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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Kingdomof
Godincludes
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.
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
Kingdomof
Christis
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.
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.
Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such
associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the
great objects of the
Kingdomof
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.
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; 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.
