About
Hermon Baptist Church is an Independent Bible believing and preaching Baptist Church. We are located in Hermon, Maine on Route 2 west of Bangor. The purpose for which this Church is established and ordained shall be to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; to proclaim the Gospel in a world-wide program of missionary fervor and evangelism in obedience to the final command of the Lord Jesus Christ; to buildup its constituency in the most holy faith; to provide regular services for public worship, prayer, praise, and the edification of the saints; and to maintain and promote the spiritual, educational and charitable interests of the Church (Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 10:23-25)
The Bible
WE BELIEVE that the Bible, comprised of 66 books of the Old and New testaments in their original autographs, were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and therefore are wholly without error. We believe the Bible is supreme revelation of God's will and message for man and is the final authority of faith and practice (Proverbs 30:5,6; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:18, 19). For uniformity purposes, we use the King James Version (1611) in all services, teaching and Scripture memorization.
The Godhead
WE BELIEVE that there is but one God, Creator, Preserver and Ruler of all things. Who is perfect in holiness, in love, infinite wisdom and measureless in power, and Who reveals HImself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5; I Corinthians 29:11, 12; Nehemiah 9:6; Matthew 28:19, 20; I Corinthians 8:5, 6; II Corinthians 13:14, Colossians 1:16, 17; I John 5:7).
God the Son
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Triune God Who became man without ceasing to be God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man and is the only sufficient Mediator between God and Man (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4; I Timothy 2:5, 6).
God the Holy Spirit
WE BELIEVE in the absolute essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit Who convinces the unbeliever of sin, righteousness, and judgement. The Holy Spirit regenerates, sanctifies, iluminates, guides, comforts, seals baptizes, indwells and desires to fill (control) all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord (John 3:3, 6, 7; 14:16, 17,26; 16:8-11; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18: 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14). The evidence of being filled with the Spirit is joyfulness, thankfulness, and submissiveness and the fruit of the Spirit as taught in Galatians 5:22,23; Ephesians 5:18 - 6:9 and Colossians 3:16 - 4:1.
We reject the teaching that the baptism of the Holy Spirite is an experience subsequent to conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13) and that the gift of tongues is or ever was the common or necassary sign of Spirit-baptism or Spirit-filling (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:18-21).
We reject the teaching that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13) and that the gift of tongues is or ever was the common or necessary sign of Spirit-baptism or Spirit-filling (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:18-21). We believe that the gift of tongues was but one of many spiritual gifts in operation in the early Church. We believe that, instead of being the most important gift, it was the least of the gifts. We believe that the purpose of the gift ceased after the destruction of the temple and with the completion of the New Testament Scriptures (1 Corinthians 12 and 14).
We believe God has the power to heal and has demonstrated that power throughout history (John 5:9, Acts 4:8-11). We do not believe, however, that healing is part of the atonement (Romans 8:18-25; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), nor do we believe that so-called "Divine Healers" are God's method for today. We also believe that the gift of healing, like tongues, miracles and prophecy, was a temporary gift for the establishment of the Church and a means of authenticating the apostles. James 5:13-16 is the Scriptural approach for healing in the Church today.
Man
WE BELIEVE that man was divinely created in the image of God by direct creation; that man sinned, incurring both spiritual and physical death resulting in total depravity; thus, we believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed (Genesis 1-3; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-18, 23; 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-3).
The Resurrection
WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of the crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ; in His ascension into heaven; and in His present office as High Priest and Advocate (Matthews 28:6, 7; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1, 2)
Salvation
WE BELIEVE the Scriptures teach that salvation of sinners is wholly of God's grace through the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ; it is wholly apart from man's works, and is upon the sole condition of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that in order to be saved, the sinner must repent of sin and be born again, being regenerated by the Person and power of the Holy Spirit and thus becoming a recipient of a new nature called the Divine nature. We believe that justification of the sinner includes pardon of sin and the imputing of Divine righteousness and sanctification solely through faith in the Redeemer's shed blood, secure eternally in Jesus Christ (John 3:3-16; 10:27-29; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Ephesians 2:8-10; Colossians 1:14; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:5, 18, 19; 2 Peter 1:4).
Future Events
WE BELIEVE in that 'Blessed Hope,' the personal, imminent, pretribulation and premillennial return of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to the earth with the Church (His Bride) to establish his Millennial Kingdom on earth and to rule and reign over it (Zechariah 14:3-11; John 14:2,3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
Satan
WE BELIEVE Satan is a distinct personality, that he is the "god of this world," the author of all powers of darkness and sin; who is full of all subtlety and mischief, who seeks continually to hinder the purposes of God and to ensnare the sons of men. His judgment and destiny is the Lake of Fire forever and ever with which God prepared for him and the fallen angels (Isaiah 14:12-15; Exekiel 28:14-17; Matthew 4:1-11; John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10).
The Church
WE BELIEVE that the Church, which is the Body and espused Bride of Christ, is a spiritual oranism made of born again persons who are called into a life of separation from worldly and sinful practices that will bring reproach upon the person of Christ and cause others to stumble. We believe the local Churc is a soverign, independent body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and privileges under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Chruch (Acts 2:41-42, 46,47; 14:27; 20:20; Romans 12:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25-27; Colossians 3:1-3, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 John 2:15, 17).
Ordinances
WE BELIEVE the Lord has given two ordinances to the Church:
Baptism: The Lord commands every believer to be baptized and that the only Scriptural mode is immersion in water. Baptism has no saving merit, but does show forth in testimony the solemn and beautiful symbol of the believer's faith in and union with the crucified, buried, and risen Savior (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:18-20; John 3:23; Acts 8:36-38).
The Lord's Supper: The memorial wherein the believer partakes of the bread and the juice, which are symbolical of the broken body of Christ and his shed blood. The Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and such observance is to be preceded by solemn self-examination (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28).
Giving
WE BELIEVE the proper method of financing the work of the Christian Church is by the personal, voluntary, regular systematic and proportionate giving to the support of its program. This is best accomplished as the Scriptures teach by the tithing of the income and the presenting of an offering unto the Lord (Genesis 14:19, 20; Proverbs 3:9; Malachi 3:8, 10; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Hebrews 7:1, 2, 6, 9).
The Eternal State
WE BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection of the just, and the bodily resurrection of the unjust; the just to everlasting life, and the unjust to everlasting punishment; a literal Heaven and a literal Hell. We believe that the soul fo the redeemed is, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord in conscious bliss awaiting the first resurrection. We believe that the soul of the lost remains, after death, in conscious, misery until the second resurrection, to appear before the Great White Throne Judgement and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:47, 48; Luke 16:19-26; John 5:24-29; Acts 24:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, 51-57; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 6, 7; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15, 21:8).