What We Believe
1. The Scriptures: We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were written by men and inspired by God; that they are true and without error; that they are clear for the formulation of Christian doctrine and belief; that they are the only authoritative and sufficient rule for Christian faith and practice.
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2. God: We believe there is one God, and only one living and true God; within the one God there are three persons sharing in the divine nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each person is eternally distinct from the others, yet without division of the divine nature, essence, or being; the triune God is eternally sufficient in and of himself, immutable in nature and attributes, sovereign over his created world and beings; he is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, remaining righteous, just, and holy; his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways are incomprehensible.
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3. The Fall of Man: We believe God created man and woman in his image, free from sin; by their voluntary disobedience to the command of God, they fell from their original innocence and righteousness; whereby all humanity is now marred with sin and opposed to God, and are deserving of righteous condemnation, leading to eternal ruin.
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4. Election: We believe election is God’s eternal choice of particular people to inherit everlasting life, not due to foreseen faith or foreseen merit, but of his mercy in Christ and his purpose to work all things according to the counsel of his will to the praise of his glory; the elect will be regenerated, justified, and glorified–in such way that human responsibility is not diminished.
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5. Regeneration: We believe that regeneration, the new birth, is necessary for the salvation of sinners; regeneration is the transformation of the heart, enabled and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit, who brings the dead soul to spiritual life, enlightening their mind to understand and respond in faith to the gift of salvation, renewing their whole nature into conformity with Jesus Christ; this is a work of God’s free grace.
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6. Repentance and Faith: We believe that repentance and faith are inseparable responsibilities, necessary for the salvation of sinners, enabled and empowered by the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit; that in repentance, people are convinced of their sin, guilt, and helplessness, and in response, commit to following God in a manner pleasing to him; that in faith, people believe his word, accepting and trusting in Christ alone for salvation and eternal life.
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7. Atonement: We believe the atonement is God’s chief act of redemption in Christ Jesus, who in his life, fulfilled the law’s demands, and in his death, satisfied God’s penalty for sin; by his atonement, reconciliation and peace with God were achieved for all who believe in Christ.
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8. Justification: We believe Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal from sin to all who believe in Jesus Christ; by a single act, in which God declares sinners righteous by Christ’s perfect obedience and payment for sin, sinners are declared righteous; this is a gift of God received by faith.
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9. Sanctification: We believe that Sanctification is the process by which we are conformed to God’s holiness; that it is initiated at regeneration and that it is a progressive, life-long work carried out by the Holy Spirit, who secures and sustains believers unto everlasting life.
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10. Preservation of the Saints: We believe all those whom God justifies through faith in Jesus Christ will never fall away from salvation but will be preserved unto eternal life, and though they may stumble through sin and temptation, they will be renewed unto repentance and kept by the power of God, unto salvation.
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11. The Church: We believe the church is a congregation of baptized believers, covenanted together through faith in Jesus Christ, preaching and hearing of the scriptures, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper, and obeying Christ’s commands; Jesus Christ, the church’s head and authority, has entrusted the congregation with authority to govern, Elders or Pastors with the responsibility to teach and shepherd, and deacons with the ministry of service.
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12. Baptism: We believe Baptism is a commanded ordinance of the church for all believers, wherein we are immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; this is a symbol of our union in Christ through his death and resurrection, the remission of sins, and the newness of life in the Spirit.
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13. The Lord's Supper: We believe the Lord’s supper is an ordinance of the new covenant to be observed by the church, wherein believers proclaim the Lord’s death by eating the bread and drinking the cup; this is a symbol of Christ’s sacrificial body and blood.
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14. The Lord's Day: We believe the Lord’s day is the first day of the week, Sunday, and that it commemorates Christ’s resurrection from the dead; it is to be set apart for, public and private, worship and devotion to the Lord.
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15. The Liberty of Conscience: We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience and that we are free from any doctrine or commandment contrary to his word; the Civil Government is appointed by God for ordering and legislating the world, and when in accord with God’s word should be obeyed; if in conflict to his word, Christians must obey God rather than men.
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16. The Future Resurrection: We believe that our bodies return to the dust after death; at death, our spirits go to be with the Lord until our bodies are raised at the final judgment of the just and the unjust.
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17. The Final Judgement: We believe God has appointed a day where he will judge the world in Christ Jesus; the righteous will receive their glorified bodies and an eternity with the Lord in the New Heavens and New Earth; the unrighteous will be consigned to everlasting torment in Hell.
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18. Gender and Sex: We believe God created man and woman, male and female, in his image and likeness, equally valuable and worthy of life, dignity, and respect; men and women, as seen in God’s original creation, are divinely designed with immutable distinctions for humanity’s flourishing.
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19. Marriage: We believe God designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union between one man and one woman, husband and wife, as seen in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve; this signifies the covenant union between Christ and his church.
Long Run Baptist Church was formally organized in 1794, however, its history goes back much farther. It had been a place of worship since 1780 for the Hughes Station-Long Run Settlement. Long Run Church became a member of the Salem Association of Baptists in 1797. The first church building was a log cabin built prior to 1786. It stood in the same area that covered by the front portion of the present structural remains. Some time before 1800, the church built a stone meeting house on the site of the log structure and within the enclosure of the community burying ground. Sometime between the first Sunday in September 1844 and the first Sunday in October 1844, the stone building was demolished. Some of the stones from the building's walls were used for the foundation of the present structure. This building was completed and dedicated in 1845. It was in the old stone meeting house of the Long Run Baptist Church that Long Run Association of Baptists was organized in September 16, 1803.
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Long Run Baptist Church has since then sought to glorify the Lord in all areas of their congregation.
