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.
GOD
There is only one living and true God. . .The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as a Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
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...God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
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...He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and His death on the cross. He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. . .He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgement. He enightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
MAN
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. By His free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. 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 man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
SALVATION
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification,
GOD'S PURPOSE OF GRACE
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. 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.
THE CHURCH
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. . .and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation members are equally responsible. Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all the redeemed of all the ages.
BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death in sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members. . .memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
THE LORD'S DAY
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion.
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. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
LAST THINGS
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly. . .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.
EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. . .to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.
EDUCATION
The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence. . .there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. 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.
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 therfore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions.
COOPERATION
Christ's people should. . .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. 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.
THE CHRISTIAN AND THE SOCIAL ORDER
Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in His own life and in human society. The Christian shoul oppose in the Spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness and vice.
PEACE AND WAR
It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.
Source--"The Baptist Faith and Message" adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, June 14, 2000.
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