Free Will Baptist roots can be traced to England as early as 1611.
The first Free Will Baptist church in America was begun by Paul Palmer in 1725 in NC. Some years later in 1780, Benjamin Randall established Free Will Baptist in the northeast in New Durham, New Hampshire.
From these early beginnings, Free Will Baptist in America has had a continuing ministry. Today, the National Association of Free Will Baptists are active in 40 states and over 10 foreign countries. With congregations in about 2,500 local churches, Free Will Baptists are making a difference for the Lord Jesus Christ in America and around the world.
A brief outline of our Doctrine follows. A more detailed treatise is available by contacting us:
God – We believe that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and righteous Ruler of the universe. He has revealed Himself in nature and in the Bible. We believe in the Trinity.
Jesus Christ – He is the God-man, coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Only Begotten Son of God, He was crucified for man’s sin yet rose victoriously as our glorified Savior and now sets at the right hand of the Father ever living to make intercession for us. No one can come to the Father but through Him.
Holy Spirit – All the attributes of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces people of their sin. He indwells the believer at the point of trusting Christ by faith and directs the life of the believer into all truth.
The Bible – God used holy men to write His eternal Word in both the Old and New Testaments. This is the very Word of God revealing to man the answers to the question of life. We believe the Bible is Divinely inspired and is profitable for doctrine, reproof and correction. The Scripture is to be our final rule of faith and practice.
Man – God created man but he chose to sin and has become depraved. It is this sinful nature which gives us the inclination to do wrong. It causes each of us to become guilty before the Lord as sinners. All of us need the salvation God offers.
Salvation – Everyone has a free will for himself whether to receive Jesus Christ or not. Man receives pardon and forgiveness for his sins when he admits to God that he is a sinner, when in godly sorrow he turns from his sins and trusts in the finished work of Jesus as redemption for sin. Jesus was crucified for our sins, He took our place. There is no good thing we can do which will earn salvation for us. We accept Jesus righteous sinless life and sacrificial death as payment for our sin.
Who Can Be Saved? – God’s offer of salvation is available to anyone who will repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus. The Bible says “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Jesus came to save sinners. This invitation includes you and me.
Distinctive Doctrines – There are primarily two points that set Free Will Baptist people apart from other Baptist:
Free Will Baptist observe open communion. We believe that only Christians should participate in taking the Lord’s Supper, but we invite each person to examine himself.
The perseverance of the believer is another distinguishing point. Free Will Baptist believe the Bible warns of the possibility of making shipwreck of the faith. In other words, a person who was genuinely saved can degenerate into a sinful condition rejecting his faith in Christ. We do not teach a person is saved one minute and lost the next. There is no returning from this shipwreck of one’s faith because there is no other sacrifice for sin than the Lord Jesus Christ. We teach the assurance of salvation, that is, knowing for sure one is saved. God has given man the choice, he is a free moral agent to decide by his own free will, but God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
More details and Scriptural support for these doctrines are available upon request.
