Grace: Heaven Is A Free Gift

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

We can't earn our way to heaven, and none of us deserve to go. It is a gift.

Man: We Are All Sinners

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

Every person who has ever lived has missed God's standard of perfection.

God: He Loves Us

"God is love." (1 John 4:8)

While God loves us and doesn't want to punish us, we should also know that, as a just God, He must punish sin. "The soul who sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4)

Christ: God Balanced Justice and Love Through His Son Jesus

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Jesus is the infinite God-man, God in the flesh. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place for us in heaven, which He offers as a free gift.

Faith: The Gift of Eternal Life Is Received by Faith

Saving faith is not merely intellectual assent. It is trusting in Jesus Christ alone and what He has done rather than what we can do to get ourselves to heaven. "What must I do to be saved? ... Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:30-31)

The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." You can do that now by simply praying:

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation, and I accept Your free gift of eternal life.

If this prayer is the sincere desire of your heart, look at the promise of Jesus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life." (John 6:47)

If you having read this, trusted Jesus for eternal life, please let us know. We want to rejoice in what God has done in your life and help you to grow spiritually. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at 770.234.8300.

This doctrinal statement reflects the broad, mainstream, conservative evangelical tradition which is consistent with the teachings of the Bible and which has stood the test of history and experience. We specifically affirm the following doctrinal truths:

1. The Scriptures
   We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. The Bible is therefore without error (inerrant) in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible, and it is the sole and final authority for faith and life, providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
2. The Godhead (Trinity)
   We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and is totally worthy of our worship and service (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:14, John 10:30; 2 Cor. 13:14).
3. God the Father
   We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, John 5:19-21, John 17:1-5; Isa. 40:21-28, Isa. 43:10-13, Isa. 46:8-11; Rom. 8:14-16).
4. God the Son
   We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal Son of God Who became flesh to reveal God to man, to fulfill prophecy, and to become the Savior of the lost world. In becoming man Jesus did not cease in any way to be God so that He is fully God and fully man inseparably united in one person forever. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; lived a sinless life; died on the cross as the substitutionary, all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all men of all time; was buried; bodily rose from the dead; physically ascended into heaven in His glorified, resurrected body; is seated at the right hand of the Father performing His ministry of intercession; will return in the air to claim His bride the church; and will come again to earth in bodily form, personally and visibly, to conclude human history and consummate God’s eternal plan by executing judgment and ushering in His Millennial Kingdom reign to be followed by the eternal state (John 1:1,14, John 1:18; John 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:3,9; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:22-24; John 1:29; Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24, 1 Pet. 3:18; John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 2 Thes. 2:7; Matt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).
5. God the Holy Spirit
   We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity Who specially came into the world on the day of Pentecost to glorify Christ and to enable men to appropriate the salvation wrought by Christ. He is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and for regeneration. Simultaneously with salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new life, baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (His church), permanently indwells the believer, and securely seals the believer unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit fills (directs and controls) those believers who are yielded to Him, enables believers to bear fruit, and empowers believers to live a life free from sin’s dominion. We also believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for the purpose of edifying the church in accordance with the teachings of scripture (1 Cor. 13:8, 1 Cor. 14:22; John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:19, 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, Gal. 22-23; Rom. 8:5-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8).
6. Man
   We believe that man was created in the image of God by direct act of God and did not come into being as the result of evolution. Man was created to glorify God, worship and serve Him, and have fellowship with Him. Man fell through sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and spiritual death, which alienated him from God. Man’s nature was thus corrupted and he is utterly lost, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and totally incapable of saving himself and coming back into right relationship with God by his own merit or effort (Gen. 1:26, Gen. 2:6,17, Gen. 3:17-24; Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 3:9-19,23, Rom. 5:8; Luke 18:26-27; Eph. 2:13).
7. Satan
   We believe that Satan is the instigator of evil and a real spirit being, not simply the personification of evil. He is a fallen angel who, under the sovereign permission of God, has been given temporary rulership of the earth. He was utterly defeated at the cross, but the execution of his judgment has been postponed by God until after the Millennial Kingdom when he will be cast into the eternal lake of fire. In the meantime, he deceives the world and seeks to establish his counterfeit kingdom on earth to discredit and blaspheme God and to tempt, accuse, attack and destroy believers. He can be resisted by the believer through faith and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 3:1-5; Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 11:14; 1 Tim. 3:6; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; James 4:7; Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 7-10).
8. Salvation
   We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for forgiveness of sins and salvation, which is the free gift of God’s grace. Salvation is effected by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and cannot be secured by man’s works or personal merit. Salvation is only appropriated by a person placing his faith in the finished work of Christ. Repentance is a turning toward God and away from sin and is a part of but not separate from believing faith. “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” and those who receive Jesus Christ by faith are born again, have their sins forgiven, become children of God, are a new creation in Christ, and “are sealed by the Holy spirit unto the day of redemption” being kept by the power of God (Eph. 1:7:13-14; John 1:12-13, John 3:1-7, John 14-16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 1:16, Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 8:14-17, Rom. 31-39; John 10:27-29, Rom. 14:6; Acts 26:20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
9. The Christian Life
   We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally involved in making disciples to fulfill the great commission; perform good works and bear fruit to the glory of God (Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 1:15-16, 1 Pet. 2:11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 6:11-13; Eph. 2:10, Eph. 4:11-12, Eph. 4:22-24; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10; John 15:8,16).
10. The Church
    We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose members are those who have truly received Christ by faith. The local church is a tangible expression of the body of Christ in a particular location. Since all members of the body of Christ are united in Christ by the same Spirit, they should live in love, harmony and unity, being intent on the same purpose and accepting those sectarian or denominational practices which are based on a sincere interpretation of the Bible, which do not relate to substantive doctrinal matters, and which do not in practice cause disunity or hinder the ministry. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to lost men and to make disciples, and glorify God on earth (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23, Eph. 4:1-6, Eph. 4:12-16; Matt. 28:18-20; John 17; Col. 1:24-29).

First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, is a vibrant family of believers in Jesus Christ. We are the spiritual home to thousands of people in metro Atlanta and the source of spiritual encouragement to millions of others around the world. ..

Founded in 1848 in the heart of downtown Atlanta, our church has been a light for Christ through the darkest times in our city’s history and through the most challenging times our nation has faced. For 172 years, God has sustained our church as each generation, from our founding to the present, has acknowledged our dependence upon God and has sought to honor the truth of His Word, the Bible.

Although the church had enjoyed outstanding leadership from its pastors through the years, one pastor in particular would lead the church to achieve unprecedented growth and worldwide impact. In 1971, the church elected Dr. Charles Stanley as senior pastor. Within a few years, the church’s growth was so explosive that, in order to accommodate the growing attendance, the church began purchasing every adjacent piece of property that became available. In the midst of this growth, in 1982, Dr. Stanley founded In Touch Ministries to broaden the reach of his pulpit ministry through media and to satisfy the growing demand for his messages across the country. The In Touch program penetrated almost every major market in the United States during the 1980s, reaching more than 1 million households with Dr. Stanley’s unique, principle-based preaching of the Bible. Through God’s blessing at the church and through In Touch, Dr. Stanley can now be heard in every nation on earth via radio, shortwave or television broadcasts and through the In Touch website.

As the church continued attracting thousands to its downtown location, it became evident that there was not enough available space to sustain continued growth. Therefore, in 1997, Dr. Stanley led the church in a historic decision to sell the downtown properties and relocate to our present site at I-285 and North Peachtree Road. From our new home, the church has continued shining God’s light to Atlanta and the world while still experiencing dynamic growth.

Among our membership are people from 98 countries of origin, making us one of the most ethnically diverse congregations in America. We like to think that our congregation resembles the picture of heaven described in Revelation 5:9, where God’s throne is surrounded by those whom Christ had redeemed “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

In the morning services on December 10, 2017, Dr. Stanley proposed to the church a Pastoral Succession Plan, naming the church’s associate pastor, Dr. Anthony George, as the future pastor of the church. The congregation adopted the plan by a unanimous affirmative vote.

In March of 2020, our church suspended regular worship services in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic and launched a live stream broadcast through our website. On September 13, 2020, with services still suspended, Dr. Charles Stanley announced his retirement to the congregation during the morning live stream, concluding his service as Senior Pastor and transitioning to Pastor Emeritus. In his words to the church, Dr. Stanley said, “I have no doubt there are many great days ahead for the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. My hope is that the greatest days are still ahead.”

Dr. Stanley’s retirement formally enacted the Pastoral Succession Plan, resulting in the installment of Dr. Anthony George as our new Senior Pastor. We trust and pray that God will bring to pass Dr. Stanley’s encouraging words and that there will indeed be many great days ahead for First Baptist Atlanta.