Lincoln Lake Baptist Camp Mission Statement

The Bible: The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself. Every word of Scripture is inspired (breathed out) by God. The Bible consists of sixty-six books, and as originally written is without error. It is completely sufficient and has supreme authority over the believer in all matters of faith and practice. God’s Word is the objective standard of what is true and what is right. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 17:17, Psalm 119:160).

The Triune God: There is one living and true God existing as three distinct persons in one essence: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. All three members of the Triune God are coequal and eternal. The Triune God is the Creator and is sovereign over His creation. The universe was created directly by God in six days. All people are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, the first parents of the entire human. Each person of the Godhead executes distinct but harmonious offices and activities in the great work of redemption. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Genesis 1:1-2:3, John 8:58, Acts 5:3-4, Ephesians 1:3-14).

God the Father: God the Father is an infinite, personal Spirit. He is self-existent, unchanging, eternal, perfect, all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. His ways are perfect, and He is perfect in all of His attributes including love, holiness, goodness, mercy, grace, truthfulness, faithfulness, and wisdom. God answers prayer, gives good gifts, provides for His creation, and disciplines those He loves. (John 4:24, Genesis 1:1, James 1:17, Psalm 90:2, Psalm 139:7-10, 1 John 3:20, Matthew 19:26, 1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 John 4:8, Psalm 103:8, Daniel 4:35, John 5:14-15, Matthew 6:33, Hebrews 12:3-11).

God the Son: Jesus is the one and only Son of God. He is eternal and pre-existed before taking on flesh in the incarnation. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to the virgin Mary. He is fully man and fully God. He died on the cross as the sinless, spotless lamb of God in order to pay the penalty for our sins, satisfy God’s wrath, and reconcile man to God. After dying on the cross Jesus was buried in a tomb for three days. On the third day Jesus physically rose from the dead, and later ascended to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our advocate and intercessor. Jesus is the Savior, the mediator between man and God, the head of the Church, the sustainer of all creation, and the King of the universe. (John 8:58, Micah 5:2, Luke 1:34-35, John 1:14, John 1:1, Romans 5:15, Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, 1 John 2:2, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 1 John 2:1-2, Romans 8:34, 1 Timothy 2:5, Ephesians 4:15-16, Colossians 1:17).

God the Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the agent of the new birth, seals new believers as God’s eternal possession, and indwells believers at salvation. He helps believers by convicting them of sin, helping them to understand God’s Word, and empowering them to resist the flesh. Believers are placed into the body of Christ through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of salvation. Believers are filled by the Spirit when they yield to His influence and control for holy living. Believers are given gifts for service through the Spirit. The sign and wonder gifts were instrumental in the early church for the authenticating of the message of the Gospel and the proclaiming of God’s revelation, but are no longer normative for today. (John 3:5-6, Ephesians 1:13-14, John 14:17, John 16:8, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:3-4).

Sin: Sin is a defection from God’s perfection in act, disposition, or state. Sin and evil entered the world through Satan, a fallen angel. On earth, sin originated with Adam’s disobedience in the garden. All people are born dead in sin, sharing both in Adam’s fallen sin nature as well as in his guilt, and are also sinners by choice. The penalty for sin is death. All people are born spiritually dead and separated from God, will one day physically die, and, absent God’s saving grace, are destined to face God’s just condemnation for their sin and suffer an eternity in hell. (1 John 3:4, Genesis 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10-18, Revelation 20:11-15).

Salvation: The only solution for sin is to trust in Jesus for forgiveness. At the cross Jesus paid the price for sin. By dying on the cross Jesus received God’s wrath on sin in our stead. We can receive forgiveness for our sin by placing our faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross. It is impossible to earn God’s favor and acceptance through our own good works; forgiveness comes entirely by grace through faith. Those who place their faith in Jesus alone are born again, purchased, declared righteous before God, reconciled to God, adopted as a child of God, unified with Christ, and set apart unto God. Believers are eternally secure, kept by the power of God and sealed by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, Colossians 2:13, Romans 3:24, Colossians 1:20-22, Galatians 4:4-5, Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Romans 8:29-30, John 10:28-29, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, Mark 12:28-31, Galatians 5:16-26).

Mankind: Mankind was created in the image of God. This image was distorted, but not destroyed at the fall. Every human life bears the image of God from the moment of conception, and therefore all human life is sacred. Partiality based on any parameters whether financial, cultural, racial, or by gender/sex, devalues another image-bearer and is contrary to God’s impartial nature. The only solution to partiality is through the reconciliation Jesus accomplished at the cross by tearing down the dividing wall of hostility. The Church is meant to stand as a shining example of the impartiality and unity that is only possible in the body of Christ. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and these two distinct, complementary genders/sexes together reflect the image of God. Marriage is a God-ordained relationship between one man and one woman that is intended to be a life-long commitment and is to exemplify the relationship between Christ and the Church. God intends the gift of sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and woman who are married to each other, and any sexual activity outside of these parameters is a violation of God’s will, of our identity in Christ, and thus harmful to all persons involved. (Genesis 1:26-27, James 3:9, James 2:1-13, Ephesians 2:14-16, Genesis 2:18-25, Ephesians 5:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

The Church: The universal Church is composed of all New Testament believers beginning at Pentecost, of which Christ is the head. The local church is a local body of baptized believers who have covenanted together and assemble for the preaching of the Word, the administration of the ordinances, worship, mutual edification, and discipleship. The mission of the Church is to make disciples. The local church is autonomous and includes the two offices of pastor/elder, and deacon. It is the expectation for New Testament believers to join and serve in their own local church. The Church is instructed to practice two ordinances: water baptism and communion. Water baptism is the full immersion of the believer and reflects the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus instituted communion as a commemoration and reminder of His death until He returns. The bread and the cup are pictures of Jesus’s body and His blood. The These ordinances have been given to the local church, and it is local churches that should practice them. Lincoln Lake Baptist Camp exists to encourage and support the ministry of the local church. (Acts 2:37-41, Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

Last Things: Believers are instructed to look forward to the imminent, personal, and visible return of the Lord Jesus. At Jesus’s second advent He will establish His kingdom on earth and rule from the throne of David. There will be a bodily resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. The wicked are destined for everlasting suffering in the lake of fire, and the righteous are destined for everlasting joy in the new heaven and the new earth. (Titus 2:13, Acts 1:11, James 5:8, Matthew 25:31, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33, Revelation 20:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:35-57, Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 25:46, Revelation 21:1-8).