What We Believe
Church Covenant
Adopted 1876, Reaffirmed 1976
Having been, as we trust brought by Divine Grace to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and to give ourselves wholly to Him, we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each other to walk together with Him in brotherly love to His glory as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in His strength engage that we will exercise in Christian care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully warn, exhort and admonish each other, as occasion may require.

That we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together but will uphold the public worship of God and the ordinances of His house. That we will not omit closet and family religion at home nor neglect the great duty of religiously training our children and those under our care for the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven. That as we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, we will seek divine aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and every worldly lust and to walk circumspectly in the world that we may win the souls of men.

That we will cheerfully give of our means according as God has prospered us for the support of faithful and evangelical ministers among us and us for the relief of the poor saints and to aid in the spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that we will strive to live to the glory of God to whom be glory forever. Amen.

1976...We, the members of Forbush Baptist Church, in this the Centennial year of our church and the Bicentennial year of our country, do here on affix our signature in reaffirmation of our belief and dedication to the articles of our original church covenant as stated hereupon.
 
Statement of Faith
We affirm the Holy Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God and is the basis for our beliefs. We believe that salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. This church subscribes to The Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention May 9, 1963, revised June 9, 1998 and revised June 14, 2000.
 
Articles of Faith
  1. We believe in one only true and living God, and that there are three persons in the God head: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
  2. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God and the only rule of faith and practice
  3. We believe salvation is offered as a free gift to all mankind from God by grace and through faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ's cross and resurrection.
  4. We believe the doctrine of original sin (man is born with a sin nature inherited from Adam, the first man).
  5. We believe the doctrine of total depravity (man's inability to recover himself from the fallen state he is in by nature by his own free will or ability).
  6. We believe sinners are justified (declared righteous) only by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
  7. We believe true believers shall be called, regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
  8. We believe the doctrine of eternal security (saints shall persevere in grace and never fall finally away).
  9. We believe Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of Jesus Christ, and that true believers are subjects of these ordinances, and we believe that the true mode of baptism is by immersion.
  10. We believe the local church is an autonomous body of born again believers. The universal church (Body of Christ) includes all believers from all time.
  11. We believe God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to an end. Jesus will return to the earth and the righteous dead will be resurrected to eternal life. The unrighteous dead will be resurrected to eternal separation from God and punishment.