FBC Chattahoochee

Usually when a person asks the question, “What does a church believe,” they are trying to find out what kind of church it is.  Is it a genuine Fellowship of Faith or just a man made institution trying to build itself up or believing whatever you want it to believe…standing for nothing?

As our Pastor often says, “Here at FBC Chattahoochee we are Baptist Christians with Christian the noun and Baptist the adjective.”  In other words we are primarily Jesus Followers with a Baptist flavoring.  But what does it mean to be flavored Baptist?  Well one thing is that we voluntarily cooperate with other churches to make a missionalimpact greater than what we could make by ourselves.  In order to do that we support the mission ministries of the Atlanta Metro Baptist Association, the Georgia Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance.  Also,  in contrast to many other churches, Baptist churches do not adhere to a Religious Creed.  We have always felt that each member has the right under the leadership of God to interpret Holy Scripture on their own without someone telling them what to believe.  Therefore it is almost impossible to sum up what we all believe…no list would be totally accepted by the entire church.

Instead, we would agree that we are people who believe in the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV):

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV):

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Even though there is not a definitive list that can be accepted by all people who are flavored Baptist, there are some common themes that describe the Baptist Journey through the years.  They were summed up in a book written in 1908 by Baptist Scholar and Seminary President, E.Y. Mullins titled, “Axioms of Religion.” (Judson Press)  Below you will find a summary of these six themes.

The Theological Axiom
The holy and loving God has a right to be sovereign. God is both holy and loving. The Bible presents God not only as sovereign omnipotence and sovereign omniscience, but as a sovereign father who respected human freedom and who expressed sovereignty through the incarnation.

The Religious Axiom
All men have an equal right to direct access to God. To deprive any soul of the privilege of direct access to God through Christ, according to Mullins, was tyranny. “It is a species of spiritual tyranny for men to interpose the church itself, its ordinances, or ceremonies, or its formal creeds between the human soul and Christ.”

The Ecclesiastical Axiom
All believers have a right to equal privileges in the church. Because the church was under the Lordship of Christ, Mullins called it the paradoxical “union of absolute monarchy and pure democracy.”

The Moral Axiom
To be responsible the soul must be free. If individuals were to be responsible for moral choices, they had to be free to make those choices.

The Religio-Civic Axiom
A free church in a free state. “In short,” Mullins explained, “the axiom is summed up in the statement that the State has no ecclesiastical and the Church no civic function.”

The Social Axiom
Love your neighbor as yourself. Acutely aware of the danger of what he called “excessive individualism,” Mullins placed strong emphasis on the last axiom. Humans were not only individuals, but social beings. Christians should be concerned therefore with social shortcomings, some of which Mullins identified: threats to family life, graft in business and politics, materialistic “money-getting,” child labor, and poverty.

After saying that, below you will find a list of beliefs that more than likely most Baptist flavored Jesus Followers would accept most of the time.

God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3:22, Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19, I Peter 1:2, II Corinthians 13:14)

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5, John 14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13)

Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (II Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13; John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12; I Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:18)

Humanity
We believe men and women are created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him forever. Humanity is the supreme and crowning work of God’s creation. However, humanity has turned from God toward sin. This sinful disobedience separates us from God and becomes a wedge in our relationships with each other. The final result of sin is spiritual death and eternal separation from God. (Genesis 1:27, Psalms 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 59:1-2)

The Bible
The Bible is God’s word to all men. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error. (II Timothy 3:16; II Timothy 1:13, II Peter 1:20-21, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:160; Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5)

Salvation
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting Jesus Christ as God’s offer for forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his/her life by faith. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; John 1:12, Titus 3:5, Galatians 3:26, Romans 5:1)

Eternity
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. (John 3:16, I John 2:25, I John 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)

Eternal Security
Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and the power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and the keeping power of God that gives this security. (John 10:29, II Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 10:10-14, I Peter 1:3-5)