Christmas at Jonesboro | December 13, 14, & 15

OUR BELIEFS

BELIEVING THE BIBLE TO BE THE VERY WORD OF GOD TO MAN, AND UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING AND OBEYING ITS TRUTHS, FBJ IS COMMITTED TO THE STUDY AND TEACHING OF GOD’S WORD. WE DILIGENTLY TEACH THE AUTHORITY OF BIBLE SCRIPTURES SO ALL PEOPLE MAY KNOW GOD AND SERVE HIM IN WORSHIP AND MINISTRY.

The Scriptures

The entire Bible (all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is inspired by God and is inerrant in the original writings. Through the providence of God, the Word of God has been protected and preserved. The Bible is the only infallible, authoritative rule of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

God

There is only one true, living, sovereign, holy, and eternally existent God. He exists in three co-equal persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each being a distinct person with a distinct function but all of one essence, possessing the same nature, perfection, and attributes. The triune God is the creator and sustainer of all things, the source of all truth, and is worthy of worship, confidence, and obedience. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Colossians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:2)

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed many miracles, shed His blood on the cross as a vicarious substitute, was buried, bodily resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return literally, visibly, and personally in glory and power. (John 1:1-3, 14; Matthew 1:18-25; Philippians 2:5-9; Colossians 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Acts 1:11) 

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God, co-equal and co-existent with the Father and the Son. He convicts us of our sin and is the chief agent of regeneration and sanctification. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, empowering each one to live a godly life. Through the Holy Spirit, God graces every believer with spiritual gifts, sovereignly given abilities bestowed at salvation, which enable each one to perform a function effectively within the church, the Body of Christ. (John 14:16-19; 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 8:9, 11; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 4:11-16)

Mankind

In the beginning, God created mankind in His image. Man is not in any sense the product of evolution. Mankind was originally created with the ability to live perfectly for God’s glory in relationship with Him. (Genesis 1:27,31) 

Sin

Adam, the first man, sinned by disobeying God, resulting in the fall of all mankind. All people have sinned and lost their ability to live for the glory of God. Mankind’s fall has incurred both physical and spiritual death for each person, until an individual receives forgiveness and salvation by the grace of God. (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12-21; 6:23) 

Salvation

Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, apart from human works, to all who believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is based solely upon Christ’s vicarious and atoning death, effected by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and received only through faith in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. (Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Election

Election assures that those chosen will be saved, but it alone does not save them. People are saved through faith in the substitutionary death and resurrection of Christ. Their election and personal faith are both necessary for salvation. Individuals must take responsibility to repent and trust Christ to be saved. (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 10:9-10,13) 

Security

God gives us eternal life through Christ, so each believer is secure in that salvation forever. Our salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the efforts of the believer. (John 10:29-30; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:11-13) 

The Church

The church is the body of Christ and the family of God. It is built on Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, and is made up of saved and baptized believers. (Matthew 16:18; Acts 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 2:6)

Evangelism

It is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian believer to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ and to make disciples. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)

The Home

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. God has given parents the responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. A consistent and whole education will occur when home, church, and school work closely together, in agreement regarding the basic concepts of life. Children are to honor and obey their parents. (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7) 

Eternity

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally with God is heaven. Heaven and hell are places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15) 

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Jesus instructed His followers to remember His death and resurrection. He gave the church two visible symbols, called ordinances, as reminders. These two ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Neither ordinance contains any saving grace. Baptism by immersion is a one-time act of obedient identification with Jesus as Lord. Baptism serves as an outward sign of conscious repentance and confession of faith. The Lord’s Supper is a symbol recalling our Lord’s death, burial, resurrection, and promised return. (Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)

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