Who We Are As A Church
In Christ Alone: Christ. Grace. Community.
Columbus First Baptist Church exists to glorify God by making and training disciples who make and train disciples.
“And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Colossians 1:28
The Old Paths For A New Day:
To proclaim all the Scriptures for all of life.
To prize Christ in our hearts and homes.
To pursue piety.
To promote robust congregational singing and regular family worship.
To preserve a reformation heritage.
Our Defining Values
We believe that these values sum up best what our church is all about. They are the foundation upon which our vision is implemented, as they find their source in God’s unchanging Word. These are things we want to be true of us.
1. The Glory of God to be Our Highest Aim
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Our primary reason for existing as a church is to draw attention to God in all His greatness. This is our ultimate passion. We long to see God’s supremacy recognized and demonstrated in our lives and in the lives of all people.
2. The Gospel to Penetrate our Lives
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..” (1 Corinthians15:3-4) We dearly love the gospel, the good news that Christ died for our sins making it possible for us to be at peace with God and assured of eternity with Him. We believe that our personal appreciation for the gospel will manifest itself in lives marked by pronounced joyfulness, evident humility, uncommon generosity and an abiding personal assurance of God’s love.
3. The Love for God to be Whole-Hearted
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) As a result of our personal experience of God’s love through the Gospel, we eagerly seek to obey the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
4. The Pursuit of Grace-Motivated Progressive Sanctification
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) Our thankfulness for God’s saving grace motivates us to eagerly and intentionally cooperate in the life-long process of being made more like Jesus Christ. In this process of sanctification, God uses many means of grace, which are experienced especially within the Body of Christ, the local church.
5. The Importance of Sound Doctrine
“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16) At CFBC, we treasure the Bible as God’s inspired Word and gladly submit to its authority. We not only believe that the Bible is the completely true and trustworthy Word of God, we also believe God gave it to us for the express purpose of shaping our thinking and our behavior.
6. The Active Presence and Ministry of the Holy Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22,23 & 25) We earnestly desire and actively pursue the dynamic ministry of the Holy Spirit in our midst. At CFBC, we long for the fullness of the Spirit’s presence and ministry in the life of our church.
7. Growing Relationships within the Local Church
“From whom the whole body, joined and hold together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:16) We are deeply committed to the local church as the principal place where we are committed to serving and caring for one another. The highest quality of Biblical fellowship can be enjoyed only in the context of these committed relationships.
8. Commitment to Faithfully Pass the Gospel on to Others
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) At CFBC we see ourselves, along with all Christians, as commissioned by God to engage with our local community and with the larger world in such a way that the Gospel is faithfully demonstrated and clearly proclaimed in our homes, in our community and in the world.