Our Beliefs

We believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. We believe it alone is the final authority in truth and practice. We believe in its original writing, it is inspired by God, infallible and inerrant.

Scripture: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105). "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

We believe there is one God, who has eternally existed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe these three are equally and eternally God. We believe Jesus Christ is God, the Son, the second person of the Trinity, who is 100% God and 100% man. We believe He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and died on the cross for our sins. We believe the shedding of His blood is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. We believe He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. We believe the Holy Spirit is God, the third member of the trinity, and God's active presence in the world to do God's work. We believe when a person opens his or her heart to Christ, he or she is born again by the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in the new believer's heart, transforming us from the inside out and empowering us to live a Spirit-filled life.

Scripture: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

We believe that Jesus Christ died for all humanity, not merely for a select few, and that God's love and Christ's sacrificial death extend to every person regardless of race, ethnicity, or social status. We believe that God has endowed every human being with the freedom to choose salvation through Jesus Christ, and that individuals possess the ability to respond to God's grace or reject it. We believe we are saved by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that salvation is a gift from God, not something we can earn. We believe salvation allows us to escape God's judgment so we can enjoy eternal paradise with God.

Scripture: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

We believe God created mankind without sin, but that Adam and Eve freely decided to rebel against God's rule, declared independence, and brought sin into God's good creation. We believe mankind's only hope is redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ. We believe repentance is turning away from sin and independence and turning to Christ in faith and dependence. We believe the Christian life is a transformational journey where as we learn to be with Jesus, we become like Jesus, and in time begin doing what Jesus did.

Scripture: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

We believe the church is the Body of Christ, representing Jesus in the world, empowered and gifted by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus together and to teach others to follow Jesus in order to experience abundant life and fulfill the great commission.

Scripture: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27). "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

We believe the Abyssinian Baptist Church operates as a self-governing body under the lordship of Jesus Christ, and that no external ecclesiastical authority, convention, organization, or government has the right to dictate our policies, practices, or beliefs. We believe the church is governed by its membership through democratic processes, where major decisions regarding church leadership, policies, finances, and direction are made by the congregation through prayer, discussion, and voting. This participatory governance reflects our belief that Christ works through the collective wisdom of His people and ensures that every voice in our community is heard and valued.

Scripture: "And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy" (Colossians 1:18). "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church" (Matthew 18:15-17).

We believe our church practices two sacred ordinances instituted by Jesus Christ. We believe in believer's baptism by full immersion in water, administered only to those who have made a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ, symbolizing death to sin and resurrection to new life. We believe in observing the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice, partaking of bread and wine (or grape juice) in remembrance of His broken body and shed blood.

Scripture: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4). "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me'" (Luke 22:19).

We believe Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. We believe through our faith in Christ, we too will be raised to new and eternal life.

Scripture: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay" (Matthew 28:6). "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11). "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5:1).

We believe the Holy Spirit is currently and actively working to equip the church today through a variety of spiritual gifts.

Scripture: "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10).

We believe in fundamental Religious Liberty, including the separation of church and state, maintaining that government should not interfere in religious matters, nor should religious institutions seek to control governmental functions. We believe every person possesses the God-given right to approach God directly without an intermediary, to interpret Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to worship according to their conscience. We believe in rejecting any form of religious coercion and affirm that each individual must freely choose their relationship with God.

Scripture: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's'" (Mark 12:17). "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

We believe that God created all people in His image and that every person has inherent worth and dignity regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or background. We believe the Gospel calls us to embrace the beautiful diversity of God's creation and to actively work toward inclusion, justice, and equality in our church and community. We believe our historic role in the Civil Rights Movement and our continuing commitment to social justice reflect Christ's call to love our neighbors as ourselves and to be agents of reconciliation in a divided world.

Scripture: "So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9). "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). 

These beliefs have guided the Abyssinian Baptist Church throughout our rich history in Harlem, from our founding in 1808 through our role in the Civil Rights Movement and our continued service to the community today. We remain committed to preaching the Gospel, serving our neighbors, and working for justice and equality while maintaining our foundational Baptist principles. Our doors are open to all who seek to worship God and grow in faith, regardless of background or circumstance.