The Scriptures The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
God There is one and only one living and true God. …The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. …God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
God the Son Jesus is the Son of God; co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; lived a sinless life; died as the sinner's substitute; rose again the third day; ascended into heaven where He intercedes for believers; and is coming again a second time to judge the living and the dead.
God the Holy Spirit The holy Spirit is also God; co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He actively works in conversion of the sinner and permanently indwells believers, equipping them for service and sealing them until the day of redemption.
Man Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image. Although the image of God in man was obscured by the fall, it was not obliterated. Therefore, every human life is worthy of respect and dignity, from conception onward. Furthermore, we believe that gender is not a random act of nature, but the loving gift of God. We also believe that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Salvation Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not of works. Because of finished work of Christ on the cross, any convicted sinner, who turns from their dead works (wicked and worthless deeds) and looks alone at Jesus Christ as their only hope shall be saved. This salvation involves: deliverance from sin's penalty presently; deliverance from sin's power progressively; and deliverance from sin's presence perfectly when the believer reaches heaven.
The Resurrection We believe in the resurrection of the saved and lost, the one to everlasting life, and the other to damnation. The Church A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are 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 also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.
Baptism & the Lord's Supper Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. …It 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 life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members … memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Evangelism & Missions It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations … to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort.
Stewardship God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions.
First Baptist Church of Glenwood is a Southern Baptist Church. A full text of our statement of belief can be found by clicking on the box for The Baptist Faith and Message.