This Statement of Common Faith reflects the consensus of the Elders at First Baptist Church Salina as of January 2025. It is not a creed. Rather, it is a confession and expression of our general agreement.


We believe this statement gives a healthy framework for understanding and expressing the unity Christians have in Jesus. At First Baptist Church Salina, we use the image of a bullseye to help distinguish essential beliefs from non-essential beliefs. The center of the bullseye is what we consider the essential belief that unites all Christians. The center of the bullseye is the Gospel.

Slideshow image

Gospel

The Gospel is the “good news” of WHO Jesus is, what he DID, what he DOES now, and what he WILL DO.

 

  1. Jesus was and is forever God.

  2. He was sent to Earth by the Father.

  3. He became fully human.

  4. He died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sin.

  5. He was buried.

  6. He was resurrected to life on the third day.

  7. He physically appeared to eyewitnesses.

  8. He ascended to rule as King in heaven now.

  9. He sent the Holy Spirit to enact His rule on Earth now.

  10. He will physically return to Earth to judge and rule as eternal King.

 

This story is “good news” because all blessings of God are initiated and completed through the atoning work of Jesus. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. We are not saved by works. Our works are the expression of our faith in Jesus.

The blessings of the Gospel include salvation, justification, righteousness, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, sanctification, glorification, and eternal life.

The invitation of the Gospel is for all people to become followers of Jesus through faith, expressed through repentance from sin, baptism, and trusting allegiance.

 

Dogmas

Dogmas are the essential tenets of faith—the pillars of Christianity. The exact expression of dogmas differs slightly but are generally consistent among biblical Christian churches.

 

God

We believe in the omnipotent God who eternally exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three divine persons sharing one eternal divine life and being. God is the creator of all whose rule knows no end.

 

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus is God the Son, the Savior and the Lord of all creation. He is the perfect revelation of God, God in human flesh, and the only mediator between God and humanity. Christ, or Messiah, is Jesus’ royal title, meaning He is God the Father's anointed one.

 

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is God and is personal, not a force or an “it”. The Holy Spirit was sent to convict the entire world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit also empowers believers to fulfill God’s mission in the Church. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers at the moment of conversion.

 

Humanity

We believe all humans are created in God's image. For this reason, the life of every person is inherently valuable. Yet all humans, except Jesus, come into the world under the curse of sin and need redemption when they reach an accountable age. Combined, these beliefs mean that no human is worthy of God’s love, yet no human is worthless.

 

Salvation by Grace

We believe that salvation is by God's grace alone through faith in Jesus. People cannot save themselves by works of righteousness. Rather, works of righteousness are products of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers by faith.

 

Conversion

We believe that authentic Christian life begins with conversion to Jesus, which involves repentance and faith in Him. Conversion to Jesus results in justification and regeneration. These are gifts that cannot be earned or inherited.

 

Redemption

We believe the Gospel of Jesus provides the only means of redemption from sin for all humans, past, present, and future.

 

Bible

We believe that the 66 books of Holy Scripture are inspired by God's Spirit and are the sole authority for Christian faith and practice. Jesus is the norm by which we interpret Scripture.

 

The Church

We believe that the Church was instituted by Jesus to be the people of God and is made up of all true believers regardless of race, gender, age, or station in life. The church visible is the local congregation of believers. We regard evangelism and missions for the salvation of the lost and social transformation to be essential works of the church as well as individual callings.

 

The Lord's Return and Last Things

We believe that Jesus will physically return to Earth to raise all the dead, judge all people and nations, condemn Satan and his followers to hell, and bring all who believe in Jesus by faith into the eternal presence of God.

 

Doctrines

Doctrines are beliefs and practices about how to express the Gospel and dogmas in real life. They often vary widely among various Christian churches. Doctrines are what make churches distinct from one another. At First Baptist Church Salina, we consider doctrines non-essential to Christian unity.

 

Baptist Distinctives

We believe in the autonomy of the local congregation and voluntary cooperation between congregations for evangelism, missions, and education. We believe in freedom of conscience from government domination or control, and in the liberty and competency of every Christian believer to interpret Scripture and go directly to God in prayer.

 

Ordinances

We believe in two ordinances instituted by Jesus to be observed by His people until He returns: water baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord's Supper.

 

Other Doctrinal Distinctions

There exists a plethora of other doctrinal positions that make each church unique. We do not require every believer to adhere to specific doctrinal positions to be a member in good standing of First Baptist Church Salina. Doctrinal distinctions should not divide us.

The best way to learn the doctrinal distinctions of First Baptist Church and to experience our culture as a church is to interact with us. We invite all people to visit, worship, ask questions, and experience God at work in and through the people of First Baptist Church Salina.

 

Opinions

Opinions should have no impact on the unity or fellowship among Christians. The guiding principle for dealing with differences of opinion must be love.