Arcadia First Baptist

OUR BELIEFS

 

We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired word of God, without error in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice. 

 

We believe that there is one God, that the Father and the Son and the Spirit are each God, and that the Father and the Son and the Spirit are each a distinct person. 

 

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God, fulfill prophecy, and redeem sinful man. We believe he accomplished our redemption through his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, his burial, and his bodily resurrection. We believe our redemption and salvation are guaranteed by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that he is the only means of salvation. We believe that Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, and the head of the church. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted to the right hand of God where, as high priest to his people, he serves as our advocate and intercedes for us. 

 

We believe God the Holy Spirit is a person who restrains evil in the world and convicts men of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He dwells in all who believe in Jesus. From the moment of belief in the Son, the Spirit baptizes believers into the body, seals them for salvation, regenerates them to new life, bestows spiritual gifts on each one, and is fully present to continually fill (control and guide) His own. 

 

We believe man was created innocent and in the image and likeness of God, but that man sinned, bringing both physical and spiritual death to himself and his posterity, can do nothing to merit God’s favor and as such is in need of salvation. We believe that mankind’s sinful nature is rebellious toward God, and His good design for life and worship. Mankind’s rebellion causes confusion about good and evil, and harm to people ultimately ending in judgement, despair and death. 

 

We believe God created mankind in his image, forming each person in the womb from conception until the point of death when they breathe their last breath; and assigning gender to his people, male (man) and female (woman), as he created them sexually and biologically different, but with equal personal dignity and value. 

 

We believe that God ordained marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. Those who accept and live within God’s design for sex, biological gender and marriage experience the blessing of His good design, and decisions to change, alter or modify God’s will in marriage, sex or gender are part of man’s brokenness and lead to despair. 

 

We believe that God loves and pursues mankind despite our rebellion. He offers forgiveness, healing and abundant life to anyone who turns to Him in humility. 

 

We believe salvation is a sovereign gift of God and is received by man through personal faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for sin. We believe man is justified by grace through faith apart from works. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation and that no one is saved apart from a conscious and personal decision to trust in Christ as his or her one and only Savior. We believe all true believers elect of God, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever. 

 

We believe in the future, visible, and bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth, commonly called the second coming, to rule the nations and establish his kingdom on earth. 

 

What is baptism? Baptism is an outward act that symbolizes the inward phenomenon of coming to and accepting Jesus Christ as real, as God incarnate, as the sacrificial means by which those who believe in Him can be forever reconciled to God. The purpose of baptism is to give visual testimony of our commitment to Christ. It is the first step of discipleship.