Doctrinal Position Of
Foundation Baptist Church
I. The Inspiration of the Bible
We believe that the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is inerrant, infallible, sufficient, and verbally inspired in all its parts, and has been providentially preserved all through the ages to be the supreme and final authority in faith and life (Psa. 12:6-7; 19:7-14; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; Jn. 10:35; 12:48; 17:17; II Tim. 3:16-17; I Pet. 1:23-25; II Pet. 1:19-21).
- By “the Bible,” we mean that collection of books from Genesis to Revelation (excluding the Apocryphal books or Deuterocanonicals), which, as originally written, does not only contain and convey the Word of God but is the very Word of God. For English speaking peoples, this church will use the time-tested Authorized King James Version of the Bible for all teaching, preaching, memorization, and reading in the church and her outreaches because of its literal approach to translation and its underlying Hebrew and Greek texts.
- By “verbally inspired,” we mean that every word, right down to the very jot and tittle, (not just thoughts, paragraphs, nor sentences) in the Bible were written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally kept from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.
II. The Trinity
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons, namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-equal in nature, power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Matt. 28:19; Lk. 3:22; Ac. 5:3-6; II Cor. 13:14; I Pet. 1:2;
I Jn. 5:7).
III. The Deity and Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary, to reveal God that He might redeem all men from their sin (Matt. 1:18-23; Jn. 1:1-3, 14, 18; 14:9; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 4:15).
IV. The Substitutionary Blood Atonement and Bodily Resurrection
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His bodily resurrection from the dead (Isa. 53:5-6; Matt. 20:28; Lk. 24:36-43;
Jn. 20:25-28; Rom. 4:25; Gal. 3:13; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:11-12; 10:12-14).
V. The Ascension and Intercession of Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest and Representative, He fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 9:24; I Jn. 2:1).
VI. The Holy Spirit’s Ministries to the Lost and Up Until a Sinner’s Conversion
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Triune God who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He baptizes all believers into Christ’s body, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption at the moment they are regenerated (Matt. 28:19; Jn. 16:7-15; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16-17; 12:12-13; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; I Cor. 6:19-20; Tit. 3:5).
VII. The Holy Spirit’s Ministries in Believer’s Lives
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who empowers all believers for Christian life and service, and Who guides believers into all the Truth; and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. Some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary sign gifts which ceased upon the completion of the New Testament canon, and never the necessary signs of the filling of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26; 16:12-15; Ac. 4:8, 31; Rom. 8:23; 15:18-19; I Cor. 13:8; II Cor. 12:12; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 3:16; 5:18; Heb. 2:3-4).
VIII. Creation and Man’s Fall
We believe that man was divinely created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the entire human race fell, inherited sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that unregenerated man is spiritually dead, and utterly unable by himself to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-28; 3:1-14; Jer. 13:23; Mk. 7:21-23; Jn. 3:3-5; 8:42-44; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 7:18).
IX. Salvation by Grace, Through Faith, in Christ Alone
We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to man wholly by grace alone and received by repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins, and that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation (Lk. 13:3, 5; Jn. 3:16; 6:28-29; Ac. 4:12; 16:30-31; 20:21; Rom. 3:24; 4:4-5; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9).
X. Eternal Security
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power, secured in Christ forever, and guaranteed never to perish; and, that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh or a license to sin (Jn. 5:24; 10:27-30; Rom. 3:22; 6:1-2, 14-15; 8:16; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 1:3; Phil. 1:6; I Thess. 5:23-24; I Pet. 1:3-5; I Jn. 3:1-3; 5:10-13).
XI. The Believer’s Spiritual Conflict with Sin
We believe that all believers possess two natures, the old (sinful or fleshly) nature and the new nature; and that although the old nature can never be eradicated in this life, provision has been made for victory of the new (divine) nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the resurrection of the believer in Christ (Rom. 6:1-4; 7:15-25; 13:14; II Pet. 1:4; I Jn. 1:7-9).
XII. Separation
We believe that all believers should live in such a manner as to glorify their Savior and Lord, that separation from all forms of religious apostasy and compromise, and all worldly and sinful practices, pleasures, associations and persistently disobedient brethren is commanded of God (Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 12:1-2; I Cor. 5:9-11; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; Eph. 5:11; II Thess. 3:6, 14-15; II Tim. 1:13; 4:2-5; II Jn. 9-11).
XIII. The Church and Her Mission
We believer that the New Testament local church is “the pillar and ground of the Truth” and is an assembly of born again believers associated together for worship, spiritual edification, observance of the ordinances of the church, and the spread of the Gospel to all the world (Matt. 16:15-19; 28:19-20; Ac. 1:8; 2:41-47; I Cor. 12:12-13; I Tim. 3:15; Heb. 10:25).
XIV. The Two Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances which believers ought to observe, namely, Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Immersion of the believer in water baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sets forth the essential facts of redemption (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) and also the essential outlook of the believer (death to sin and alive unto God), picturing the beginning of the Christian life or his union with Christ. The Lord’s Supper is the symbolic commemoration and proclamation of Christ’s death until He comes picturing the continuation of the Christian life as the believer communes or fellowships with Him and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (Matt. 28:19; Lk. 22:14-20; Ac. 2:37-41; 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-10;
I Cor. 11:23-33).
XV. The Personality of Satan
We believe in the personal existence of Satan, the great adversary of God and His people, who has been judged at the cross and whose final doom is certain; and, that Christians are able to resist and overcome Satan and his demons through the blood of the Lamb and the whole armor of God (Ezek. 28:13-17; Isa. 14:12-14; Jn. 12:31-32; 16:11; Eph. 6:12-18; I Tim. 3:7; Rev. 12:11; 20:10).
XVI. The Second Coming
We believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ for his saints before the Seven-year Tribulation Period, and in His subsequent glorious and visible return to the earth with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom (Dan. 9:24-27; Jn. 14:12; Rom. 5:9; 13:11; Ac. 1:6-7, 11; I Cor. 15:51-58; I Thess. 4:13-17; 5:1-9; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
XVII. Heaven and Hell
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to everlasting conscious bliss with the Lord, and the unsaved to everlasting, conscious punishment in the lake of fire “where the worms die not and the fire is not quenched” (Dan. 12:1-2; Matt. 25;41, 46;
Mk. 9:43-44; Jn. 5:25-29; Rev. 6:9-10; 20:10-15; 21:1-8).
We understand that the above articles do not by any means exhaust the content of our creed, which is the whole Word of God, and they are not intended to set an absolute limit beyond which our faith and practice cannot go so long as they are within His Word; but we do believe that in so far as these articles extend, they are a true representation of the sound doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures, and therefore, binding upon us as Christian believers.
