We place our faith wholly in the Lord Jesus for our salvation.  We believe in the teachings and practices of the Baptists and in those great distinctive principles for which Baptists have ever stood.  We, therefore, band ourselves together as a body of immersed believers in Jesus Christ and adopt for our government and plan the following articles for worship and service.

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior,

And on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,

We do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Sprit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort.

To promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines;

To contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, and expenses of the church, and the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions, to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances;

To walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment.

To avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger;

To abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior;

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love,

To remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech;

To be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

The name of this organization shall be the “Olivet Baptist Church,” of Westwood, Shawnee Mission, Kansas.

The purpose of this Church shall be to glorify God by conducting a Baptist Church in accordance with the Word of God.

Section 1.  By furnishing its members a medium of cooperation.

Section 2.  By sustaining meetings for public worship, for prayer, Christian fellowship, Bible Study, Christian Education, Evangelism, and the development of the Christian character.

Section 3.  By creating and cultivating an interest in and devotion to missions at home and abroad; defending the Faith, and maintaining a good testimony for Christ in our community by godliness and good works.

Section 1. OF THE SCRIPTURES

We believe in the authority and the sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks.

We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed, and opinions shall be tried.

II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21

Section 2.  OF THE TRUE GOD

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent and sovereign Spirit, the Maker and Supreme ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

Exodus 20:2,3 I Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11; I John 5:7

Section 3.  OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, that He bears witness of the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer.

 John 14:16, 17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11;Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5,6; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49;Romans 8:14; Romans 8:16; Romans 8:26, 27.

Section 4.  OF THE DEVIL, OR SATAN

We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire.

Matthew 4:1-11; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10; Ephesians 2:2

Section 5.  OF THE CREATION

We believe that God created the world and the universe, and angels, directly; immediately and supernaturally without the use of pre-existent materials; that His work of creation was completed in six literal twenty-four hour days; that man was created by a direct work of God and not by naturalistic or theistic evolution; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve.

Genesis 1 and 2; Psalm 33:6,9; John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:16, 17; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 11:3 

Section 6.  OF THE FALL OF MAN

We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, are partakes of Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse.

Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 5:12, 19; Romans 1:18, 32

Section 7.  OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of Mary a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of woman, and that His is both the Son of God and God the Son.

 Genesis 3:15;  Isaiah 7:14;  Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:8; I Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9

Section 8.  OF SALVATION

We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior.

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation.  Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith.

Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7, 8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4:10; I Corinthians 15:3;   II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:24

Section 9.  OF RESURRECTION AND PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in his ascension into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us.    

Matthew 28:6, 7; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; I Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1; Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 12:2.

Section 10.  OF GRACE AND THE NEW BIRTH

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.  

John 3:3; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 5:1; John 3:6, 7; Acts 16:30-33;  II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1; II Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8

Section 11.  OF JUSTIFICATION

We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares righteous those who come to Christ in faith; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God’s righteousness; that the source of justification is God’s grace, its basis is the shed blood of Christ, its reception is by faith and its evidence is by works.

Isaiah 53:11; Acts 13:39 Romans 3:24, 28; Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; James 2:24

Section 12.      OF SANCTIFICATION

We believe that in sanctification believers are set apart from sin unto God and that this is accomplished in three stages, in positional sanctification believers have been set apart from the penalty of sin and has its basis in the shed blood of Christ; in progressive sanctification believers are presently being set apart from the power of sin by the Holy Spirit who uses the word of God to transform them into the image of Christ; and final sanctification when believers will be eternally set apart from the presence of sin at the second coming of Christ.  

Hebrews 10:10-14; Hebrews 13:12; I Corinthians 6:11; II Corinthians 3:18; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:25, 26; I Thessalonians 5:23; I John 3:2

Section 13.  OF ADOPTION

We believe that adoption is the gracious act whereby the Father, for the sake of Christ, places new believers into the honored position of mature sons, in contrast with regeneration whereby the believer receives the nature of God and becomes a child of God.  The full benefit of the position accorded by adoption as the sons of God awaits the glorification of the believer at the coming of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:13, 14; I John 3:1, 2.

Section 14.  OF THE SECURITY OF THE SAINTS

We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ.  

Philippians 1:6; John 10:28, 29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1.

Section 15.  OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are pastors, and deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the scriptures; we believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity.  We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final.

Acts 2:41, 42; I Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22, 23; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 15:13-18

Section 16.  OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relationship.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.  

Acts 8:36-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; I Corinthians 11:23-28

Section 17.  OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked that only those who through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem: all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are wicked in His sight, and under the curse: and this distinction holds true among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost.   

Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17, 18; I John 5:19; Romans 7:6; Romans 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 6:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21.

Section 18.  OF SEPARATION

We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate entirely from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy, unto God.

II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; I Thessalonians 1:9, 10; I Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; II John 9-11

Section 19.  OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the earth.

Romans 13:1-7; II Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; Acts 4:19, 20; Daniel 3:17, 18.

Section 20.      OF THE RESURRECTION, PERSONAL VISIBLE, PRE-MILLENNIAL RETURN OF CHRIST, AND RELATED EVENTS

(a) We believe in the Bodily Resurrection

Matthew 28:6, 7; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; I Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6

(b) The Ascension

Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 12:2

(c) The High Priesthood

Hebrews 8:6; I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:9, 10.                           

(d) The Second Coming

     (1) The Rapture

We believe in the imminent , pre-tribulational pre-millennial return of Christ for His Church, and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seventieth week of Daniel.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-54 Philippians 3:20, 21; Revelation 3:10.

     (2) Revelation

We believe that the Great Tribulation, which follows the Rapture of the Church, will be culminated by the revelation of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish the millennial reign.

Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6,7;Isaiah 11:1-9; Acts 2:29, 30; Daniel 9:25-27;Revelation 20: 1-4, 6

Section 21.  ISRAEL

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be re-gathered in the Holy Land, and, after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ.

Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37