Foundation Baptist Church exists to:
To Inspire people to develop a heart for God
(Psalm 34)
-through Biblically sound preaching
-through Christ-honoring music
To Include them in a loving church family
(Acts 2:41)
-through membership in our church family
-through fellowship with other believers
To Instruct them in Bible doctrine
(II Timothy 2:2)
-through adult Bible classes
-through Sunday School classes
-through discipleship programs
To Involve them in ministry
(I Peter 4:10)
-through weekly ministry opportunities
To Impact Cary, McHenry County, and the regions beyond with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
(Matthew 28:18-20)
-through weekly soul-winning
-through a worldwide missions program
-through training and equipping Christians to share Christ in the course of their daily lives
What We Believe
This Doctrinal Statement explains our beliefs. All that we stand for shall be Bible-based, as the Bible is the final authority for all faith and practice. This Statement of Faith is not extra-Biblical. If in any way it is
unclear, Foundation Baptist Church stands firmly on and adheres to the Word of God.
SECTION 1: THE BIBLE
We believe in the verbal-plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, which are all inclusive in the sixty-six books contained in the Old and New Testaments. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed. It is and shall remain the Supreme Standard of all faith and practice, and by which all creeds, opinions, and human conduct must be tried. It is the complete and final Revelation of the will of God for man, and the true
centerpiece of Christianity. The Bible does not just contain the words of God, but is the very Word of God. The Bible is not to be privately interpreted, but is to be used in conjunction with its actual, grammatical, and historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible has been Providentially preserved as the Holy Scriptures in English to the exclusion of all other English versions. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 12:6-7; Proverbs 30:5)
SECTION 2: THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is only one true God, and that He alone is eternally existing in three identically perfect Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the Supreme ruler and Maker of the universe; an infinite,
intelligent Spirit; always holy; and worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. The three equally powerful and completely unified Persons of the Godhead each execute a distinct office in the great work of the redemption of mankind. (Exodus 20:2-3; Colossians 2:9; Genesis 17:1; Philippians 2:5-6; Revelation 4:11; I John 5:7; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26)
SECTION 3: THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, also known as the Word, who became man without ceasing to be God to reveal God to the world and redeem sinful man. He was begotten by the Holy Spirit and
born of a virgin, living a perfect, sinless life in the flesh so that He could bring about redemption and justification for mankind by His substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection three days later,
conquering all sin and death. The Lord Jesus has ascended into Heaven, where He is exalted at the right hand of God the Father, and where, as our High Priest, He ever liveth to be our Intercessor, Representative, and
Advocate. (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5; Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2)
SECTION 4: THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal in power and nature with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He was active in the creation, and is now active in the world, restraining the Evil One until God’s purpose has been fulfilled. He reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the agent of regeneration in the New Birth. He indwells the believer; being the Comforter that seals, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and endues the believer with the power to overcome sin and Satan. (John 14:16-17, 26; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5-6; Genesis 1:2; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14, 17-18; Ephesians 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
SECTION 5: THE CHURCH
We believe that the church is to be a visible local church, independent of hierarchical individuals and organizations. A church should be an assembly of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith and
fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word. Furthermore, we believe that it is the responsibility of
every born-again believer to be a member of a local church, and to support the pastor and the work of the church prayerfully and financially, and to be faithful to every service. The church has two offices, that of pastor and deacon, and the qualifications and duties of such are listed in the Word of God. The two ordinances of the
church, as outlined in Scripture, are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church is to fulfill the purpose for which it was established, known as the Great Commission. This commission is a mandate to win the lost, baptizing the believers, and training them in the doctrines and practices of the Word of God. The One and only Leader of the church should be Christ, ministering to the believers through the Holy Spirit. It is Scriptural that true churches should cooperate with one another in the furtherance of the gospel and in contending for the faith, but each church is solely responsible for the method and extent of its cooperation. All matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence are to be handled by the will of the local church, following the leadership of the pastor as he follows Christ as the under-shepherd of the church. (Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; I Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 18:8, 18; Acts 5:42; I Timothy 3:1-13; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 13:1-4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; I Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; Hebrews 10:25; I Peter 5:14; I Corinthians 11:23-26)
SECTION 6: THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary and willing transgression fell from his sinless state. Consequently, by the fall of one man, who is the father of mankind, all men are sinners by birth and choice, and are under condemnation without defense or excuse, and unable to
remedy their fallen and lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-6, 24; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 4:17-19)
SECTION 7: SALVATION
We believe that salvation is necessary for redemption because of the fall of man. Salvation is available to all who will believe and call, and is only through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift given
to man by the grace and mercy of God. It cannot be earned or bought by any means, including works, merit, or money. It is only obtained by repentance from man’s own ways and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The only prevention of salvation is the depravity of man and willful rejection of Christ as our substitutionary payment, and this rejection brings with it the condemnation of death and hell. Salvation is only brought about by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and is only available because of His resurrection. In order to be saved, one must turn from sin to the Saviour in obedience, belief, and faith, calling on Christ for his forgiveness and the new birth that is obtained by His grace. This is not a process, but an instantaneous new creation of Christ. This new birth is not brought about by the will of man, by culture, or by character, but only by regeneration through the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 1:11-13, 3:3-5, 15-16, 18, 36; II Corinthians 5:17, 7:10; Colossians 2:12-13, 3:12; I John
5:11-13; I Thessalonians 1:4; Romans 8:29, 10:9-13; Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 55:13; I Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10)
SECTION 8: ETERNAL SECURITY OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all who are born again in the salvation of Christ are new creatures, and that they are eternally secure in the grace of God. We believe they are forever sealed until the day of redemption and will not come into condemnation. The believer is kept, not in his own power, but by the power of God eternally. (I Corinthians 1:4-8; II Corinthians 5:17; John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Colossians 2:11-12; Romans 8:1, 35-39; I Peter 1:3-5)
SECTION 9: THE DEVIL
We believe that the devil, or Satan, was once a holy angel named Lucifer with heavenly honors. Through pride and ambition to be the Almighty, though, he fell and drew with him a host of angels. He is now the unholy god of this world, the malignant prince of the power of the air. He is the proclaimed enemy of God, man, and all that is holy, and is the author of sin and confusion. He is actively involved in blinding the hearts and minds of men, lest they should believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the great accuser, the tempter of mankind, the author of all false religions, and the power behind all evil and the antichrist. He has been doomed forever by God, and is destined for the lake of fire which was designated for him and his angels since it was prepared by God. He is a defeated foe who wants nothing more than to take the world to judgment in hell with him. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:9, 20:10; I Peter 5:8; II Corinthians 4:4, 11:13-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Job 1:6-7; Matthew 4:2-11, 25:41)
SECTION 10: CREATION
We believe in the Genesis account of Creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, not figuratively or allegorically. The creation was completed in six successive, literal 24-hour periods. Man was created in the image and likeness of God in that he contains three parts-body, soul, and spirit. Man’s creation was not a matter of evolution, nor of evolutionary change of species, nor by a developmental process through periods of time.
Animals and vegetation were created directly, being spoken into being by God, and were commanded by the established law of God to bring forth only after their kind. We reject Evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. Not only was the world and all that is therein made by God, but He also made the universe. (Genesis 1:1-27; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:1-3; Exodus 20:11; Psalm 19:1, 96:5)
SECTION 11: THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHURCH AND THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe that all who are entered into Christ’s death by salvation are entered into His resurrection. As Christ arose, those who are dead in Christ will also rise first at the rapture of the church. Christ gave the promise of His physical, visible, bodily return when He ascended up to heaven after his resurrection which conquered sin and death for us. Those who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord will be caught up together with the Lord at this time. After the rapture of the church, there will be a seven year tribulation period while the bride of Christ is in heaven for the marriage supper of the Lamb. After this tribulation, the Lord will return to the “throne of his father David”, and there will be a one-thousand year period of rule by the Lord on the earth, “until he hath put all enemies under his feet.” We are therefore pre-millennial and pre-tribulational as it pertains to the return of Christ. (Matthew 28:1-7; I Corinthians 15; Revelation 20:1-6; Acts 1:3; I Thessalonians 4:13-16;
Revelation 19:11-16)
SECTION 12: BAPTISM
We believe that baptism is the first act of obedience after salvation and an ordinance of the church. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is not necessary for salvation, but is necessary for growth. Baptism is by immersion only, not by pouring or sprinkling, and is only to be partaken of after a conscious salvation decision. It should be done under the authority of the local church and in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, showing the picture of our redemption in the bloodshed and resurrection of Christ. It shows a picture also of our death to sin and of resurrection into a new life in Christ. It is a prerequisite of the privileges of church membership and of the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 8:36-39; Matthew 3:6, 16; 28:19; John 3:23)
SECTION 13: THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that all church members are to remember the payment that Christ made for us by partaking in the Lord’s Supper. It is a commemoration of what Christ did for us and of His undying love. It is only to be observed by the sacred use of unleavened bread and of the fruit of the vine, preceded always by solemn self-examination. (I Corinthians 11:23-28)
SECTION 14: CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that God has ordained all authority consisting of three basic institutions: the home, the church, and the government. Each person is subject to these authorities, and all people and authorities are subject and answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, church, and government are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14)
SECTION 15: MISSIONS
We believe that it is the responsibility of the church to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that the Great Commission has been established so that all the nations of the earth may be blessed with the Seed of Abraham, and that there will be a contingent of all races, nations, tribes, and languages in heaven. As ambassadors for Christ, we are commanded to go into the whole world. Those who cannot go should send others in their place. We must use all available means to reach the world. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15; II Corinthians 5:20)
SECTION 16: SEPARATION
We believe that all Christians should live their lives in a way that brings honor and glory to God. This means abstaining from all appearances of evil, and using the Word of God as our basis of lifestyle. All works of the
flesh should not be indulged in, and the commandments of righteousness should be our personal creeds. We should not use grace and liberty as occasions of the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Separation is both personal and ecclesiastical. We are to come out from among them and be separate, touching not the unclean thing. All
worldliness; sinful pleasures, practices, and associations; and religious apostasy is to be removed from our lives. (Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11)
SECTION 17: GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of the portion of wealth that God has allowed him to oversee, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and to the spreading of the gospel of Christ. A tithe is a tenth part, called the first-fruits, and it belongs to God. Those who do not give both tithes and offerings are robbing God, and thereby
robbing themselves of the blessings of God. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-9; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17)