Joy Baptist Church

Joy Baptist Church is located in Orrville, Ohio. It is led by pastor Doug Wilcox. The church defines itself as an “independent, fundamental” and “bible believing church”.

## Joy Baptist Church

### Website

http://www.joybaptistchurchofwaynecounty.com

### Notable Members

Rodrigues Family, Dingus Family, Wilcox Family

## Beliefs

"Joy Baptist Church is an independent, fundamental Baptist church that stands firmly on the 1611 Authorised King James Version of the Bible. We do not stand on the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts that the King James Bible was translated from. The King James Bible is the very words of God for his people today."

### Statement of Belief

#### The Bible

We believe the The Holy Bible, The King James 1611 Authorized Version, is the inspired word of God, the written record of a supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content, the standard by which all human conduct, creed, and opinions should be tried, and is without error.

 1. Holy Bible: By the “Holy Bible” we mean the collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which God has preserved for the English speaking people in the Authorized Version of the King James Bible; they not only contain and convey the word of God but are the very words of God.(Ps.12: 6,7)

2. Inspiration: By “Inspiration” we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that the writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings. (2 Tim.3:16)

3. Faith and Practice; Joy Baptist Church embraces the Holy Scriptures (A.V. 1611 K.J.V.) as our ONLY authority in matters of faith and practice, should there ever be a conflict between the constitution and the clear writings of Scripture, the latter shall prevail.

#### The Godhead

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10,26).

#### The Person and Work of Christ

1. We believe the The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor 5:19-2 1; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

3. We believe that The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfils the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 7:25, 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

#### The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

1. We believe that The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).

2. We believe that He (the Holy Spirit) is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18, 5:18; 1 John 2:20,27).

3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).

4. We believe that the sign gifts of The Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary (died along w/the apostles). We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of The Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22, 13:8, 14:21-22).

#### Man is Morally Corrupt

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adams sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23, 5:12, 6:23 10:13; Eph. 2:1-3, 4:17-19; 2 Pet. 3:9).

#### Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

#### The Eternal Security and Assurance of the Believer

1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by Gods power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39: 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5).

2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of Gods word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

#### The Church

1. We believe in a universal and invisible Church which is entered into by an individual at the moment of salvation. The agent of this transaction is the Holy Spirit who baptizes that believer spiritually into the Church invisible: the Body of Christ. We reject the so-called Baptist Bride positions and their theories on the Church, Baptism, the nature of John Baptist's work, etc.

2. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16, 5:4-7, 13; 1Peter 5:1-4).

3. We recognize water baptism by immersion, and that baptism is a (figure) & testimony of our salvation and by no means a prerequisite to salvation (1 Pet.3:21). Also the Lords Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 5:7,8).

#### Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as NOT to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Cor 6:14, 7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).

#### The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent return of Jesus Christ for his bride (the Church) 1 Thess 4:13-18. v 17…”Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the dead in Christ) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”. He will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period . At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess.1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6).

#### The Eternal State

1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in a lake of fire.(Matt. 25:46; John 5:28,29, 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-15).

2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).

3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with the soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).

#### The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11, 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

#### Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, The Day-Age Theory and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural & heretical theories of origin. (Genesis 1:2; Exodus 20:11).

## Pastors

The head pastor of Joy Baptist church is Doug Wilcox, however the church allows several (male) members to preach quite often from the pulpit. The main preachers, aside from Doug Wilcox, include Lindsey Dingus and David Rodrigues.

## Missions

Joy Baptist Church offers Sunday school services as well as Wednesday night Bible study.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.joybaptistchurchofwaynecounty.com/about
2. ↑ http://www.joybaptistchurchofwaynecounty.com/statement-of-faith