What We Believe

The Doctrinal Statements of First Baptist Church Metter

The Virgin Birth

We believe in the Virgin Birth. His birth was divine as was His life. The Bible states that He was born of a virgin and we accept that. If He was not born of a virgin, then He was not divine. If He was not divine, He could not be the Savior of all mankind. He is not God and man; He is the God-man, and this is expressed in the fact that He was born not having an earthly father.

Substitutionary Atonement

We believe in the Substitutionary Atonement. Jesus died on the cross for us; in our place. He satisfied the wrath of God against sin so that the judgment of God fell on Him instead of the believer. By believing in this doctrine, we express that only Jesus was capable of standing in our place and atoning for our sins. God will accept nothing else to atone for our sins except the Blood of Jesus which was shed on Calvary as He died for us, thus being our substitute, and thereby satisfying God.

The Resurrection

We believe in The Bodily Resurrection. Jesus Christ was dead, having died in our place. He was raised from the dead by the Power of God. Being dead for three days, He was “quickened” by the power of the Holy Spirit and brought back to life literally. By being raised from the dead He conquered death forever, and every Christian is victorious over death as well. His literal resurrection provides our literal victory over death.

The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. It is God’s Word and as such is without error. It does not simply “contain” the Word of God; it IS the Word of God. It was written by men who were “born along” by the Holy Spirit as they wrote. God inspired them to write exactly what He wanted written without violating their personality or writing style and in the process He perfectly expressed Himself through these men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write.

The Second Coming

We believe in the Second Coming. Jesus Christ promised that He would come again just as He went into heaven. Scripture reveals that HE is coming again to deliver His own and to set up His Kingdom. No one knows when He is coming. That is known only by God Himself, but it could happen at any moment. It is imminent. Our Hope is found in the fact that Jesus is our Savior and that He is coming again.

In addition to these things, we adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000, which is a doctrinal position statement adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, of which we are a part.