Who We Are
About Us
FBC Edwardsport is a group of disciples brought together by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we exist for the glory of Jesus Christ. We are sinners who have been washed clean and made pure by the saving blood of Jesus Christ. His grace is more than sufficient to cover every sin. Everyone and anyone is invited here because all people need the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We are here to serve you, and our aim is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Founded in June 1858, we are affiliated with American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky.
The purpose of this Church is to maintain public service for the worship of God, provide opportunities for teaching of scripture, encourage Christian fellowship, and promote things which will spread effectively the good news & the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Statement of Faith
As American Baptists of the First Baptist Church of Edwardsport, we believe:
The Bible
The Scriptures are the very word of God. They were written by man as God directed. They are the complete truth, and are not to be taken away from or added to. They are to be preached and taught from so as to help instill the words in the hearts of all men. As the church and as a Christian, they are our complete authority as they are the Word of God.
Is. 40:8; Luke 24:44-46; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:19-21, 3:15-16; Rev. 22:6, 18-19.
The Trinity
In one God who eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the trinity are not three parts of God. Each person is fully and eternally God. They are equal in honor in every way, yet work distinctly (in their own roles) for the redemption of the world. God is one God in three persons.
Mat. 3:16, 28:19, John 1:1-2, Acts 1:4, 2:33, Rom. 1:4, Eph. 1:17, 2:18, Col. 2:9, Heb. 9:14.
God the Father
God the Father is eternal. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. He rules over all creation to the ends of the earth. He is perfect in love, justice, and knowledge. God is infinitely good in all his attributes. He is wrathful against sin and, as the righteous judge, he will one day judge all humanity without partiality.
Gen. 1:1, Zech. 9:10, Mat. 28:19, Gal. 4:6, Rom 3:6, Rev. 22:13.
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Born of a virgin, he became man, came to earth, and lived a sinless life. He is fully God and fully man; the forever mediator between God and man. In order to make the sacrifice of atonement for sins, he was crucified on the cross, died, buried, and bodily raised from the dead on the third day and then ascended to sit at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again to bring believers to eternity with God and execute the final judgment. He is the only way to salvation and eternal life with God the Father. His kingdom and dominion are forever.
Ps. 145:13, Dan. 7:14, Mark 1:1, Luke. 1:34-35, John 1:1-2, 14:6, Acts 2:23-24, 2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 1:3, Rev. 20:10-15.
God the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is fully God and fully Lord. He was active in the creation of the world. He is the agent of regeneration in the souls of men at salvation. The Holy Spirit illuminates hearts and minds to understand the Bible and marks authentic Christianity. He makes the invisible faith evident as he empowers believers to good works as he equips them with spiritual gifts. At salvation, men and women are given the Holy Spirit who indwells the heart for the purpose of conviction and sanctification. He secures and seals the believer in Christ.
Gen. 1:2, Mat. 28:19, John 3:8, 6:63, 16:5-16, Acts 1:8, 2:17-21, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Cor. 3:18, 5:17; Gal. 4:6, 5:22-25; Eph. 1:13.
Man
Mankind (from conception to death, from all nations and across all ethnicities) was created by God in his image. He created them male and female and without sin. However, through the temptation of Satan and willful disobedience, mankind chose sin. Through Adam’s sin, as humanity’s representative, all men are dead and separated from God. From Adam, all inherit a sinful nature– inclined to sin and at enmity with the creator. Only through the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God, and trusting in his sacrifice, death and resurrection, can we be reconciled with our creator God. The image of God in man is never fully lost but only distorted through sin.
Gen. 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Ps. 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Jer. 17:9-10, 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
All who repent of sin and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are given the gift of salvation, which saves them, through forgiveness, from the wrath of God. God sent his perfect Son to save us as imperfect sinners. No amount of works or good deeds could save us or earn our salvation. Salvation is not earned but given freely to anyone who truly believes. Salvation includes forgiveness of sin and freedom from the sinful nature. Required for salvation is repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To repent is to turn away from sin. The evidence of salvation is in the fruit of the Spirit. At salvation, Christ secures our eternal redemption.
Mark 1:15, John 3:16, Acts 2:38, Rom. 1:18, 2:5, 5:9, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 5:22-26, Eph. 2:8-9, Phil. 1:6, Heb. 6:19, 1 John 1:9.
Sanctification and Justification
Believers are justified through grace alone at the time of salvation. We do no works to earn it, but it is freely given to anyone who believes. By believing and receiving Jesus, we are justified and therefore sanctified. Justification means the pardon of our sin and the promise of eternal life. It is the removal of guilt whereby Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account. Therefore, in our justification, we are forgiven and marked as holy (sanctified) because Jesus sufficiently paid the price for the sin. Sanctification is the progressive work carried on in the hearts of believers through the word and by the power of the Spirit whereby the believer is purified into the image of God and separated from sin.
John 17:17-19, Rom. 3:22-24, 28, 5:1, 5:9, 19, 8:30, 15:16, 1 Cor 6:11, 2 Cor. 3:18, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 1:7, Phil. 2:12-13, 1 Thess. 4:3, Heb. 9:14.
The Church
The church is the body of Christ. As the bride of Christ, she is compiled of all believers in Christ and bound together by one Lord, one faith, and one baptism and submissive to the inerrant authority of the Bible. She exists to fulfill his mission for the salvation of the nations. The local church is a congregation of baptized believers who are dedicated to one another in love and thus showing a representation of Jesus to the world. Christ is the head of the church.
Rom. 12:4-5, 12:9-21; Rev. 19:7, 21:2, 21:9; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Mat. 5:13-16, 18:15-22, 18:23-35, 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47, Eph. 1:22-23.
The Church Ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Scripture requires two ordinances for the practice of the local church. First, baptism is symbolic of Christ’s death and resurrection as the believer is buried in the waters through immersion and risen to new life. It is a public confession that the person believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Through baptism, three actions take place: (1) the individual testifies before God and God’s people of his or her faith in the Lord Jesus, (2) the church affirms the testimony of the individual before God, and (3) the church and the individual commit to one another for the preservation of one another's faith and testimony. Therefore, baptism precedes membership to the local church. Baptism is not required for salvation, but it is the first step of Christian obedience for the physically able.
Upon baptism, the believer is brought into membership and is then able, as with all believers, to enjoy the Lord’s Supper with the congregation. The Lord commands the church to practice communion, which is the congregational taking of bread (representing his broken body) and the cup (representing his shed blood) to symbolically remember his death and to anticipate his second coming.
Acts 2:38, 2:41, 8:36; Rom. 6:3-7; Eph. 2:5; Mat. 26:26-29, 1 Cor. 11:17-32.
The Final Judgment:
God is ruling this world to the designated end where he will decisively judge the wicked and righteous and usher in the new creation for eternity. At the right time, Jesus Christ will visibly return as judge. All mankind will resurrect to be summoned to his throne. At his judgment, the wicked will be delivered to eternal torment in Hell, and believers will receive their reward of eternal life with the triune God in the new creation. No one but the Father knows the time of the end. Therefore, we are to be ready and not be caught spiritually sleeping.
Rev. 1:7, 1:17-18, 19:3, 22:7, 21:1-22:5, Phil. 2:9-11, Mat. 5:22, 25:31-46; Mark 9:43.