Where We've Been
Founded in 1957, 22nd Street Baptist is celebrating nearly 60 years of reaching Tucson and beyond for Jesus. Starting with a small chapel and growing as the neighborhood around us grew, 22nd Street was never satisfied with simply building a bigger church. Over the years, we've been a part of starting or supporting nine church plants while creating new ministries to help us reach the community around us.
Where We're Headed
We believe God is deeply in love with people and wants them to know Him and His amazing plans for their lives. We also believe it's our role as a church and as believers to do all we can to share this message of hope and love with everyone we can. To fulfill this role, we have embraced the vision of POINTING PEOPLE TO JESUS.
The way we live out pointing people to Jesus is through Loving God, Loving People, and Making Disciples.
When questioned about what was most important in life, Jesus gave what has become known as the Great Commandment. The first part of it says that we are to love God with everything we have.
Matthew 22:37-38 [NLT] 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
We point people to Jesus by loving God and living in relationship with Him through faith in Jesus.
In that same answer, Jesus emphasized that it’s just as important to love others with the same level of love we want for ourselves.
Matthew 22:39 [NLT] 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
We point people to Jesus by loving them like God loves us and wants us to love them.
In some of Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples, he makes it clear that the end goal was never just for them to be his followers. They are to go and help others become disciples of Jesus also. This instruction is known as the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We point people to Jesus by living as disciples of Jesus and helping others to do the same.
These two passages, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, sum up what every church should be doing and how every believer should be living. Together, they teach us that we are to be pointing people to Jesus by loving God, loving people, and making disciples.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
IN ESSENTIAL BELIEFS - WE HAVE UNITY
IN NON-ESSENTIAL BELIEFS - WE HAVE LIBERTY
IN ALL OUR BELIEFS - WE SHOW CLARITY
The Bible is God’s written revelation to man. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error. We accept the Bible as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5).
God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13)
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under his control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1)
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates man from God and causes many problems in life. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59: 1-2)
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with him is eternal life. Heaven and hell are places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25; 1 John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 25:31-46)
Salvation is a gift from God to man that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works – only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. (John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). While we believe God sanctioned marriage for both believers and unbelievers, we believe Christians should only marry Christians (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of this church.
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139).