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.