What We Believe

The Bible

We believe that every word of the sixty-six books forming the Old and New Testaments was inspired by God and given without error, including statements relating to science and history. We furthermore believe that God has divinely preserved His inspired words for the world today in the Hebrew Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and the Greek Textus Receptus of the New Testament. Since the King James Version is still regarded as the most accurate and one of the only translations available from those divinely preserved texts, it is the only translation we use in our teaching and preaching. We do not believe additional written or spoken revelation is necessary or should be sought after in our day.
(Ps. 19:7-11, II Tim 3:16-17, II Peter 1:16-21)

God

We believe in one God existing in three Persons as The Father, The Son Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit who are co-eternal and co-equal.
(John 16:7-15, I John 5:1-8)

Jesus Christ

We believe in the complete deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life and miraculous ministry on earth, His death on the cross as a substitutionary payment sufficient for the sins of all mankind, in His bodily resurrection from the dead, and in His exaltation to the right hand of God as Lord, Mediator and Priest.
(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-20; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; John 3:1-2; 20:30-31; I Corinthians 15:1-28; Hebrews 4:14; 7:25; 9:24)

The Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the pre-tribulational, pre-millennial and imminent (any day) call of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring every believer of this age, dead and living, home to heaven with Himself. We also believe in the post-tribulational visible appearance of the Lord with His saints on the earth to set up His millennial kingdom.
(I Thess. 4:13-18, 5:9; Rev. 3:10; Matt. 24:29-30; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 1:6-7; Isaiah 11; I Thess. 4:16-17; 5:9-10; Jude 14; Rev. 19:11-16)

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit; that His role is to bring sinners under conviction of sin and to Christ for salvation, that through Him men are regenerated and sanctified, that by Him the saints are indwelt with the Divine Presence, and that by Him God's people are enabled to serve the Lord acceptably.
(John 14:26; 16:7-13; Acts 1:5; 8; 2:4; Romans 8:14-27; 15:16; I Corinthians 12:10-14; 14:40; II Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)

Creation

We believe that the entire universe was brought into existence by the creative act and spoken word of God in a literal six-day span of time.
(Genesis 1:1-2:3; John 1:1-3)

Satan

We believe in the literal existence of a fallen created being called Satan, who is the deceiver of the world and who will ultimately be defeated by Christ and confined for eternity in the lake of fire.
(Is. 14:12-17, Matt 4:1-11, John 8:44, Rev. 12:9-10; 20:1-2, 7-10)

Man

We believe that man was originally created by God in His own image, but that by disobedience to his Creator he incurred both physical and spiritual death, and that the entire human race was plunged into sin and death; that all men inherit an evil nature and if not saved after the point of accountability will endure eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
(Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7-3:24; Matthew 18: 10- 14; Romans 5:12; 6:23; 8:5-8; I Corinthians 15:45; Galatians 5:17; II Samuel 12:23; Revelation 20:14-15)

Sin

We believe that all people are born sinful, and that there is no forgiveness and cleansing of sins apart from the blood of the Son of God and man's repentance and dependence on Christ alone for pardon.
(Ezekiel 18:4; Luke 24:46-47; Romans 3:10-26; 6:23; 7:13-14; Hebrews 9:22)

Salvation - The Atonement

We believe in the once-for-all substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners, that salvation is wholly of divine grace apart from any works of merit of the sinner; that it is received by a sinner when he repents toward God and puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal Savior.
(Psalm 49:7; Jonah 2:9; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 13:3; 24:46-47; John 1:11-13; 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 8:24; Acts 16:31; 17:30-31; 20:20-21; Romans 4:2-5; 5:8; 10:9-10; II Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2:8-10; I Timothy 4:10; Titus 3:4-7; Heb. 10:10; I John 5:11-12; Rev. 21:8)
[We are neither Calvinist/Reformed nor Armenian in our theology.]

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We believe that all the redeemed are sealed and kept by God's power and are secure in Christ forever.
(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; 8:38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5)
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation, however, Scripture clearly forbids the use of one's security and liberty in Christ as an excuse to continue in sinful practices.
(Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

The Church

We believe that the church, the body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers of this present age; that it was birthed and empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; that it was purchased with the blood of Christ; that it was founded upon Christ; that its mission is to bear the gospel to the ends of the earth. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught in the New Testament, and that a local New Testament church is a body of believers in Christ that have followed the Lord through baptism, are associated together for worship, instruction, fellowship, service and the spread of the gospel. We believe that the Biblical local church is self-governing in its own affairs, and that its relationship with other religious bodies may be one of fellowship only.
(Matt. 16:17-18; 28:18-20; Acts 2; I Corinthians 3:11; 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:25-27; Colossians 1:18; Matt. 16:17-18; 28:18-20; Acts 14:27; 20:17; 28-37; I Cor. 3:9-17; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:25, 27; Col. 1:18; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11 )

Ordinances

We believe every Christian should obey the Lord in baptism by immersion following salvation, and should regularly participate in the Lord's Supper in a local church fellowship. Any born-again believer who is in fellowship with the Lord and with a like-minded church is welcome to participate in the Lord's supper with us.
(Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:4; Matt. 26:26-30; I Cor. 10:16-21; 11:17-34)

Spiritual Gifts

Prophesying, speaking in tongues, visions and dreams, etc. are not to be sought after as the New Testament Scriptures are complete and are completely sufficient for doctrine and edification.
(Eph 2:19-22; 4:7-12)

Government

We believe that governmental authority is ordained of God, that Christians are to obey its ordinances for the Lord's sake, and that we are to faithfully pray for our civil leaders. However, when the decree of any man stands in direct contradiction to the decree of God, we must humbly obey God rather than man. We also believe in the separation of church and state - that they must never create formal alliances together.
(Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1-6)

Missions

We believe that it is the heart's desire of Almighty God to save sinners, and that He has commissioned His people and His churches to be diligent and zealous in publishing the saving message of Jesus Christ throughout all the world.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8; I Timothy 2:3-6; II Peter 3:9)

The Separated Life

We believe in the separation of believers unto Christ and from the world so as to maintain good works and to have no fellowship with the evil works of darkness. We believe in separation from all religious apostasy and all sinful pleasures and practices as commanded by God. We therefore encourage every member of FIBC to abstain from questionable things, keeping himself/herself from "every appearance of evil" in religion, dress, conversation, amusement, business, habit, etc.
(Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 5:6; 17:23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:1-32; Philippians 2:12-16; 11 Thessalonians 3:11-12; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:1-11; James 4:4; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 1 John 2:15-16; II John 9-11)

Eternity

We believe that the after-life is composed of a literal and eternal Heaven and Hell and that every human will be resurrected, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe that the redeemed are at death "absent from the body and present with the Lord”.
(Matthew 26:46; Luke 16:19-31; Romans 2:1-16; II Corinthians 6:1-10; Philippians 3:20; Revelation 20:1-15; 21:22; Matt. 25:46; Jn. 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5, 6, 12, 13; Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15)