Cuba Free Will Baptist
Leading Families to Glorify Christ and Extend His Kingdom
On Salvation (The Gospel)
Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross, can we be saved; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we believe in him
-New City Catechism
On Faith
Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
-New City Catechism
On Justification & Sanctification
Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ's death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit's work in us.
-New City Catechism
On Christ's Death
Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.
-New City Catechism
On the Scope of the Gospel Call
As "the Lord is . . . not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9), Jesus' death secured the potentiality of salvation for all men (Heb. 2:9), and the Holy Spirit draws all men to Christ (John 12:32; 15:26).
On Apostasy
While "there are strong grounds to hope that the truly regenerate will persevere unto the end, and be saved, through the power of divine grace which is pledged for their support,"* the Scriptures maintain that there is potentiality for one who was previously purchased with the blood of Christ to deny the faith, and bring destruction, once again, upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1).
* -NAFWB Treatise
On Sin
Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law - resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.
-New City Catechism
Church Covenant
Having given ourselves to God, by faith in Christ, and adopted the Word of God as our rule of faith and practice, we now give ourselves to one another by the will of God in this solemn covenant.
We promise, by His grace, to love and obey Him in all things, to avoid all appearance of evil, to abstain from all sinful amusements and unholy conformity to the world, from all sanction of the use and sale of intoxicating beverages, and to "provide things honest in the sight of all men."
We agree faithfully to discharge our obligations in reference to the study of the Scriptures, secret prayer, family devotions, and social worship; and by self-denial, faith and good works endeavor to "grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for church conferences, public worship, and the observance of the ordinances of the Gospel; nor fail to pay according to our ability for the support of the church, of its poor, and all its benevolent work.
We agree to accept Christian admonition and reproof with meekness, and to watch over one another in love, endeavoring to "keep the unity of the Spirit" in the bonds of peace, to be careful of one another's happiness and reputation, and seek to strengthen the weak, encourage the afflicted, admonish the erring, and as far as we are able, promote the success of the church and of the Gospel.
We will everywhere hold Christian principle sacred and Christian obligations and enterprises supreme; counting it our chief business in life to extend the influence of Christ in society, constantly praying and toiling that the kingdom of God may come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
To this end we agree to labor for the promotion of educational and denominational enterprises, the support of missions, the success of Sunday schools, and evangelistic efforts for the salvation of the world. And may the God of peace sanctify us wholly, and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.