BIG DARBY BAPTIST
We Believe
5 Solas of the Reformation
From the Cambridge Declaration of 1996

Sola Scriptura
We affirm Scripture as the inerrant and final authority for faith and life. God’s Word alone binds the conscience and reveals all that is necessary for salvation. No creed, council, or experience stands above the truth of the Bible, guiding us always. Amen. For all.

Solus Christus
We affirm that salvation is accomplished through Christ alone. His sinless life, mediating work, and substitutionary death fully secure our justification and reconciliation to God. The gospel is incomplete unless Christ’s saving work is proclaimed, believed, and embraced. In Him.

Sola Gratia
We affirm that salvation comes by God’s grace alone. The Holy Spirit frees us from sin’s power and brings us to life in Christ. Human effort or merit cannot achieve this transformation, for faith is God’s gift. Grace rescues, renews, and completely secures our hope. By His grace.

Sola Fide
We affirm that we are justified by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. His righteousness is imputed to us as the only grounds of acceptance before God. No human merit or institution can grant justification. Through faith, believers rest fully in Christ’s finished work.

Soli Deo Gloria
We affirm that salvation is entirely God’s work and therefore for His glory alone. Our lives are to be lived under His authority and for His praise. Worship loses focus when centered on self, for true devotion exalts God, honors His Word, and reflects His transforming grace.
Statement of Faith
God/Trinity
God is one in essence, three in persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—eternal, holy, loving, just, and sovereign over all creation, guiding all with perfect wisdom and power.
(Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, Acts 5:3-4, Psalm 110:1, Romans 8:28).
Scripture
The Bible is God’s inerrant, authoritative Word. It alone teaches faith and life, with faithful translations guiding the church, rejecting false books or King James Onlyism.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:7).
Creation
God created all things ex nihilo in six literal days. He is sovereign, able to do all things, and we reject evolution, gap theory, and day-age interpretations.
(Genesis 1-2, Exodus 20:11, Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 45:18, Colossians 1:16).
Fall/Original Sin
Adam and Eve’s sin brought all humanity into sin. Humans are depraved and in need of salvation through Christ, whom God draws to redeem His people by grace.
(Genesis 3, Romans 3:9-24, Romans 5:12-21, John 6:44, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Person and Work of Jesus Christ
Jesus is fully God and man, Messiah and Savior. He lived sinlessly, died, rose bodily, ascended, and reigns. His atonement alone reconciles sinners to God.
(John 14:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Mark 10:45, 1 Peter 3:18, Matthew 28:19).
Salvation
Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Humans contribute nothing; God alone rescues the sinner, granting repentance and faith as His gift.
(Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 1-5, 2 Timothy 2:25, John 3:18, Romans 4:5).
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit regenerates hearts, grows believers in holiness, seals them for redemption, and equips the church with gifts to build up God’s body.
(Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Cor 12:7).
Church
God’s people are called to worship and proclaim the gospel. The universal church includes all believers; the visible church gathers locally for worship and service.
(Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Hebrews 10:25, Revelation 5:9-10).
Ordinances
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are for believers only. They obey Christ’s commands, do not save, and we reject baptismal regeneration and transubstantiation.
(Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Acts 2:41, Acts 20:7).
Marriage
Marriage is God’s design for one man and one woman. Homosexuality and transsexuality are sinful. God blesses only biblically defined marriages.
(Genesis 2:18-25, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 5:31).
Eschatology
Jesus will return bodily, judge the living and dead, reward the faithful, punish the unrepentant, and establish the new heavens and new earth.
(Revelation 19-20, 2 Peter 3:13, Matthew 25:31-46, John 14:3, 1 Thess 4:16).