Christians are people of deep faith and highly valued doctrines. Throughout history, Christians developed statements of faith and doctrine as a testimony to beliefs and a commitment to remain faithful to the teaching of the holy scriptures. Each generation of Christians bears a responsibility to defend the faith entrusted to us in the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:14). The following doctrinal statement is not comprehensive and does not expound upon every matter of doctrine.
This statement is based on and modified from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000
Although God’s creation provides abundant revelation of God’s goodness, mercy, and love that humanity remains without excuse, God also chose to reveal Himself through the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures declare to humanity God’s plan and purpose for the ages. At sundry times and in diverse manners, God moved men to write the words of the scriptures through the process of verbal plenary inspiration. God wrote the Bible as the revelation of His perfect plan of salvation. The Bible stands without error on every topic it addresses. Through the Holy Scriptures, God reveals the standards he uses to judge the works of humanity and finds these works falling short of His perfect glory and holiness. The Bible revels the depravity of humanity and their need for salvation. The Bible completed God’s revelation to humanity. The Bible endures for eternity. God promises that nothing will fall from the Bible.The Bible sets the standard for evaluating all human conduct, interactions, and statements of belief.
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.
Only one living and true God exists. The one and only true God exists infinitely without limits or bounds. God embodies all perfections and holiness. The perfection and holiness of God give rise to all other attributes of God. God exists as the purest spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, and most absolute. God’s perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present, and future. God even knows the free choices of everyone he created. Humanity owes God the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God alone rules the entire universe and works all things according to His immutable and most righteous will and for His own glory. God’s works fulfill his love, grace, long-suffering, abundance, goodness, and truth. By His infinite mercy and grace, God forgives transgressions and sins. In perfection and with equity, God dispenses His divine judgment and condemnation against the abundant wickedness of humanity.
God alone stands as fully self-sufficient and wanting nothing. In His infinite wisdom, God dispenses and sustains all life, glory, goodness, blessedness. God’s creations meet none of His needs, nor do they provide Him glory. God acts as the ultimate source of all things, visible and invisible. By God were all things created, and by God do all things consist. God exists before all things and above all things. 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.
God the Father
God as Father rules 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 eternal, He is omnipotent, omniscient, 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 humanity.
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.
God the Son
Jesus 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 humanity yet without sin. He honored God’s law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of humanity 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 humanity and the redemption of the physical creation. 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; Isaiah 53:1-12; 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.
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.
The physical world and all basic kinds of living things, including humanity, were made by direct creative acts of God during the Creation Week described in Genesis. God created the spiritual and physical realms for His glory. The creation week consisted of 7 24-hour das. Whatever biological changes have occurred since Creation Week have accomplished only changes within the original created kinds. God uniquely created the earth to sustain life. God created the sun, moon, and stars to give light upon the earth and to serve for signs and for seasons. God established the spherical earth that it cannot be moved. The rising and setting of the sun causes the day and night cycle. At the end of the creation week, God saw everything He had made and it was good. Human sin caused a curse upon all of the creation so that it travails unto the day of its redemption. The great flood described in Genesis, commonly referred to as the Noachian Flood, was a historic event worldwide in its extent and effect.
Genesis 1-3; 6-9; Exodus 201:11; Psalm 19; 93:1; 96:10; 104:5; Ecclesiastes 1:4-5; Colossians 1:16-17; 2 Peter 3:3, 10; Revelation 4:11
God created humanity in the image of God, as the crowning achievement of His creation. The dignity of each individual arises from the fact that God created them in His image. The principle that God created humanity in his image provides the only ethical basis for human interactions. God created humanity as male and female. God’s endowment of gender serves as a fundamental part of the goodness of creation. God created humanity in a state of innocence from sin and bestowed upon the humanity the full freedom of choice and all other inalienable rights. By their free will, humanity sinned against God and brought sin and death into the human race and world. No death existed prior to the fall of humanity into sin. 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. The fall of humanity into sin made them transgressors and placed them under the condemnation of God’s holy judgement. Only God’s grace possesses the capacity to return humanity to fellowship with God and enables them to fulfill God’s original creative purpose – to fellowship with God and enjoy dominion over the earth. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ once and for all secured eternal and sufficient salvation for humanity.
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.
Stewardship
God created all things and all things rightfully belong to God. God enjoys the ultimate ability to dispense His infinite possessions as he sees fit. Following the creation of humanity in His Image, God granted humanity dominion over all of the earth. God acts as the source of all blessings both spiritual and physical. All humanity possesses comes from God. Christians enjoy a stewardship responsibility for everything God entrusted to them. The stewardship responsibilities God vested in Christians creates a duty to serve God with all their time, talents, and material possessions. Christian stewardship also includes a larger social responsibility to understand and care for God’s creation in a responsible manner that fully honors God. All things entrusted by God to Christians fall into service for promoting the glory of God. God intends for Christians to use their resources to help others, edify the saints, spread the gospel, and make disciples. Biblical stewardship principles require that Christians practice cheerful, regular, systematic, proportional, and liberal giving to promote the advancement of the kingdom of God. Seeking the kingdom of God stands as the paramount obligation of Christians.
Genesis 1:26-28; 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalms 24:1-2; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 33; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; 28:19-20; 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
God established the family as the fundamental unit of human society. The family consists of individuals related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. One man, one woman, and God commit to each other through the lifetime covenant of marriage. The only legitimate participants in marriage are the husband, the wife, and God. Government possess no legitimate role in marriage. Through God’s gift of marriage, He demonstrates His loving relationship with the church. God also established marriage as the framework for intimacy, whereby two become one flesh, and enjoy sexual relationships. According to Biblical standards, marriage stands as the only legitimate context for sexual relationships and the procreation of humanity.
Because God created the husband and wife in His own image, they possess equal value before God. The covenant of marriage reflects how God relates to His people. Jesus requires that husbands love their wives as Jesus Christ loved the church. The Bible bestows upon husbands the responsibility to present their brides faultless before the world. A Christian husband ought never present his wife in a negative light to others. God gives husbands the responsibility to provide for, to protect, and lead his family temporally and spiritually. In respect, the wife should submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. As an equal of her husband, and created in the image of God, the wife ought to help her husband in administrating their household.
From the moment of conception, God bestows children as a blessing and heritage of the Lord to their parents. God demands that parents model tot heir children the Biblical ideals of marriage and the family. 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. Parents should teach their children Biblical truths and God’s plan of salvation. Children are to always 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; Psalms 127; Psalms 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.
Social Obligation
The Christian’s covenant relationship with God establishes an obligation to promote the supremacy of the will of God in our personal lives and human society. The regeneration of the individual by the grace of God in Jesus Christ provides the only way of encouraging righteousness and improving human society. The spirt of Christ that indwells believers generates the support of celebrating ethnic diversity, the advancement of altruism, practicing generosity, living a life of virtue, and espousing sexual purity both in and outside of the covenant of marriage.
The Christian social obligation includes the duty of providing for the sick, the helpless, the aged, the abused, the needy, the orphaned, and the widowed. Christians should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Through evangelism and discipleship, Christians should strive to bring every sphere of society under the righteous influence of Jesus Christ. To promote these objectives, 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.
Human Government
God designed humans to share leadership responsibilities with him. Human government originated as Nimrod and his followers rebelled against God. Humans govern best upon the advice of council. Desiring human government amounts to a rejection of God’s authority. Demonic powers influence human government. Human government often leads to oppression. God ultimately controls the actions of human government. God humbles the proud. The law teaches us our need of salvation. Jesus called on Christians to recognize God as the ultimate judge. Christians need to obey God instead of obeying ungodly decrees of human government. God uses those in government as instruments to good works and for the encouragement of upright living. Christians ought to obey civil authority that promotes righteousness and upright living. Jesus made human authority subject to God’s authority. The Millennial Reign of Christ vanquishes all human government from the earth.
Genesis 1:28; 2:15; 10:8-11; 11:1-9; Exodus 18:14-14-24; 1 Samuel 8; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 11:14; 21:1; Isaiah 14:12, Ezekiel 28:16; Daniel 10:10-14; Matthew 7:1-2; Romans 13; Acts 4:19, 5:29; 1 Corinthians 6:1-6; Galatians 3:24; Ephesians 6:12-20; Colossians 2:15; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Revelation 12:7-9; 20:1-6
Peace and War
The Christian life comes with the obligation to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they, Christians should do all in their power to oppose war.
The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the belief in 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.
Religious Liberty
The conscience comes from God alone. God left the conscience free from the vain philosophy or deceits of human wisdom. The church operates by the commands of God and independent of the state. The state should never limit the freedom of the church to accomplish God’s mission on earth. The state should not favor one church over another. The church should not depend on civil power to accomplish its work instead of wholly depending upon God. The Bible advocates spreading the gospel by spiritual means.
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.
God’s perfect plan of salvation redeems the whole man and creation. God offers this perfect plan of salvation freely by grace through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Salvation involves freely repenting and believing that Jesus is savior and Lord. By his perfect blood, Jesus obtained salvation for the believer. The process of salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The only way of salvation comes through personal faith in Jesus Christ as savior and Lord.
God's Purpose of Grace
God regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinner through his gracious purpose of election. God’s plan of election operates consistently with the free agency of humanity and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. Election gloriously displays God’s sovereign goodness, infinite wisdom, holiness, and immutability. God’s election excludes boasting and promotes humility.
God helps all true believers endure unto the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, lack the ability to fall away from the state of grace, and God preserves them to the end.
Believers fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Holy Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet God keeps them by His almighty power through faith unto salvation.
Regeneration
Regeneration, or the new birth, describes God’s transformative work that changes believers into new creatures in Christ Jesus. Regeneration arises as the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin, causing them to respond in repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.
Repentance
God’s grace caused the inseparable experiences of repentance and faith in believers. Repentance involves the genuine truing from sin towards God. Faith leads to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ and an unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ as savior and Lord.
Justification
Justification provides an acquittal of the believer’s sin through the grace of God, whereby the unlimited righteousness of Jesus Christ gets reckoned unto the believers. Justification restores the broken relationship between God and humanity into a blessed relationship of peace and favor with God.
Sanctification
Sanctification commences the regeneration process by setting apart the believer for God’s purpose. Sanctification moves the believer towards moral and spiritual maturity through the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The regenerated individual experiences growth in grace throughout their life.
Glorification
Glorification culminates salvation process as the believer progresses into the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. The elements will melt with fervent heat. Heaven and Earth will pass away. We will behold a new heaven and a new earth.
Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; ; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff. Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:18-:21-26; 27:22-28:6; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:9,27-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; 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 1:1-2; 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 15:24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 14:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 1:12; 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 13; 2:4-1; 1 John 1:6-2:11; 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.
The Church
The New Testament church refers to the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. In the New Testament, Jesus and His followers established local autonomous local congregation of baptized believers. The believers in these congregations associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. The believers observed the two ordinances established by Jesus Christ. They operated under the authority of Jesus Christ and lived in accordance to His law. Congregations operate under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ functions as head of His church. Each member bears full responsibility to Jesus Christ as Lord. The two spiritual offices of the church are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
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.
Cooperation
The advancement of the Kingdom of God, and other beneficial endeavors, sometimes require that Christians join with each other and form associations or conventions. These organizations allow for cooperation in advancing the Kingdom of God. These organizations lack any authority over churches. The organizations function as voluntary advisory boards and help coordinate the church’s work of advancing the kingdom of God. The New Testament shows Christians cooperating in missionary efforts advancing the kingdom of God. Christians in the New Testament showed a voluntary harmony and commitment to advancing the kingdom of God. Commitment to advancing God’s kingdom allows members of various Christian groups to work together, when the cooperation involves no compromise of conscience or Biblical principles.
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.
Ordinances & The Lord's Day
Christian baptism describes the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As an act of obedience, baptism symbolizes 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. Baptism testifies to one’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. As an ordinance, believers’ baptism acts as a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus Christ originated the Lord’s Supper based on the Hebrew feast of Passover. Passover pictures the death of Jesus Christ as the slain Passover lamb. Through the partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, the Lord’s Supper memorializes the death of the Redeemer and anticipates His second coming. The bread and fruit of the vie symbolize the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Christians regard the first day of the week as the Lord’s day. Christians use the Lord’s day as an occasion for observance, Bible study, and worship. God designed the Lord’s day as a day of both public and private rest, worship, and spiritual contemplation. Observance of the Lord’s Day arises from the Christian conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 3:13-17; 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 2:27-28; 14:22-26; 16:1-7; Luke 3:21-22; 24:1-3,33-36; John 3:23; 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 14:5-10; I Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; 16:1-2; Colossians 2:12, 16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.
Through the church, all Christians hold and individual responsibility to share the gospel and work to make disciples of all nations. When Christians receive the new birth by the Holy Spirt, they grow in their compassion to care for others. Jesus Christ commanded every Christian to engage in missionary endeavors. Jesus Christ commanded the proclamation of the gospel to all nations. Every Christian holds the responsibility of leading the lost to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Biblical teachings of Christianity provide the only access to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Through the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, Jesus leads Christians to all truth and wisdom. All sound teaching belongs to the Christian tradition. God’s renewing of the Christian mind creates new desires for learning and a thirst for spiritual understanding. Christian education promotes attitudes of general benevolence. God obliges Christians and the church to promote and support Christian education.
The Biblical framework for Christian education promotes the proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. The pre-eminence of Jesus Christ limits the academic freedom of Christian educators. The purpose of Christian education always seeks to advance the gospel and the kingdom of God.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; 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; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 5:2; 7:24ff.; 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 2:40; 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; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 3:1-11; 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 2:3,8-9; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:12-6:3; 11:39-12:2; James 1:5; 3:17; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.
The Future
God, in His own time and in His own way, will melt the elements with fervent heat. This present world will pass away. God will create a new heaven and a new earth, rid of the consequences of sin and the fall. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return, before the great tribulation, to catch up living and dead believers. Following the great tribulation, Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth. During His millennial reign, Jesus will bind up Satan. At the end of His millennial reign, Jesus will raise the dead and judge all of humanity. Death and Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. Christians will dwell in the New Jerusalem on the new earth forever. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. The Bible teaches the eternal blessedness of the saints and the everlasting punishment of the lost.
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.
The Kingdom of God
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.
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