The Baptist
Faith and Message
I. The Scriptures
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.
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