What We Believe

Hobart Baptist Church seeks to be a worshiping, caring and accepting community of disciples under the calling of God and to be guided by the Holy Spirit in worship, learning and proclaiming salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
  1. Authority of the Scriptures
    The Bible is the inspired word of God and is the final authority in the determination of all matters, practice and policy. This includes any error or contradiction found in the Hobart Baptist Church Constitution.
  1. One True God revealed to us as three persons in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
    • Father
      As revealed to the prophets of the Old Testament and to Moses as “I Am”, the creator of the universe and the Father to everyone that obediently accepts His call.
    • Son
      Jesus of Nazareth brought into this world through the power of the Holy Spirit and born to the virgin Mary, revealing the truth of the Old Testament, teaching, healing and performing many miracles, was tortured and executed as the pure sacrifice for our disobedience to God but was raised from the dead so all people, Jew and Gentile, could be in relationship with God.
    • Holy Spirit
      The essence of God empowering people to understand God’s will, perform miracles in His name and to live according to His guidance and example.
  1. The second coming of Jesus Christ and the judgement of all humanity
    Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Jesus Christ will judge all people. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell with the Lord for eternity.
  1. The sinful state of man and the need for salvation
    The special creation of God made in His own image, male and female as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice, man disobeyed God and condemned the human race to separation from God. Only through God’s mercy and grace, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can man enjoy His holy fellowship and the creative purpose of God.
  1. Priesthood of all believers
    All Christians have an ongoing responsibility to learn about God, seek His will, read His Word, care for His church, pray for those who do not know Him and proclaim His word, fulfilling the duties of Old Testament priests. As Jesus Christ is our High Priest, there is no need to go through any religious hierarchy in order to achieve this and He has made us all priests. He is our head and we are the body, each with our own purpose and responsibility.
  1. Believer’s Baptism by full immersion
    The immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Jesus Christ. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.
  1. The Lord’s Supper (Communion)
    The Lord’s Supper has its origins in the Jewish Passover Feast celebrating the mercy of God and the delivery of the Jews out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Similarly, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are delivered out of sin to eternal life. Through sharing the elements of bread and wine, as commanded by Jesus, we remember the new covenant made by His crucifixion and resurrection.
  1. Membership of only baptised believers
    Only those that have demonstrated their obedience to Jesus Christ by being baptised by full immersion and professing their faith are eligible to become Members of the Hobart Baptist Church. Membership further signifies our separation from the world to become part of our new family, our commitment to this body of Christ’s people and our submission to one another in Christ’s name.
  1. Separation of Church and State
    We are required to submit to the laws and regulations of the State in which we live, just as we submit ourselves to God’s will. However, the State shall have no jurisdiction over the content or practice of services, likewise the Church shall not interfere with State governance except to represent the interests of the congregation.
  1. The autonomy of the local church
    Tightly linked to the priesthood of all believers, that we should not create a religious hierarchy between ourselves and Jesus Christ, each church is in its own unique environment and has its own part to play within that environment.