Our Beliefs

“Baptist churches, associations, and general bodies have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and as instruments of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice.”

— Baptist Faith & Message Study Committee, 2000

You may view our statement of faith here.

What is the Church?

The church is the gathering of the redeemed, the household of God (Eph. 2:19), the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:2, 9), and the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12–31).

1 Corinthians 12 speaks of many members within the same body. Just as a human body relies upon mutual dependence of individual members for proper functioning, so the body of Christ requires sacrificial and responsible service by its individual members. As the Scriptures say:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.'” — 1 Corinthians 12:21

Likewise, a member of the church cannot say to another member that he or she is unnecessary. We all have gifts that differ according to the gracious provision of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:3–8).

Contrary to the beliefs of our culture, we need each other. Membership at LaFayette First is participation in a family—a microcosm of the universal household of God. All members are united to Christ and thus to each other. Unity within the church is expressed in love for God and love for others, both those within the family and those who are not. Because of the identification of Christ with His church, Christians are expected to display His gospel in a manner which is worthy of Him (Eph. 4:1).

The “One Anothers”

The phrase “one another” is derived from the Greek word allelon, which means “one another, each other; mutually, reciprocally.” It occurs 100 times in the New Testament. Approximately 59 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how (and how not) to relate to one another.

Obedience to those commands is imperative. It forms the basis for all true Christian community and has a direct impact on our witness to the world (John 13:35).

When we talk about community at LaFayette First—and, to be fair, we do talk about it a lot—we are really just using the word as shorthand for living out all of God’s instructions for His Church. As we like to say: Christians don’t go to church; we are the Church. God’s people are the Church when we love and serve each other in the way that God has designed us to live together.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of the “One Another” commands found throughout the New Testament for your reference:

Love One Another

• “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” — John 13:34–35

• “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” — John 15:12

• “These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” — John 15:17

• “Love one another with brotherly affection.” — Romans 12:10a

• “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” — Romans 13:8

• “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.” — 1 Thessalonians 3:12

• “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another…” — 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10

• “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” — 1 Peter 1:22

• “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8

• “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” — 1 John 3:11

• “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” — 1 John 3:23

• “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”— 1 John 4:7

• “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:11–12

• “And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” — 2 John 1:5

Relational & Spiritual Care

• Honor One Another: “Outdo one another in showing honor.” — Romans 12:10b

• Greet One Another: “Greet one another with a holy kiss…” — Romans 16:16 | 1 Corinthians 16:20 | 2 Corinthians 13:12 | 1 Peter 5:14

• Welcome One Another: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” — Romans 15:7

• Show Hospitality: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” — 1 Peter 4:9

• Have Fellowship: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…” — 1 John 1:7

• Agree With One Another: “…agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:11b

• Live in Harmony: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly…” — Romans 12:16 | Romans 15:5

• Be at Peace: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” — Mark 9:50

• Be Kind & Forgiving: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32 | Colossians 3:13b

• Bear With One Another: “Bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit…” — Ephesians 4:2–3 | Colossians 3:13a

• Bear Burdens: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2

• Comfort One Another: “Aim for restoration, comfort one another…” — 2 Corinthians 13:11a

• Care for One Another: “…that the members may have the same care for one another.” — 1 Corinthians 12:25

• Confess & Pray: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”— James 5:16

Encouragement, Teaching, & Discipleship

• Encourage One Another: “Therefore encourage one another…” — 1 Thessalonians 4:18 | 1 Thessalonians 5:11a| Hebrews 10:25

• Build One Another Up: “…and build one another up, just as you are doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11b

• Exhort One Another: “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’…” — Hebrews 3:13

• Instruct One Another: “…filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” — Romans 15:14

• Teach & Admonish: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…” — Colossians 3:16

• Sing Together: “Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” — Ephesians 5:19

• Stir Up to Good Works: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” — Hebrews 10:24

• Do Good: “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another…” — 1 Thessalonians 5:15

• Serve One Another: “…through love serve one another.” — Galatians 5:13 | 1 Peter 4:10

• Wash Feet / Serve Lowly: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” — John 13:14

• Wait for One Another: “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” — 1 Corinthians 11:33

• Be Humble & Submit: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another…” — 1 Peter 5:5 | Ephesians 5:21

• Speak Truth: “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor…” — Ephesians 4:25 | Colossians 3:9

What NOT to Do to One Another

• Do Not Speak Against One Another: “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” — James 4:11 | James 5:9

• Do Not Judge One Another: “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer…” — Romans 14:13

• Do Not Provoke or Envy: “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” — Galatians 5:26

Clearly, the most common phrase in this list is “love one another,” but really all of the verses are about loving one another—because love is an action, and because all of God’s commands can be summarized as loving God and loving your neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40; Romans 13:9–10; Galatians 5:14).

Living out these verses in community is how we can love—and be loved—by one another.