What We Believe
What We Believe
The Bible. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and are our infallible rule of faith and practice. They are the very words God intended us to have. We profit from them by learning the truth about many things; they also speak to us about wrongdoing; they even correct us and get us back on course as well as instructing us in right living.
God. There is one living and true God, revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver and Righteous Governor of the Universe; and in the Scriptures as Father, Son and Holy Ghost; yet as one God, infinitely wise and good, whom all intelligent creatures are to love, adore and obey supremely.
Christ. He is God's unique Son; the only one of a kind. The Scripture teaches that He is God revealed in flesh. 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.
The Holy Spirit. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all the attributes of God. 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 Government of God. God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings and things by maintaining the constitution and laws of nature. He also performs special acts, not otherwise provided for, as the highest welfare of men requires.
The Sinfulness of 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.
The Work of Christ. The Son God by His incarnation, life, sufferings, death and resurrection effected for all a redemption from sin that is full and is the ground of salvation by faith.
The Terms of Salvation. The conditions of salvation are:
(a) 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 (faith) 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 salvation by grace alone and not of works.
(b) The unreserved committal of one's self to Christ as Savior and Lord with purpose to love and obey Him in all things. In the exercise of saving faith, the soul is renewed by the Holy Spirit, freed from the dominion of sin, and becomes a child of God.
(c) Continuance in faith and obedience until death.
Election. God determined from the beginning to save all who should comply with the conditions of salvation. Hence, by faith in Christ, men become His elect.
Freedom of the Will. The human will is free and self-controlled having power to yield to the influence of the truth and the Spirit or resist them and perish.
Salvation Free. God desires the salvation of all; the Gospel invites all; the Holy Spirit strives with all; and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely.
Perseverance. We believe that:
(a) There are strong grounds to hope that the saved will persevere unto the end, and be saved because of the power of divine grace pledged for their support.
(b) Since man, however, continues to have free choice his future obedience and final salvation are neither determined nor certain, since through manifold temptations and the weakness of human flesh he can fall into the practice of sin and make shipwreck of his faith and be lost.
(c) We believe that any Christian 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.
(d) All believers in Christ, who through grace persevere in holiness (having God’s favor and fellowship) to the end of life, have promise of eternal salvation.
Gospel Ordinances. We believe the Bible teaches three ordinances for the church to practice: Baptism in water by immersion; the Lord's Supper; and the Washing of the Saints' feet, an ordinance teaching humility and reminding the believers of the necessity of a daily cleansing from all sin, which is to be ministered to all true believers.
Tithing. God commanded tithes and offerings in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ endorsed it in the Gospel (Matthew 23:23); and the apostle Paul said, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him" (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Resurrection. 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.
Judgment. There will be a judgment, when time and man's probation will close forever. Then all men will be judged according to their works.
Final Retribution. Immediately after the judgment, the righteous will enter into eternal life, and the wicked will go into a state of endless punishment.
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 - The Lord Jesus, who ascended on high and sits at the right hand of God, will come again to glorify His saints, and judge the world. All of the created universe as it now exists will be destroyed. God will create 'new heavens and a new earth'.
Missions - Free Will Baptists believe that Jesus commanded the church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
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