The following statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the
sole and final authority for all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the following
statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible but does not replace it or
supersede it in any sense or instance.
God’s Written Word
We believe in the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of
the Old and New Testaments, as originally written; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired
and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant in all matters
of which it speaks.
We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by
which all human conduct, creed and opinions shall be tried. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
The True God
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite and intelligent Spirit, the
Maker and supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy
of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three
persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing
distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Exodus 20:2, 3; 1 Corinthians
8:6; Revelation 4:11.
God The Father
TBD
God The Son
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and God the Son. We
believe in the Virgin Birth of Christ; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and
therefore God manifest in the flesh. We believe that on the human side, Jesus became
and remained a perfect man, sinless throughout His life. At the same time, He retained
His absolutely deity being fully God.(Luke 2:40; John 1:1-2; Philippians 2:5-8)
God The Holy Sprit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God
the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation
to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He
convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of
the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He
seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. We believe
that the sign/revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit have fulfilled their purpose and are not
applicable to the work of the Holy Spirit today. John 14:16, 17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews
9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5, 6;
Ephesians 1:13, 14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14, 16, 26,
27; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; 13:8-10; 14:1-40; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:2-4.
The Devil, or Satan
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as
an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the
unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the
judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation
20:10; Isaiah 14:12-17.
Creation
We believe the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that
this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct,
immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man was created by a
direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are
descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. Genesis 1;
2; Colossians 1:16, 17; John 1:3.
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law
of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all
men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, are partakers of
Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just
condemnation without defense or excuse. Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; 5:12, 19; 1:18, 32.
The Virgin Birth
We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a
virgin, as no other man was ever born or can be born of-woman, and that He is both the Son of
God and God, the Son. Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14.
Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the
mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father,
voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood
in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that
His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a
voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the
Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now
enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine
perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient
Savior.
We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a
change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of
saving faith. Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24, 25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11;
Philippians 2:7, 8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2
Corinthians. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24.
Resurrection and the Priesthood of Christ
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now
sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us. Matthew 28:6, 7; Luke
24:39; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6, 51; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21;
Hebrews 8:6; 12:2; 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; 5:9, 10.
Grace and New Birth
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new
creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one
dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life,
the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner
above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine
truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in
the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life. John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:1;
Acts 16:20-33; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8.
Justification
We believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer
righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in
consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the
Redeemer’s shed blood. Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9.
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished
in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ,
establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a
continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the
final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return. Hebrews 10:10-14; 3:1; John 17:17; 2
Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 4; 5:23, 24; 1 John
3:2; Jude 24, 25; Revelation 22:11.
Eternal Security of the Believer
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6; John 10:28, 29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1.
The Church
We believe that First Baptist Church is an organized congregation of believers who have been
baptized by immersion, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing
the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges
invested in us by His Word; that our officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications,
claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the
church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that our
church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of
individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the
Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for
the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that our church is the sole judge of the measure
and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of
discipline, of benevolence, the will of First Baptist Church is final. 1 Corinthians 11:2; Acts 20:17-
28; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Acts 2:41, 42.
We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of
Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 3:1-6; 4:11; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Acts
15:13-18.
The Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We observe two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Both are public demonstrations of
our faith in Christ and our obedience to His commands and should be observed when faith in
Christ is assured.
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a
solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect
in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a prerequisite to the privilege of
church membership.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He come and
should be preceded always by self-examination. Acts 8:36-39, John 3:23, Rom. 6:3-5, Matt.
3:16, Col. 1:12, I Cor. 11:23-28
Separation
We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from
worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy. 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10; 1
Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11.
Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of
human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed;
except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is the only Lord of the
conscience, and the coming King of kings. Romans 13:1-7; 2 Sam. 23:3; Exodus 18:21, 22; Acts
23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19, 20; Daniel 3:17, 18.
Israel
We believe that God has made many promises to Israel, some of which have already been
fulfilled, that God has promised that salvation would come to Israel, that, even though they
have rebelled against Him, He still loves them with an everlasting love.
We believe that, in His current building of the Church, He deals with Israel as individuals to
bring them to Christ and that He will deal more fully with the Jewish people as a nation to fulfill
the literal promises to Israel regarding its land and spiritual life. Lev. 26; Deut. 28; Jer. 31:31;
Ezek. 36:24-28; Hosea 3:4-5; Joel 3:16-21; Zech. 10:6-12, 12:10; Jer. 31:3; Daniel 9; Rev.
7,12,18:4
Rapture and Subsequent Events
We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ, an event which can occur at any moment, and
that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ
shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord
in the air before the seven years of the Tribulation. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians
15:42-44, 51-54; Philippians 3:20, 21; Revelation 3:10.
We believe that the Tribulation, which follows the Rapture of the Church, will be culminated by
the revelation of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish
the millennial kingdom. Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6, 7; 11:1-9;
Acts 2:29, 30; Revelation 20:1-4, 6.
The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the
wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the
Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence
and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men
both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious
suffering of the lost in the lake of fire. Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17, 18; 1 John
5:19; Romans 7:6; 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21; Revelation
20:14, 15.
Signs and Gifts
We believe that some gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in languages and miraculous
healing were given to be used as signs to authenticate the message of the first century church.
We believe that speaking in languages was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism
nor of the filling of the Spirit. (Acts 4:8, 31; Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 2 Corinthians
12:12). We believe that in accordance with the sovereign will of God, healing is available
through the prayer of believers (James 5:14). We believe that other non-sign gifts were given to
the church and that through the exercise of these gifts in the church, believers who learn to
apply the truth of Scripture to their lives will mature spiritually. We further believe that ecstatic
experiences do not contribute to one's spiritual maturity and would promote disunity among
this particular Body of believers.. (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 2:2)
