First Baptist Church of Dike

The Bible

First Baptist Church of Dike holds the belief that the Holy Bible was authored by the Holy Spirit and written by men inspired by God. (2 Peter 1:20-21; Luke 1:70) Therefore all scripture is absolute; it is to be used by men to better understand God, the Christian lifestyle and is the standard by which all things are tried. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Deuteronomy 17:19; Romans 15:4; Romans 13:1)

God the Father

There is only one true God. (1 Kings 8:58) God is our creator; he is everywhere and all powerful over everything in the universe. (Genesis 1:1-2; Job 42:2; Luke 1:37) At the same time God is all loving and merciful. (1 John 4:8; 1 Peter 1:3) God is part of the Holy Trinity which is composed of God the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; each have their own personal attributes but at the same time they are undivided. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the son of God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to the virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:20-21) God sent his son to live on earth as an example of how to live a sinless life before God; he was crucified and in death served as the ultimate sacrifice to cleanse humanity of it's inherited sinful nature. (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 John 2:2; Romans 3:10-18; Romans 5:8) On the third day Jesus was resurrected being fully man and fully God, in this state he was representative of the reconciliation between God and man. (Matthew 28:5-6, 28:18-20) Shortly thereafter Jesus ascended into Heaven where he currently sits at the right hand of God until he returns again to judge the world and establish his Kingdom on earth. (Mark 16:19) Through belief in him and his sacrifice, Jesus dwells in us and we are provided eternal salvation. (Romans 5:9, 6:23; Colossians 2:6-15)

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit to be the divine spirit of God himself and through faith He also dwells within us. (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19) The Holy Spirit convicts humanity of sin, righteousness and judgement. (John 16:8-11) He is the medium through which Christ baptizes His believers into the body. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) It is through the spirit that believers are empowered and through Him that we are even able to understand God and His Word. (1 Corinthians 2:9-12) It is his presence in us that guarantees our place in heaven until we, the believers, are called at Christs return. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Man

Humanity was made by God in his image to serve as stewards for all of creation. (Genesis 1:26-27; Colossians 1:16-17; Acts 16:26-27) We were created innocent and given the gift of free will. Adam, the first man, excercised his free will by directly disobeying God and succumbing to the temptation of Satan. (Genesis 3:17-19) From that point forward once man is capable of moral action he is considered dead in sin. (Romans 3:10-18; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12-21) Even still, God wanted so much to allow his creation access to him that he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ to live as a man and be subject to sin just as man was. (John 3:16, Luke 1:30-33) It was through Christ's death on the cross humanity's sinful inheritance was removed. (Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:8-9) It is the earnest longing of God that each person simply believes this took place and through that belief we are restored to our innocence in God's eyes. (Romans 5:1, 9; Romans 8:1)>

The Church

The Church is God's body comprised of baptized believers of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) It's purpose is to glorify God, provide a place of fellowship and worship, and most importantly serve as an example of faith to the non-believers. (Matthew 28:19-20) We believe in the ordinance that all belivers should be baptised by full immersion in water and that the Lord's Supper should be observed in remembrance of Christs death. (Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

The Future

The future for believers is secured; we believe in the blessed hope (Titus 2:13), imminent, pretribulational, and premillennial return of Christ where he will recall all his believers to him. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Subsequently Christ will phsysically return to the earth with His saints to establish His promised kingdom (Matthew 16:27; Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6). We believe in the resurrection of all men - the saints to everlasting joy and bliss, and the wicked to conscious and eternal torment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). We believe that the souls of believers are absent from the body and present with the Lord during death. There they wait for the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6). We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15).

See also the "Baptist Faith and Message".