Our Beliefs

1. The Scriptures

We believe that the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testament are verbally inspired of God, inerrant, infallible, that they are the supreme and final authority for faith and practice, and are preserved in the translations of Scriptures from the Received Greek Text, and recognize the Authorized KJV 1611 Bible as an accurate English language translation of that text. 2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 12:6-7

2. God

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That God is supreme in his person, absolute in his attributes, glorious in his perfection, and eternal in his being. I John 5:7

3. Jesus

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. His conception by the Holy Spirit, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his death on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins, his bodily resurrection, his exaltation at God’s right hand, and his personal, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational return. Matt. 1:20b; Eph. 1:7; Luke 24:6a, 24:39; 1 Tim. 2:5

4. Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, one with the Father and the Son, the indweller of every believer to enlighten, guide, and enable him in life, testimony, and service, and seals each believer until the day of redemption of the body. John 15:26-27

5. Man

We believe that God created man in his image and likeness as a triune being: spirit, soul, and body, in a state of innocency, but through temptation, he willingly transgressed, and became dead in trespasses and sins. As a result, his posterity of all humanity inherited a corrupt nature, and are born in sin, and are under condemnation. Gen. 1:26a; Psalm 51:5; Rom. 5:12

6. Salvation

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; that he arose from the dead in his glorified body, ascended into Heaven, and as our great High Priest and Advocate he ever lives to make intercession for us; that all who believe on his name are justified on the grounds of his shed blood and receive the gift of eternal life by the grace of God. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner but their own voluntary rejection of the gospel. Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 7:24-25; Isaiah 1:18; John 3:18

7. Blood

We believe the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross to be the only and all sufficient remedy for the sin of humanity; that this blood alone makes an atonement for the soul. Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22

8. Hell

We believe in a literal, burning Hell that God prepared for the Devil and his angels. It is the place of everlasting, conscious punishment of the unbelieving lost. Luke 16:22-26

9. Heaven

We believe in a literal place called Heaven where the saved shall enjoy everlasting blessedness. Heaven is where God’s immediate presence is manifested, where angels reside, where the redeemed shall ultimately be, where Christ makes intercession for the saints, and from where Christ shall come to judge the living and the dead. 2 Cor. 5:8; John 14: 1-3

10. Satan

We believe in the existence and operating power of a real and personal being opposed to all saints (saved unto all righteousness,) and exalting himself against all that God is, has, and works to accomplish. We believe that the Evil One is called Satan, the Prince of the Power of the Air, and is a powerful being but not all-powerful. 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7

11. The Church

We believe that the local church is a congregation of baptized believers, instituted for the purpose of worship, service, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship. The local church is an indigenous and autonomous body. We further believe in “the Church” as a living organism. It consists of all the blood-bought, born-again believers throughout the Church Age. This body of the redeemed collectively makes up the ultimate bride of Christ. Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:21-23

12. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that baptism by immersion for a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the Bible mode of baptism that testifies to the believer’s faith in, and identification with, the crucified, buried, risen, and soon-coming Saviour. Matt. 3:16; 28:19

13. Stewardship

We believe that God is the source of all blessings and that all we have is from Him, and as such, we as Christians have a responsibility of stewardship with our possessions. We are to serve Him with our time, abilities, and material possessions; and we should recognize that all this is entrusted to us to use for the glory of God and for ministering to others. We should therefore, give back cheerfully, regularly, prayerfully, and by grace in our church offerings in obedience to Scripture. Matt. 6:1-4, 19-21; 19:21; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; 9:6-15

14. Security of the Believer

We believe that those who by faith receive Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, are born again by the Holy Spirit, and are the children of God, are heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and are kept by the power of God, and can know they are eternally saved, once and forever. Eph. 4:30; John 10:27-30; Jude 2-4

15. Last Things

We believe in the imminent, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial return of Christ. The Lord shall return for His church and catch away the church at any given moment. The world will then enter into a seven year period of tribulation that will end with the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and establish His kingdom that will last for one thousand years. The Lord will then judge the living and the dead at the Great White Throne Judgment (which is different from the Judgment Seat of Christ where the Lord judges the Church.) After this, all the lost, Satan, death, and hell are cast into the Lake of Fire, while the Lord and His saints enter into eternal joy. 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; Matt. 24: 3-41; Rev. 19:11-21; 20:1-15; 21:1-6

Our History

In September 1852, only 16 years removed from Texas independence from Mexico, and seven years into statehood, Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized on land donated by James Hines that was originally granted to Robert Clokey of Stephen F, Austin’s Second Colony. Pioneer settlers working in conjunction with leaders from Old Baylor College, located then at nearby Independence, started and built the church as a missionary endeavor to start Baptist churches in the area. It was located three miles northeast of Burton. All of the pastors at the beginning were connected to Baylor including William Carey Crane, the fourth president of Baylor University, and J.B. Stiteler, professor of physical science. Due to the increasing influx to the area of German immigrants, Frank Keifer was hired by Baylor and Union Baptist Association, to start German speaking Baptist churches in Texas. He pastored the church from 1872 to 1876 and started the Greenvine Baptist Church in the German speaking community five miles south of Burton.

In 1882, the church was dismantled and moved by a mule team and logs to the new town site of Burton on land donated by F.A. Rice and A. Groesbeck. At that time the congregation was renamed Burton Baptist Church. The sanctuary was rebuilt after being severely damaged in the 1900 Storm. Then in 1982 a new sanctuary was built, and the congregation was renamed for a second time to First Baptist Church of Burton. The old church building was donated to the Burton Heritage Society and was moved back to its original site at Mount Zion.