Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe the Bible, the original autographs of the 66 books that compose the Old and the New Testaments, is the divinely inspired Word of God, the supreme inerrant authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Trinity
We believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), omnipotent (Revelation 19:6), omnipresent (Psalm 139), and omniscient (Psalm 147:4), existing co-eternally and co-equally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14).
God the Father
We believe in God the Father (Ephesians 1:2-3) who is perfect in holiness. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully and sovereignly in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 16:31).
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). We believe that He is not only fully God, but fully man, conceived of the Holy Spirit, of virgin birth, sinless in His life (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:35, John 1:1, Hebrews 4:15) making atonement for the sins of the world by His death (1 Peter 1:18-19). We believe in His bodily resurrection (Luke 24:6), ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11), and the visible, premillennial return to the world according to His promise (Acts 1:11, Revelation 20:3-4, Matthew 24:42).
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ (John16:7-11, Titus: 3:5, 1 Corinthians 6:11).
Creation
We believe that the Universe and the world in which we live were created by God in six literal, 24-hour days as described in Genesis 1-2.
Humanity
We believe man was created by God in His image (Gen 1:26), and that through Adam’s sin all people by nature and by choice are sinners (Romans 5:12), but that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We believe, therefore, that those who place their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God (Daniel 12:2, John 1:12, 1 John 5:11-13).
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139.)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female (Ps. 139). These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God through the purposeful creation of human sexual anatomy for the purposes of pleasure and procreation, whereby mankind is to function as image bearers of God, stewarding the creation of God (Gen 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person and abandonment of his responsibility over creation.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of First Baptist Church of Holyoke.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of First Baptist Church Holyoke as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the First Baptist Church Holyoke members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by First Baptist Church Holyoke in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Humanity, Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22.)
Justification by Faith
We believe that only those who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become Children of God (John 1:12, 3:16).
Heaven and Hell
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust (Daniel 12:2, 1 Corinthians 15:42, 43), the everlasting blessedness of the saved (Revelation 21:3-4), and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost (Revelation 20:11-15).
The Church
We believe in the Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and of which all regenerated people of the church age are members. We believe that a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ who have given a credible confession of faith (Acts 2:41-42), have been baptized by immersion (Matthew 28:19), and have associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:22-26) were committed to these local churches for perpetual observance. We believe that God has laid upon these churches the task of proclaiming to a lost world belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and enthroning of Him as Lord and Master (Acts 1:8). We believe that human betterment and social improvements are by-products of such a Gospel. This government of this church is vested in the body which composes its membership, guaranteeing equal rights to all and special privilege to none.
Personal Relationship with God
We believe in the right of every individual to approach God without human mediation (1 Timothy 2:5).
Autonomy of the Local Church
We believe that each church is independent and autonomous under the Headship of Christ (Matthew 18:17, Ephesians 1:22-23, Acts 14:23, Revelation 1:20) and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. Therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other. For purposes of promoting fellowship, benevolences, world missions, and other matters of mutual concern, this church shall be affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conservative Baptist Association and the Conservative Baptist Association of America. This church may also cooperate with other churches for the betterment of the community.
