beliefs

First Baptist Church Member Affirmation of Faith

The Word of God
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the very Word of God. It is fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is our supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. It is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
Psalm 1:1ff; Psalm 19:1ff; Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Peter 3:14-16: John 20:31; Acts 20:32; John 8:31-32; Matthew 4:4; Mark 13:31

The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, being equal in every divine perfection. They execute distinct but harmonious functions (offices) in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:4-6; John 8:57-58; Revelation 1:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:4

God the Father
We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth. He is an everlasting, infinite, perfect and personal spirit who is the sovereign and rightful ruler of all that exists – perfect in all His attributes. All things are from Him and through Him and to Him. He does all things for His glory, for His name’s sake, to the praise of the glory of His grace. He infallibly and perfectly foreknows all that shall come to pass. He draws men to Himself through His Son, forgiving their sin and delivering from death those who come to Him through faith in Christ for salvation. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men. He hears and answers prayer according to His wisdom, love and providence. He will carry out all things in their proper time and order, uniting all things in Christ.
Genesis 14:19; Job 34:10; Psalm 139:1ff; Isaiah 55:10-11; Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; John 6:27; Acts 17:24-28; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6; Psalm 115:3; Ephesians 1:10; Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 106:8; Romans 1:5; Exodus 14:4

God the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He is the image of the invisible God. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. While fully God, He became fully man without ceasing to be God. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death on the cross as the all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. We believe in His bodily/physical resurrection, His ascension to heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people, and His personal visible return to earth. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. He is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other name by which we must be saved.
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:6-11; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30-31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; John 14:6; Acts 4:12

God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, eternally one with the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower the elect of God. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:12-14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; 3:16; 6:19; 12:13; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:13-14

The Condition of Man
We believe that God made man – both male and female – in His own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with Him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God, Through Adam’s sin the whole race fell into sin, and became alienated from God. Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to Him, man became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive, extending to the mind, will and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God and hateful of God. Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ.
Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Job 14:4; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Romans 3:10-23; 5:6-19; 7:14-20; 8:1-39; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Ephesians 2:1-12; Titus 1:15; James 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8, 10

Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gracious purpose of God according to which He lovingly and sovereignly initiates the justification, sanctification, and glorification of sinners. Salvation is the gift of God to all who genuinely repent of their sins and by God’s grace place their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Salvation comes by God’s glorious grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It therefore rules out any attempt to earn acceptance before God through works, and rules out any boasting except in the cross.
1 John 4:10, 19; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:2-12, 17-19; 2:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Romans 3:28-30; 8:30, 33; 9:10-13; Matthew 22:14; John 3:36; 6:44; 10:27-29; 14:6; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-5; Acts 26:17-18; Ezekiel 36:26

The Church
We believe that the Church consists of all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We therefore believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to serve Him by faithfully doing His will in the earth. It has been given to the church, by Christ Jesus Himself, to make disciples of all nations, through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ. All members of the universal church are designed to be a vital, active and committed part of a local church.
Matthew 16:15-19; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:19-33; Acts 1:8; 2:41-42; 14:27; 18:22; Hebrews 10:23-25; Matthew 28:18-20

We believe that God has granted the church proper leaders who are to be submitted to the authority of Christ and His headship over the church. These leaders of the church are divided into two offices: Elders and Deacons. The qualifications and responsibilities for these leaders are laid forth in God’s Word. Likewise, as the leaders are submitted to Christ, God has granted that members of the church would submit themselves to these God-ordained leaders. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, submitted to Christ, but free of any external authority and control.
Acts 20:17-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-14; 4:14; Titus 1:5-11; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Acts 6:3-6; 14:23, 27; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 9:13-14; Hebrews 13:17

We believe the Holy Spirit empowers spiritual gifts as God wills to His children. These gifts are designed and distributed to equip believers for worship, witness, ministry, and service to build up the body of Jesus Christ. We believe that the miracles and revelatory gifts dispensed to the apostles and prophets of the early church are still at God’s disposal today. However, all practice must be governed by the guidelines of God’s Word, and in an orderly manner.
Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:14; Romans 12:1-8; Colossians 3:15-17; 1 Corinthians 10:3; 1 Peter 4:10-11

The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 18:8; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 26:26-30; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

The Last Things
We believe that heaven is a real place of eternal blessedness and joy prepared by God for those who have been saved by His grace through faith in Christ Jesus. We also believe that hell is a real place of eternal suffering where God’s wrath will be dispensed for eternity on those who do not place their faith in Christ Jesus.

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal punishment of the unbeliever, and the eternal gladness of believer.
Matthew 16:26-27; Mark 14:61-62; John 14:1-6; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15:1ff; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:1ff; 21:22-27; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10