What we Believe

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH are incorporated in the Trust Deed of the property which is dated September 26, 1889, and declares that the property “…shall be held for the use of the members of a Regular Baptist Church, which shall be exclusively composed of person who have been baptized by immersion, on a personal profession of their faith in Christ, and holding the following doctrines, that is to say:  The being and unity of God; the existence of three equal persons in the Godhead; the inspiration of the New and Old Testaments; the total depravity of man; election according to the foreknowledge of God; the Divinity of Christ and the all-sufficiency of His atonement; justification by faith alone in the righteousness of Christ; the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration; perseverance of the saints; the resurrection of the dead; the final judgment; the punishment of the wicked and the blessedness of the righteous, both eternal; the immersion of believers in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the only baptism; the Lord’s Supper, a privilege peculiar to baptized believers; a Church, a company of believers voluntarily associated and meeting in one place on the first day of the week for mutual edification and the maintenance and propagation of these doctrines; the Word of God, a complete and infallible rule of faith and practice; the religious observance of the first day of the week; and the obligation of every intelligent creature to believe the record which God has given of His Son.”

INTERPRETATION OF THE ARTICLES OF FAITH

  • The Scriptures

   We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and therefore supremely authoritative in    all matters of faith and life.  By inspiration we mean the “holy men of God spoke as they were    moved by the Holy Ghost: in such a manner that the sixty-six books of the Bible, as originally    written, are entirely free from error and constitute the very Word of God.      II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:19-21

  • God

   We believe in one God who is Spirit, self-existent, holy, sovereign, eternal, infinite in wisdom and power, holiness and love.  He is the Creator, Upholder and Absolute Ruler of the world.      John 4:24, Psalm 102:25-27, I John 4:8

  • The Person of Christ

   We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal and pre-existent Son of God, that he was    miraculously begotten of the Holy Ghost, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever    born or can be born of woman.  We believe that he perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the    law, that He died as our substitute, “the just for the unjust to bring us to God.”  We believe in    His bodily resurrection for our justification, in His ascension to the right hand of God where    He is our Advocate.   John 1:1        Philippians 2:8        Romans 4:25        Hebrews 4:16   John 8:46    Hebrews 1:3        Luke 24:36-45           Acts 1:9        Hebrews 7:24-26        I John 2:1

  • The Holy Spirit

      We believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit Who convicts of sin and reveals Christ to men    in regeneration and sanctification.  He is sent forth by the Father and the Son and brings to    perfection the works of God.   John 14:16    Acts 2:17-18   Acts 5:3        John 16:8-10   John 15:26    Ephesians 4:30

  • The Trinity

   We believe that these Three – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are one God.  Each of these is    presented to us as a divine person, be distinctly recognized and adored, yet they are the same    essence and are one God.   Matthew 28:19, Hebrews 1:3, John 14:26

  • Man

   We believe that God created man in his own image and likeness.  But many by his    disobedience fell from the estate in which he was created.  Having thus become substituionary    before God he incurred physical and spiritual death.      Genesis 1:27, 31, Romans 5:12, Romans 3:10-18

  • Salvation

   We believe in the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ, that redemption is provided    through the blood of Christ, and that salvation freely offered by the grace of God is by faith    and not of works, that this salvation received by faith is eternal.   I Peter 2:24    Ephesians 1:7    Philippians 1:6   Romans 3:28    Ephesians 2:8, 9    John 10:27-30   Romans 8:29, 33

  • The Second Coming of Christ

   We believe that Jesus Christ will return to this earth, that this coming will be without sin    unto salvation and that this coming will be personal, visible and glorious.   Acts 1:9-11, Hebrews 9:28, Titus 2:11-14

  • The Church

   We believe that a New Testament church is a body of baptized believers recognizing the Lordship of Christ, governed and guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit for worship, the observance of the ordinances, service, and the spread of the gospel through the world.  Its regular officers are Pastors (Bishops) and Deacons.   Acts 2:41-47, I Corinthians 1:2, I Timothy 3, Titus 1The OrdinancesWe believe in two ordinances to be observed in their scriptural order:

  • Baptism which is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father and of the    Son and of the Holy Spirit, and which sets forth the essential facts in redemption, namely, death to sin and resurrection to newness of life.
  • The Lord’s Supper, which is the partaking of bread and wine, the symbols of Christ’s body and blood, in commemoration of His death till He comes.

           Acts 2:41, 42, Romans 6:3-5, I Corinthians 11:23-26

  • The Life To Come

   We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, the righteous (saved) to eternal life and    blessedness with Christ, and the unrighteous (unsaved) to eternal conscious punishment and    separation from God.   John 5:28, 29, Luke 16:19-31, I Corinthians 15:51-58, Revelation 20:11-15

Sketch of First Baptist Church