We believe that God is the Father Almighty and that He is maker of Heaven and earth as the Scriptures have said. We believe in Jesus, that He is the Christ and is the only begotten Son of the Father. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. On the third day, He rose from the dead and declared victory over the grave, death, and hell. He has gone back to the Father to prepare a place for us in His kingdom. He will come back as He promised to judge the world and to deliver the righteous. We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life for all true believers. Amen.
The First Discipline Of The United American Free Will Baptists, 6th rev., 2003, p.14.
Having given ourselves to God through Jesus Christ, and adopted the preceding articles as our confession of faith, we now give ourselves to each other by the will of God, and agree to the following Church Covenant:
1. We solemnly covenant, before God, that we will strive, by His assisting grace, to exemplify our profession by a corresponding practice. We covenant and agree, as members of the Church and as Christians to watch over each other in love for mutual upbuilding in Gospel faith, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, to be careful of each other's reputation, to confess our faults one to another, to strengthen the feeble and kindly admonish the erring, and to labor together for the building up of the Church and the denomination, and the salvation of sinners.
2. We promise that we will faithfully and constantly maintain secret and family prayer, and religiously instruct those under our care.
3. We covenant and agree to use our influence to sustain the regular public worship of God, contributing according to our ability and circumstances for the support of our ministry and other church expenses among us; that we will be benevolent to the needy, especially to the poor of our own Church.
4. We promise that, so far as we shall be able, we will attend public worship, the social meetings of the Church, and report ourselves regularly at the quarterly conferences, and that we will walk in all ordinances of the Lord's house.
5. We covenant and agree that we will abstain from all vain amusements and sinful conformity to the world; that we will not traffic in, use, nor furnish to others, drugs, intoxicating drinks as a beverage and that we will sustain the benevolent enterprises of our denomination and the Church, as missions, education, Sabbath schools, moral reforms, and all others which tend to the glory of God and the welfare of man.
And may the God of peace sanctify us holy, and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may join the glorified around the throne of God in ascribing blessings, and honor, and power, and glory to Him that sitteth on the throne and unto the precious Lamb forever. Amen.
The First Discipline Of The United American Free Will Baptists, 6th rev., 2003, p. 13.
1. THE SCRIPTURES. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are binding on all as our only infallible rule of faith and practice.
2. GOD. There is only one living and true God, infinite in all His attributes - the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of the universe - revealed to us in the Scriptures, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
3. CHRIST. He is God manifested in the flesh - being in His divine nature true God, in His human nature true Man, united in the person of the Messiah or Mediator for the redemption of the world.
4. THE HOLY GHOST. He possesses all personal divine attributes, being the reprover, comforter, and sanctifier of man.
5. DIVINE PURPOSES AND PROVIDENCE. The purposes of God are eternal and immutable: His wise and holy Providence is over all beings and in all things to secure His own glory and the highest welfare of His creatures.
6. ORIGINAL STATE AND FALL OF MAN. Man was created upright but by disobedience, fell into a state of condemnation. All succeeding generations inherit this fallen nature; therefore, all men are alienated from God. There is no salvation from his guilt and the power of sin, except through God's redeeming grace.
7. THE ATONEMENT. Christ in His great compassion offered Himself as a sacrifice in our stead, and thus by His life, sufferings and death made an atonement which is full and free to us all, and opens the only way of salvation.
8. GRACE. No one can by his own work or merit obtain salvation, which is wholly of the grace of God, and through which all spiritual blessings are bestowed upon us.
9. CONDITIONS OF SALVATION. These are repentance, implying Godly sorrow for wrongdoing; open confession and utter renunciation of sin. Faith is the unreserved committal of the mind and heart to receive, obey, and trust Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, whereby the soul is freed from the dominion of sin and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
10. ELECTION. God has not fixed the future state of men by any unconditional decree, but determined from the beginning to save all who should comply with the conditions of salvation.
11. PERSEVERANCE. None will be finally saved but those who through grace persevere in holiness to the end.
12. SALVATION FREE. God desires the salvation of all, the Gospel invites all, the Holy Ghost strives with all, and whosoever will may come and take the water of life freely.
13. FREEDOM OF THE WILL. The human will is not controlled by any fatal necessity or external force, but is free and self determined, having power to yield to gracious influences and live, or restrain them and perish.
14. GOSPEL ORDINANCES. Baptism or the immersion of believers in water, the Lord's Supper, and the washing of the saint’s feet are ordinances to be perpetuated under the Gospel of universal obligations and to be administered to all true believers.
15. THE SABBATH. The Christian Sabbath is a divine institution, binding on all, and should be observed by abstaining from secular business and amusement, and consecrated to the worship of God and spiritual improvements.
16. THE RESURRECTION, FINAL JUDGMENT AND FUTURE RETRIBUTION. Christ will make His second appearance at the end of the world, when the dead will be raised, the judgment set, the righteous be received to eternal blessedness and the wicked to endless sufferings.
The First Discipline Of The United American Free Will Baptists, 6th rev., 2003, pp. 11-12.
The Annual Conference is designed to comprise all the churches within the bounds of its district, keeping a common interest and producing unity of sentiment and discipline, to concentrate its strength in the common cause of Christ, our Lord, and by a brotherly interchange of views among its members to promote growth in grace and knowledge of Gospel truth.
All annual conferences shall bear the title of the United American Free Will Baptist Denomination, Incorporated and shall be composed of delegates chosen from the churches of the conference district.
Every minister and elected church delegate shall attend the Annual Conference. The privileges, rights and power of lay delegates are most effectively secured by making the laity a party through representation in legislating for better government of the Church; therefore, each church shall have the right to send one elected delegate to the Annual Conference.
The First Discipline Of The United American Free Will Baptists, 6th rev., 2003, p. 59
The General Conference is designed to comprise all the annual conferences in the United American Free Will Baptist (U.A.F.W.B.) Denomination, and to complete the organization of the connection – to consolidate the body by harmonizing its different parts, keeping a common interest and producing unity of sentiment and discipline - to concentrate its strength in the common cause of the Redeemer, and by a fraternal interchange of views among its members to promote growth in grace and knowledge of gospel truth.
The General Conference sustains the same relationship to the Annual Conference as the annual conferences do to the churches of which they are composed.
The annual bishops of the different annual conferences together with their annual conferences are responsible to the general conference for all the general funds levied and raised in the bounds of their conferences; and shall obtain the general bishop certificate of approval before serving in the annual bishop's office.
The First Discipline Of The United American Free Will Baptists, 6th rev., 2003, p. 91
"But the word of the Lord endures forever..." 1 Peter 1:25
