WHO WE ARE
First Baptist Church, Originally known as the First Colored Church of London, is over 151 years old and although our name has changed slightly over the years, our mission has not! We are called to be the body of Christ. We are Christians and our flavor is best described and expressed in a word; Baptist. We are Baptists. A popular acrostic speaks well for what that means.
We are people who believe in the Bible and are doing our part to live out its truths in community with other believers too. We are not a closed club, thus we anticipate others will want to know the author of the Bible and will want a relationship with Him and a community to live that relationship in. We hope these words help you get a flavor of what we believe. It’s not our intent to list every and all of our beliefs, hopes, and dreams here. It’s just the internet! We want you to see an outline of sorts sharing who we are and what we believe. Feel free to visit and see how we are attempting to live out our faith in Christ!
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iblical Authority The Bible is our guide and we follow it’s precepts
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utonomy of the Local Church The church is complete with Jesus
riesthood of the Believer You stand directly before the King of Kings – nothing separates!
wo Ordinances 1. Baptism 2. Lord’s Supper these are marching orders
ndividual Soul Liberty My relationship to Christ is connected to my personal response to Him
aved Church Membership All church members have a personal relationship with Christ
wo Offices Deacons & Elders are both delineated in Scriptures
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We affirm our belief in one God, infinite Spirit, creator, and sustainer of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are one in essence but distinct in person and function.
Simply said: We believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
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We affirm that the Father is the first person of the Trinity and the source of all that God is and does. From Him the Son is eternally generated and from Them the Spirit eternally proceeds. He is the designer of creation, the speaker of revelation, the author of redemption, and the sovereign of history.
Simply said: God the Father is the Director of all
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We affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. Eternally begotten from the Father, He is God. He was conceived by the virgin Mary through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. He lives forever as perfect God and perfect man: two distinct natures inseparably united in one person. This same Jesus died and paid the price for our sins and then rose again. His substitution for me, that is his dying in my place makes the gift of Eternal Life with God possible
Simply Said: Jesus, the perfect God and perfect sacrifice is also the perfect Savior.
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We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and Son and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe: He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth; He restrains sin and Satan; and He indwells and sanctifies all believers.
Simply said: The Holy Spirit IS God and lives within us when we become a believer.
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We affirm that all things were created by God. Angels were created as ministering agents, though some, under the leadership of Satan, fell from their sinless state to become agents of evil. The universe was created in six days and is continuously sustained by God; thus it both reflects His glory and reveals His truth. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God. As reasoning moral agents, they are responsible under God for understanding and governing themselves and the world.
Simply said: God created us and gave us jobs/roles
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We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are the written true revelation of God, it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters. It is to be understood by all through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, its meaning determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author’s language, comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Simply said: We believe the Word of God, was created by the God of the word
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We affirm that Adam, the first man, willfully disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world. As a result, all persons are sinners from conception, which is evidenced in their willful acts of sin; and they are therefore subject to eternal punishment, under the just condemnation of a holy God.
Simply said: Sin entered the world and we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s perfection
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We affirm that Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice by the appointment of the Father. He fulfilled the demands of God by His obedient life, died on the cross in full substitution and payment for the sins of all, was buried, and on the third day He arose physically and bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven where He now intercedes for all believers.
Simply said: Jesus paid the price for me and you! Amen!
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We affirm that each person can be saved only through the work of Jesus Christ, through repentance of sin and by faith alone in Him as Savior. The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven.
Simply said: Jesus makes eternal life possible
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We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a process completed only in Heaven. Every believer is responsible to live in obedience to the Word of God in separation from sin.
Simply said: Once accepting Christ, this life is our opportunity to walk the walk
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We affirm that a church is a local assembly of believers, under the discipline of the Word of God and the lordship of Christ, organized to carry out the commission to evangelize, to teach, and to administer the ordinances of believer’s baptism and the Lord’s table. It functions through the ministry of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to each believer
Simply said: The church is an organism not just an organization
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We affirm that the return of Christ for all believers is imminent.
Simply said: Jesus is coming again- Amen!
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This is not all we believe, but we realize as you consider visiting a church you’d sure like to know what it is they really believe and we hope this gives a snap shot of who we are. We look forward to having the opportunity to live out our faith with and among you.
Our Church Covenant
HAVING BEEN LED, as we believe by the Spirit of God. to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God. and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
WE ENGAGE, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort: to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
WE ALSO ENGAGE to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and
acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment;
to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.
WE FURTHER ENGAGE to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and
distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.
WE MOREOVER ENGAGE that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.