Our Beliefs

The Holy Bible was written by individuals divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to women and men.  It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. 

BIBLICAL BASIS:  Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; 17:19; Josh. 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isa.34:16; 40:8; Jer. 15:16; 36;Matt. 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15;17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Rom. 15:4; Rom. 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb.1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. 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. 

GOD THE FATHER reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the  purposes of His grace.  He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise.   God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith  in Jesus Christ.  He is fatherly in His attitude toward all people. 

BIBLICAL BASIS  Gen. 1:1; 2:7; Ex. 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Levit. 22:2;  Deut. 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chron. 29:10; Psalms 19:1-3; Isa. 43:3; 15; 64:8;  Jer. 10:10; 17:13; Matt. 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John  4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts1:7; Rom. 8:14-15;  1 Cor. 8:6; Gal.  4:6; Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1  John 5:7. 

GOD THE SON  - Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.  In His incarnation as Jesus  Christ he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself  the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself  completely with mankind yet without sin.  He honored the divine law by  His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision  for the redemption of men and women from sin.  He was raised from the  dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person  who was with them before His crucifixion.  He ascended into heaven and  is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator,  partaking of the nature of God and of humanity, and in whose Person is  effected the reconciliation between God and human beings.  He will  return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His  redemptive mission.  He now dwells in all believers as the living and  ever present Lord. 

BIBLICAL BASIS  Gen. 18:1ff.;  Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isa. 7:14; 53; Matt. 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;  11:27; 14:33; 16:16, 27; 17:5; Matt. 27; 28:1-6, 19; Mark 1:1; 3:11;  Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18, 29; 10:30, 38; 11:25-27;  Mark 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16, 28; 17:1-5;21-22; 20:1-20, 28; Acts  1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5, 20; Rom. 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,  34; 10:4; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal.  4:4-5; Eph. 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; 2:9; 1  Thess. 4:14-18; 1 Tim 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-3; 4:14-15;  7:14-28; 9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John  1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Rev. 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.  He inspired  holy writers of old to write the Scriptures.  Through illumination He  enables people to understand truth.  He exalts Christ. He convicts of  sin, of righteousness and of judgment.  He calls men to the Savior, and  effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts  believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God  though His church.  He seals the believer unto the day of final  redemption.  His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to  bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ.  He  enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship,  evangelism, and service. 

BIBLICAL BASIS   Gen. 1:2;  Judg. 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isa. 61:1-3; Joel  2:28-32; Matt. 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; Matt. 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10, 12;  Luke 1:35; 4:1, 18-19; 11:13; 12;12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17, 26;   John 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,  39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1 Cor.  2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thess.  5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:14; 3:16; Heb. 9:8, 14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1  John 4:13; 5:6-7; Rev. 1:10; 22:17.

People  were created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the  crowning work of His creation.  In the beginning human beings were  innocent of sin and were endowed by their Creator with freedom of  choice.  By their free choice humans sinned against God and brought sin  into the human race.  Through the temptation of Satan humanity  transgressed the command of God, and fell from its' original innocence;  whereby their posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined  toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become  transgressors and are under condemnation.  Only the grace of God can  bring people into His holy fellowship and enable individuals to fulfill  the creative purpose of God.  The sacredness of human personality is  evident in that God created people in His own image, and in that Christ  died for women and men; therefore every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

BIBLICAL BASIS   Gen. 1:26-30; 2:5, 7, 18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isa.  6:5; Jer. 17:5; Matt. 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Rom. 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23;  5:6, 12, 19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18, 29; 1 Cor. 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22;  Eph. 2:1-22; Col. 1:21-22; 3:9-11.  

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.   In its broadest sense salvation  includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.   Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.  It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy  Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Repentance  and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God.  Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ  and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Savior  and Lord.  Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ.  Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace  and favor with God.  Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s  purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him or her. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.   Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

BIBLICAL BASIS   Gen. 3:15; Ex. 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matt. 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26;  27:22-28:6; 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; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31;  Acts 20:32; Rom 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,  29-39; 10:9-10, 13; 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 1:18, 30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Cor.  5:17-20; Gal. 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16;  Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Tim. 1:12; Titus  2:11-14; Heb. 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12, 8, 14; James 2:14-26; I  Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Rev. 3:20; 21:1-22:5

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates,  sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.  It is consistent with the free agency of humanity, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.  It is a glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is  infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.  It excludes boasting and  promotes humility.  All true believers endure to the end.  Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.   Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause of Christ, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

BIBLICAL BASIS  Gen. 12:1-3; Ex. 19:5-8; 1 Sam. 8:4-7, 19-22; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer.  31:31ff.; Matt. 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22, Matt. 31; 25:34:Luke 1:68-79;  2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45, 65;  10:27-29; John15:16; 17:6, 12, 17-18; Acts 20:32; Rom. 5:9-10; 8:28-39;  10:12-15; 11:5-7, 26-36; 1 Cor. 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Eph. 1:4-23; 2:1-10;  3:1-11; Col. 1:12-14; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:10, 19; Heb.  11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 1:2-5, 13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2. 

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and  fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ,  committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the  ends of the earth.  This church is an autonomous body, operating through  democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  In such a congregation members are equally responsible.  Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.  The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

BIBLICAL BASIS   Matt. 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6;  13:1-3; 14:23, 27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 3:16;  5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11, 21; 5:22-32;  Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-15; 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rev. 2-3;  21:2-3. 

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.  Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions.  They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others.  According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s  cause on earth.

BIBLICAL BASIS Gen. 14:20; Lev.  27:30-32; Deut. 8:18; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 6:1-4, 19-21; 19:21; 23:23;  25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21, 42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25;  20:35; Rom. 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Cor.  8-9; 12:15; Phil. 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and  conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the  Kingdom of God.  Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches.  They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should co-operate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and  benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary  co-operation for common ends by various groups of Christ’s people.  Co-operation is desirable between the various Christian denominations,  when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such co-operation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament. 

BIBLICAL  BASIS   Ex. 17:12; 18:17ff.; Judg. 7:21; Ezra 1:3-4; 2:68-69; 5:14-15;  Neh. 4; 8:1-5; Matt. 10:5-15; 20:1-16; 22:1-10; Matt. 28:19-20; Mark  2:3; Luke 10:1-ff.; Acts 1:13-14; 2:1ff.; 4:31-37; 13:2-3; 15:1-35; 1  Cor. 1:10-17; 3:5-15; 12; 2 Cor. 8-9; Gal. 1:6-10; Eph. 4:1-16; Phil.  1:15-18. 

Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ  supreme in his or her own life and in human society.  Means and methods  used for the improvement of society and the establishment of  righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when  they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving  grace of God in Christ Jesus.  The Christian should oppose in the spirit  of Christ every form of greed, selfishness, and vice.  He or she should  work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the aged, the helpless,  and the sick.  Every Christian should seek to bring industry,  government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of  righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.  In order to promote these  ends Christians should be ready to work with all persons of good will in  any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love  without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.  

BIBLICAL BASIS   Ex. 20:3-17; Lev. 6:2-5; Deut. 10:12; 27:17; Psalms  101:5; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 8:16; Matt. 5:13-16, 43-48; Matt. 22:36-40;  25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John  15:12; 17:15; Rom. 12-14; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1;  Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:12-17; 1 Thess. 3:12; Philemon; James  1:27; 2:8.  

 It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all people on principles  of righteousness.  In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ  they should do all in their power to put an end to war.  The true  remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.  The supreme need  of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of people and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. 

BIBLICAL BASIS Isa. 2:4; Matt. 5:9, 38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36, 38; Rom. 12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Heb. 12:14; James 4:1-2. 

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the  doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not  contained in it.  Church and state should be separate.  The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.  In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group  or denomination should be favored by the state more than others.  Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render  loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will  of God.  The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on  its work.  The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for  the pursuit of its ends.  The state has no right to impose penalties for  religious opinions of any kind.  The state has no right to impose taxes  for the support of any form of religion.  A free church in a free state  is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and  unhindered access to God on the part of all people, and the right to  form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without  interference by the civil power.  BIBLICAL BASIS Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Matt. 6:6-7, 24; 16:26; 22:21; John  8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Gal. 5:1, 13; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim.  2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19 

The First Baptist Church of Memphis, Texas Inc. believes the Holy Scriptures teach marriage is an institution of the church and NOT THE STATE, and marriage is the uniting of one natural born woman and one natural born man in covenant commitment for a lifetime.  It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church.   We believe the Holy Scriptures teach marriage is between one naturally born male and one naturally born female.   What  we call marriage today began as an act of creation.  The Bible tells of God creating male and female persons.  But God did not simply create  them and put them in the garden; God told them to do something. God  blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill  the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and  over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon  the earth” (Genesis 1:28, NRSV).  This first marriage had as its God-given purpose the desired end of fruitfulness – children. This marriage and those to follow are to reproduce and to take on a responsibility for the whole of God’s  creation.  Many couples give birth biologically, others take on the responsibility of fruitfulness by means that value the lives of children who need parents, such as through adoption and foster care.  A man and  woman’s togetherness and does not come without cost.  Each must leave something behind in order to pursue their purposes together. Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24, NRSV).  Jesus referenced these words about one flesh and added,“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6, NRSV).  Sex, of course, is part of marriage because it is required to fulfill God’s purposes, to help a couple bond, and for basic pleasure in one another.  The Bible is not shy about sex, and it also deals with the importance of fidelity within marriage. The following verses speak from a man’s  perspective, but similar words could be written from a woman’s view.  Let  your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. May her breasts satisfy you at all times;  may you be intoxicated always by her love. Why should you be  intoxicated, my son, by another woman and embrace the bosom of an  adulteress? (Proverbs 5:18-20, NRSV).  Marriage in the Old Testament, however, did not always measure up to the  standards God established.  Wealthy and powerful men in the Old Testament often reflected the reality of the broader world culture in that they had multiple wives and even concubines.  Despite what was,  there always has been what ought to be.  The Apostle Paul talked about the value of being single in order to do God’s work, but he was also  practical. If  a person could not resist temptations to sexual immorality, then “each  man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” ( 1 Corinthians 7:2, NRSV). Note  the singular husband and wife.  Paul also spoke of how a man and a woman should relate to one another.  In Ephesians, Paul compared the relationship of a husband and a wife to the relationship of Christ and the church.  He spoke of love and submission.  Specifically, he said men are to love their wives and women are to submit to their husbands, and  he then adds the following:   This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.  Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a  wife should respect her husband (Ephesians 5:32-33, NRSV).  The writer of Hebrews expressed the value of marriage and the dangers it faces in regard to sexual matters.   Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers (Hebrews 13:4, NRSV).  It is good for all of us to think again about God’s ideal for marriage.  Gender difference is a definite part of godly marriage, but faithfulness and fidelity between a husband and a wife also are critical.  Biblical Basis: Genesis 1:28, NRSV; Genesis 2:24, NRSV; Matthew 19:6, NRSV; Proverbs 5:18-20, NRSV;1 Corinthians 7:2, NRSV; Ephesians 5:32-33, NRSV;  &Hebrews 13:4, NRSV