God

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. These three are one God, co-equal, with one divine nature. Through natural revelation God has made Himself known to all mankind. This natural revelation is manifested in the created order of the universe and the moral conscience written on the hearts of everyone. 

(Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22, Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19, Romans I:20; 2:14, Peter 1:2, II Corinthians 13:14)  

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, possessing both a human and a divine nature. He is the Living Word, God's specific revelation. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He was buried in a tomb and miraculously arose on the third day to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

(Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-18;14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13, Revelation 19:11-16) 

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make us aware of our need for redemption by convicting us of our sin and drawing us to Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and empowers them for living by guiding them in doing what is right, by understanding spiritual truth, and by distributing spiritual gifts.

(II Corinthians 3:17, John 6:44;16:7-13;14:16-17, Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 12:4-28, Ephesians 1:13; 4:4-6; 5:18-21, Galatians 5:25)  

God’s Written Word

The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are known as the Bible or Scripture. These books were written by human authors under the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and they are without error in their original texts.

(II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 1:13, Psalm 119:105,160; 12:6, Proverbs 30:5)

Humanity

The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created spiritually alive in the image and likeness of God. Through one act of personal sin, Adam acquired a sinful/depraved nature, resulting in his spiritual separation from God and physical death. All humanity thereafter,  except Jesus Christ, has inherited this sinful/depraved nature. This depravity has affected every facet of mankind's being, distorting the image of God, leaving everyone dead in their sins and helpless in their own effort to save themselves. This depravity has not destroyed the inherent qualities of human nature, such as the ability to reason, discover truth, and make moral choices (Genesis 6:9, Isaiah 1:18, Acts 17:30-31, Romans 1:18-21; 2:14-15). 

(Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17, Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9, Matthew 11:28-30, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:10-17; 5:12, 18-21; 6:23, 1 Corinthians 15:22,  Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 2:2)  

Eternity

Mankind was created to exist forever. You will either spend eternity in heaven (eternal union with God) or in hell (eternal separation from God).      

(John 3:16, Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:25, 5:11-13, Revelation 20:15)  

Salvation

Salvation from the penalty of sin is a gift of God, offered freely to everyone, and can only be received by grace through faith. It includes the promise of everlasting life, and all the blessings that accompany God's grace. We can never make up for our sin by our works or "good" behavior.

The cost of salvation was great, paid in full by Christ's death on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Salvation is personal and involves a change of mind (repentance) and belief (faith). To receive salvation we must recognize our hopeless condition as sinners and by faith, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in Him for eternal life, no longer trusting in our own effort to save or maintain our salvation. 

All who receive Christ as their Savior are eternally secure in their position as a child of God. They are sealed by Him through the regenerating act of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

(John 3:16; 5:24; 14:6; 10:27-29; 11:25, Acts 16:31; 17:30-31 Romans 3:23-26; 5:1, 6:23, 8:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 2:8-9; 4:30; Titus 3:5, 1 John 2:2)

The Church

The church is the universal Body of Christ; believers in Christ from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. The church officially began in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus' Ascension, when Peter the Apostle preached the gospel (good news) to the Jews. The mission of the church is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, make disciples, and baptize new believers. A local church is a congregation of baptized believers operating under the Lordship of Christ. The scriptural offices of the local church are pastors (elders) and deacons.  

(Matthew 16:15-1918:15-20, Acts 2:41-42,475:11-146:3-613:1-314:23,2715:1-3016:520:28, Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:23:165:4-57:179:13-1412, Ephesians 1:22-232:19-223:8-11,215:22-32, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:18, 1 Timothy 2:9-143:1-154:14, Hebrews 11:39-40, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Revelation 2-321:2-3)  

Baptism and The Lord’s Supper (Communion) 

First Baptist Church practices two ordinances, water baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper (Communion).

Baptism is how a Christian identifies with Christ. It is administered to anyone professing saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is performed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the believer’s death to sin, the new birth, and the command to walk in newness of life.  

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, a symbolic practice demonstrated by the partaking of two elements, bread and fruit of the vine (grape juice). These two elements represent Jesus’ broken body and His blood that was shed for our sins. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by all believers as a memorial of Him and His substitutionary death on the cross to forgive the sins of mankind. We observe the Lord’s Supper regularly at First Baptist Church.  

(Matthew 26:26–28; 28:19-20, Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:17–20, Acts 2:41-42, 16:31-33, Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

Last Things/End Times

We await the personal, imminent, pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ in the clouds to receive (catch) His church, where they will dwell in His holy presence. This "catching away" is also referred to as the Rapture and will be followed by a seven-year period on the earth known as "Jacob's Trouble" or the Tribulation. Following the Tribulation, Christ will triumphantly return to the earth with His church to inaugurate His millennial reign. At the end of this millennial period, God will send Satan and the demons into the lake of fire along with all who have refused God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. God will then usher in the new heaven and the new earth where the saints of God will dwell in His eternal presence to forever bring Him glory.

The anticipation of these events motivates the church to evangelism, holy living, committed service, and the studying of God’s word.

 

(Isaiah 2:12, 13:6-9, Jeremiah 30:7, Ezekiel 38-39, Daniel 12, Joel 1:5, 2:1-31, Zephaniah 1:15, Romans 8:18–25, 1 Corinthians 15:20–24, 51–57, Philippians 3:20–21; 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 5:2-9, Titus 2:11–14, James 5:7–8, 1 John 2:28, Revelation 1:7; 19:11-16; 20:1-6; 21:1-26; 22:12-13. 

We uphold the Baptist Faith and Message.