What We Believe

What a church believes is incredibly important! You see, those beliefs provide us with the foundation for all our study, worship, and ministry. In short, what we believe really does define who we are and who we believe God has called us to be. While it would be impossible to articulate everything we believe at First Baptist in such a small space, we wanted to share with you what we believe about some very critical issues.

The Bible was written by men as they were divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to humankind. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction revealing how God has related to humankind from the dawn of time and into eternity. Because all Scripture is divinely inspired, it is completely true and trustworthy – without any mixture of error. Scripture is authoritative in all matters of life and eternity.

There is only one living and true God. He is a spiritual and personal Being who is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is holy and is perfect in all things; He is all-powerful and all-knowing. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God has eternally existed as a Trinity of persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each with unique personal attributes, but with one nature, essence, and being.

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with all its demands and necessities and identified Himself completely with humankind yet remained without sin. He honored God’s law by His personal obedience and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of humankind from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator between God and humankind. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to complete His redemptive mission.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and is fully divine. He convicts us of sin, reveals righteousness, and imparts judgment. He calls people to the Savior, and at the moment of salvation He enters into every believer and ties all believers to the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which believers serve God. He seals the believer until the final day of redemption. His presence enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Humankind is the special creation of God and is made in His own image with a unique capacity for relationship with God. Humankind was created male and female; thus, making the gift of gender a part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning, humankind was innocent of sin and was endowed by their Creator with the freedom of choice. through the temptation of Satan, Adam sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring humankind into the relationship with Him we were created to enjoy. Because each person was created in God’s image and because Christ died for every person, each and every person is worthy of respect and Christian love regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or background.

Salvation involves the redemption of the entire person and is offered freely to all who receive Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal forgiveness for the believer. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Salvation is found through repentance – a genuine turning away from sin and turning toward God – and faithfully accepting Jesus Christ by giving over one’s entire life to Him as Lord and Savior.