OUR BELIEFS

The Old and New Testaments are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Bible are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man.  The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning.  The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the Church.  (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21)

He is personal, spirit and sovereign; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness and love, wisdom and power; absolutely separate and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things; self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and people.  (Genesis 1:1; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7)

He is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and only Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person He became man by miracle of the virgin birth; thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, one Person with two natures; that as man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death upon the cross becoming there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose bodily from the grave and was glorified; that as our great High Priest, He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor.  (John 1:1-2; I John 5:20; Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:26-32)

The third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, seals, and anoints all who become children of God through Christ.  All children of God are baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation.  He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who daily surrender to Him.  (II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16-17; Romans 8:14-27)

That salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom all true believers have a present possession, the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance, and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.  (Ephesians 2:8-9; II Corinthians 5:21, 7:9-10; Romans 6:23, 10:9, 10, 13)

OUR STORY

On September 18, 1974, 25 people gathered in the home of Joe and Janice Hens­ley, at 1319 E. 53rd Street here in Long Beach. These people met to discuss establishing a fundamental, Bible-believing church in Long Beach. A mo­tion was made the next week to name the church “Gethse­mane Baptist Temple”. On December 12, 1974, Larry Webb was called as pastor of the newly chartered church. The church was organized on September 18 and was ap­proved as a non-profit corpo­ration on November 18, 1974.

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