Below you
will find the Baptist Faith and Message
which WRBC falls under. Check back
soon for a digital copy of our Church
Constitution
Adopted, June 14th, 2000
The 1999 session
of the Southern Baptist Convention,
meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, adopted the
following motion addressed to the
President of the Convention:
| "I move
that in your capacity as
Southern Baptist Convention
chairman, you appoint a blue
ribbon committee to review the
Baptist Faith and Message
statement with the
responsibility to report and
bring any recommendations to
this meeting next June in
Orlando." |
President Paige
Patterson appointed the committee as
follows: Max Barnett (OK), Steve Gaines
(AL), Susie Hawkins (TX), Rudy A.
Hernandez (TX), Charles S. Kelley, Jr.
(LA), Heather King (IN), Richard D. Land
(TN), Fred Luter (LA), R. Albert Mohler,
Jr. (KY), T. C. Pinckney (VA), Nelson
Price (GA), Adrian Rogers (TN), Roger
Spradlin (CA), Simon Tsoi (AZ), Jerry
Vines (FL). Adrian Rogers (TN) was
appointed chairman.
Your committee
thus constituted begs leave to present
its report as follows:
Baptists are a
people of deep beliefs and cherished
doctrines. Throughout our history we
have been a confessional people,
adopting statements of faith as a
witness to our beliefs and a pledge of
our faithfulness to the doctrines
revealed in Holy Scripture.
Our confessions of
faith are rooted in historical
precedent, as the church in every age
has been called upon to define and
defend its beliefs. Each generation of
Christians bears the responsibility of
guarding the treasury of truth that has
been entrusted to us [2 Timothy 1:14].
Facing a new century, Southern Baptists
must meet the demands and duties of the
present hour.
New challenges to
faith appear in every age. A pervasive
anti-supernaturalism in the culture was
answered by Southern Baptists in 1925,
when the Baptist Faith and Message
was first adopted by this Convention. In
1963, Southern Baptists responded to
assaults upon the authority and
truthfulness of the Bible by adopting
revisions to the Baptist Faith and
Message. The Convention added an
article on "The Family" in 1998, thus
answering cultural confusion with the
clear teachings of Scripture. Now, faced
with a culture hostile to the very
notion of truth, this generation of
Baptists must claim anew the eternal
truths of the Christian faith.
Your committee
respects and celebrates the heritage of
the Baptist Faith and Message, and
affirms the decision of the Convention
in 1925 to adopt the New Hampshire
Confession of Faith, "revised at certain
points and with some additional articles
growing out of certain needs . . . ." We
also respect the important contributions
of the 1925 and 1963 editions of the
Baptist Faith and Message.
With the 1963
committee, we have been guided in our
work by the 1925 "statement of the
historic Baptist conception of the
nature and function of confessions of
faith in our religious and
denominational life . . . ." It is,
therefore, quoted in full as a part of
this report to the Convention:
- That they
constitute a consensus of opinion of
some Baptist body, large or small,
for the general instruction and
guidance of our own people and
others concerning those articles of
the Christian faith which are most
surely held among us. They are not
intended to add anything to the
simple conditions of salvation
revealed in the New Testament, viz.,
repentance toward God and faith in
Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
- That we do
not regard them as complete
statements of our faith, having any
quality of finality or
infallibility. As in the past so in
the future, Baptists should hold
themselves free to revise their
statements of faith as may seem to
them wise and expedient at any time.
- That any
group of Baptists, large or small,
have the inherent right to draw up
for themselves and publish to the
world a confession of their faith
whenever they may think it advisable
to do so.
- That the sole
authority for faith and practice
among Baptists is the Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments.
Confessions are only guides in
interpretation, having no authority
over the conscience.
- That they are
statements of religious convictions,
drawn from the Scriptures, and are
not to be used to hamper freedom of
thought or investigation in other
realms of life.
Baptists cherish
and defend religious liberty, and deny
the right of any secular or religious
authority to impose a confession of
faith upon a church or body of churches.
We honor the principles of soul
competency and the priesthood of
believers, affirming together both our
liberty in Christ and our accountability
to each other under the Word of God.
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.
As a committee, we
have been charged to address the
"certain needs" of our own generation.
In an age increasingly hostile to
Christian truth, our challenge is to
express the truth as revealed in
Scripture, and to bear witness to Jesus
Christ, who is "the Way, the Truth,
and the Life."
The 1963 committee
rightly sought to identify and affirm
"certain definite doctrines that
Baptists believe, cherish, and with
which they have been and are now closely
identified." Our living faith is
established upon eternal truths. "Thus
this generation of Southern Baptists is
in historic succession of intent and
purpose as it endeavors to state for its
time and theological climate those
articles of the Christian faith which
are most surely held among us."
It is the purpose
of this statement of faith and message
to set forth certain teachings which we
believe.
Respectfully
Submitted,
The Baptist
Faith and Message Study Committee
Adrian Rogers, Chairman
Committee Members
|
Adrian
Rogers, Chairman |
| Max
Barnett |
Steve
Gaines |
| Susie
Hawkins |
Rudy A.
Hernandez |
| Charles
S. Kelley, Jr. |
Heather
King |
| Richard
D. Land |
Fred
Luter |
| R. Albert
Mohler, Jr. |
T. C.
Pinckney |
| Nelson
Price |
Roger
Spradlin |
| Simon
Tsoi |
Jerry
Vines |
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.
