Doctrinal Statements
We believe in
THE holY scripture
Accepting fully the writing of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God, although sufficient in themselves as our infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice. PSALM 119:160, PROVERBS 30:5a, II TIMOTHY 3:16, 17, II PETER 1:19-21.
We believe in
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Who is the second person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son; that without any change in his divine Person, He became man by miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, one person with two natures; that as man he was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose from the grave in a glorified body; that as our great High Priest He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and intercessor. JOHN 1:1, 14, 3:16; MATTHEW 1:18-25; GALATIANS 4:4-5; PHILIPPIANS 2:6-10;
I CORINTHIANS 15:3-7; HEBREWS 4:14-16; I JOHN 2:1,2.
We believe
ALL MEN ARE
BY NATURE AND CHOICE
SINFUL AND LOST
That man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, and has within himself no possible means of salvation. GENESIS 1:27, 3:6; PSALM 51:5; ROMANS 3:23, 5:12; GALATIANS 3:11.
We believe in
RIGHTEOUS LIVING
AND GODLY WORKS
Not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; and therefore as Christians, we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as he walked, accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privileges of bearing the gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only as the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ. EPHESIANS 2:10; ROMANS 12:1, 2; PHILIPPIANS 2:16.
We believe in
THE SECOND COMING
OF CHRIST
That His coming in the air to rapture His church, which is our blessed Hope, is always imminent; that when He has first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living moved from the earth His waiting Church, He will then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world and afterwards descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years. I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18; JAMES 4:8; HEBREWS 10:37; JUDE 1:14-15; REVELATION 19:11-16, 20:4-7.
We believe in
THE SEPARATION
OF CHURCH AND STATE
With each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility. MATTHEW 22:21; ROMANS 13:1-7.
We believe in
THE LORDSHIP
OF JESUS CHRIST
That He alone is Head of the body of Christ, into which all true believers are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit, that all members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves in local churches. I CORINTHIANS 12:13; EPHESIANS 1:22, 23; 4:11-15; GALATIANS 1:22.
We believe in
THE INDEPENDENCE
AND AUTONOMY OF
THE LOCAL CHURCH
That each New Testament church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference, and should cooperate with other New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church and is directly accountable to God. MATTHEW 18:17; ACTS 6:1-5; 13:1-3; 15:22, 23.
We believe that
homosexuality is
and always will be
an abomination to
the Lord
We believe that any act of homosexuality or any homosexual relationship is condemned by the word of God in the Bible. We believe that because the word of God does not, nor can be changed, that no man or society has the authority to change the truth that both homosexuality and polygamy are both to be considered sinful relationships. We believe that a marriage must be only between one man and one woman and that any other marital relationship is unholy and unacceptable to God. GENESIS 2: 21-24; MATTHEW 19:4-6; ROMANS 7:2-3;
I CORINTHIANS 7:1-5; HEBREWS 13:4; PROVERBS 18:22.
We believe in
THE ONE TRUE GOd
Who is an intelligent, sovereign, spiritual and personal Being; perfect, infinite, and eternal in his being, holiness and love, wisdom and power; absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everything present in the world as the Upholder of all things. He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being, and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to his creation and people. GENESIS 1:1, EXODUS 15:11, PSALM 83:18, 139:7-9, MATTHEW 28:19, JOHN 10:30, 15:26.
We believe in
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Who is the Third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that he convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement; that He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals and anoints all who become children of God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who daily surrender to Him. JOHN 3:5, 14:16, 17, 26; 15:7-14; ROMANS 8:9; I CORINTHIANS 12:13; II CORINTHIANS 3:18; EPHESIANS 1:13, 5:18.
We believe in
SALVATION BY GRACE
THROUGH FAITH
That salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation. EPHESIANS 2:8, 9; TITUS 3:5; JOHN 1:12, 3:14, 10:28, 29; ROMANS 8:1; PHILIPPIANS 1:6.
We believe in
THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN
Who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition, rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and his people, leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world: that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who overrules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit. ISAIAH 14:12-15; EPHESIANS 6:12; I PETER 5:8; I JOHN 3:8; REVELATION 12:9-11, 20:10.
We believe in
FUTURE LIFE,
BODILY RESURRECTION
AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT
That the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards which will take place at the time when Christ comes for His own; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into Hell, the place of final and everlasting punishment. I CORINTHIANS 15; II CORINTHIANS 5:8-10; LUKE 16:19-23; REVELATION 20:11-15.
We believe in
THE PRIESTHOOD
OF ALL BELIEVERS
That Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born-again person has access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit. JOHN 14:6; HEBREWS 4:16, II TIMOTHY 2:15; I PETER 2:1, 5, 9.
We believe in
THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE LOCAL CHURCH
That a New Testament church is a local assembly of born-again baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and united testimony, and to actively engage in carrying out
the Great Commission. ACTS 2:41, 42; I CORINTHIANS 11:2; MATTHEW 28:19, 20.
We believe
THE ORDINANCES GIVEN TO
THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE TWO
BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER: That Baptism is by immersion of believers, thus portraying the death, burial, and the resurrection of the Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. MATTHEW 28:19, 20; ACTS 2:41, 8:38, 39; MATTHEW 26:26-39;
I CORINTHIANS 11:23-24.
We believe that
in order for a person
to become a born again
believer and join
the local church
that God must give them
repentance
For their sinful past. We believe that salvation is “by grace through faith alone, and fully apart from man’s deeds." We also believe that faith is not a work of man, but is the work of God in a man’s heart. So we also believe that repentance is given by God in the heart of man. It will result in works just as faith does also. The bible calls this “works suitable for repentance.” EPHESIANS 2:9-10, ACTS 26:20, MATTHEW 3:8. Therefore no person living continuously in a sinful lifestyle may be accepted into membership of Flo Community Baptist Church. This includes homosexuality, polygamy, adultery, fornication, idolatry, drunkenness, or any other sinful continuous activity that is condemned in the scripture. I CORINTHIANS 5:9-13; 1 JOHN 3:8-10; LEVITICUS 18:22-23, 20:13; ROMANS 1:24-27; I CORINTHIANS 6:9.
MISSIONARIES
