God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (See: Genesis 1:1,26,27;3:22, Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19, I Peter 1:2, and II Corinthians 13:14)

Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates man from God. (See: Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, and Isaiah 59:1-2)

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God, through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. (See: John 3:16, I John 2:25; 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, and Revelation 20:15)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (See: Matthew 1:18; 1:22-23, Luke 1:23-27:1:34-35, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5; 14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14-15, and Titus 2:13)

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sins penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one received Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (See: Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; 1:12, Titus 3:5, Galatians 3:26, and Romans 5:1)

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security. (See: John 10:29, II Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14, I Peter 1:3-5)

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (See: II Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, and Ephesians 5:18)

The Bible is God’s Word to all men. It was written by human authors through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error, and cannot lead anyone astray. (See: II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 1:13, Psalm 119:105, 160, Psalm 12:6, and Proverbs 30:5)

Because some doctrinal issues are more problematic to the church in our modern society, the church has also adopted some specific statements of faith as summarized below, to more completely express the church’s stance of certain issues of our day.

We believe that the only true Scriptural (Biblical) marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23). The church shall not host or conduct ceremonies, or in any other way recognize as legitimate, any marriage other than the joining of one man and one woman. We define man and woman as a person’s God-given gender at birth.

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being (Psalm 139:13-14). Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of an unborn human life. We believe in and promote the sanctity of life and the protection of the unborn.

FBC Geneva is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Although there are over 40,000 churches that make up the SBC, each church is autonomous, meaning that each church is self-governed under the direction of the Holy Scripture and Christ, who is the true head of the church. The SBC has no authority over local churches. It is simply an association of Baptist churches who combine their gifts and resources to share the message of Christ around the world.

FBC Geneva affirms The Baptist Faith and Message (2000). FBC Geneva is also a member of the Florida Baptist Convention and the Seminole Baptist Association.

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