Lakeland Baptist Church started in the Fall of 1957, when members of
the Walnut Street Baptist Church decided to begin a church on the east
side of Carbondale, Illinois. They prayed for God's will and timing.
They gathered a core group of people that would share the vision of
reaching the greater area of the Carbondale community. About 40 adults
attended Bible Study and Worship on February 2, 1958 - Lakeland's first
worship service.
Lakeland was "born" from
the heart of mission-minded people willing to take risks and step
out of their own area of comfort so God could be glorified.
What do we believe?
Trying to be brief when talking about the infinite God is quite impossible, but we always like a challenge. First of all, thank you for taking the time to investigate our beliefs. What a church believes is one of the most important things about her. We believe our doctrine should affect how we live.
On this page we will be brief so you can get a quick snapshot of who we are. If you need more information we have provided another page you can visit. If you still find you need more information, please call the church office and we would be glad to set up an appointment where we can meet you and explain our beliefs in more detail.
Lakeland Baptist Church is a cooperating Southern Baptist Church who holds to the Baptist Faith and message as revised in the 2000 printing of the Baptist Faith and Message. You can check out this statement of faith more in detail at www.tlogical.net/bapt2000.htm.
What we believe about Truth
Truth is not a bunch of logically-arranged statements or nicely-packaged answers to all the questions you ever wanted to know; rather, Truth is revealed to us through the Bible. We believe that all you need to know about God and how to live life are contained in the pages of the Bible. (II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:3-4). Truth is revealed through the person of Christ. He is the way the truth and the life.
The Bible is truth without any mixture of error. Whenever the Bible speaks on anything, it is accurate. Jesus affirmed his belief in the truthfulness of Scriptures when he spoke in Matthew 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Because Jesus affirmed the truthfulness of Scripture, we accept it to be truth. The Bible is our source of authority for all that we believe about God, man and creation.
What the Bible teaches about God
There is only one God, not many. To quote a great writer, “There are two sure things in life; There is a God! You are not Him!”
God has revealed himself to us through the person and work of Christ. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. If you want to know what God is like, look at Christ as seen in the Bible, and you will have a very good idea.
What we believe about mankind
Man is the creation of God, not the result of millions of years of mutations that eventually make their way into becoming human. Man is created in the image of God and finds his highest purpose in worshipping his Creator.
Though created in the image of God, man chose to consciously rebel against God. As a result, sin entered the world and death and disease followed immediately upon the fall of man. Since the fall the universe has been given over to corruption and decay. This is the reason there are wars and famines and suffering.
What we believe about salvation
Man in his fallen state cannot experience the joy of all that God has for him. Without turning from his sin and repenting, he can never know the full joy for which he was designed. Salvation occurs when people are made aware of their sinful condition before God, and they understand that there is nothing to do escape the full judgment of God. Without God acting to bring them to repentance, they will not come because they are so polluted by their sinful nature.
God, in his grace, calls man to come alive by His mercy alone. Salvation is the free gift of God to those whom God calls to come to faith in Christ. Apart from God’s working, no one would ever come to Christ.
When people are made right with God, they are made right by the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. We believe that Jesus took the guilt and punishment of our sins on His body on the cross. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness, we will be fully accepted in the family of God. This acceptance is permanent and can never be undone because it is a work of God from beginning to end. In a world of meaningless guarantees, this is the only thing you can count on.
The most important question you will ever answer is “What will you do with Jesus who is called Christ?” If you live your life without Christ, you will never experience full joy. With Christ you will experience a growing sense of joy that will never fade in this life or in the next. Our Lord said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We invite you to consider the claims of Christ and join us as we seek to live for the glory of God so others may know the real pleasure that is to be found in a relationship with Christ.
For further information, please check out our other pages at our website about our beliefs and practices.