Statement of Faith
Below is the statement of faith for First Baptist. This reflects historic Baptist theology which can be traced all the way back to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19, 20)
THE TRUE GOD
We believe that God is a sovereign, living, intelligent, rational Being and that He has a plan for man and for the universe. We believe He has the will, power, and authority, and is actively engaged in carrying that plan to completion. (Genesis 18:25; Isaiah 57:15; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28-29)
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:1-3; John 1:1-5,14)
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin, and is true God and true man. (Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; John 14:7-11; John 20:28; Galatians 4:4, 5)
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate. (1 Corinthians 15:1-20; John 20:24-29; Acts 1:10-11; Hebrews 1:3; 4:14-16; 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5)
We believe that Christ was and is eternally equal with God; that He became man by the Holy Spirit through the virgin birth; that He lived a sinless life upon this earth; that He died as a sacrifice for all sinners*; that He was buried and rose again and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven; that He sent a comforter (the Holy Spirit) at Pentecost to indwell believers and bring conviction to the world, and that the objective of the Holy Spirit is to gather members into the Church. (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26-33; John 1:1; 1:14; Philippians 2:7-8; John 14:2-4; Ephesians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Hebrews 1:3; John 10:30).
* We believe in God's sovereignty in salvation and teach that the atoning work of Jesus was intended for all sinners without distinction, securing the complete salvation of the elect.
CREATION
We believe in the literal Genesis account of creation. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Genesis 1 and 2; Colossians 1:15-17; John 1:3; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12)
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as our only sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 10:9-14; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7)
SALVATION
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in repentance of sin, are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God. (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 3:26; Titus 3:5)
SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the eternal security of the believer, that it is impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be lost. (John 1:12; 10:27; 28-29; John 3:16; Philippians 1:6; Romans
8:29-39)
BLESSED HOPE OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when the Church will be "gathered together unto Him." (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Acts 1:10-11)
PROPHECY
We believe in the literal fulfillment of the prophecies and promises of the Scriptures which foretell and assure the future regeneration and restoration of Israel as a nation. (Ezekiel 37:11- 14; 21-28; Romans 11:26, 27; Zechariah 14; Revelation 19 and 20)
SOUL LIBERTY
We believe in the soul liberty of every individual. Soul liberty is the implementation of the truth that "We must obey God rather than men." Every man must give answer to God individually, and no other man or Church can act as his conscience now. He has the right to interpret the Scripture for himself and the responsibility to answer to God for the way in which he does so. He has, as a believer, the Holy Spirit to guide and enable him apart from any other ministry of man or church. (1 John 2:27; Romans 14; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14)
PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the priesthood of all believers; that all believers have immediate access into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus; that we need no human agency to intercede for us before the throne of grace; and that Jesus Christ is our only mediator before God. (Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Timothy 2:5)
RESURRECTION
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost. (For a sequence of events see Article XIII, Section 2) (John 5:21-30; Daniel 2:2, 3; Revelation 20:4-6; 20:11-15; 21:8; 2 Thessalonians
1:7-10; John 14:1-6)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the true Church is the mystical body of Christ, of which He is the living Head, and the regenerate believers, Jew and Gentile, are the members. (Ephesians 5:23- 32; Matthew 16:18; Acts 2; Colossians 3:11)
The local church is a body of baptized believers organized to meet together for the purpose of observing the ordinances and, as ambassadors of Christ, to carry out the biblical principles, precepts, and practices. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 2 Corinthians 5:20; -1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 14:23; Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe that the scriptural ordinances of the church are Baptism (immersion) and the Lord's Supper; that Baptism should be administered to believers only as a symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and as a testimony to the world of that belief and of their death, burial, and resurrection with Him; and that the Lord's Supper should be partaken of by believers only to show forth His death, till He come. (Acts 8:26-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 3:16)
We believe in the sovereignty and independence of the local church from any centralized power, whether from other churches, denominations, or the states. We believe in obeying the "powers that be" of government except where they violate the commands of God's Word. (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29)
MARRIAGE
We believe the Biblical definition of marriage to be as between one man and one woman. Any other forms of sexual deviation are sin; homosexuality, sodomy, transgender, polygamy, and adultery. (Genesis 2:18-24; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Timothy 1:10; Matthew 5:27-32; 1 Samuel 1:2; Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 13)
We believe marriage to be:
Divinely instituted. (Genesis 2:24)
A Covenant relationship. (Malachi 2:14)
A living symbol of Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:23, 32)
Between two believers in Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:4)
The best environment for raising children. (Malachi 2:14-15)
In its permanence. (Matthew 19:6)
Ideally, only death should dissolve marriage. (Romans 7:2-3)
Below is the statement of faith for First Baptist. This reflects historic Baptist theology which can be traced all the way back to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19, 20)
THE TRUE GOD
We believe that God is a sovereign, living, intelligent, rational Being and that He has a plan for man and for the universe. We believe He has the will, power, and authority, and is actively engaged in carrying that plan to completion. (Genesis 18:25; Isaiah 57:15; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28-29)
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:1-3; John 1:1-5,14)
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin, and is true God and true man. (Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; John 14:7-11; John 20:28; Galatians 4:4, 5)
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate. (1 Corinthians 15:1-20; John 20:24-29; Acts 1:10-11; Hebrews 1:3; 4:14-16; 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5)
We believe that Christ was and is eternally equal with God; that He became man by the Holy Spirit through the virgin birth; that He lived a sinless life upon this earth; that He died as a sacrifice for all sinners*; that He was buried and rose again and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven; that He sent a comforter (the Holy Spirit) at Pentecost to indwell believers and bring conviction to the world, and that the objective of the Holy Spirit is to gather members into the Church. (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26-33; John 1:1; 1:14; Philippians 2:7-8; John 14:2-4; Ephesians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Hebrews 1:3; John 10:30).
* We believe in God's sovereignty in salvation and teach that the atoning work of Jesus was intended for all sinners without distinction, securing the complete salvation of the elect.
CREATION
We believe in the literal Genesis account of creation. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Genesis 1 and 2; Colossians 1:15-17; John 1:3; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12)
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as our only sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 10:9-14; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7)
SALVATION
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in repentance of sin, are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God. (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 3:26; Titus 3:5)
SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the eternal security of the believer, that it is impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be lost. (John 1:12; 10:27; 28-29; John 3:16; Philippians 1:6; Romans
8:29-39)
BLESSED HOPE OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when the Church will be "gathered together unto Him." (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Acts 1:10-11)
PROPHECY
We believe in the literal fulfillment of the prophecies and promises of the Scriptures which foretell and assure the future regeneration and restoration of Israel as a nation. (Ezekiel 37:11- 14; 21-28; Romans 11:26, 27; Zechariah 14; Revelation 19 and 20)
SOUL LIBERTY
We believe in the soul liberty of every individual. Soul liberty is the implementation of the truth that "We must obey God rather than men." Every man must give answer to God individually, and no other man or Church can act as his conscience now. He has the right to interpret the Scripture for himself and the responsibility to answer to God for the way in which he does so. He has, as a believer, the Holy Spirit to guide and enable him apart from any other ministry of man or church. (1 John 2:27; Romans 14; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14)
PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER
We believe in the priesthood of all believers; that all believers have immediate access into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus; that we need no human agency to intercede for us before the throne of grace; and that Jesus Christ is our only mediator before God. (Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Timothy 2:5)
RESURRECTION
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost. (For a sequence of events see Article XIII, Section 2) (John 5:21-30; Daniel 2:2, 3; Revelation 20:4-6; 20:11-15; 21:8; 2 Thessalonians
1:7-10; John 14:1-6)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the true Church is the mystical body of Christ, of which He is the living Head, and the regenerate believers, Jew and Gentile, are the members. (Ephesians 5:23- 32; Matthew 16:18; Acts 2; Colossians 3:11)
The local church is a body of baptized believers organized to meet together for the purpose of observing the ordinances and, as ambassadors of Christ, to carry out the biblical principles, precepts, and practices. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 2 Corinthians 5:20; -1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 14:23; Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe that the scriptural ordinances of the church are Baptism (immersion) and the Lord's Supper; that Baptism should be administered to believers only as a symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and as a testimony to the world of that belief and of their death, burial, and resurrection with Him; and that the Lord's Supper should be partaken of by believers only to show forth His death, till He come. (Acts 8:26-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 3:16)
We believe in the sovereignty and independence of the local church from any centralized power, whether from other churches, denominations, or the states. We believe in obeying the "powers that be" of government except where they violate the commands of God's Word. (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29)
MARRIAGE
We believe the Biblical definition of marriage to be as between one man and one woman. Any other forms of sexual deviation are sin; homosexuality, sodomy, transgender, polygamy, and adultery. (Genesis 2:18-24; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Timothy 1:10; Matthew 5:27-32; 1 Samuel 1:2; Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 13)
We believe marriage to be:
Divinely instituted. (Genesis 2:24)
A Covenant relationship. (Malachi 2:14)
A living symbol of Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:23, 32)
Between two believers in Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:4)
The best environment for raising children. (Malachi 2:14-15)
In its permanence. (Matthew 19:6)
Ideally, only death should dissolve marriage. (Romans 7:2-3)