First Baptist Church is committed to the historic fundamentals of orthodox, evangelical Christianity. While recognizing the legitimacy of differences of opinion on minor points, we hold that the following truths form an essential framework for any clear understanding and practice of the Christian life. Pastoral staff and elders must subscribe to these truths without reservation, while members and friends covenant to teach nothing contrary.
BIBLE
We believe that the Bible, consisting of both the Old and New Testaments, is God’s infallible inerrant word, written by men who were uniquely moved by the Holy Spirit, and that it is our sole authority in all matters of faith and practice. We affirm our belief in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures in their original writings. (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21)
GOD
We believe in one God, creator of heaven and earth, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Deut 6:4; Matt 28:19)
GOD THE FATHER
is perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 6:27; Eph 1:3—6)
GOD THE SON
is Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, born of a virgin, sinless in life, who atoned for the sins of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His high priestly intercession for His people, His lordship, and His personal, visible premillennial return to the world according to His promise. (John 1:1, 14; Gal 4:4, 5; Phil 2:6—10; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 Thess 4:13—18; Rev 20:1—6)
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. His works in the believer include (but are not limited to):
1. salvation, baptizing into the body of Christ, indwelling, sealing eternally;
2. progressive sanctification; giving, filling, teaching, enabling;
3. glorifying.
(John 14:16, 17; Rom 8:9; Acts 5:3—4; Eph 4:30, 5:18; Titus 3:5)
MAN
We believe that man was created in the image of God and was originally without sin. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, all men are now sinners both by nature and by choice. Man is unable to remedy his own lost condition. Every human being is capable, under God, of deciding for himself in the matters of faith and life. Each man is also free to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. (Gen 1:27; Rom 3:23; 5:12, 19; Gal 3:11)
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is God’s gift to man in the person of Jesus Christ. Sinful man is saved from the eternal penalty of sin as a result of receiving Jesus Christ, by faith, as the Savior and Lord of life. We believe that all who are born again through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are eternally secure through His grace. (John 3:16, 18, 36; 2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:1; Eph 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the church is the body of Christ which is made up of every born—again believer since Pentecost regardless of race, sex or national origin, and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The local church is an organized body of immersed believers voluntarily associated together for the worship of God, growth in godliness and sanctification, the fellowship of believers, the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world, and the observance of the Biblical ordinances (believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper). The Scriptural officers of the church are described in 1 Tim. 3. The local church is independent and autonomous and is free from all outside ecclesiastical or political interference. (Matt 16:16-18; Acts 2:42—47; 1 Cor. 12:27; Eph 1:20—23)
SATAN
We believe that Satan is a personal created being, a fallen angel, and the author of sin and the cause of the fall. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Eph 6:11, 12; Col 1:16; Jude 6; Rev 12:9)
ETERNITY
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the believer and the non—believer. The saved will enjoy the wonders of God’s presence forever, and the lost will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Acts 24:15; Rev 20:1—6, 11—15)
FAMILY & MARRIAGE
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. (Genesis 1:27, 2:19-25; Ephesians 5:25-33)
All forms of non-biblical sexual practices, including but not limited to adultery, homosexuality, and pornography, are contrary to the commands of God and subvert the spiritual health of both the family and the church. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Colossians 3:5-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, Hebrews 13:4)