The Word incarnate is Jesus Christ and the Word inscripturated is the Bible. We hold that the Bible is the sole and sufficient authority for faith and practice, inspired and inerrant in the autographs, and consisting of the 66 books known as “the Bible” in the English language. The canon of the books of the Bible was not the result of any church council or meeting of scholars, but rather the people of God (Israel in the Old Testament, the church in the New Testament) immediately recognized the God-breathed quality of those writings and incorporated them into the previously existing Word of God, directed by God Himself. (II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20,21; Deut. 31:26; Josh. 24:26; II Pet. 3:15,16)
We acknowledge that there is a long and illustrious history of the copying and translation of Scripture into English as well as other languages, and we honor that heritage. we acknowledge the role that the King James Version - among the most honored of translations, - has played in the ecclesiastical and cultural history of the English-speaking world. However, other translations completed since 1611 have used better manuscript evidence, better textual criticism methods, and better and more contemporaneous translation techniques.
The preaching and teaching of the Bible occupy the central position in our thinking, work, church life, and spiritual growth. The Word is the Spirit’s sword, the sole source of all our doctrine, and the critical element of our faith and sanctification. (II Tim. 4:2; Acts 20:32; Jn. 17:17)
Our exhortation to teachers and preachers of the Word is to use sound, tried and true hermeneutical practices in the development of material for preaching and instruction. What this means is that we teach and utilize the literal, grammatical, historical, dispensational, and textual approaches to interpreting the Bible. This entails an appreciation of the original languages of the Bible. This further naturally results in a homilitecal technique that is textual/expository. We place great emphasis on developing the art of preaching: we earnestly desire that the man of God understand and correctly handle the Word of God and preach it with clarity, accuracy, power, and passion. We believe that God is still in the business of using faithful, skillful, and insightful preaching to bring men, women, and children to the knowledge of the truth and to build them up as saints of God.
Pastor Laurence Brown
First Baptist Church
North Conway, New Hampshire
www.firstbaptistnorthconway.org