Since Christ is the head of the church, then church leaders and members should all seek to know the mind of Christ. (Philippians 2:5) When we know His mind, i.e. His will, then we know what the members of the body should be doing. We seek, therefore, harmony in the body of Christ as the muscles and limbs move to the rhythm of Christ’s commands. By the command of Christ the FBCD accepts responsibility to select biblically qualified leaders who are called by God to serve so the gospel can be spread to a lost and hurting world. Every person who is called to ministry can and will be encouraged to share Christ and Him crucified for all.

Because Christ is the only head of the church, all authority has been committed unto Him. No traditions, customs, councils, confessions, or ecclesiastical formularies, however venerable and pretentious, guide FBCD, but simply and solely the will of God as revealed in the Bible. The FBCD, as an autonomous body, operates through democratic processes under the Lordship of Christ. In such a congregation members are equally responsible.

We will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:15-16 (NIV)

In [Christ] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:21-22 (NIV)

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. – Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)

It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. It will remain the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

Confessions of faith are guides to interpreting Scripture, having no authority over the individual’s conscience. We profess a living faith. This faith is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ; therefore, the sole authority for faith and practice among the FBCD is Jesus Christ, whose will is revealed in Scripture.

The FBCD believes the Bible to be the divinely inspired written Word of God. It is true and trustworthy, all of it. It is the only written document that can have authority over the church or the conscience of believers. It is the book to which we go when we help someone understand how he or she can be saved. It is the product of authors who were carried along by the Holy Spirit to understand the mystery of what they had seen and handled. It is without error for it comes from the heart of God. “There should be both a sense of humility and confidence before God and people when we hold the precious Book in our hands.”

We interpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament and the whole Bible in light of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. – Hebrews 1:1-2 (NIV)
 
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
– Matthew 5:17 (NIV)

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. – 2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

The FBCD, by its declaration herein, demonstrates belief in Jesus’ virgin birth, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 1:18 (NIV)

The doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ teaches clearly and unforgettably that it is God, not man, who brings salvation to the world. The miraculous birth (incarnation) paves the way to the sacrificial death (atonement).

We do not earn salvation. God gives it through His one only Son. It is God who provides the sacrifice for sin. All man’s boasting is set aside. God did this from beginning to end.

In His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. – 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NIV)

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! – Romans 5:8-9

Jesus’ redemptive work did not end on the cross. His resurrection delivered God’s ultimate victory over sin and death.
He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. – Matthew 28:5

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. – John 20:19-20

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

The New Testament says those prophecies are fulfilled in the Christian church. 1 Peter 2:4-10 is the most explicit text, and Christians are called priests in five passages in the book of Revelation.

The FBCD historically has honored individual freedom and accountability. We believe the following:

  Every Christian is equal under God (Galatians 3:28).
  Each believer has direct access to God through Christ (Hebrews 7:25-28).
  Each Christian can go to God directly for forgiveness of sins. No human mediator
  is needed for this forgiveness (Hebrews 4:15-16, 1 Timothy 2:5).
  Each believer is free and responsible for reading the Scriptures and can trust the
  Holy Spirit to provide guidance and interpretation (John 16:13, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
  Christians are accountable to God for living out the Scriptures but are not
  accountable to any confession of faith written by humans.
  Scripture is complete and needs no addendum.
  The doctrine of the priesthood of each and all believers influences the FBCDs'
  convictions regarding believer’s baptism, local church autonomy, congregational
  government, religious liberty, and separation of church and state.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. – 1 Timothy 2:5

We believe the only path to eternal relationship with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. This one path to right relationship with God begins with the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ refers to the literal shedding of the blood of Jesus as He died on a Roman cross some 2,000 years ago. That event happened. People witnessed it, talked about it, and wrote about it.

In Jesus, God offered His only Son as the one blood sacrifice for all of humankind’s sins through the ages. This sacrifice means that the price has been paid for our sins, that God will forgive us of our many failings and welcome us into a close and personal relationship with Him. Jesus conquered death and provided the way of forgiveness for sin through the power of His sacrifice and His resurrection from the dead.

Jesus offers this salvation to all who will choose to follow Him regardless of the severity of past sin in his or her life. To choose the way of salvation, a person must accept that Jesus Christ was and is the unique Son of God and must choose through faith to entrust his or her life to God. It is the way that leads from death to life, from helplessness to hopefulness, from joylessness to joy. A new life is created. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) This is not referring to a new physical life but to a new spiritual one.

Our understanding of salvation did not arise out of the thoughts and reflections of learned or educated people. This understanding of salvation leaps forth from the pages of Scripture. All of our understanding of salvation is based on the divinely inspired Word of God.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
– Romans 3:23 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. – John 3:16-17 (NIV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 6:23 (NIV)

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.
– 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
– John 1:12-13 (NIV)

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. … “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:9-10, 13(NIV)

Also: Isaiah 59:2; Acts 3:19; 1 John 5:11-12; John 3:3; John 10:10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 10:13; 1 John 4:10

It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.


All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.

It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12:15; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness, among men, can truly and permanently be helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus. In the spirit of Christ, Believers should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Believer should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love in accordance with Scripture. In order to promote these ends Believers should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.