New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches
We, the messengers of the affiliated New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches, gathered in the Annual Meeting of June 13-15, 2017, do hereby resolve and declare the following resolutions:
I. APPRECIATION
WHEREAS, We have been blessed by the gracious hospitality of Maranatha Baptist University and Calvary Baptist Church of Watertown under the leadership of Dr. Marty Marriott and Pastor Bob Loggans, and
WHEREAS, The NTAIBC is undertaking an historic joint meeting with our Baptist brethren of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship, International, and
WHEREAS, We have been blessed by the ministry of the Word by a number of speakers from both the FBFI and NTA venues, and
WHEREAS, We are encouraged with the faithful ministry of our National Representative, Pastor Garry Thompson and his wife, Shirley;
BE IT RESOLVED, that we express our deep appreciation to all those who made the 2017 Annual Meeting of the NTAIBC a great spiritual blessing. May God bless all these for their faithful service.
II. SUPPORT OF OUR MILITARY CHAPLAINS
WHEREAS, There is a great need in our Armed Forces for men to fill the Office of the Chaplaincy, and
WHEREAS, The NTAIBC has seen the importance of being an endorsing agency for
fundamental Baptist chaplains in the military, and has established “Religious Requirements and Practices” for those endorsed chaplains to follow, and
WHEREAS, The chaplains endorsed by the NTAIBC for military ministry hold strong biblical convictions against the practice of homosexuality and desire to minister effectively to those who hold the same faith traditions, and
WHEREAS, There has been an attack on military chaplains regarding the use of the name of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ;
BE IT RESOLVED, that we continue to promote godly men to fill the Office of the Military Chaplaincy and support their right to minister according to their faith, moral convictions and biblical foundations.
III. EVANGELISM AND SOUL WINNING
WHEREAS, The Great Commission consists of proclaiming the Gospel, leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, baptizing converts in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching converts to obey all the commands of Christ (Matthew 28:16–20), and
WHEREAS, Jesus’ model for disciple-making entails being fishers of men (Matthew 4:19), and
WHEREAS, The discipline of evangelism is “soul-winning,” as the New Testament employs the words “winning” and “persuading” in regards to imploring unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls (1 Corinthians 9:19–22; 2 Corinthians 5:11, 20), and
WHEREAS, The soul of every person will spend eternity in hell unless that person believes the life-changing message of the Gospel (Matthew 7:21–23; Luke 16:19–31;Romans 10:14–15; Revelation 20:11–15);
BE IT RESOLVED, That NTA churches understand “evangelism” as the intentional, consistent, and verbal declaration of the Gospel to unbelievers in the power of the Holy Spirit; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we articulate the Gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins (1 Corinthians 15:3–4); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we acknowledge salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone, wrought by the Holy Spirit as people repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and confess Him as their Savior and Lord (John 14:6; 16:8–11; Acts 2:37–38; 4:12; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8; Titus 3:4–7); and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we encourage all pastors to present the Gospel in their public messages; and, we encourage congregations to prayerfully set goals to implement intentional evangelistic strategies to reach the lost.
IV. BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION
WHEREAS, In recent decades, there have arisen several moderating hermeneutical systems between classic Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology, including views espoused by New Covenant Theology, Progressive Covenant Theology, Promise Theology, and Progressive Dispensationalism ; and
WHEREAS, Some of these views, in varying degrees, abandon the normal interpretation of Scripture in favor of an allegorical method; and
WHEREAS, A single hermeneutical method is necessary to avoid the subjective interpretation of God’s word; and
WHEREAS, The normal interpretation of Scripture, when consistently applied, preserves the authority of the whole Bible and makes prophecy meaningful to its original hearers; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we commit to the normal interpretation of Scripture which is a central tenet of Dispensationalism, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we reject both allegorical and complementary hermeneutics, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we allow the Old and New Testaments to speak for themselves according to the principles of normal, grammatical-historical interpretation.
V. CHURCH PLANTING
WHEREAS, There is a great need for Bible-preaching, fundamental Baptist Churches to be started across the United States of America;
WHEREAS, The NTA has taken upon itself the mission of supporting church planter, Jon Pust, in Williston, North Dakota, on the Bakken Oil Field, and
WHEREAS, A strategy is needed for reseeding areas of our nation when good fundamental churches are not readily available, and
WHEREAS, The New Testament Association could function as a help to church planting by the local church in organizing resources not only of financial support but a network that could include such things as printing, advertising, legal issues, building support, expediting deputation, technology support and counsel of expertise available within the membership of our churches.
BE IT RESOLVED, That the Churches of the NTAIBC purpose to plant New Testament Baptist churches with a strategy for reseeding churches in their own vicinities.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the NTAIBC could become a tool for cooperation of church planters and prospective churches in order that we may see the strengthening of worldwide missions through the expansion of more churches making disciples for Christ.
VI. COMMITMENT TO A MINISTRY OF LOVE
WHEREAS, We the churches of the NTA recognize the clear instruction of scripture to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20, and
WHEREAS, We the churches of the NTA recognize that a vital ingredient in accomplishing this instruction is the simple obedience to the new commandment which Jesus gave. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34, and
WHEREAS, We the churches of the NTA recognize that the keeping of this new commandment is essential in order to be identified as his disciples in this world. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35, and
BE IT RESOLVED, That we the churches of the NTA will by God’s grace and mercy seek to walk humbly in all our relationships, especially as to believers within our own church family. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we the churches of the NTA will bring the good news of Jesus Christ to our communities from churches who genuinely love God and genuinely love one another. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23
NTA Resolutions committee: Wayne Vawter, Jerry Clark, Jon Pust, Scott Jones