W E B E L I E V E
The Bible
We believe the Bible (the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments) is the inspired Word of God and His completed revelation. God the Holy Spirit moved in and through the human authors to produce all the words of the text, while at the same time preserving the individual style of each human author (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21). We believe the original manuscripts were free from error and is therefore wholly true, accurate, trustworthy, and the supreme and final authority in everything it teaches, whether ethical, moral, behavioral, doctrinal, historical, geographic, or scientific. We believe the accurate understanding of the Bible is arrived at through a literal, contextual, grammatical, and historical interpretive process (2 Timothy 3:16-17; I Corinthians 2:1-13).
The Trinity
We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is equal in every divine quality and executes distinct but harmonious functions (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14, 18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6).
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. In His very essence (Genesis 1:1; John 4:24; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13), God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging (Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 119:137). God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present and future (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:9, 10; Hebrews 4:13). Although God detests evil, He is longsuffering and compassionate toward sinful people (Psalm 116:5; Ephesians 2:4-7), He concerns Himself in the affairs of men, He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin and Hell all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8-11; John 3:16).
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son who has become incarnate. God the Son has precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that He is not only perfect God, but perfect man (John 3:16; John 10:30; John 5:20). We believe Jesus Christ is one person with two complete natures, inseparable, yet wholly distinct—one human and one divine. As a man, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to the Virgin Mary. Though he experienced genuine temptation, he did not sin (Luke 1:3 1, 35; Luke 2:6-7; Mark 1:13). We believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same (yet glorified) body in which He had lived and died. Upon His ascension, He was received by His Father as the ultimate assurance that His redeeming work was accomplished (Matthew 28:6-7; Luke 24:37-39; Acts 1:9). He is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes on behalf of His redeemed people.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit and in His distinct personality. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. His ministry glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ’s work of salvation (Acts 5:3, 4; John 16: 8-10). We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates (Titus 3), baptizes (1 Corinthians 12:13), seals (Ephesians 1:13), and indwells (1 Corinthians 6:19) all believers, securing them in Christ forever, and empowering them for godly living and service. Spiritual gifts are sovereignly given to all believers for the common good of the church. No gift signifies His baptism or filling, nor does any gift provide authoritative revelation beyond what has already been revealed in the Holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11). The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit and the building up of the body into Christ-likeness (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:7; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 4:12-16). Life in the Spirit includes trials and does not guarantee physical health, material wealth, or confirming signs. Sign gifts were given for the express purpose of authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth, and were never intended to be characteristic of all believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4).
Humanity
We believe God directly created the first man and first woman, Adam and Eve, in His own image and free from sin. God created human beings as immortal, rational, and morally responsible individuals. The purposes given to humanity are to glorify God, to enjoy His fellowship, and to accomplish His will on earth (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:7; Matthew 19:4). We believe Adam sinned; as a result, all people are sinners by nature and choice and are spiritually dead in their relationship to God. Because sin is rooted in the core of their being, they are totally incapable of being reconciled to God apart from divine grace (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-10). We believe all people stand in need of the Savior, who alone can address their spiritually dead condition. We believe those who repent of sin and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and reconciled to God. We believe genuine saving faith should be and will be evidenced by a life of faith expressed through obedience to the Word and righteous living, good works, and proper social concern (John 14:1-6; Romans 1:16-17; Titus 3:3-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). We believe marriage was established by God (Genesis 2:24, 25; Matthew 19:4, 5) as a lifelong covenantal relationship between one man and one woman (Romans 7:2). As such, it is the only permissible context for intimate sexual expression and is the foundation for the human family (1 Corinthians 7:1-9). We believe in the sanctity of human life (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-15), which has value in God’s sight from the beginning, at conception, until death, when our spirit returns to God who gave it (Psalm 51; Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Salvation
We believe salvation is provided wholly by God’s grace and received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). We believe God the Father, by His love and grace, was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself by giving His Son as the sinless, substitutionary sacrifice for sinful humanity. In the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, full payment was made for the sins of the world, and God’s perfect justice was satisfied (Colossians 1:19-20; Hebrews 10:12; 1 John 2:1-2; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:6-8). We believe personal salvation is received through faith in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone, apart from any human merit, deed, or ritual. Upon faith, God justifies, regenerates, redeems, forgives, and gives eternal life. God’s faithfulness guarantees the eternal security of all true believers (Romans 8:1; l John 5:13; John 6:47; John 10:27-30).
Church
We believe in the Universal Church, the spiritual body of Christ, of which He is the head. We believe the Church began on the Day of Pentecost and is comprised of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27, Romans 12:4-5, Acts 2). We believe the Universal Church is expressed in local churches whose members have been baptized by immersion upon credible confession of faith and associated themselves for worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. Each believer has equal access to God, and has the responsibility to offer up sacrifices, including self, praise, and possessions (1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2, 1 Peter 2:5). We believe there are two ordinances for the local church: believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19, Acts 19:3-5, I Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ. The elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbols. There is no real presence of Christ in them, nor is grace received through participation (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). While recognizing the value of cooperation and interdependency, we believe in the autonomy of each local church. The leadership of the church is responsible and accountable first to Jesus Christ as the Chief Shepherd, then to the congregation, as servants, overseeing in love and humility. We believe only biblically qualified men are to serve in the position of pastor or elder (Romans 15:25-27, 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-7).
Relation of Church and State
We believe God in His wisdom has ordained human government. God uses government as an instrument for promoting good and punishing evil among those governed. The Church is God’s instrument for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, calling people to salvation, expressed through a life of faith and service. The Church and State are best served when citizens are free to faithfully “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-22; Rom 13:1-7).
Last Things
We believe a person’s eternal destiny is forever sealed by their acceptance or rejection, in this lifetime, of Christ and His work on the cross. Believers will experience eternity in the presence of God. Unbelievers will be in Hell, a place of suffering and loss, eternally separated from the presence of God (Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16; John 14:1-3; Matthew 10:28).We believe in the personal and pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ. He will gather His Church and set up His kingdom on earth. After this, Christ will establish his eternal kingdom, where believers will live with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-2; Revelation 21:1- 4).
First Baptist Church / 220 East Central / Arkansas City, KS 67005 / 620-442-3510
/ OFFICE@FBCARKCITY.COM