Beliefs of FBC Lula

About the Bible

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is divine instruction that is perfect and without error.

Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever.
Luke 21:33 – Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Words will by no means pass away.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 – ...and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:19-21 – And so we have the prophetic Word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

About God

There is One and only One living and true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with three distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
John 1:14 – and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 5:7 – For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are One.

About Mankind

Man is a special creation of God for we are made in His image, both man and woman were the crowning work of His creation. Through temptation of Satan, man fell from his innocence and was lost in sin. Only by God's grace are we allowed to have holy fellowship with Him. God loves His creation so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us so that we might once again have fellowship with Him. Christ died for our sins and through Him we can be forgiven from our sin nature.

Acts 17:26-28 – And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring.”
Matthew 16:26 – For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jeremiah 17:5-8 – Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

About Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who in His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 5:24 – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Acts 2:20 – And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

About Grace

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith until salvation.

John 1:12-14 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 6:44-47 – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
Acts 20:32 – So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
2 Timothy 1:12 – For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
1 Peter 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed as in the last time.

About Atonement

Man's sin had to be covered over or a proper payment made to God, and Jesus Christ atoned for that sin that man committed unto God. The atonement of sin made by Jesus Christ was sacrificial, for He gave all. It was substitutionary for He took our place, it was sufficient, for it is unlimited for all sins for all time. It was final for it was a one-time event that atones forever. Christ died for all mankind, but not all mankind will choose to accept the payment for their sins through Christ.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Hebrews 9:26-28 – He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 10:10 – By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.
1 John 2:2 – And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

About The Church

The New Testament church is the “Body of Christ” both universal as well as the local body of believers. The local congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, right, privileges invested in them by the Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Acts 2:42-47 – And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
1 Corinthians 1:2 – To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
Ephesians 1:22-23 – And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fill all in all.
Ephesians 2:19-22 – Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:24-27 – Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Hebrews 10:24-25 – And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting on another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

About Baptism

Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. In most Baptist Churches, it is a prerequisite for membership and taking of the Lord's Supper since it is considered the first act of obedience by the believer.

Acts 2:41 – Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 16:30-33 – And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Romans 6:3-5 – Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

About Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby member of the church, through partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 26:26-30 – And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
1 Corinthians 11:23-29 – For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

About The Lord's Day

The first day of the week or Sunday is considered the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship, spiritual devotion, both public and private.

Acts 20:7 – Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches in Galatia, so you must do also. On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

About Heaven

Heaven is a literal place that is being prepared for the saints that have followed Christ in salvation. Heaven will be a dwelling place for the children of God for eternity and there we shall no longer suffer any pain or aging and there will be no more sorrow. Heaven's beauty is beyond anything that we can imagine.

John 14:3 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Matthew 25:31-34 – When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from his goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Revelation 21:1-7 – Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

About Last Things

God in His way and in His time will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return for His bride the church with a trump and the sound of the arch angel and the dead in Christ will rise first and then the saints will be caught up in the air and will be judged for our righteousness. Then the earth will face a time of tribulation and at the end of seven years Christ will return and set up His kingdom on earth and rule and reign for 1,000 years. At the end of 1,000 years, Satan and his demons will be released from the bottomless pit and will be once and for all destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. Those who rejected Christ will be judged and cast into the lake of fire with Satan to face eternal death. Those whose name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life will receive rewards according to their works for the kingdom.

Matthew chapters 24 and 25 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 5:1-11
Revelation chapters 4-22

About Christian Witness & Missions

As a born-again believer here on Earth, it is your duty to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Using the Scripture and your personal testimony all to bring Glory to God.

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Acts 1:8 – “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Romans 10:14-15 – How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

About Discipleship

Christ has called us to make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:19. Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:28 that it is our responsibility to present all men perfect in Christ Jesus

2 Timothy 2:1-2 – You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

About Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings both temporal and spiritual and all that we have we owe to Him. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means both financially and in service; cheerfully, systematically, proportionally, and liberally for the advancement of Christ's cause here on earth.

Matthew 6:19-21 – Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 – Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

About Unity of the Body

Church Unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for the common purpose of the gospel. Unity within the local body as well as the Body of Christ Global even including multiple denominations plays a vital role in the testimony of the church to the lost community and world. Unity must be centered in the truth and work of Jesus Christ for His bride the church and must never be compromise that violates the written Word of God.

Ephesians 4:1-6 – I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Corinthians 1:10-11 – Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.

About The World

The World or the world system is in direct opposition to God and due to Adam's fall has become controlled by Satan and darkness. The Scripture in 1 John tells us that we are not to love the world or things of the world. When we are saved, we are no longer a citizen of this world, but now a citizen of heaven and our allegiance should be to our new citizenship. We should oppose the sins of the world such as racism, greed, selfishness, sexual immorality of all kinds as well as pornography. We have been called to live in the world but not be of the world. We must always share the truth of the gospel in love.

James 1:27 – Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

About Satan

Satan is the enemy of God, once a chief angel that wanted to have God's position and was cast out of heaven by God along with 1/3 of the angels who also sided with him. Satan's goal is to lie and deceive people away from accepting and serving God. God has prepared a place for Satan and his demons at the end of the age and those who never trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior will dwell with Satan and his demons for eternity in the lake of fire, referred to in God's Word as Hell.

Ephesian 6:10-13 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

About Religious Liberty

God alone is Lord of the conscience and He has left it free from the laws and statutes or men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in His Word. Church and state should be separate as the government of the land has no authority over God and His commandments or how we worship God. The state should have no right to impose taxes for the support of any religion nor impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. A free church is a free state with unhindered access to God is the ideal Christian form of worship.

John 8:36 – Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Galatians 5:1 – Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:13 – For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

About Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage or blood or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man to one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and the church and to provide for a man and a woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship according to biblical standards and a means for procreation of the human race. Parents are to teach their children in the ways of the Lord and with loving discipline guide them into biblical truth and behavior.

Genesis 1:26-28 – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Colossians 3:18-21 – Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

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