What We Believe
First Baptist Church of Plant City is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. While each Southern Baptist congregation is an autonomous body unto itself, we adhere to a statement of generally held convictions called The Baptist Faith and Message. We'll give you a copy of this statement when you visit our church, but below is a partial overview.
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The Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. We believe 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. Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89, 105, 140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16;36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18;22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16; 17:11;Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; II Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; I Peter 1:25;II Peter 1:19-21.
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Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Failure to accept His free gift of salvation results in eternal separation from Him.
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Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28;Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14, 29; 3:3-21, 36; 5:24; 10:9, 28-29; 15:1-6;17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 5:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4;3:23-25; 4:3; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18, 29-39; 10:9-10, 13; 13:11-14; I Corinthians 1:18, 30; 6:19-20; 15:10; II Corinthians 5:17-2-; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25;6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22;3:1; I Thessalonians 5:23-24; II Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3;5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8, 14; James 2:14-26; I Peter 1:2-23; I John 1:6-2:11;Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
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Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Ordinances are symbolic acts which set forth primary facts of the Christian faith and are obligatory for all who believe in Jesus Christ. Baptism dramatically pictures our entering into covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ by faith, and the Lord's Supper portrays our continuing in this relationship.
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Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-28; Luke 3:21-22;22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39;16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
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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 and to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort.
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Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8, 16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3;Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; I Thessalonians 1:8; II Timothy 4:5;Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; I Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.
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Church and state should be separate. The state owes every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.
Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 6:6-7, 24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Romans 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Galatians 5:1, 13; Philippians 3:20; I Timothy 2:1-2;James 4:12; I Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19.
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God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
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Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; I Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6, 15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15, 17;31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5;19:3-9 Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; I Timothy 5:8, 14; II Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5;Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7.