Historic Baptist Ministry

Our mission

The Historic Baptist Ministry is dedicated to proclaiming the eternal truths of the gospel from a historic Baptist and Reformed perspective.

We defend the historic Christian faith as it was recovered during the Protestant Reformation and preserved by faithful Baptists through the centuries.

Our commitment is to the supreme authority of Scripture and the clear proclamation of the gospel of God's sovereign grace.

Sunset in Reñaca (Town of Pastor John and his Wife Pamela) - Work of God's Creation (24 oct 2025)

Sunset in Reñaca - Jan 8, 2026

Striving to be courageous for the truth (Proverbs 23:23 and Jeremiah 9:3)

N°1 👮⚖️⛓️🗽 (23 oct 2025)
Ministry in Casablanca Prison (Town of Pastor Valentín and his Wife Silvia) - Preaching Hope Without Selling the Truth

Full team that helped John in prison with weekly visits and care packages 2019-2025. All present at the baptism of Elvis Ramos - Dec 27, 2025, 11 a.m., Reñaca
(Top to bottom: Pastor John, Nadia Burgos, Pamela Sepúlveda, Pastor Valentín, María Infante)

Fundamental doctrines

• Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone
  EN
  The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, infallible, and sufficient Word of God, constituting the only infallible rule of faith and practice for the Church. We recognize the value of the historic creeds, confessions of faith, and the work of church councils insofar as they faithfully reflect biblical teaching, but no ecclesiastical tradition, conciliar declaration, or human authority can equal or contradict the authority of Scripture. All doctrine must be tested by the Word of God, and what Scripture teaches — whether explicitly or by good and necessary consequence — we receive with faith and obedience.
• Sola Gratia - Grace alone
  EN
  Salvation is a free gift from God that we don't earn or deserve. No amount of good works, church attendance, or religious rituals can save us. God saves us because of His love and mercy, not because of anything we do. We come to God empty-handed, and He gives us everything.
• Sola Fide - Faith alone
  EN
  We are saved through trusting in Jesus Christ, not by our own efforts. Faith is simply believing God's promises and resting in Christ's finished work on the cross. It's not about how strong our faith is, but in whom our faith rests. Even a small faith in a great Savior is saving faith.
• Solus Christus - Christ alone
  EN
  Jesus Christ is the only way to God and the only Savior of sinners. There is no other name, no other path, no other religion that can save us. Not Mary, not saints, not religious leaders - only Jesus. He alone lived the perfect life we couldn't live, died the death we deserved, and rose from the dead.
• Soli Deo Gloria - Glory to God alone
  EN
  Everything in life should point to God's glory, not our own. We exist to honor Him in all we do - work, family, worship, everything. Salvation is designed to bring praise to God, not to make us feel good about ourselves. He gets all the credit for saving us.
• The absolute sovereignty of God
  EN
  God is in complete control of everything that happens - past, present, and future. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He rules over nations, nature, and even the smallest details of our lives. This doesn't mean life is easy, but it means God is always working for His purposes and our good.
• The total depravity of man
  EN
  Every human being is born with a sinful nature that affects every part of us - mind, will, emotions, and body. We're not sinners because we sin; we sin because we're sinners. Without God's help, we cannot choose good or come to Him on our own. We are spiritually dead and need God to make us alive.
• Unconditional election
  EN
  Before the world began, God chose certain people to be saved - not because of anything good in them, but simply because He loved them. This choice wasn't based on God foreseeing who would believe. He chose us when we were unlovable and undeserving. It's all about His grace, not our merit.
• Particular redemption in the death of Christ
  EN
  Christ died specifically for His people - those He chose before the foundation of the world. His death actually accomplished salvation for them, not just made it possible. Jesus didn't just make salvation available; He actually saved His sheep. His blood was not wasted on anyone who would reject Him.
• Irresistible grace that draws men to salvation
  EN
  When God calls someone to salvation, that call is effective and cannot be resisted. The Holy Spirit changes the heart so that the person freely and willingly comes to Christ. It's not forced against their will - God changes their will so they want to come. Those God calls, He saves.
• The final perseverance (eternal security) of the saints
  EN
  True believers will never lose their salvation. Those God saves, He keeps by preserving them forever. This doesn't mean Christians won't struggle with sin, but they will never completely fall away. If someone claims faith and then permanently abandons it, they were never truly saved. God finishes what He starts.
• Total separation from the state, Satan's henchman (Luke 4:5-6, Psalm 2:2,9, Revelation 13:1-9)
  EN
  The state (government) is not a godly institution to be embraced, but a worldly power system ordained by God but empowered by Satan and his false religions or ideologies (Revelation 13). Jesus said Satan offered Him all kingdoms because they belong to the devil and serve as his henchmen (Luke 4:4-6; Psalm 2:1-4,9). Christians should not seek political power to further the work of God in the world or morality, nor should they mix church and state. Our kingdom is not of this world, and we must not trust in earthly rulers. It is permitted for Christians to pursue public office in order to be salt and light in the midst of evil and promotion of liberty from the state and its evil practices (like legalized theft and murder) but never with the expectation of making a Christian government, which is oxymoronic. We reject both theonomy and the modern revitalized or reformed \"divine right of kings\" doctrine. Consequently, we oppose all church-state alliances, including those forged by state churches, whether Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant, knowing that many otherwise good brethren disagree with us and cherish the state as one of their principal allies or spheres of authority along with the family and the church (see Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 124).
• Amillennial (activist/transformational)
  EN
  We believe Jesus will not return to set up a physical thousand-year kingdom on earth. Instead, Christ reigns now in heaven and in the hearts of believers. The kingdom of God is spiritual and growing through the gospel. We are called to transform culture now, not wait for a future earthly kingdom.
• Baptists must be activists in all areas of life
  EN
  Christians should not retreat from the world but actively engage it with biblical truth. We should work to influence every area of life - family, work, education, arts, and community - with Christian principles. Our faith is not just for Sunday but for all of life.
• The duty of self-defense (Luke 22:35-38) and defense of others (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39)
  EN
  God gives us the right and duty to protect ourselves and our families from those who would harm us. Jesus told His disciples to buy swords. Loving our neighbor also means protecting the innocent from violence. Self-defense is not sinful but a biblical responsibility.
• Adherence to the libertarian principle of "non-aggression"
  EN
  We should never initiate force or violence against peaceful people or their property. We only use force in defense. This principle guides how we interact with others - through voluntary cooperation, not coercion. We respect the rights and property of others as we would want ours respected.
• Believer's baptism only (not infants)
  EN
  Only those who personally believe in Christ should be baptized - not infants. Baptism is for those who have repented and trusted in Jesus. Babies cannot believe, so they should not be baptized. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change that has already happened.
• No ecclesiastical hierarchy beyond elder governance in the local church
  EN
  Each local church governs itself under the leadership of its elders (pastors). There is no pope, bishop, denomination, or outside authority over the local church. Christ alone is the Head of the church. We cooperate with other churches but are not ruled by them.
• Cessationist
  EN
  The miraculous sign gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing) were given for the apostolic age to confirm the apostles' message and prior to having inspired texts widely distributed and available. Once the New Testament was completed, if not prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., these gifts ceased. We don't believe modern claims of words of knowledge, words of wisdom, tongues (and interpretation), or prophecy are genuine since they would produce new special revelation that rivals the Bible and adds to the word of God. God still heals through prayer, but not through gifted healers. God does miracles too, none of which being greater than regenerating an unbelieving sinner, but not through miracle-working Christians with a special gift.
• Literal six-day creationist
  EN
  God created the entire universe in six literal 24-hour days, as Genesis clearly teaches. We reject evolution and the idea that the earth is billions of years old, although we accept the \"apparent age\" of things. Adam and Eve were real people, the first humans, created directly by God. Death entered the world through Adam's sin, not before. God created them as adults, with apparent age, even though they were only a minute old. The light from faraway stars was also created as having arrived to the earth, also showing apparent age. We reject materialism and the idea that DNA can be produced by chance processes without a Designer, or that irreducibly complex organs (eyes, platelets) or other things could have evolved over millions of years.
• Plurality of male elders
  EN
  Each local church should be led by multiple elders (pastors), not just one man. These elders must be men, as Scripture requires. Women have vital roles in the church but not as elders or pastors. This pattern protects the church from one person having too much power. In cases where one elder is disqualified, leaves, or dies, leaving only one pastor, the church must actively seek to replace him.
• General respect for non-state aligned, evangelical baptistic groups
  EN
  Baptistic peoples are unified by their core beliefs concerning the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the resurrection of Christ, salvation by grace through faith alone, complete confidence in the Bible as their infallible guide for faith and practice, believer's baptism, the importance of missionary endeavors, and the other tenets of the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, along with a common aversion toward Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Calvinistic views of the Lord's Supper. They also universally agree that infants should not be baptized, that church and state must remain separate, and that the only legitimate church government authority resides in the local congregation rather than in any ecclesiastical hierarchy. However, many Baptists have adopted—in our humble opinion, acknowledging that we too may be deceived—erroneous theological views. These wide and varied deviances and distortions include: denying the sovereignty of God in salvation, dispensationalism, antinomianism, theonomy, a revitalized or reformed Divine Right of Kings stance, non-cessationism (wherein miraculous revelatory gifts are believed still available), macroevolutionary creationism (gap theory, day-age theory, etc.), ordination of women to pastoral ministry or assigning them responsibilities that include teaching men in the church, neo-orthodoxy with respect to the Scriptures, pacifism, radical ecology, radical feminism, freemasonry, gender ideology confusion, support for public schooling, radical separatism, and deacon-rule congregationalism. Thus, we detest the statism of some Baptists almost as much as the Arminianism of others. Both errors have led to catastrophic consequences in the lives of Christian people. The other errors have likewise proven pernicious and pervasive, distorting views of the Christian Worldview, advocating Zionism and mass slaughter, utilizing force through proactive public policies, reverting the Lord's Day to Saturday, undermining the authority of Scripture, and subordinating the teaching of Scripture to godless ideological science (as opposed to sound science and technology, which should be used to the fullest extent for the glory of God in the church, medicine, business, and personal productivity).

John, Pamela and María
Santiago, Aug 23 2025

John Cobin
Santiago, Aug 23 2025

John Cobin
Viña del Mar, Jan 21 2026