The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired
and is 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.
Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. 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. All Scripture is a testimony
to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10;
119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32;
Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15;
17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17;
Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
II. 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 perfections. 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. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without
division of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His
universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history
according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all
knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those
who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is
fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus
22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3;
Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11;
23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts
1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians
4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter
1:17; 1 John 5:7.
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation
as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of
God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities
and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin.
He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His
substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption
of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified
body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with
them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now
exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator,
fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation
between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge
the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells
in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew
1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19;
Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29;
10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22;
20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4;
3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6;
15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians
1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9;
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14;
Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1
Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9;
Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
C.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine.
He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination
He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts
men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to
the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration
He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates
Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual
gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the
believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the
Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into
the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers
the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.;
Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32;
28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49;
John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31;
5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans
8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians
4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy
3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21;
1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
III. Man
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own
image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of
His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness
of God's 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. Therefore,
as soon as they are capable of moral action, they 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 man in His own image, and in that Christ died
for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full
dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5;
51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31;
Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29;
1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians
1:21-22; 3:9-11.
IV. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man,
and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for
the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration,
justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no
salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace
whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is
a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction
of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God
and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable
experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is
the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality
to Him as Lord and Saviour.
B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles
of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in
Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship
of peace and favor with God.
C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration,
by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled
to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence
and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace
should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the
final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26;
27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36;
5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31;
17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10;
6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30;
6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25;
6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians
1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus
2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26;
1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
V. God's Purpose
of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according
to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies
sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends
all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display
of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and
unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted
in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away
from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers
may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they
grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring
reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves;
yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah
5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31;
25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14;
3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32;
Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians
1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians
1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews
11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John
1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.
VI. The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is
an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated
by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing
the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising
the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word,
and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each
congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic
processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and
accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors
and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in
the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified
by Scripture.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ
which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers
from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6;
13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians
1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22;
3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy
2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation
2-3; 21:2-3.
VII. Baptism and the Lord's
Supper
Christian baptism is the 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 risen Saviour, the believer's death to
sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk
in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith
in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance,
it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and
to the Lord's Supper.
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members
of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of
the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate
His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke
3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33;
20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians
2:12.
VIII. The Lord's Day
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is
a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates
the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises
of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities
on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's
conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7;
Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans
14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation
1:10.
IX. The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty
over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully
acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm
of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment
to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the
Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation
of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of
this age.
Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23;
12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43;
8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7;
17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians
1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation
1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.
X. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring
the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus
Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth;
the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.
The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting
punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies
will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with
the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44;
25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26;
17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10;
1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians
3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.;
2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus
2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28;
3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.
XI. Evangelism
and Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every
follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ
to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of
man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for
others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a
spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and
repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations.
It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win
the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian
lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of
Christ.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38;
10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke
10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts
1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians
3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2;
1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.
XII. Education
Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence.
In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage.
The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for
knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education in the Kingdom of
Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general
benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support
of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is
necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people.
In Christian education there should be a proper balance between
academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly
relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute.
The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary
is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative
nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which
the school exists.
Deuteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:1-8; Job
28:28; Psalms 19:7ff.; 119:11; Proverbs 3:13ff.; 4:1-10; 8:1-7,11;
15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:19; Matthew 5:2; 7:24ff.; 28:19-20; Luke
2:40; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8;
Colossians 2:3,8-9; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17;
Hebrews 5:12-6:3; James 1:5; 3:17.
XIII. Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and
spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians
have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship
in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions.
They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time,
talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these
as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping
others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute
of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately,
and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.
Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi
3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42;
16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22;
12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians
8-9; 12:15; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.
XIV. Cooperation
Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize
such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation
for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations
have no authority over one another or over the churches. They
are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine,
and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner.
Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another
in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent
ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity
in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary
cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people.
Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations,
when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such
cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise
of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.
Exodus 17:12; 18:17ff.; Judges 7:21; Ezra 1:3-4; 2:68-69; 5:14-15;
Nehemiah 4; 8:1-5; Matthew 10:5-15; 20:1-16; 22:1-10; 28:19-20;
Mark 2:3; Luke 10:1ff.; Acts 1:13-14; 2:1ff.; 4:31-37; 13:2-3;
15:1-35; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:5-15; 12; 2 Corinthians 8-9;
Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Philippians 1:15-18.
XV. The Christian and
the Social Order
All Christians are under obligation to seek to make
the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.
Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the
establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently
helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual
by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ,
Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness,
and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery,
homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for
the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and
the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend
for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural
death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government,
and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness,
truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians
should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good
cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without
compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.
Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm
101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40;
25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25;
John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7;
7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians
3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.
XVI. Peace and War
It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all
men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit
and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put
an end to war.
The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.
The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings
in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application
of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should
pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 5:9,38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36,38; Romans
12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2.
XVII. Religious
Liberty
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left
it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary
to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be
separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom
in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom
no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the
state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God,
it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto
in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church
should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The
gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit
of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious
opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for
the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state
is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and
unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right
to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without
interference by the civil power.
Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 6:6-7,24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36;
Acts 4:19-20; Romans 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Galatians 5:1,13; Philippians
3:20; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19.
XVIII. The Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution
of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another
by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant
commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the
union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man
and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship,
the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards,
and the means for procreation of the human race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God,
since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship
models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love
his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility
to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is
to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her
husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of
Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus
equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her
husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and
nurturing the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage
from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's
pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual
and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle
example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical
truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9;
Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128;
139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1;
17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes
4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9;
Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians
5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy
1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.
"The
Baptist Faith and Message" Copyright © 1925,
1963, 1998, 2000 the Southern Baptist Convention
