What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

“There is one God; in Whom there is no flaw, no impurity, and absolutely no evil. He is the Maker of the heavens and the earth and made man in His own Image. God is Triune, The Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There are not three separate gods, but the Father, Son, and Holy spirit are all fully God and are completely divine in nature. They are co-equal and co-existent. One God – Father Son and Holy Spirit. The foundation of Christian faith and life.”

Basic Beliefs
Although Southern Baptists are not a creedal people, a statement of generally held convictions called “The Baptist Faith and Message” serves as a guide to understanding who we are. Copies are available at First Baptist Church and all Southern Baptist churches. The topics here provide only a brief, partial summary.

 
The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by divinely inspired men and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
 
God
There is one and only one living and true God. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.
 
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the stream of humanity according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
 
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience. In His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
 
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
 
Man
Man was created by the special act of God in His own image and is the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image. Furthermore, Christ died for man; therefore, every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
 
God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace but shall persevere to the end.
 
The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, and it seeks to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ and includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.