Biblical Doctrines.At First Baptist Church of Belle Chasse, we affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired, infallible word of God and the basis for our beliefs. This church subscribes to the doctrinal statement of The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, June 14, 2000. We voluntarily bond ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to the lost as ministers to all.
GOD God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26,27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14) You have a Creator and a God that can be trusted. JESUS CHRIST Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was both fully God and fully human, lived a sinless human life, and offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again some day to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 8:58, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 6: 14-15; Titus 2:13) Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed Himself so that you could have a relationship with God. THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian with power for living, understanding for spiritual truths, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16: 7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25) As a Christian, the Holy Spirit works in you and through you. THE BIBLE The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without mixture of error. (2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:105, 160, 2:6; Proverbs 30:5) The Bible is your guide for what to believe and how to live. HUMANITY People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. (Gensis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:6; Romans 3:23) Man is inherently sinful and can only be redeemed by God, through Christ. SALVATON Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 5:1, 6:23; Ephesians 2:9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26) Sin separates us from God, but God has provided a way, through Jesus Christ, for us to have a restored relationship with Him. ETERNAL SECURITY People who have been saved can never lose their salvation. Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-efforts of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (John 10:28-30; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:14; 1 Peter 1:3-5) Salvation is secured by the grace and power of God, not by the efforts of the individual. ETERNITY People were created to exist forever in eternity. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation through Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. (Heaven - Matthew 5:12; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Hebrews 11:16; Revelation 20:15, 22:1-5. Hell - Psalm 9:17; Proverbs 15:24; Matthew 10:28, 13:42, 50; Jude 1:7; Revelation 20:14, 21:8.) The choices you make now will have eternal significance for you personally. |
Baptist Distinctives. |
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ORDINANCES
Sacrament vs. Ordinance: In the Christian church, the words sacrament and ordinance are often used interchangeably. Both are words used describe ceremonial observances within the practice of the church. However, since neither of these words appear in Scripture, their meanings are typically defined by those who use them. In the Baptist tradition, ordinance is preferred because it denotes a separation from the idea of sacraments which, historically, have been understood to possess efficacy despite the spiritual condition of the administrator or the recipient of the sacraments. The Baptist church believes that the power of the ordinance lies within the belief of the individual, not within the ordinance itself. Therefore, the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not unique to the Baptist church, but rather the manner in which they are observed. BAPTISM After a person has accepted and confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, he or she then participates in baptism. Believers’ baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience that symbolizes a person’s faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, representing death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in a new life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is visible evidence of a person’s faith in God and His promises, including the final resurrection of the dead. We believe baptism by immersion to be the Biblical model of baptism and is a requirement for church membership. Scriptural Foundation for Baptism: Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 3:23; Acts 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12. THE LORD'S SUPPER / COMMUNION The Lord’s Supper is a special, symbolic act of worship. During the Lord’s Supper, Christian believers remember the death of Jesus Christ and anticipate His second coming by eating bread and drinking the fruit of the vine. Scriptural Foundation for the Lord’s Supper: Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12. THE CHURCH As a Church member you are a part of a community of believers. Being a church member means that you have certain opportunities and responsibilities. A New Testament Christian church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by a common faith in and community that centers on the gospel. A local church observes Believers Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and is governed by the principles found in Scripture. A local church also is responsible for exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges with which God has empowered its members through His Word. A local church always looks for ways to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ, which includes all believers from every time and place. Scriptural support for the church: Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3. WORSHIP We believe that as followers of Christ, we are called and privileged to worship both individually in our everyday lives and collectively as the Body of Christ. We gather weekly as a church to focus our mind’s attention and heart’s affection on Christ. Worship is central to our lives as Christians. There is a distinction to be made between worship and a worship service. Worship is something that we do every day. The Bible says that our obedience to God is our “spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). True worship is carried out in how we live our lives, how we represent God outside of the church. A worship service is a scheduled time each week where followers of God gather together to celebrate the worship that has been taking place in our lives throughout the week. We don’t come to a worship service to worship, we arrive already worshipping. The Bible instructs the gathering of believers. We find biblical examples throughout the Old and New Testaments of those who follow God gathering together for worship. In the Old Testament, the Israelites would first put up the tent of meeting (the church/sanctuary) before their own homes or businesses when they were following God through the desert (Exodus 40). We have the example of the church gathered in the 1st century as recorded in the book of Acts (Acts 2). It is beneficial to the Christian to gather with other believers in order to be encouraged, supported, and held accountable. Scriptural foundation for the gathering of believers: Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 18:20; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 50:5; Deuteronomy 31:12-13; Exodus 20:8-11. Why do we sing songs in a worship service? Corporate singing is a peculiar thing to those unfamiliar with the practices of the church, however, it is a long-standing tradition. Psalm 100:1-4 provides describes the act of worship as singing praise to God, honoring God, acknowledging God, giving thanks to God, inviting God in, and blessing his holy name. Singing songs together in a worship service serves many purposes, including:
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