, and evangelize. We believe that Jesus Christ will eventually return visibly at which time He will raise the dead and judge all people. Believers will enjoy an eternal state of blessedness in heaven while unbelievers will experience eternal separation from God in hell. We believe that the church has been called to preach the gospel so that individual people can receive salvation. Also the church is to become involved in the improvement of society by advocating Biblical principles, which confront poverty, racism, violence, and all forms of injustice against humanity. We believe that God's design is that man and woman either be joined together in a perpetual monogamous relationship or live in a single state. Extra-marital sex, adultery, fornication, and homosexuality are inconsistent with biblical teaching.