God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven and will come again to judge the living and the dead, and to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

(Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthains 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:15; Titus 2:13.)

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation providing power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. 2

(Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-14, 16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18.)

The Bible is God’s Word to us and is how God speaks and reveals Himself to His followers. We believe the Bible is eternal and true. It was written by human authors fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is the primary source of truth for Christian belief and living. All that is essential to salvation and Christian living is found in the Bible. 

(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105, 160; Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5.)

It is impossible for any of us to reach our full potential on our own. In and of ourselves we lack the power to become better people. God, however, reaches out to us. Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must claim it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from their sin. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. 

(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; John 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1.) 

Baptism is the first act of obedience God asks us to do once we believe and decide to spend our lives following Him. Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward change. At Bethany Church of Lexington this is something we celebrate together as a church family. As a follower of Jesus, baptism is a public statement that your faith and commitment to Him is real. We are not called to live our lives alone, but to find a growing community with which to share life and experience. Through baptism we are asking our family of faith to walk with us in a way that brings Glory to God. Through baptism we are joined with the church and with Christians everywhere. Baptism is a symbol of new life and a sign of God’s love and forgiveness of our sins. Persons of any age can be baptized. Bethany Church baptize with water by sprinkling, or pouring.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one legitimate meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility or space owned, leased, or rented by this

church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman as their genders were determined by anatomy at birth (and not subject to change). Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines, and biblical positions will govern.

(Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Cor. 7:1-9)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined in (a) above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity, or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture and the courts, are contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity.

(Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

We believe that God creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, unchangeable genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and the rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

(Genesis 1:26-27)

Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal graciously, humbly, gently, and patiently with those who oppose us. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such actions.

(Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 John 3:17-18)