Our Beliefs

-The bible is the inspired word of God, and that it is our guide to faith and practice, which needs to be interpreted and applied responsibly.

-Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God, that He died on the cross as a payment for the sins of all humanity, and that He literally was raised from the grave.

-All people are invited into a relationship with God by truly believing that--by His death and resurrection--Jesus is God’s unique agent of redemption leading to eternal life.

-The church is a community of people who have professed a common faith in Jesus Christ and who have come together to serve God and to grow in faith through worship, study, service and mutual support.

Here’s some information to review to define ministry in today’s culture

AUTHORITY
We believe that the 66 books of the protestant Bible are the inspired and inerrant Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, and is the sole and final source of all that we believe (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
We affirm that the Bible has served several crucial purposes throughout history:
1. It has revealed the existence and the nature of the One True God, creator of the heavens and the earth (Psalm 19:1-2, Romans 1:20).
2. It has chronicled Divine intervention in the affairs of humanity (Hebrews 1:1-2).
3. It has defined moral conduct (Psalm 119:1-2).
4. It has shown God to be a redeeming God through the institution of the sacrificial system and through Jesus Christ (Leviticus 17:11, 1 Peter 1:17-19).

Therefore, we strive to have our world view, actions and opinions reflect Biblical ideals. Any social movements, academic teachings or other cultural matters are evaluated in light of our Biblical understandings. We do consult other resources to shed additional light on these matters, but our criteria remains Biblical.
Having said that, we acknowledge that this statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs since new and unique matters periodically arise. However, the Bible remains the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of FBOSC’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our pastor in conjunction with the Board of Deacon at FBOSC’s are the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s application for FBOSC.

BELIEFS
There is one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things (Genesis 1:1-2, Deuteronomy 6:4) infinite in being and perfection. He exists eternally in three Persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:15-1), who are of one substance and equal in power and glory.
We believe that God created people, both male and female, to live in equal and complementary relationship with one another. We believe that a person’s physical makeup at the time of their birth defines their gender (Genesis 1:26-28).
We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union for life, as described in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
See Wedding Policy at the end of this document for particular details.

The two qualities with which God endowed Adam and Eve at their creation that have been and still are passed along to all subsequent generations are: 1. Being created in the image of God Genesis 1:27), and 2. Free will, which holds the potential of consequences.
We believe that His image is still present within each human being (Genesis 9:6). Therefore we believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death (Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-7). We are therefore called to value all human life. (Ps. 139.)
See Sanctity of Life Policy at the end of this document.

We believe that Adam and Eve were created in innocence with no sense of right or wrong and no innate compulsion to live in disobedience to God (Genesis 2:6-7; 25).
Through deceitful influence, Adam and Eve were tricked into disobeying the one command that God had given to them: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Genesis 3:1-7).
There are several results of Adam and Eve’s disobedience that have been passed along to all peoplepast, present and future (Romans 5:12)
1. Actions, situations, thoughts, etc. take on moral qualities of good or evil (Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:14-16).
2. People have the ability to choose what is good or what is evil. Each person has the ability to strive to please God or to knowingly or unknowingly choose what is contrary to God (Joshua 24:14-16).
3. Because deception is still present in this world, and because human nature has become egocentric and corrupted, people do not always correctly discern good and evil, and often the two are confused. Sometimes people intentionally chose what is evil, regardless of consequences. And sometimes people take no action, which is a decision in itself, and fail to do the good which is evil. Therefore, because of our fallen nature and our inability to choose “the good” in every situation, every person is prone to making inaccurate decisions that may have seemed good but were instead evil. As a result, every person sins and is deserving of punishment (Romans 3:9-20).
4. Death was a result of their disobedience. Death has several related definitions: physical death is the permanent cessation of biological functioning (Exodus 21); Spiritual death is an eternity separated from God Revelation 20:14). We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11). Jesus, being eternally pre-existent, (1 Peter 1:19-21) became incarnate without human father, by being born of the virgin Mary by means of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-38). Thus, in the Lord Jesus Christ, divine and human natures were united in one Person, both natures being whole, perfect and distinct. (John 1:14; 14:8-9, Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 2:10-18). To effect salvation, He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as the sinner’s substitute, shedding His blood for the remission of sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was buried and placed in a sealed and guarded tomb (Matthew 27:57-66) .On the third day He literally and bodily rose from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He performs the ministry of intercession. (Romans 8:24) He shall come again, personally and visibly, to complete His saving work and to consummate the eternal plan of God (2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4:4-6, Revelation 20:11-15). Upon accepting God’s redemption through Jesus, a person’s relationship with God changes:
1. From a heavenly point of view, everyone who accepts Jesus as Savior automatically and completely becomes an adopted child of God and immediately appears sinless and perfect in the eyes of God (Ephesians 2:4-7).
2. From an Earthly point of view, the person is gradually transformed into a new person reflecting the image and holiness of Jesus. This becomes evident through one’s lifestyle. Being a gradual process, it is never fully accomplished while any individual is alive on Earth. Which means every believer will show both the human fallen nature and the divine nature (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24). This gives all people of faith a three-fold obligation one to another.
A. We are called to offer the lost the same respect, benevolence and hospitality that God has shown to all humanity (Matthew 5:43-46, Romans 12:19-21).
B. We are called to forgive each other fully and sincerely, and to forsake grudges, malice and condemnation (Matthew 6:12-15, Luke 6:37, Colossians 3:13).
C. At the same time we are to offer accountability and encouragement toward one another. This includes, but is not limited to: practicing and encouraging those behaviors and rites that are compatible with Bible teaching as well as forsaking any activities that are contrary to Bible teaching (2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11, Hebrews 3:13/ Matthew 18:15-22). We believe that every person—regardless of their faith, beliefs, station in life, differences or sins—must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of FBOSC. Wedding Policy
FBOSC is open to discuss officiating wedding ceremonies and we are very happy to assist you in your wedding plans and in your marriage relationship.
In order to exercise our responsibility in your marriage, we request that the couple schedule at least 3 pre-marriage sessions with our pastor.
The church has the right to refuse to perform any weddings at our sole discretion and for any reason
These reasons include (but are not limited to):
1. A previous marriage (civil or common law) is still in effect.
2. Matters of unresolved conflict exist between the couple or between one member of the couple and another individual, such that this conflict threatens to undermine the marriage relationship.
3. Unresolved legal issues for the couple or between one of the couple and someone else.
4. Evidence of physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse.
5. Evidence of coercion.
6. The couple is too closely related.
7. The couple (either one or both) are in violation of age requirements.
8. The presence of non-conforming gender issues. (see Beliefs paragraph 2).Sanctity of Life Policy
1. FBOSC will not support nor endorse, fund or support any organization, movement or benefit program that endorses, promotes or practices the active termination of viable human life at any point of development or life stage.
2. FBOSC is open to considering the support and endorsement of an organization that offers alternatives to abortion, euthanasia and other such actions.
3. FBOSC does realize that there could be extenuating circumstances in medical situations. Therefore, we extend our support in situations where a fetus is not viable; where a pregnancy endangers the life, health and well-being of the mother; where a patient suffers from a debilitating, incurable and terminal condition that diminishes the patients quality of life, or other extreme situations. In those cases, we respect the decisions of the parents and the medical professionals directly involved.