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The Baptist Statement of Faith and Message is a
document which reasonably describes what we believe the Bible
teaches. Below is the version adopted in the year 2000.
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2000 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. |
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Falcon Heights Baptist Church P.O. Box 22, Falcon Heights, Texas,
78545, US phone: (956)848-5794 |
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