PART I

I - THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

​

The Holy Bible, our only and all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, was written by divinely inspired men and is the record of God's personal revelation. It is a perfect treasure of Divine instruction. It has God as its author, the salvation of man as its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, as its content. It reveals God's plan for our Salvation and the principles by which God will judge us. It is the absolute authority and supreme standard by which all human conduct, religious opinions, and creeds themselves must be tested. It is also, as a revelation of Jesus Christ, the center of true Christian unity.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Samuel 23:2; Acts 1:16; Proverbs 30:5-6; John 17:17; Romans 3:4; Revelation 22:18-19; 1 Cor. 4:3-4; Luke 10:10, 16; 12:47-48).

II - GOD

There is only one true and living God; An infinite, intelligent, spiritual personal being: the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Lawgiver of the universe, worthy of the purest love, reverence, adoration, and obedience. The Eternal God reveals himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, being or essence.

​

1. God the Father

​

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures and the course of human history, according to the purposes of His grace. He is almighty, perfect in love and wisdom. He is truly Father to all who accept Jesus Christ, his Son, as their personal Saviour.

​

2. God the Son

​

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He perfectly revealed and accomplished the will of God, taking upon himself the demands and needs of human nature and identifying himself completely with the humanity he came to redeem, albeit without sin. He honored the Divine Law by His personal obedience and in His death on the cross provided for man to expire from his sins. He was resurrected with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples visibly, audible and palpably. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted to the right hand of God, as the only Mediator, a partaker of the nature of God and man, in whose person reconciliation with the Father is effected. He will come a second time in power and glory to judge the world and consummate His redemptive mission. Jesus Christ now dwells in all believers as the living and eternally present Lord.

​

3. God the Holy Spirit

​

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. It was He who inspired the holy men of old to write the Scriptures. It enables man today to understand the truth through his enlightenment. Exalt Christ as Lord. Convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He invites men to the Savior and effects regeneration. It cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, indwells them, and bestows on them spiritual gifts through which to serve God in His Church. It enlightens believers and empowers them for worship and evangelistic service.
(John 4:24; 15:26; Psalm 83:18; Heb.3:4; Romans 1:20; Jeremiah 1:10; Exodus 1:11; Isaiah 6:3; I Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4: 11; Mark 12:30; Matthew 10:37; 28:19-20)

III - THE MAN

Man was created by God in His image, as the crown of His creation. He was in the beginning innocent and sinless, being endowed with freedom of choice. In the exercise of his liberty man sinned against God and by willful transgression fell from his primitive state of holiness, bringing sin upon the whole race. His posterity consequently inherited a sinful nature, so that all became transgressors, being under condemnation.
Only God's grace can restore man to His holy communion and enable him to fulfill his Creator's purpose. The dignity of the human person is revealed in the fact that God created man in His own image and in the fact that man is the object of His infinite love, to the point that Christ died to save him, despite being a lost and hopeless sinner.
(Genesis 1:27,31; 2;16; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Acts 17:26; Romans 5:21;15-19; John 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:3; Ezekiel 18:19 -20; Galatians 3:22).

IV - SALVATION

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man. It is offered spontaneously and freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, who by the Father's decree voluntarily took on human form, making complete atonement for our sins through His death. In a broader sense, salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
Regeneration, or new birth, is the working of God's grace by which believers become new creatures in Christ. It is a change of heart produced by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of divine grace, which give life a new direction. Justification introduces us into a state of peace and favor which secures for us all necessary blessings in this life and hereafter. The perfect righteousness of Christ is freely imputed to us by God.
Sanctification is a spiritual process that begins at regeneration and aims at the perfection of the believer, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in him.
Glorification is the fullness of salvation and the blessed final state of the redeemed.
(Ephesians 2-5; 1 John 4:10; I Corinthians 3:5-7; John 3:16; Isaiah 53:4-5; Hebrews 7:25; Colossians 2:9; Ephesians 3:8; Romans 5:1 -22,9; 3:24-26; Revelation 22:17; Acts 17:30; Mark 1:15-17; John 3:19;5:40; John 3:3,6-7; Revelation 7:13- 14; Ezekiel 36:26; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 5:1,4,18; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:9-11; Hebrews 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:3;5;: 23; Ephesians 1:4; 11-12; 6:18; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2).

V - THE PURPOSE OF DIVINE GRACE

Election is the purpose of God's grace whereby He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies the repentant, believing sinner. It is perfectly consistent with man's free choice, being the manifestation par excellence of the sovereign goodness of God, infinitely free, wise, holy and immutable. All true believers are safe in God's hands. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by his Spirit will never fall from their state of grace, but will be kept to the end.
(2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 4:7; Romans 3:27; 8:28,30; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Peter 1: 10-11; Philippians 3:12; Hebrews 6:11; Romans 8:28; Matthew 6:30-33; Philippians 1:6, 2:12).

VI - THE CHURCH

A church of Christ is, according to the New Testament, a local body of baptized believers, identified with one another by the confession of the same faith and united by the same covenant in the communion of the Gospel. It is a congregation of baptized believers governed by the laws of Christ, who observe His ordinances, practice His teachings and exercise the gifts, rights and privileges invested by the Divine Word, in order to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. . It is an autonomous community of democratic government under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Its officers are, according to the New Testament, pastors and deacons. All its members have equal rights, privileges and responsibilities.
The church in a general sense is, according to the New Testament, the body of Christ, including all the redeemed of all times.
(Acts 2:41-42; 13:23; 15:22; 1 Corinthians 14:12; 2 Corinthians 8:5; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1).

VII - BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER

Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience that symbolizes their faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior. It also represents that the convert died to sin, his old nature being buried and his resurrection to a new life in Christ. This symbolic act of witness must precede the believer's entry into the fellowship of the church, for, as the ordinance of the Lord, it constitutes him as a partaker of all membership privileges and gives him access to the Lord's Supper.
The Lord's Supper is also an act of obedience whereby church members partake of the bread and wine, commemorating the death of Jesus Christ together and pointing to his second coming. This local church ordinance also represents our spiritual communion with Him, our participation in His death, and the living witness of our hope.
(Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39; Matthew 3:5-6; 28:19; Galatians 3:27-28; Romans 6:-4; Colossians 2:12; Luke 22:19-20, Mark 14:20-26; Matthew 26:27-30; 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; John 6:35).

VIII - THE DAY OF THE LORD

Sunday, the Lord's Day and the first of the week, is the day on which the believer celebrates the resurrection of Christ, rested from his secular activities. It must be devoted to the exercise of worship, witness and other forms of spiritual service, both public and private.
(Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2; Revelation 1:10).

IX - THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The kingdom of God includes His general sovereignty over the universe and over all men who spontaneously and voluntarily acknowledge Him as King and Lord. All believers should pray and strive for the kingdom of God to come in fullness and His will to be done on earth. The full consummation of His kingdom awaits the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the present age.
(Matthew 3:2; 5:3-6; 6:9-10,33; 18:1-3; 28:19; Mark 1:14-15; 4:27; Revelation 5:1 Romans 14:17) .

X - THE LATEST EVENTS

God, in his own time and in his own way, will bring all things in this world to their proper conclusion. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory, according to His promise. The dead will rise and Christ will judge all men righteously. Those who persist in unbelief and impenitence will receive their eternal punishment in hell. The saved will enjoy eternal bliss in their resurrected and glorified bodies, and will dwell eternally in Heaven with the Lord.
(Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 18:8; 23:42-43; Acts 1:7-11; John 3:36; 12:25-26; Psalm 10:4; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Corinthians 6 :9-10; 15:50-58; Hebrews 1:10-12; Matthew 13:37-43; Luke 14:14; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 22:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; II Thessalonians 1:6-12; Romans 2:2-16; 1 John 4:17; Revelation 20).

XI - EVANGELIZATION AND MISSIONS

It is the duty and privilege of all churches, and of every believer in particular, to strive to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man's spirit by the Spirit of God also gives birth to love for others. The missionary effort is repeatedly and expressly commanded in the teachings of Jesus, grounded in a spiritual need of the regenerated life. It is, therefore, the duty of every child of God to seek to win souls to the Savior by personal witness and by the use of all means consistent with the Gospel of Christ.
(Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 9:1-6; 10:1; 24:46-48; John 15; 16; 17:11-20; Acts 1:8;4: 33; 14:21-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 2:1-13).

XII - STEWARDSHIP

God is the source of all temporal and spiritual blessings. To Him we owe everything we are and everything we have. We therefore owe a spiritual debt to the world, for we are made depositories of the Gospel and stewards of God's grace. It is our obligation to serve you with our time, our talents, our love and our material goods, recognizing that all these gifts have been entrusted to us in order to use them for the glory of God and the service of our neighbor. . The Scriptures teach that the believer should gladly and regularly contribute to the church, based on the tithe of his income and cultivating liberality in the practice of integral stewardship, with the aim of advancing the Redeemer's cause on earth.
(Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:1; Genesis 28:20-22; Malachi 3:7-10; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8-9).

XIII - COOPERATION

Recognizing that cooperation is a principle clearly expressed in the Scriptures, the people of Christ must ensure it in the best possible way, with a view to realizing the great goals of the Kingdom of God. The cooperation organizations, although they do not have authority over the churches associated with them, are formed to awaken, unite and coordinate the activities that together, voluntarily, they propose to undertake. Churches should cooperate with one another in advancing missionary, educational, and charitable work. Christian unity, in the New Testament sense, is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for the same common ends.
(Philippians 1:5; 4:3; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 8:23; 11:28; Colossians 4:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 3 John 8; 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Romans 1:14-15; 15-25-27).

XIV - THE BELIEVER AND THE SOCIAL ORDER

Every believer accepts, as an imperative of Christian conscience, the supremacy of Christ in his life and in society and the establishment of justice among men can only be truly and permanently beneficial when founded on regeneration by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. The believer should endeavor to promote by all means within his power the principles of social justice, truth, and brotherly love. For this he must be ready to cooperate with all people of good will in all just causes, always taking care to act in the spirit of love, without compromising Christian ethics, trying to be entirely loyal to Christ and his Word.
(Leviticus 19:18; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 1:16-18; Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Romans 12-13-21; 13:8-12; Galatians 5:14 ; James 2:8; Psalm 11:7; 33:5; 45:7; Matthew 5:6, 10; 5:39-48; John 13:25).

XV - PEACE AND WAR

It is the duty of every Christian to promote peace among all men within the principles of justice. In harmony with the spirit and teachings of Christ, the believer must do all in his power to avoid or put an end to war, knowing that the true solution to conflicts between men is found in the Gospel. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of Christ's teachings in all areas of the lives of men and nations and the practical application of his law of love.
(Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:6-7; Matthew 5:9; Luke 1:79; 2:14,29; 10:5; Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18; 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:33)

XVI - RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

God is the only Lord of conscience. Civil government being an institution established to promote the interests and welfare of human society, it is our duty to pray for the constituted authorities and render obedience to them in all things that are not contrary to the revealed will of God. There must be complete separation between church and state, which must assure each church protection and complete freedom for the exercise of its spiritual mission. No ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state, nor should the church depend on civil power to do its work. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and that implies the guarantee of free access to God for all men and the right to hold and spread their religious beliefs, without any interference on the part of civil power.
(Romans 13:1-7; 14:9-12; Matthew 10:28; 22:21; 23:10; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Acts 4:18 -20; 5:29; Revelation 19:16; Psalm 2; 72:11).

​

NOTE: This Declaration of Faith was approved by the 41st General Assembly of the Portuguese Baptist Convention in September 1975

​

PART II

ETHICS TOPICS

1. THE FAMILY

1.1. Marriage

Marriage is the fundamental basis of the family; it is the voluntary and legally assumed bond between a man and a woman who love each other, constituting a spiritual, psychic and physical union. This unity is monogamous, heterosexual and indissoluble, according to God's plan, expressed in His Word. In full enjoyment of equality of value and personal dignity, each of the spouses develops their full human potential within the specific functions of each one: the man as a leader and the woman as a coadjutor.
(Gen 1:27-28; 2:24; 2:18; Eph 5:22-33; 1 Cor 13).

1.2. Divorce

Scripture repudiates divorce; it does not recommend it as a solution, it recommends reconciliation and forgiveness between spouses. It only admits it under exceptional circumstances.
(Mal 2:16; Mt 19:8-9; Mt 19:9; I Cor 7:10-16).

1.3. New Marriage

Like divorce, another marriage is not in God's plan for the family. These are situations of great exceptionality, according to the conscious and responsible deliberation of the main decision-makers. Remarriage is acceptable in the case of the death of one of the spouses, as long as it is in the Lord and admissible in the case of the victim of adultery.
(1 Cor 7:36-39; Rom 7:1-3; Mk 10:11-12; Mt 19:9; Lk 16:18).

1.4. Marriage of believers with non-believers

The marital union between believers and non-believers has no divine approval. In cases of marital union prior to the conversion of one of the spouses in which the husband or wife consents to cohabit, the believer must not separate from his spouse, as the miracle of his salvation may even occur. If the non-believer, for religious reasons, wants to separate from his spouse, the believer can accept a divorce.
(Deut 7:3-4; Ne 13:23-27; 2 Cor 6:14; 1 Cor 7:12-16).

1.5. Extramarital Sexual Relations

The Creator God is a God of order and decency. For everything, God has determined the right time and its function. Only when the man and the woman reach the capacity of emancipation of the parents is that the marriage should take place, initiating their responsible sexual relationship and in conditions to procreate and educate. The Bible considers extramarital (adultery) and premarital (fornication) to be sinful.
(Gen 1:28; Pr 1:8; 4:1; 13:1; Acts 15:20; I Cor 5:1; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Jude 7; Heb 13:4).

1.6. sex and sexuality

God created man, granting him the prerogative of fecundity, fertility and birth, allowing him to multiply the human species, populating and dominating the Earth. God does not condemn the sexual act itself, but the ungoverned sexual practice, without limits and without divine principles. God does not leave sexuality to the discretion of each one, even the married ones he warns and advises so that none of the spouses deny sex, but proceed with mutual consent. Physical and emotional attraction and true love in marriage are indispensable conditions for a blessed sexuality. All sexual practices that deviate from the standards of Scripture are inscribed in the world of burning and perversions (paraphilias), degrading life and its dignity, namely: prostitution, homosexuality, pedophilia, pornography, incest, rape and bestiality.
(Gen 1:27-28; Gal 5:19; 1 Cor 7:2-5; 1 Cor 6:15-16,18; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Thes 4:3; Lev 18:22; 20 :10-21; Rom 1:26-27; Lev 20:4-5; Mt 18:6-7; I Tim 1:9-10; Rev 21:8; Deut 27:22; Lev 18:6; 20 :17; Deut 22:25; II Sam 13:10-17; Lev 18-23; 20:15-16; Gen 3:21; Pr 6:24-26).

2. ETHICS OF LIFE

2.1. Abortion

All life was created by God. Man was created by Him in His image and after His likeness. Human life begins at the moment of conception, since from that moment there are in fact, and not just in potential, all the genetic characteristics of a fully developed individual human being. This position is the one that we find in the Bible in all texts that speak of the life of the fetus and that refer to it as a person. We are thus called to defend life and the innocent. We consider abortion as homicide.
(Gen 1:27-28; Isa 49:1; Ex 21:22-23; Job 1:21; Ps 139:13-16; Luke 1:15; 41-44; Jer 1:4-5; Gen 9 :6; Ex 20:13).

2.2. Euthanasia

God is the Creator and Lord of all Life. He is the one who gives and takes life. We value Life as a gift from God of which we are stewards and not owners. In Life there is a divine purpose not only in moments of health, prosperity and comfort, but also in pain and suffering, even when we cannot identify it. Defending Life and those most in need, we understand the importance of giving the terminally ill a serene and pain-free life that allows them to spend their last days as comfortably and with dignity as possible. In cases of terminal illness with suffering and without hope of cure, life should not be artificially prolonged, because even if some medical treatment is withdrawn, death will occur due to natural causes and the underlying disease. We reject, however, as a criminal act of killing, the active, voluntary or involuntary euthanasia of competent and incompetent patients.
(Gen 1:27, 28; I Sam 2:6; Eccl 7:14; 8:8; Job 14:5; Rom 14:7-8; Job 1:21; 2:9-10; Phil 4:12 ; 1 Cor 4:17; Rom 5:3; Eccl 2; Pr 31:6; Mt 25:35-40; Gen 9:6; Ex 20:13).

NOTE: This II part (Themes of Ethics) of the Declaration of Faith was approved by the 85th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Portuguese Baptist Convention, in November 2015

Covenant of Baptist Churches

Having been led by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ as the only and sufficient Saviour, and baptized, on a profession of faith, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we decided, with one accord, as one body in Christ, to , solemnly and joyfully, in the presence of God and this congregation, the following Covenant:

​

We commit ourselves, aided by the Holy Spirit, to walk always united in Christian love; to work for this church to grow in the knowledge of the Word, in holiness, in mutual comfort and in spirituality; to maintain its services, its doctrines, its ordinances, and its discipline; to contribute liberally to the support of the ministry, to the expenses of the church, to the aid of the poor, and to the propagation of the gospel in all nations.

​

We also undertake to maintain a particular devotion; to avoid and condemn all vices; to religiously educate our children; to seek salvation for the whole world, starting with our relatives, friends and acquaintances; to be correct in our dealings, faithful in our commitments, exemplary in our conduct, and to be diligent in secular work; to avoid detraction, slander, and wrath, always and in everything with a view to the expansion of our Saviour's kingdom.

​

In addition, we are committed to taking care of each other; to remember one another in prayers; helping each other in illnesses and needs; cultivate frank relationships and delicacy in dealings; to be ready to forgive offenses, seeking, when possible, peace with all men.

​

Finally, we commit ourselves, when we leave this locality to another, to join another church of the same faith and order, in which we can observe the principles of the Word of God and the spirit of this Covenant.

The Lord bless us and protect us that we may be faithful and sincere until death.