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Our Beliefs
Here is what First Fellowship Baptist Church believes about ... The Scriptures That the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God and is inerrant in the original writings. The Bible, being the revealed Word of God, is the ground and foundation from which all claims of truth shall be substantiated. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21) God That there is only one true and living God existing in three persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each is a distinct Person, but all of one essence and all having the same nature, perfections and attributes, and Each is worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence and obedience. (Genesis 1:1-3, 26; Matthew 3:16, 17; John 1:1, 14; John 10:30; John 14:26; John 15:26; Matthew 28:19) Jesus Christ That He is the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, shed His blood on Calvary in our place, was buried, rose again and ascended to the Father, according to the Scriptures. (Luke 1:26-33) Holy Spirit That He is the third Person of the Trinity, very God, co-existent with the Father and the Son. He is the Chief Agent in the regeneration of the soul, the Chief Convictor of sin and the Chief Comforter of the believer. Simultaneous with regeneration, the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ, permanently indwells him and seals him in salvation for all eternity. (John 16:1-13) Man That all have sinned, fallen short of the glory of God and thus must, in faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior to be born again by the Holy Spirit and thus become the children of God. (Romans 3:23; John 8:41-45; Romans 5:7-11; Colossians 1:13-14; John 17:16-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19) Salvation That all who, in faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior -- by believing that God raised Him from the dead on the third day and confessing Him as Lord -- are credited with the righteousness God requires, given the right to become His children, born again by the Holy Spirit. Salvation involves redemption, regeneration, sanctification and glorification. (Romans 8:14-17; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 4:6-7) The Priesthood of the Believer That every Christian has direct access to God in prayer through Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, and that there is no mediator between God and man other than Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:9-10; Hebrews 4:14-5:12) The Security of the Believer That salvation is not only a gift from the Lord but also is sustained by the Lord. Therefore, since salvation is wholly of the Lord, apart from the works of man, we hold that the believer shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 1:6; John 3:16; John 10:27-29) Satan That he was originally created a perfect being, but rebelled against God and as a result became depraved -- the devil, an adversary of God and His people and leader of a host of angels who fell with him. Satan has been judged and defeated at the Cross and awaits his ultimate doom at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. (Ezekiel 28:14-19; John 10:10; Romans 15:51-58) Ordinances That the local church observes the two ordinances -- baptism and the Lord's Supper. We hold that all who have received Christ as Savior and Lord should be baptized by immersion into water. Baptism is symbolic of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. The Lord's Supper should be observed in remembrance of Him, to show forth His death for our sins until He comes again. (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34) |
