The Scriptures
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. It is inspired (God is its origin), infallible (trustworthy and dependable), and inerrant (given by God without any error in the original manuscripts), and the final authority for faith and life (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:13).
The Godhead
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are one God, each possessing the same nature, attributes, and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-3; John 8:58; Acts 5:3-4; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1).
Jesus Christ
We believe in His eternal existence as the Son of God; His incarnation having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; His death on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for sin; and His literal, bodily, resurrection from the dead (John 1:1, 14, 18; 5:18; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 1:19; 2:1-9; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:2; Luke 24:13-35).
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit carries out a ministry of convicting man of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He also carries out the ministries of regeneration, indwelling, baptism, sealing, filling, and setting believers apart unto a holy life (John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:19; 12:12-13; Eph. 1:13; 5:18-20; Gal. 5:22-23).
Man
We believe man was created in the image and likeness of God, and in Adam the human race fell into sin, inherited from him a sin nature, became alienated from God, and is totally incapable of correcting his sinful condition by his own efforts (Gen. 1:27; 9:6; Romans 3:23; 5:12).
Salvation
We believe that eternal salvation is a gift from God received freely by faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 13:38-39; Eph. 2:8-9; John 3:16; Rom. 5:1).
The Church
We believe in the invisible form of the church and that it is the body of Christ, and that all who are born again from the beginning of the age of Grace are members. The visible form of the church is composed of those who assemble together according to God’s Word for the purpose of worship, edification, spiritual growth, and service. The Church is not Israel nor is Israel the Church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2).
The Ordinances
We believe that Christ instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper to be observed as a demonstration and declaration of our faith in the Lord’s substitutionary death for our sins (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). We believe that the ordinance of water baptism is to be observed as a demonstration of our obedience to the newness of life in Christ (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:1-11). These ordinances in no way are instrumental in one’s salvation, but only the demonstration of the believer’s already existing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Angels
We believe angels are spirit beings that were created by God in a state of holiness. A host of these angels, being led by Satan, an angel himself, fell into sin. Satan is a real, personal enemy of God and His people (Job 38:6-7; Col. 1:16; Jude 6; Rev. 12:4 Ezek. 28:11-15; Isa. 14:12-17; 2 Pet. 2:4; Heb. 1:14).
The Rapture
We believe that the seven-year Tribulation Period has been designated for Israel and is referred to as the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” and also the “Seventieth Week of Daniel.” We also believe that the Rapture of the Church (the personal and imminent return of Christ for the Church) will take place before the start of the Tribulation. The dead in Christ will be raised first and then those who are alive will be caught up together with them to meet Him in the air and will be taken to the place He has prepared for them (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 9:24-27; Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:3-4, 9).
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in a Pre-Millennial position of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. At the end of the Tribulation Period, He will physically and personally return to the earth to set up His Kingdom of Righteousness and will judge and rule over all the earth for one thousand years. He will bind Satan and all fallen angels for those years and will restore Israel and fill the earth with the knowledge of Himself (Isa. 11:1-9; Ezek. 37:21-28; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
The Eternal State
We believe that the spirit of all those in the past, present, and the future who have trusted in the saving grace of God’s promised Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, for eternal life do at death immediately pass into His presence to remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of their body (Dan. 12:13; Job 19:25-27; 2 Cor. 5:5-8; Jn. 14:1-3; Phil. 1:23). We believe that the spirit of all those in the past, present, and future who have not trusted in the saving grace of God’s promised Savior, Jesus Christ, for eternal life do at death immediately remain in conscious torment awaiting their resurrection unto the “Great White Throne” judgment. At this time they will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting torment and separation from the presence of the Lord (Lk. 16:19-31; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15).
Dispensationalism
We believe that the Bible interpreted in its natural, literal sense reveals God determined dispensations of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but are God ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to his eternal purpose – God’s glory. In every dispensation, through God’s application of justice and grace, He is glorified and proven sovereign over the affairs of man. In every dispensation man makes unwise choices and ultimately fails, and through this shows his need for a Savior. We believe the Bible reveals seven distinct dispensations: Innocence (Gen.1:3 – 3:6), Conscience (Gen. 3:7 – 8:22), Human Government (Gen. 9:1 – 11:32), Promise or Patriarchal Rule (Gen. 12:1 – Ex. 19:25), Mosaic Law (Ex. 20:1 – Acts 1:26; Rev. 4:1 – 19:21), Grace / Church (Acts 2:1 – Rev. 3:22), and lastly the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:1-9). The Dispensations of Law, Grace, and Millennial Kingdom are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Jn. 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10, 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25; Heb. 7:19; Rev. 20:1-10).
Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality
We believe that God created mankind in His own image, both male and female, and that the gender in which He created them is unchangeable (Gen. 1:27) We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning – the uniting of one man and one woman in a single exclusive union (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4) and that God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of the marriage union. We believe that every person is to be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mk. 12:28-31; Lk. 6:31). Hateful, harassing attitudes and behaviors directed toward individuals are to be rejected, and are not in harmony with Scripture nor the doctrines of Faith Bible Church of Jasper, Texas.