What We Believe

You will find people attending First Baptist from a variety of cultural, social and even religious backgrounds. Even though we are all different in many ways, there is one thing that unites us – the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

We believe that First Baptist exists to:

Equip the people of this congregation, through a commitment to God's Word, to personally live out the Gospel and teach them how to make disciples of those in their circle of influence as a result of solid Biblical study, Christ-exalting worship, and relational groups that facilitate Christian growth.

Engage the culture by understanding the cultural context God has placed us in, building bridges to the community by creating caring ministries that connect, and confronting the culture with the love of God.

Embrace the world by developing creative outreach methods not only in our immediate context but also to "the uttermost parts of the earth," and by preparing our members to be missional people who understand that the Great Commission is every Christian's responsibility.

 

 

Listed below you will find a summary of some of the doctrinal beliefs that all Christians share as well as the beliefs that make us distinct as Baptists.

 

God

There is one God. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and one. God is perfect in His attributes of holiness, love, mercy, power and knowledge.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27  Deuteronomy 6:4  Isaiah 43:3, 15 Jeremiah 10:10 John 14:6-13  1 Corinthians 8:6

 

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is God’s Son. He is co-equal with God the Father. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world, rose again after three days, ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Isaiah 7:14; ch. 53  Matthew 1:18-23; 14:33; 16:16  Luke 24:46  John 1:1-18; 3:16; 10:30; 11:25-27  Colossians 1:15-22; 2:9  Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14

 

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the Divine Helper, Instructor, Guide and Counselor. He lives in every believer from the moment of salvation providing power for living, guidance and understanding of spiritual truth. He exalts Christ and convicts man of sin and righteousness and judgment. He enlightens and empowers the believer.
Genesis 1:2  Psalms 51:11  Matthew 1:18  Luke 1:35; 4:18-19; 12:12 John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-14  Acts 2:1-4  Romans 8:14-16, 26-27  1 Corinthians 2:10-14

 

The Bible

The Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself to man. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the sole source of truth, is inerrant and is divinely inspired by God.
Deuteronomy 4:1-2  Psalms 119:89, 105  John 17:17  Romans 15:4; 16:25-26 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Hebrews 4:12 1 Peter 1:25  2 Peter 1:19-21

 

Salvation

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man is sinful, therefore cannot earn or deserve eternal life. Sin has separated us from God and made us unacceptable to Him. God sent Jesus, who was sinless, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sin. Salvation is free to all who trust in Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Faith in Jesus is the only way we can have eternal life.
Genesis 3:15 Isaiah 7:14  Matthew 16:21 John 1:1-11; 3:3-21 Romans 6:23; 5:8-10; 10:9-10 Ephesians 1:7  1 Peter 1:2-23

 

Eternal Security

Because salvation is based on the person and work of Christ, and is not based on man’s works, the believer is secure throughout eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-sufficiency of the believer.
John 10:25-29 2 Timothy 1:12 Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14 1 Peter 1:3-25

 

Baptism

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, giving public testimony of his faith in Christ. It is a physical act symbolizing the spiritual salvation of the believer and as such has no saving quality of its own. Baptism is the outward, visible testimony of salvation.
Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20 Mark 1:9-11 Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39 Romans 6:3-5  Colossians 2:12

 

First Baptist Church is a congregation of baptized believers in Jesus Christ. We derive our beliefs from the Bible and submit to the words of Scripture as the very words of God.

 

We proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the only solution to the greatest problem of mankind—sin. We are not ashamed of our Lord, of His cross, or of His holy Word. There is no salvation or hope for heaven in any other name but Jesus.

 

Though we cherish our Baptist roots and affiliation, we are privileged to cooperate with other churches and ministries who share our Scriptural beliefs. Our goal is to do all we can to share the Word of God and spread the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth. We are a Baptist congregation and affiliate with the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Florida Baptist Convention and the Holmes Baptist Association. A cherished principle of Baptist belief is that each church is self-governed by its members, as guided by Scripture and the Holy Spirit, and answers to no authority but Christ Himself.

 

As a Southern Baptist Church, we have adopted the 2000 edition of The Baptist Faith and Message as our church’s statement of beliefs and doctrine.