What We Believe

God loves YOU!

An Overview of What We Believe

Though we believe the Doctrine of Free Will Baptist is a good understanding of scripture, we in no way believe you have to “BE” a Free Will Baptist to be saved and go to heaven.

We have chosen to associate ourselves with the FWB because of their approach to God’s word and God’s work; but being a member of any church, or denomination, will not secure one’s salvation; only Jesus Christ can do that; for it is faith alone in the person and work of Jesus that is able to bring redemption for the wayward soul.

Go to our Statement of Faith, to see a more complete understanding of our beliefs according to God’s holy Word.

  • God – We believe that God is the  Creator, Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the universe. He has revealed  Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as Father, Son,  and Holy Spirit: yet as one God.
  • Jesus Christ – He is God’s unique  Son; the only one of a kind. The Scripture teaches that He is God revealed in   flesh (Immanuel). In His Divine nature He is truly God and in His human   nature truly man. He is the One once crucified for man’s sin, the now risen   and glorified Savior and Lord who mediates between God and man and who gives   us access to the Father through His intercession. None can come to the Father   unless they come through Him.
  • Holy Spirit – All of the attributes  of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit by the Scriptures. It is He who  convicts and convinces men of their sin. He also convinces man of that which   is right, and that a final day of judgment will come. He, it is, who comes to   live in us at conversion, to open our understanding to the Scripture, and to  lead us into the truth.
  • The Bible – God used holy men to  write the Scriptures. They are, in both the Old and New Testaments, the very  words God intended us to have. They are, as given by God, without error and   are our only rule of faith and practice. We profit from them by learning the   truth about many things: they also speak to us about wrong doing; they even   correct us and get us back on course as well as instructing us in right  living.
  • Man – God created man in a state of  innocence. Man, being tempted by Satan, yielded and willfully disobeyed God,   becoming a sinner and incurring God’s judgment upon sin. All of Adam’s  descendants inherit his fallen nature and thus have a natural inclination to  sin. When one comes to an age of accountability, he is guilty of sinning  before God and in need of salvation.
  • God’s Relationship to His Creatures and   Creation – God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings   and things. He maintains the laws of nature and performs special acts as the  highest welfare of mankind and His created order of things require.
  • Salvation – Man receives pardon and   forgiveness for his sins when he admits to God that he is a sinner, when in Godly  sorrow he turns from them and trusts in the work of Christ as redemption for   his sin. This acceptance of God’s great salvation involves belief in Christ’s  death on the cross as man’s substitute and the fact of God’s raising Him from   the dead as predicted. It is a salvation by grace alone and not of works.

 

  • Who Can be Saved? – It is God’s will  that all be saved, but since man has the power of choice, God saves only  those who repent of their sin and believe in the work of Christ on the cross.   Those who refuse in this life to repent and believe have no later chance to   be saved and thus condemn themselves to eternal damnation by their unbelief.
  • Perseverance – We believe that all  those who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ will persevere unto the end and  be saved because of the power of divine grace pledged for their support. We   believe that any saved person who has sinned (whether we call him a   backslider or sinner), but has a desire to repent, may do so and be restored  to God’s favor and fellowship. We believe that salvation is conditional upon   faith in Jesus Christ; that is why we are warned numerous times against letting  sin endanger our faith through the hardening of our heart.
  • Gospel Ordinances – We believe the   Bible teaches three ordinances for the church to practice: Baptism in water  by immersion, the Lord’s Supper, to be perpetuated until His return, and the   Washing of the Saints’ feet, an ordinance teaching humility. These do not  gain or attain salvation; but point to our Lord.
  • Resurrection – We believe that the  Scriptures teach the resurrection of the bodies of all men, each in its own order; they that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life,   and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.
  • Church Government – Free Will  Baptist churches enjoy local church autonomy (self-governing). The local  church is the highest authority in the denomination. Local churches   voluntarily organize themselves into quarterly meetings, district, state, and  national associations for the purpose of promoting the cause of Christ on the local, state, district, national, and world-wide level.
  • Christ’s Second Coming – We believe   the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, who ascended on high and sits at the   right hand of God, will come again to close the Gospel dispensation, glorify  His saints, and judge the world.
  • Missions – We believe that Jesus  commanded the church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every   creature; and this church supports those efforts.