DOCTRINE

Before Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride shouting, "The British are coming, the British are coming," Free Will Baptists were proclaiming the truth that "Jesus is coming." Even before John Hancock penned his famous signature to the Declaration of Independence, Free Will Baptists were preaching that Jesus Christ came to set men free. Free Will Baptists contributed to the rich spiritual heritage of America even before her birth as a nation. From this fertile Biblical heritage have grown the faith and convictions which thrust Free Will Baptists into the field to win persons to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

[Who are Free Will Baptist?]

Free Will Baptist roots can be traced to England as early as 1611. The first Free Will Baptist church in America was begun by Paul Palmer in 1727 in Perquimans County, North Carolina. Some years later, in 1780, under the leadership of Benjamin Randall, Free Will Baptists were established in the northeast at New Durham, New Hampshire. From these early beginnings, Free Will Baptists in America have had a continuing ministry. Today, the National Association of Free Will Baptists is active in 40 states, 10 foreign countries, and a number of the islands of the sea. The work of the National Association of Free Will Baptists is promoted from the National Offices and the Sunday School and Church Training Department located in Nashville, Tennessee.

WHAT FREE WILL BAPTISTS BELIEVE

1.

God--We believe that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the universe. He has revealed Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: yet as one God.

2.

Jesus Christ-He is God's unique Son; the only one of a kind. The Scripture teaches that lie is God revealed in flesh. In His Divine nature He is truly God and in His human nature truly man. He is the One once crucified for man's sin, the now risen and glorified Savior and Lord who mediates between God and man and who gives us access to the Father through His intercession. None can come to the Father unless they come through Him.

3.

Holy Spirit--All of the attributes of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit by the Scriptures. It is He who convicts and convinces men of their sin. He also convinces man of that which is right, and that a final day of judgment will come. He, it is, who comes to live in us at conversion, to open our understanding to the Scripture, and to lead us into the truth.

4.

The Bible--God used holy men to write the Scriptures. They are, in both the Old and New Testaments, the very words God intended us to have. They are, as given by God, without error and are our only rule of faith and practice. We profit from them by learning the truth about many things: they also speak to us about wrong doing; they even correct us and get us back on course as well as instructing us in right living.

5.

Man--God created man in a state of innocence. Man, being tempted by Satan, yielded and willfully disobeyed God, becoming a sinner and incurring God's judgment upon sin. All of Adam's descendants inherit his fallen nature and thus have a natural inclination to sin. When one comes to an age of accountability, he is guilty of sinning before God and in need of salvation.

6.

God's Relationship to His Creatures and Creation-God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings and things. He maintains the laws of nature and performs special acts as the highest welfare of mankind and His created order of things require.

7.

Salvation--Man receives pardon and forgiveness for his sins when he admits to God that he is a sinner, when in godly sorrow he turns from them and trusts in the work of Christ as redemption for his sin. This acceptance of God's great salvation involves belief in Christ's death on the cross as man's substitute and the fact of God's raising Him from the dead as predicted. It is a salvation by grace alone and not of works.

8.

Who Can be Saved?--It is God's will that all be saved, but since man has the power of choice, God saves only those who repent of their sin and believe in the work of Christ on the cross. Those who refuse in this life to repent and believe have no later chance to be save and thus condemn themselves to eternal damnation by their unbelief.

9.

Perseverance--We believe that there arc strong grounds to hope that the saved will persevere unto the end. and he saved because of the power of divine grace pledged for their support. We believe that any saved person who has sinned (whether we call him a backslider or sinner), but has a desire to repent, may do so and be restored to God's favor and fellowship. Since man, however, continues to have free choice, it is possible because of temptations and the weakness of human flesh for him to fall into the practice of sin and to make shipwreck of his faith and be lost.

10.

Gospel Ordinances--Free Will Baptists believe the Bible teaches three ordinances for the church to practice: Baptism in water by immersion, the Lord's Supper, to be perpetuated until His return, and the Washing of the Saints' feet, an ordinance teaching humility.

11.

Resurrection--Free Will Baptists believe the Scriptures teach the resurrection of the bodies of all men, each in its own order; they that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.

12.

Church Government--Free Will Baptist churches enjoy local church autonomy (self-governing). The local church is the highest authority in the denomination. Local churches voluntarily organize themselves into quarterly meetings, district, state, and national associations for the purpose of promoting the cause of Christ on the local, state, district, national, and world-wide level.

13.

Christ's Second Coming--The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, who ascended on high and sits at the right hand of God, will come again to close the Gospel dispensation, glorify His saints, and judge the world.

14.

Missions--Free Will Baptists believe that Jesus commanded the church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. For an in-depth study of Free Will Baptist beliefs and practices, ask for a copy of the Free Will Baptist Treatise.

ChurchCovenant

Having given ourselves to God, by faith in Jesus Christ, and adopted the Word of God as our rule of faith and practice, we now give ourselves to one another by the will of God in this solemn covenant. We promise by His grace to love and obey Him in all things, to avoid all appearance of evil, to abstair from all sinful amusements and unholy conformity to the world, from all sanction of the use and sale of intoxicating beverages, and to provide things honest in the sight of all men. We agree faithfully to discharge our obligations in reference to study of the Scriptures, secret prayer, family devotions, and social worship, and by self-denial, faith, and good works endeavor to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for church conferences, public worship, and the observance of the ordinances of the Gospel, nor fail to pay according to our ability for the support of the church, of its poor, and all its benevolent work. We agree to accept Christian admonition and reproof with meekness, and to watch over one another in love, endeavoring to "keep the unity of the Spirit" in the bonds of peace, to be careful of one another's happiness and reputation, and seek to strengthen the weak, encourage the afflicted, admonish the erring, and as far as we are able, promote the success of the church and of the Gospel. We will everywhere hold Christian principle sacred and Christian obligations and enterprises supreme: counting it our chief business in life to extend the influence of Christ in society; constantly praying and toiling that the Kingdom of God may come, and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. To this end we agree to labor for the promotion of educational and denominational enterprises, the support of Missions, the success of Sunday Schools, and evangelistic efforts for the salvation of the world. And may the God of peace sanctify us wholly, and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Further Information and Activities Free Will Baptists have a strong evangelistic ministry of soul winning and church planting at home and abroad. Membership in the United States surpasses the quarter million mark. The work of the National Association of Free Will Baptists is carried out through eight separate agencies located in Nashville, Tennessee. They are: The Executive Department, The Foreign Missions Department, The Home Missions and Church Extension Department, The Board of Retirement, Free Will Baptist Bible College, The Sunday School and Church Training Department, The Woman's National Auxiliary Convention, and the Master's Men Department. Contact, the national magazine, is produced and distributed by the Executive Department. Other agencies i.e., Bible Colleges, Bible Institutes, Children's Homes, and Nursing Homes, are operated by various state organizations. Free Will Baptists are a friendly, Baptistic. evangelistic, Bible believing, preaching, and teaching group of Christians. If you are looking for a place to worship, serve, and help win the lost to Christ, you will find a warm welcome at the nearest Free Will Baptist church. "Come thou with us and we will do thee good."