Our beliefs
The heart of our message and teaching at First Missionary Baptist Church. What we believe . . .
ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit of God to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, we believe all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy in regards to the purpose for which it was written (2 Timothy 3:16).
ABOUT GOD
We believe in one eternal triune God who reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became flesh to reveal God to humanity, fulfill the Law, and to become the Savior of the fallen world.
ABOUT HUMANITY
We believe that all people were created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him but became alienated in that relationship through sinful disobedience (Romans 5:12). As a result, people are incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through their own efforts.
ABOUT SALVATION
We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, God freely offers salvation to those who place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. We believe the sinful nature of a believer has been eradicated through the death of Jesus (Romans 6:6) and the believer is now a partaker of the divine nature through the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:4).
ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
We recognize that the believer will struggle with the sinful tendencies of the flesh in this life, however forgiveness in Christ is not partial, but complete. The believer’s eternal destiny in Heaven is secured through their new identity in Christ and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14). “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). As teachers of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, we avoid any legalistic interpretations that erroneously place believers under law and not under the grace of God (John 1:17; Romans 6:14).”
ABOUT THE CHURCH
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head (Colossians 1:18). The members of the church are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to the lost world.