First Baptist Church Statement of Faith

A statement of faith is the set of Christian beliefs that our church holds to. They are not merely words on a page for us, but they are the living truths that our church family stands on. If you have any questions about a particular point or wording, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss it with you.

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21.

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three Persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. Genesis 1:1, 26; Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, 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. Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal visible return to earth. Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; John 5:30-32; John 20:30-31; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; Romans 5:9-10; Romans 9:5; 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21-24.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26.

Regeneration

We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe those who with God’s grace repent and forsake sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life. Genesis. 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Psalm 51:7; Proverbs 28:13; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:13-16; 5:24; John 8:12; 10:26; Romans 3:19-25; Romans 5:19; Romans 8:1; Romans 9:22-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; James 1:14; I John 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10; 14-15; 21:18.

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, who evidence a credible profession of faith, and associate for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 5:19-21; Hebrews 10:23-25.

Christian Conduct

We believe that a Christian should love God and live for His glory, and love his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. It is by our love for one another as fellow believers that all will know we are Jesus’ disciples. Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:35; John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Colossians 1:9-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; I John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:1.

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the Triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:35-38; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

The Last Things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked. Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15.

First Baptist Church of Haverhill is affiliated with the Baptist Convention of New England (SBC) and the American Baptist Churches, USA.