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. 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.
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.
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.
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
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 fashioned 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 Savior.
B. Justification
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
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
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.
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.
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 Savior, 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.
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 debt 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.
The Family
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.
For more doctrinal information,
please visit THE BAPTIST FAITH AND
MESSAGE.