The members of FSBC of Cordes Lakes extend a warm welcome to all who are interested in learning more about the Christian faith. Whatever your past experiences may have been, we want you to know that Cordes Lakes can be the beginning of an entirely new chapter in your life. Who you meet can be as important as what you learn, and to that end, we have various ministries aimed at meeting the needs and interests of all ages, from preschool to senior adult. Wherever you may fit, we would like you to get to know us a little better by inviting you to join us in one of our worship services. We look forward to meeting you.

1. God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.  God is infinite in holiness and all other perfection's.  God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God reveals Himself to us as God, the Father, who rules over His created universe and controls human history according to His purpose and grace.  Jesus, the Son, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the redemption of men from sin through His substitutionary death, was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven where He now offers reconciliation between God and man.  He is personally, visibly and bodily returning very soon to reign as Lord.  The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, convicts mankind of sin, righteousness and judgment, indwells in the believer from the moment of salvation, guaranteeing the believer an eternal home in heaven and guiding him/her in understanding truth.

2. The Bible
The Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man.  It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction.  It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.  It reveals the principles by which God judges us: and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and religious opinions should be tried. 

3. Man
Mankind was created by the special act of God, in His own spiritual image, and is the crowning work of His creation.  In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by His Creator with freedom of choice.  By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.  Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under condemnation.  Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.  The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created us in His own image, and in that Christ died for us; therefore everyone of us possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

4. Salvation
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it.  We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.  Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty.  When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved.  Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.  This salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christy on the cross.

5. Eternal Security
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.  If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it.  Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.  It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

6. Eternity
People were created to exist forever.  We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation.  To be eternally separated from God is Hell.  To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life.  Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions.  Based on what the Bible teaches we practice the following:

1. The Bible as our sole authority
Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living.  Our first question when faced with a decision is, “What does the Bible say?”  We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study and Bible memorization.  The Bible is the basis for all we believe, the basis of our view of the world.

2. Autonomy of the Local Church
Christ is the recognized head of the church, not any person, group or religious organization.  While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups as Christians, we believe that every local church should be self-governing and independent of any denominational control. Each congregation determines its own strategy, structure and style.

3. Priesthood of every Believer
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his/her vocation.  We practice the truth that every Believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry.  Every Believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading.

4. Baptism by immersion
We practice baptism by immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It is an act of obedience symbolizing the Believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and resurrected Savior.  It symbolizes the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

5. The Lord’s Supper
We practice the Lord’s Supper as a symbolic act of obedience whereby the members of the church, through partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

6. Spirit-Led Living
We believe that the only possible way to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us.  So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right in the eyes of God.

7. Tithing
We practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands.  We recognize that God owns everything but his standard for us is giving 10% of our income.  Above and beyond our tithe, we also support many mission endeavors through regularly giving.