Our beliefs
At Echo Lake Baptist Church, we consider what we believe and teach to be very important.
It is true. The writers of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God as to what to write to communicate His love and plan for us. As we believe that it is from God, it is more than just a book about history or religion. It is our authority on how to know God and we can trust it completely. There is only one God who is infinitely perfect and more glorious than we can imagine. God created all that we can and cannot see out of nothing. He has always existed and has revealed Himself to us as three distinct and equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, He has existed for all time and lived His earthly life as both fully God and fully human. He was born of the virgin Mary and lived a perfect, sinless life and gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice so that we could be forgiven for our disobediance. He died a brutal death on a cross, and on the third day after his death He physically came back to life and will one day return as Ruler of all. The Holy Spirit is God and equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their brokeness and their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment we believe and confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He provides Christians with power- for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in following God's leading daily. When God created the first people, he made them in His image and had a close relationship with them. Through willful disobedience they lost that purity and friendship, and every person since has inherited a disobedient heart and nature. This disobedience, what the Bible calls sin, separates us all from God and keeps us from being the people we were created to be. Because of our disobedience and sin, there is nothing we can do on our own to earn forgiveness and regain that friendship with God. It is only as we believe in Jesus Christ, look to Him for forgiveness and accept His offer of mercy and grace that we reclaim that relationship and right standing with God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to that point of decision, and it is the Holy Spirit that gives us a new life in Him. Baptism is an outward symbol of what has happened on the inside. We practice baptism by immersion, which means you are dipped under the water and lifted back up. We believe this symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and is your public declaration that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. Baptism does not save you, but shows the world that you have already been saved. And while baptism is not required for salvation, it is a biblical command and demonstrates your love and obedience to Christ.What we believe about the Bible
What we believe about God
What we believe about Jesus
What we believe about the Holy Spirit
What we believe about human nature
What we believe about finding forgiveness
What we believe about baptism