What We Believe

The following are the core beliefs of First Baptist Church of Bay Springs based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

There is one living and true God, the creator of the universe. He is revealed in the unity of the Godhead as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection. (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 27:5; Colossians 2:8-9)
1.God the Father is the supreme ruler of the universe. He providentially directs the affairs of history according to the purposes of His grace (Genesis 1; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 104; Hebrews 1:1-3).

2.God the Son is the Savior of the world. Born of the virgin Mary (Matthew1:18; Luke 1:26-35), His deity is declared among men (John 1:14, 18; Matthew 9:6). He died on the cross as the only sacrifice for sin (Philippians 2:6-11), arose bodily from the grave (Luke 24:6, 7, 24-26; I Corinthians 15:3-6), and ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19). He is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for believers (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25) until He returns to rapture them from the world (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-18).

3.God the Holy Spirit is the manifest presence of deity. He convicts of sin (John 16:8-11), teaches spiritual truths according to the written Word (John 16:12-15), permanently indwells believers (Acts 5:32; John 14:16, 17, 20, 23), and confers on every believer at conversion the ability to render effective spiritual service (I Peter 4:10, 11).
 

1.The Scriptures are God's inerrant revelation, complete in the Old and New Testaments, written by divinely inspired men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21). Those men wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:13).

2.The Scriptures provide the standard for the believer's faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16, 17), reveal the principles by which God will judge all (Hebrews 4:12; John 12:48), and express the true basis of Christian fellowship (Galatians 1:8, 9; II John

1.The World - God created all things for His own pleasure and glory, as revealed in the biblical account of creation (Genesis 1; Revelation 4:11; John 1:2, 3; Colossians 1:16).

2.Angels - God created an innumerable host of spirit beings called angels. Holy angels worship God and execute His will; while fallen angels serve Satan, seeking to hinder God's purposes (Colossians 1:16; Luke 20:35, 36; Matthew 22:29, 30; Psalm 103:20; Jude 6).

3.Man - God created man in His own image. Each human being is intricately created by God and becomes an individual person at conception.  By God’s sovereign choice, each person is created as either male or female, and the gender of an individual may not be changed because gender is determined at conception and revealed in the individual’s genetic makeup according to God’s purpose and design.  As the crowning work of creation, each person is of dignity and worth and merits respect by all other persons (Psalm 8; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7; Matthew 10:28-31; Psalm 139:13-16).

Satan is a real being rather than a personification of evil (John 8:44), and he with his demons opposes all that is true and godly by blinding the world to the gospel (II Corinthians 4:3, 4), tempting saints to do evil (Ephesians 6:11; I Peter 5:8), and warring against the Son of God (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:1-10).

Although man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:17), man fell through sin, marring his image (Romans 5:12; James 3:9). In his unregenerate state, man is void of spiritual life, is under the influence of the devil, and lacks any power to save himself (Ephesians 2:1-3; John 1:13). The sin nature has been transmitted to every member of the human race, the man Jesus Christ alone being excepted (Romans 3:23; I Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:14-15). Because of the sin nature, man possesses no divine life and is essentially and unchangeably depraved apart from divine grace (Romans 3:10-19; Jeremiah 17:9).
 

1.The Meaning of Salvation - Salvation is the gracious work of God whereby He delivers undeserving sinners from sin and its consequences (Matthew 1:21; Ephesians 2:8, 9). In justification He declares righteous all who put faith in Christ as Savior (Romans 3:20-22; II Corinthians 5:17-21), giving them freedom from condemnation, peace with God, and full assurance of future glorification (Romans 3:24-26).

2.The Way of Salvation - Salvation is based wholly on the grace of God apart from works (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:9). Anyone who will exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:30-32; Luke 24:47; Romans 10:17).

3.The Provision of Salvation - Christ died for the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; John 3:16; I John 2:1, 2). Through His blood, atonement is made without respect of persons (I Timothy 2:4-6). All sinners can be saved by this gracious provision (Hebrews 2:9; John 3:18).
 

All believers are eternally secure in Jesus Christ (John 10:24-30; Romans 8:35-39). They are born again (John 3:3-5; I John 5:1; I Peter 1:23), made new creatures in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17; II Peter 1:4), and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; I John 4:4), enabling their perseverance in good works (Ephesians 2:10). A special providence watches over them (Romans 8:28; I Corinthians 10:13), and they are kept by the power of God (Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:12, 13; I Peter 1:3-5, Hebrews 13:5).