“Emmanuel” comes from Isaiah 7:14. It is a Hebrew name meaning, “God with us.” Seven hundred years after Isaiah, Matthew applies the name to Jesus, as the ultimate fulfillment of God being with us. Jesus, as God’s Son, also took on Himself our humanity. His coming to be one with us is the means God uses to bring salvation to His people. We can never come to God. Being a Christian isn’t about earning God’s approval. It’s about God, all by Himself, doing everything necessary to rescue sinners.
By calling ourselves “Reformed,” we identify with the teaching expressed in the confessions of the 16th and 17th century as a result of the Protestant Reformation. The key ideas of the Reformation were captured in five Latin slogans:
- SOLA SCRIPTURA – The scripture alone is our final authority in every area of life because it is the Word of God.
- SOLA CHRISTI – Christ’s perfect life and atoning death in the sinner’s place is the only basis for our acceptance with God.
- SOLA GRATIA – Sinners are saved by God’s grace alone.
- SOLA FIDE – Faith alone is the channel by which sinners receive God’s grace.
- SOLI DEO GLORIA – All glory for our salvation must go to God alone.
By taking the name “Baptist,” we are stating our conviction that only professing believers should be baptized and become members of the local church. We are convinced of this because of the progression of the Bible from Old to New Testaments, the clear commands of Christ, and the example of the early church. Baptism is an outward visible sign that a believer is united to Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection.