1. The Holy Scriptures. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original autographs, and that it is of supreme and final authority in belief and practice. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:21.
2. The Trinity of the Godhead. We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14.
3. The Fall of Man. We believe that man was created in the image of God and that he sinned, thereby incurring not only physical death, but also spiritual separation from God, which separation has been imputed to the entire race of man, thus every human being is born with a sinful nature. Genesis 2:7; 6:5; Isaiah 64:6; John 5:40; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Hebrews 9:27-28.
4. The Virgin Birth. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35.
5. The Atonement. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as a representative and substitutionary Savior, and that men are justified on the basis of the shed blood of the Son of God. All such are "born again" by the Spirit of God and thereby become children of God. Leviticus 17:11; John 1:29; 5:24; Romans 5:6-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:22.
6. The Believer's Security. We believe it is the privilege of all who are "born again" through trust in Christ to be assured of their salvation and of its eternal security. Romans 8:33-39; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 John 5:13.
7. The Blessed Hope. We believe in that "blessed hope," which is the personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulation return of the Lord. Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 22:20; 3:10.
8. The Resurrection of the Body. We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead in bodily form and thus became the first fruits of those who sleep; that He ascended bodily into the Heavens as our High Priest and Advocate; that upon His return He will raise from among the dead those who have died in Christ, this being the first resurrection; and that after His millennial reign, He will raise those who have died in unbelief from their graves to receive their sentence. Luke 24:36-45; John 5:28-29; Acts 1:9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-27; 9:24-26; 10:11-12; 1 John 2:1.
9. The Eternal State. We believe in the eternal blessedness of the saved and the eternal punishment of the lost. We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death and that the saints of all ages will be forever with the Lord. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain forever, in varying degrees of torment according to their works. Daniel 12:3; 7:26-27; Romans 8:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:11.
10. The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a person, the father of lies and the great deceiver of all nations; that he will be finally overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ and committed to the Lake of Fire with all his angels and will be tormented forever. Job 1:6-12; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 6:12-16; Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10.
11. Ordinances. We believe that our Savior prescribed for His believing disciples the rites of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; the one as a symbol and proclamation of the sinner's death to sin and his resurrection in newness of life in Christ Jesus; the other as a memorial of the Lord's death, to be kept by His followers until He comes again. Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
12. Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, and all worldly sinful pleasures and practices is commanded by God. 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 7:1.
13. The Sign Gifts. We believe that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit which were given in the first century are no longer operant in the church, namely; (a) The gift of healing (in the sense of an individual possessing the ability to heal others), (b) The gifts of tongues and their interpretation, (c) The gift of prophecy (in the sense of an individual receiving direct revelation from God), and (d) the gift of miracles. Romans 15:18-19; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3-4.
14. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe that all believers are baptized and indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation, and that, while the Spirit's filling is a continual process in the believer's life, there is no experience of Spirit baptism to be sought subsequent to one's salvation. Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13.
Fort Howard Community Church partners with the SBC and affirms The Baptist Faith and Message (2000).