Our Purpose
Itasca Baptist's purpose is to glorify God through preaching the Gospel to the world, and guiding believers to maturity in Grace and Truth. Matthew 28:19-20, 22:37.
Our Doctrine
Bible: We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God, that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments, were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and were entirely free from error. 2 Timothy 3:16
God: We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect in all His attributes and eternally existing in three equal persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:14; 2 Corinthians 13:14
Christ: We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, and that in becoming man He did not cease to be God. He eternally existed with the Father and agreed to become a man, die on the cross, and rise bodily from the grave to satisfy the demands of His Holy Father. John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-8
The Holy Spirit: We believe in the absolute deity of the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church and in the world. John 16:13-14; John 14:16-17
Satan: We believe in the existence of Satan as the originator of sin and the arch-enemy of God. As a spirit being, he leads his demonic forces in continual attack upon the people and purposes of God. 1 Peter 5:8
Salvation: We believe that salvation takes place when the sovereign election of God and the obedient response of man come together. The Holy Spirit opens the heart of an individual to see their need of Christ's death as payment for their sin. We believe that salvation is a free gift of God and cannot be earned in any way. God forgives a person's sin, making them one of His children and giving them eternal life, when they turn to Him by repenting of their sin and trusting in the atoning death of Jesus Christ as their only basis of forgiveness. Romans 6:23; John 3:16
Resurrection: We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate. Acts 1:3; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 7:25-26
Heaven, Hell and the Return of Christ: We believe in the blessed hope: the personal, premillenial return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in Heaven (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7) the lost are raised to eternal torment in Hell in conscious separation from God. Matthew 8:11; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8
The Church: The true Church is comprised of all who through faith in Christ have become children of God. The true Church is manifested in specific locations called local churches whose purpose is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Ephesians 5:23-25
Missions: We realize that the cause of Christ extends beyond any one local fellowship, and commit ourselves to an ongoing ministry of extending the call of Christ to make disciples around the world. Matthew 28:19-20
