First Baptist Church of Ravenswood is a traditional American Baptist Church. You can use whichever translation of the Bible you wish at our church. The pastor will typically use the NIV translation, however, many in the congregation use the KJV or NKJV. We encourage you to find the translation that is helpful to your understanding of the Bible. To learn more about different Bible translations click here.
First Baptist Church believes:
The Scriptures: The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is infallible. It is complete in 66 books. The scriptures are good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. The Bible is the final authority and trustworthy for faith and practice. It is to be interpreted responsibly under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit within the community of faith.
God: There is one true living God. He is eternal and reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. He changes not.
The Trinity (God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit): God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe and His creatures. The Father is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. The Son is Jesus Christ, who is the eternal, sinless Son of God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He leads, guides and directs our paths. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Man/Woman: Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Therefore, all have sinned and are in need of salvation.
Marriage: We affirm biblical marriage is between man and woman.
Salvation: Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and woman and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood, obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Sanctity of Life: We believe that human life must be respected and protected from the very moment of conception.
Eternity Security: The believer who has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior is eternally secure in the salvation. Salvation cannot be lost, as it is the gift of God.
The Church: The Church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body. The New Testament speaks of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Baptism and Communion: Both baptism and communion are ordinances of the church. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Communion is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church memorialize the death of the Lord Jesus and anticipate His second coming.
All are Gifted for Ministry: We believe that God endows each of us with gifts to be used in ministry in the world. These gifts are given indiscriminately of gender, race, culture, or class.
Satan: We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.
Last Things / End Times: God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be condemned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
Evangelism and Missions: FBC supports evangelism and the call to make disciples. Our church supports numerous missions. We can do more together, than by ourselves.
