Core Beliefs of Faith Baptist Church
Faith Baptist has been and is trying to follow the Bible more perfectly all the time, therefore, the statement of faith and this summarization is not the final word on matter, Scripture is.
Scripture/The Bible
We teach that the bible is inspired by God and has been produced by humans who were under the influence or direction of the Holy Spirit when they wrote the scriptures, therefore the Bible is the Word of God.
God
We teach there is only one God. This God has always existed and is a trinity of beings who are the one God. These three are the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Each of these persons are eternal and equal in power. All three are involved in salvation.
Satan/Devil
We teach that Satan is real. He began as an angel serving God in heaven, but he rebelled against God and became unholy. He now opposes God in every way and he opposes Christians.
Creation
We teach that the origin of all begins with God as it says in Genesis chapter 1 and 2. Human beings are created in the image of God and have individual personal value because of it.
The Fall of Man/Why Humanity is so bad
God made Adam and Eve, they were innocent and happy. God gave them a single law and they broke that law. The consequences of that disobedience is that their nature was corrupted causing them to disobey God more and more. This corruption has been passed to their offspring and is why the world is the way it is today.
The Virgin Birth
We teach that Jesus was conceived in a supernatural manner. Mary was pregnant without the aid or use of a man. Therefore Jesus was born without the corruption of the sin nature that all other humans have.
The Atonement For Sin
We teach that Jesus shed his blood as an atoning sacrifice for sin. It is only through Jesus that the wrath of God is appeased. Jesus died as our substitute, in our place on the cross, and on the third day he rose bodily from the dead.
Who Can Be Saved
We teach that the only thing preventing a person from putting their faith in Jesus Christ is their own sinfulness, their love of sinfulness, and their rejection of the gospel.
Being Born Again
We teach that being saved requires being born again, the new birth first results in a change of mind about sin and God; second it causes us to believe in Jesus as our savior.
Justification
We teach when a person puts their faith in Jesus they are declared just by God. This means that all traces of a person's sinfulness is permanently erased from their record.
Sanctification
We teach that people who are born again begin a new life of being indwelt or filled with the Holy Spirit. This new life we live is a transformative journey in which we are transformed by the Holy Spirit into people more and more like Jesus our Lord. This transformation will always be in process until we are finally in heaven, only then will we be like Jesus.
The Church
We teach that Jesus Christ is the head of the universal church and this church is composed of all people who have been born again. We teach that a visible or local church is composed of people who have been: born again, baptized by immersion, and voluntarily united in fellowship with other people who have been born again and baptized. We further teach that no external power has control over a local/visible church.
Communion and Baptism
We teach that Jesus left the church only two ordinances or sacraments: 1- Communion, which is a memorial meal where we eat and drink together as brothers and sisters in Christ to remember the death of Jesus. 2- Baptism, is the rite by which a person identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus by being immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Security of the Believer
We teach that people who have been born again are saved forever and cannot lose their salvation. A true believer persists in their attachment to and love for Jesus
The Eternal State
We teach that all born again people when they die will go to heaven and enjoy it forever. We also teach that all people who have not been born again when they die will go to hell.
Civil Government
We teach that the secular governments, good and bad, are set up by God. We believe they should be obeyed and respected, but if the good or bad government tells us to disobey God then we have the duty to obey God, and disobey the government.
The Second Coming of Jesus
We teach that Jesus is going to return, and that His coming will include the resurrection and glorification (making new) of the bodies of dead Christians, as well as the glorification (making new) of the bodies of living Christians. After Jesus returns there will be a final resurrection of all people both Christians and non-Christians. This resurrection will be followed by a judgment and at that judgment all non-Christians will be cast into the lake of fire, and all Christians will enter heavenly glory.