What We Believe

At Forest Meadow Baptist Church, our faith is centered on Jesus Christ and grounded in the Holy Bible. The Bible is our final authority for what we believe, how we live, and how we serve. The Bible teaches us that we are to

• Love God
• Love people
• Follow Jesus

Below is a simple summary of our Statement of Faith. For a fuller description of our beliefs, visit https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/. For a complete description of what we believe please consult the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, known as the Holy Bible.

The Holy Bible

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Human authors wrote it as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. It is true, trustworthy, and without error in all that it teaches. The Bible is the final standard for truth, morality, and Christian living.

God

We believe there is one true and living God. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things. God is holy, perfect, wise, loving, and all-powerful.

God has revealed Himself as:

• Father
• Son
• Holy Spirit

These are three distinct Persons, yet one God.

God the Father

We believe God the Father rules over His creation with wisdom, love, and care. He works through history according to His gracious purposes. He is the heavenly Father of all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

God the Son

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is the only Savior and the only Mediator between God and humanity. He will return in power and glory.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired the Scriptures, helps people understand truth, convicts people of sin, and brings new life to those who trust in Christ.

The Holy Spirit lives in every believer, gives spiritual gifts, builds Christian character, and empowers the church for worship, service, and witness.

Humanity

We believe every human being is made in the image of God and therefore has great worth and dignity. We also believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice.

Because of sin, people are separated from God and cannot save themselves. Every person needs the grace of God found in Jesus Christ.

Salvation

We believe salvation is the free gift of God, given to all who repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Salvation includes:

• Regeneration — being born again
• Sanctification — growing in holiness
• Glorification — being made perfect in God’s presence forever

Salvation cannot be earned by one’s own efforts or good works. It comes by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. Salvation restores to the believer eternal life, innocence, honor, love, community and purpose, all which were lost in the fall of mankind.

God’s Grace and the Believer’s Security

We believe God saves sinners according to His gracious purpose. Those who truly belong to Christ are kept by the power of God and will endure to the end.

Believers may struggle at times and fall into sin, but God is faithful to correct, restore, and preserve His people.

The Church

We believe a New Testament church is a local community of baptized believers joined together in faith, in service and fellowship. The church exists to love God (worship), love people (ministry) and make disciples of all peoples (follow Jesus).

We believe:

• Jesus Christ is the head of the church
• the local church is self-governing community under Christ
• pastors and deacons are the biblical officers, servant leaders of the church

We also believe in the larger body of Christ, made up of all true believers from every tribe, tongue, people and nation and every age.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe Jesus gave the church two ordinances:

Baptism

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism does not save anyone. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can save. It is a public act of obedience that pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and the believer’s new life in Him. It is an outward and visible expression of a regenerated life.

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which believers remember Christ’s death and look forward to His return. Partaking of the elements– bread and the fruit of the vine–partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, proclaims the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

The Lord’s Day

We believe the first day of the week, Sunday, is the Lord’s Day. It is set apart for rest, worship, devotion, spiritual reflection, and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and may also be set apart for rest, worship, devotion, spiritual reflection, and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. We look forward to the day when these spiritual activities will take place on every day of the week.

The Kingdom of God

We believe God rules over all creation. His saving reign is seen in the lives of those who trust in Christ. We pray and work for His will to be done on earth, while looking forward to the full coming of His Kingdom when Jesus returns.

Last Things

We believe Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly. The dead will be raised, and all people will be judged in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

We believe:

• the saved will live forever with the Lord in heaven
• the dead in Christ will be raised up on the last day for the purpose of final judgment
• the lost will face everlasting judgment separated from God

This truth gives us hope, urgency, and confidence in Christ.

Evangelism and Missions

We believe it is the duty and privilege of every Christian and every church to make disciples of all peoples- every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Because Christ has saved us, we are called to share the gospel with people near and far.

Christian Education

We believe teaching God’s truth is essential to spiritual growth. The church should help believers grow in biblical knowledge, wisdom, and obedience, and to teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

Stewardship

We believe everything we have comes from God. Our time, talents, possessions, and money are all gifts entrusted to us by Him. Christians should use these resources faithfully, generously, and joyfully for God’s glory and the good of others.

Cooperation

We believe churches can and should cooperate with other believers for missions, education, and ministry. At the same time, such associations and conventions are voluntary and advisory. They do not rule over the local church, nor do they have any authority beyond themselves in matters of faith and practice.

The Christian and the Social Order

We believe Christians should live in a way that honors Christ in both personal life and public life. We are called to oppose prejudice, greed, selfishness, injustice and other unrighteousness, and to care actively for the poor, the weak, the sick, and the needy.

Peace and War

We believe Christians should seek peace with all people on the basis of righteousness. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the true answer to the spirit of hatred and war.

Religious Liberty

We believe God alone is Lord of the conscience. Every person should have the freedom to seek God or not, without pressure or control from the government in accordance with a faith of their own choosing.

We believe in a free church in a free state. The church must not be controlled by the state, and the state must not control matters of faith. The church must actively advocate for religious liberty for all, Christians, non-Christians and atheists alike.

Family, Marriage, and Sexuality

We believe God created the family as a foundational institution of human society.

We believe:

• marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman
• husbands and wives are equal in worth before God
• children are a gift from the Lord
• parents have the primary responsibility to teach and model God’s truth in the home

We also believe God’s design for sexual expression is within biblical marriage between one man and one woman.

At the same time, we believe every person is made in the image of God and is to be treated with compassion, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful or harassing behavior toward anyone is not in keeping with Scripture or the spirit of Christ.

Our Final Authority

Our Statement of Faith is a summary of what we believe, but it does not replace the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible itself–the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments– is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

Our Heart

Our desire is to:

• exalt Jesus Christ
• worship God in spirit and truth
• build up believers in faith
• seek the lost
• make disciples of all nations

Everything we believe leads us back to this: we are to love God, love people and follow Jesus Christ, knowing that all the Law and the Prophets derive from these actions.

–Amen