Reportof the Baptist Faith and Message Study Committee to the Southern BaptistConvention
Adopted, June14th, 2000 

The 1999 sessionof the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, adoptedthe following motion addressed to the President of the Convention:

"Imove that in your capacity as Southern Baptist Convention chairman, youappoint a blue ribbon committee to review the Baptist Faith and Messagestatement with the responsibility to report and bring any recommendationsto this meeting next June in Orlando."

Your committeethus constituted begs leave to present its report as follows:

Baptists area people of deep beliefs and cherished doctrines. Throughout our historywe have been a confessional people, adopting statements of faith as a witnessto our beliefs and a pledge of our faithfulness to the doctrines revealedin Holy Scripture.

Our confessionsof faith are rooted in historical precedent, as the church in every agehas been called upon to define and defend its beliefs. Each generationof Christians bears the responsibility of guarding the treasury of truththat has been entrusted to us [2 Timothy 1:14]. Facing a new century, SouthernBaptists must meet the demands and duties of the present hour. 

New challengesto faith appear in every age. A pervasive anti-supernaturalism in the culturewas answered by Southern Baptists in 1925, when the Baptist Faith and Messagewas first adopted by this Convention. In 1963, Southern Baptists respondedto assaults upon the authority and truthfulness of the Bible by adoptingrevisions to the Baptist Faith and Message. The Convention added an articleon "The Family" in 1998, thus answering cultural confusion with the clearteachings of Scripture. Now, faced with a culture hostile to the very notionof truth, this generation of Baptists must claim anew the eternal truthsof the Christian faith.

Your committeerespects and celebrates the heritage of the Baptist Faith and Message,and affirms the decision of the Convention in 1925 to adopt the New HampshireConfession of Faith, "revised at certain points and with some additionalarticles growing out of certain needs . . . ." We also respect the importantcontributions of the 1925 and 1963 editions of the Baptist Faith and Message.

With the 1963committee, we have been guided in our work by the 1925 "statement of thehistoric Baptist conception of the nature and function of confessions offaith in our religious and denominational life . . . ." It is, therefore,quoted in full as a part of this report to the Convention: 

(1)That they constitute a consensus of opinion of some Baptist body, largeor small, for the general instruction and guidance of our own people andothers concerning those articles of the Christian faith which are mostsurely held among us. They are not intended to add anything to the simpleconditions of salvation revealed in the New Testament, viz., repentancetoward God and faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

(2) That wedo not regard them as complete statements of our faith, having any qualityof finality or infallibility. As in the past so in the future, Baptistsshould hold themselves free to revise their statements of faith as mayseem to them wise and expedient at any time.

(3) That anygroup of Baptists, large or small, have the inherent right to draw up forthemselves and publish to the world a confession of their faith wheneverthey may think it advisable to do so. 

(4) That thesole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scripturesof the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation,having no authority over the conscience. 

(5) That theyare statements of religious convictions, drawn from the Scriptures, andare not to be used to hamper freedom of thought or investigation in otherrealms of life. 

Baptist churches,associations, and general bodies have adopted confessions of faith as awitness to the world, and as instruments of doctrinal accountability. Weare not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrineswe hold precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith andpractice.

As a committee,we have been charged to address the "certain needs" of our own generation.In an age increasingly hostile to Christian truth, our challenge is toexpress the truth as revealed in Scripture, and to bear witness to JesusChrist, who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

The 1963 committeerightly sought to identify and affirm "certain definite doctrines thatBaptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closelyidentified." Our living faith is established upon eternal truths. "Thusthis generation of Southern Baptists is in historic succession of intentand purpose as it endeavors to state for its time and theological climatethose articles of the Christian faith which are most surely held amongus."

It is the purposeof this statement of faith and message to set forth certain teachings whichwe believe.

RespectfullySubmitted,
The BaptistFaith and Message Study Committee
AdrianRogers, Chairman 

Committee Members:
Adrian Rogers,Chairman
Max Barnett
Steve Gaines
Susie Hawkins
Rudy A. Hernandez
Charles S.Kelley, Jr.
Heather King
Richard D.Land
Fred Luter
R. AlbertMohler, Jr.
T. C. Pinckney
Nelson Price
Roger Spradlin
Simon Tsoi
Jerry Vines

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 The HolyBible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himselfto man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God forits 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, andwill remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union,and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religiousopinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who isHimself 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; Luke21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2Peter 1:19-21.

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 Thereis one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual,and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of theuniverse. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God isall powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to allthings, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of Hisfree 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 theFather

God as Fatherreigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and theflow 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 Fatherin truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Genesis1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah10:10; 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; Galatians4:6; 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 theSon

Christ is theeternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceivedof the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealedand did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demandsand necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet withoutsin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionarydeath 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 disciplesas the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended intoheaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the OneMediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliationbetween God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the worldand to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believersas the living and ever present Lord. 

Genesis18:1ff.; 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; Luke1:35; 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 Corinthians1:30; 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; Hebrews1:1-3; 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 theHoly Spirit

The Holy Spiritis the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to writethe 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 ofregeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivatesChristian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual giftsby which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer untothe day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guaranteethat 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. 

Genesis1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel2:28-32; 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 Timothy3:16; 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.

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 Man isthe special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them maleand female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender isthus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocentof sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his freechoice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Throughthe temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell fromhis original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environmentinclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action,they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace ofGod can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill thecreative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evidentin 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 worthyof respect and Christian love.

Genesis1:26-30; 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.

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 Salvationinvolves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to allwho accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtainedeternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includesregeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There isno 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 newcreatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the HolySpirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentancetoward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith areinseparable experiences of grace. 

Repentanceis a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of JesusChrist and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

B. Justificationis God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousnessof all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings thebeliever unto a relationship of peace and favor with God. 

C. Sanctificationis the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer isset apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral andspiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwellingin him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person'slife.

D. Glorificationis the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding stateof the redeemed. 

Genesis3:15; 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; Galatians2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.

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 Electionis the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies,sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agencyof man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It isthe glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise,holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

All true believersendure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctifiedby His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shallpersevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation,whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bringreproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yetthey shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. 

Genesis12:1-3; 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 Corinthians1:1-2; 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; James1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.

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 A NewTestament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregationof baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowshipof the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by Hislaws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them byHis Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Eachcongregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christas Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both menand women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor islimited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testamentspeaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of theredeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people,and nation. 

Matthew16:15-19; 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; Philippians1:1; 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.

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Christian baptismis the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, theSon, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer'sfaith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death tosin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newnessof life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrectionof the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privilegesof church membership and to the Lord's Supper. 

The Lord'sSupper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, throughpartaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the deathof the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew3:13-17; 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 Corinthians10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

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 The firstday of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regularobservance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead andshould include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both publicand private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with theChristian'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; John4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.

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 The Kingdomof God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and Hisparticular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularlythe Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful,childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to laborthat the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummationof the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

Genesis1:1; 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 Corinthians15:24-28; 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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 God,in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriateend. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally andvisibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ willjudge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell,the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrectedand glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever inHeaven 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; Mark8:38; 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 Corinthians5:10; 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; Titus2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.

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 It isthe duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every churchof 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 lovefor others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritualnecessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commandedin the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preachingof the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seekconstantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by aChristian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel ofChrist.

Genesis12:1-3; 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; Romans10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.

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 Christianityis the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide allthe treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore,a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human facultiesand creates a thirst for knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education inthe Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and generalbenevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support ofthe churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary toa complete spiritual program for Christ's people.

In Christianeducation there should be a proper balance between academic freedom andacademic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human lifeis always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christianschool, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ,by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purposefor which the school exists.

Deuteronomy4:1,5,9,14; 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; Matthew5:2; 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.

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 God isthe source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have andare we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the wholeworld, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in theirpossessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with theirtime, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all theseas entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others.According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their meanscheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally forthe advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

Genesis14:20; 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. 

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 Christ'speople should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventionsas may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom ofGod. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over thechurches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine,and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Membersof New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carryingforward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for theextension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament senseis spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by variousgroups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the variousChristian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified,and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromiseof 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.; Acts1:13-14; 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; Philippians1:15-18. 

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 All Christiansare under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in ourown lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvementof society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be trulyand permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration ofthe individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spiritof 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 behalfof the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conceptionto 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 shouldbe ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always beingcareful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyaltyto Christ and His truth.

Exodus 20:3-17;Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah8:16; 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; 1Corinthians5:9-10; 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.

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 It isthe 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 allin their power to put an end to war.

The true remedyfor the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the worldis the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations,and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughoutthe 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.

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 God aloneis Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines andcommandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained init. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every churchprotection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providingfor such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favoredby the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God,it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all thingsnot contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resortto the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplatesspiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no rightto impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has noright to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free churchin a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of freeand unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to formand propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference bythe civil power.

Genesis1:27; 2:7; Matthew 6:6-7,24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Romans6:1-2; 13:1-7; Galatians 5:1,13; Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; James4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19.

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 God hasordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Itis composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. 

Marriage isthe 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 churchand to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework forintimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblicalstandards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husbandand wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God'simage. 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-givenresponsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wifeis to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husbandeven as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, beingin the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-givenresponsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managingthe household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, fromthe moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parentsare to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parentsare to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them,through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choicesbased on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Genesis1:26-28; 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; Matthew5:31-32; 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 Timothy1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.

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