We are confessional.
Christ builds His church upon the truth about Him (Matt. 16:13–18; 28:18–20). Therefore, the foundation of FBC is our shared confession of the truth about Christ and salvation in His name (1 Tim. 3:16). We believe the articles of our confession faithfully summarize the teaching of the Bible, which is our supreme and final authority.
We affirm as our doctrinal statement the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1853). We also acknowledge the following documents as helpful guides for maintaining good order and preserving the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3): the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon, and the Second London Baptist Confession.
Regarding more contemporary challenges to biblical Christianity, our church affirms: the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and the Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality.
We are historical.
We recognize that Christ has been building His church ever since He promised to do so (Matt. 16:13–18). For this reason, we happily identify with the true church throughout the ages. We affirm as faithful to Scripture the statements of faith of the ancient church: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon.
We affirm as faithful to Scripture the historic Reformed faith as expressed in the five solas of the Protestant Reformation and the consensus of the historic Reformed confessions of faith. We embrace the Reformers’ doctrine of the gospel: we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for God’s glory alone. There is no other gospel.
We are covenantal.
We believe that Christ is the focal point of God’s plan of redemption. God gave a promise to Adam (Gen. 3:15), Noah (Gen. 9:24–27), and Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3). It was narrowed to Judah (Gen. 49:10). Moses predicted the advent of a great prophet (Deut. 18:15). Later, God’s promise was connected to an eternal Davidic kingdom (2 Sam. 7:11). The Psalms and Prophets developed the promise even further. The promise, therefore, encompasses all of God’s people throughout history. It’s revealed and administered progressively from Adam to Christ.
At FBC, we affirm that there’s only one covenant of grace, progressively revealed throughout Scripture, but that it isn’t finally instituted until the NT. The various covenants in the OT contain the promise of the covenant of grace, but they are abolished and replaced by the new covenant. See Jer. 31:31–34. This text makes it clear that the two covenants aren’t the same in substance. The first was breakable (conditional), but the second is unbreakable (unconditional). Moreover, all the members of the new covenant participate in the substance of the covenant of grace.
Our understanding of the covenant of grace makes Christ the focal point of God’s plan of redemption (Eph. 1:8–10; 3:4–6; 3:9–11). As such, He stands at the center of God’s revelation in Scripture. We affirm that Christ is the culmination of God’s progressive revelation (Heb. 1:1–2). When we turn to the OT, therefore, we interpret it in view of its ultimate end: Christ. The entire OT points forward to Christ: the focal point of God’s plan of redemption (Luke 24:26–27, 44–47; John 5:39; Eph. 1:11).