The following statements with scripture references outline the belief, doctrine, and practice held by the First Missionary Baptist Church in Coloma, Michigan:
A. We believe that love is the great commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ upon which all others are dependent. (Matt. 22:25-40; John 13:14; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1John 5:1-3; Rev. 2:4-5).
B. We believe that the Bible is the absolute and inerrant word of God, and stands alone as the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. (Psalm 119:160; 2Timothy 3:16,17; 2Peter 1:20-21)
C. We believe in the Triune God: Made up of three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).
D. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Genesis 1,2).
E. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of fire (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezra 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
F. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1Peter 2:22).
G. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1,14; 2 Corinthians 5:19).
H. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine administrator for Jesus Christ in His church (Luke 24:49, John 14:16,17; Acts 1:4-5,8;Acts 2:1-4).
I. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were set aside when the Bible was completed, and that Faith, Hope, and Love are the vital abiding spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12,13,14).
J. We believe that man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are sinners (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:6-24; Romans 5:12,19).
K. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who believe (Isaiah 53:6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2).
L. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection of His saints (Matthew 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
M. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of the Gentile Age. this event will include the resurrection of righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter into the Heaven Age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2;8; Revelation 19, 20:4-6,11-15, 21:8).
N. We believe that the depraved alien sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are: repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18,16:8-9; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:30; Titus 3:5).
O. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36, 5:24, 10:27-30; Romans 8:35-39; Hebrews 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
P. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that He chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient (Matthew 16:27, 25:14-23; John 1:12; Hebrews 12;5-11; 2 John 8; Revelation 22:12).
Q. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commision to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised perpetuity of His churches (Matthew 4:18-22, 16:18, 28:19-20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Ephesians 3:21).
R. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord’s churches: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And that Scriptural baptism is the immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted to the members of the church observing the ordinance (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:12; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, 11:1-2, 17-20, 26).
S. We believe that there are two divine offices in a church: Pastor and Deacon. To be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13).
T. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under the control of the churches (Matthew 20;25-28).
U. We believe in complete separation of church and state (Matthew 22:21) and affirm our belief in civil obedience unless the laws and regulations of the civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Romans 13:1-7; 1Peter 2:13-15).