at desert hills we believe in

The following are the core beliefs of Desert Hills Baptist Church based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

^{2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21}
We believe the Bible to be the very Word of God. As God’s Word, we believe that the Bible is without error and regard it to be the final authority for faith and practice. We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete revelation of God to man.

^{Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:7}
We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

^{Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8}
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.

^{Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5}
We believe that the Lord Jesus provided the one way of eternal salvation for man through His death on the cross and that He rose bodily for our justification.

^{John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14}
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. We believe that He indwells and seals believers unto the day of redemption.

^{Hebrews 2:1-4; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 1:22;12; 13:8; 14:21-22; Ephesians 5:17}
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to Christians that are to be used in a local body of believers. We believe that all believers are baptized into the body of Christ when they receive Christ and that it is the duty and privilege of believers to be filled with the Spirit.

^{Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19; Acts 16:31}
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but became alienated from God in Adam’s sin. We believe that man is unable to save himself, and can only be reconciled to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ, Who died and rose again to provide eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We believe that a sinner must be born into the family of God through personal faith in Jesus Christ in order to be justified (made right) before God and receive eternal life.

^{John 3:3-6; Acts 2:38, 41; Matthew 28:19-20}
We believe that baptism by immersion is an outward expression of an inward decision. No one could ever be born again by a physical act such as baptism, good works, or being confirmed. It is simply an act of obedience to be performed by the local church in order to profess one’s faith after salvation.

^{John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5}
We believe that all genuine believers in Christ are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever. We believe that the grace of God which brings salvation teaches the believer to walk worthy of his calling and that eternal security is never to be regarded as a license to sin.

^{1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; I Timothy 3:1-13}
We believe that a local church is a body of born-again, baptized individuals who assemble for the purpose of glorifying God, spreading the message of Christ, encouraging one another, and being built up through Bible teaching and preaching. We believe that each church is accountable to Christ and is free from any outside control or authority. We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the two Scriptural ordinances for the local church. We believe that the two Scriptural offices in the church are the pastor(also called bishop, and elder) and the deacon.

^{Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6}
We believe in the personal return of Christ, who will take believers from this earth prior to the Tribulation (a seven-year time of judgment on the earth). At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Kingdom. We believe that the Nation of Israel will return to a role of prominence during Christ’s Millennial reign.

^{Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6}
We believe that the souls of the Christians who die go immediately into the presence of Christ, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.

^{2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Romans 14:10; Hebrews 10:30-31; Matthew 24:14-50}
We believe that every Christian will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an account of his life and that this judgment will be a rewarding time for some and a reckoning for others.

^{Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15}
We believe that the souls of unbelievers who die remain in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment. After this judgment they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment and torment.

^{Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10}
We believe that Satan is a created being who rebelled against God and is the open and declared enemy of God and man. We believe that he will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.

^{Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:15-18}
We believe that God created the universe in six literal days. We believe that God the Son both created all things and also sustains the universe to this day.