Basic Beliefs: The Baptist Faith & 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