What We Believe

 

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19-21).  Pastor Brian preaches from the New King James Version.

  

We believe the Biblical account of Creation We believe the account of creation is a literal, historical account and not to be understood as allegory or myth. Man was created by the direct work of God without any evolutionary process. All men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. (Genesis 1, 2; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3)

 

We believe in the one true God declared in the scriptures existing eternally and equally in the persons of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; having essentially the same nature, attributes and perfections, and are worthy of the same homage, confidence and obedience. (Gen. 1:1, 26; Ex.20: 2-3; Deut. 6:4; Jeremiah 45: 5-6, 21-22; Matt.28:19; Jn.1:1,3; 10: 30; Acts 5:1-4; 1 Jn. 5: 7; Rom.1:20; Eph. 4:5,6; Colossians 1:16-17; 2:9)

  

We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power.  We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

  

We Believe in God the Son. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, conceived of the Holy Spirit, virgin-born, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sins of the world by His death.  We believe in His physical resurrection, and His bodily ascension into heaven, His lifelong intercession; and His future physical, imminent return for those who have trusted by faith in Him.(Isaiah 53; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 20; Acts 1: 1-11; 1 Cor.15: 2-4; 2 Cor.5: 21; Heb.4:14-16; 7:25; 1 John 2:1)

  

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came from God to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; and by His indwelling to regenerate, sanctify, comfort, instruct, and seal those who believe in Jesus Christ.(John 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor.6: 19; Eph. 4: 30; 2 Timothy 1:7)

  

We believe every individual needs personal salvation . We believe that man was originally created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost.  Having sinned, he incurred the punishment of death, which means not only physical death but spiritual separation from God.  All human beings are now born with a sinful nature and are thoroughly sinners in thought, word, and deed. Therefore man in his natural state is condemned to an eternal death. Being totally depraved and spiritually dead, man can only obtain salvation and spiritual life through regeneration by the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ died for all of sinful humanity and desires that everyone would come to repentance and be saved by grace through faith. All who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will rejoice forever in God's presence in Heaven; and those who refuse to accept Christ as Savior and Lord will be forever separated from God in eternal Hell. (Gen.1:26-27, 3:1-6; Matt 25:46,John 3:3, 16; Rom.3:10-13; 6:23; 5:12-18; 1 John 1:8 1 Timothy 2:4; Eph. 2: 8-9)

  

We believe in the church (a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and of which all regenerated people are members).  We believe that a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized (immersed) upon a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship.  We believe that the ordinances of baptism (immersion) and the Lord's Supper were committed to these local churches for perpetual observance.(Matt. 16:18; 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47; 6:1-7; 9:31; 13:1-3;  1 Corinthians 11: 23-32; 12: 1-26; Eph. 4: 11-16; Col. 1:24; 1 Tim.3: 1-13; 4:14-15; Titus 1: 5-9; Heb. 10:25) 

  

We believe we are Eternally Secure by God's decree, that it is impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be lost and that this assurance is not founded on any concept of personal merit.(John 6:39,49, 10:28; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1)

  

We believe that Satan is a literal and personal being, created by God. Because of sin, He fell from his original estate. He is the god of this age and the author of sin, but was defeated at the cross.  Satan's final doom is in the Lake of Fire.(Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezek. 28: 14-17; Matt. 4:1-3; 25:41; John 14: 30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:13-15; Revelation 20:10)  

  

We believe in a changed life: We believe that the Christian is to strive at all times for holiness of life; that good works are the proof and result of genuine saving faith. Christians are challenged to live lives separated from the sins of the world and this can only be accomplished by living in dependence upon the Holy Spirit so as to reveal the fruit of the Spirit. The life of the believer is to be fruitful in service and witness, lived solely for the glory of God. (John 15:1-17; Romans 6:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-20; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 5:18; James 2:14-26; 1 John 2:3-6)

  

We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith and practice; that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority, and that, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictations or patronage of the other.

 

We believe in the biblical definition of marriage.  We affirm biblical, traditional, and historical marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman as genetically defined at birth within covenant bonds and lifelong commitment. Marriage is one man and one woman united spiritually, physically, publicly, and legally in a lifelong bond of loyal love. Marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship to His church and a principal building block of society. Marriage is not open to social architecture, cultural engineering, or judicial activism. God established marriage as His purpose at the beginning of time with Adam and Eve, demonstrated it through the rest of Scripture and reinforced it through the teachings of Jesus Christ. God regards any sexual activity outside of this biblical definition of marriage as sinful and therefore, so must we.

Any position, perspective, or redefinition of marriage and sexuality that disagrees with t his biblical standard, regardless of its origin or source, will be dissented and rejected. We cannot and will not recognize or endorse same-sex “marriages”, nor will Friendship Baptist Church ministers or members be involved in solemnizing such “unions” either by hosting them within our church or officiating at such ceremonies.

The Bible also informs us how we are to respond to people who struggle with sin of any kind, including homosexuality. We are to possess and demonstrate God’s love for sinners, a love that seeks to deliver them from their sin through the provision of Jesus Christ. We renounce common reactions such as sarcasm, mockery, ridicule, and disrespect to those engaged in sin. However, the Gospel is not, nor has it ever been, about affirming humanity in whatever expression it chooses. It is rather about the powerful grace of God toward sinners that delivers us from sin by cleansing us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is impossible to demonstrate the love of God, and at the same time endorse, legitimize, or affirm conduct or behavior that brings His condemnation on its participants.

(Gen. 2: 21-24, Matt. 19: 4-6, Eph. 5:31)