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 one and only one living and
true God. "The eternal 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 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 in 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, righteousness, and of judgment.
"He enlightens 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
Saviour, 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. The New
Testament also speaks of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all
of the redeemed of all the ages.
Baptism & the Lord's Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. "It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the life, and the resurrection to walk in 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.
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 righteous" will receive their reward and will dwell forever in
Heaven with the Lord.
Evangelism & 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 "constantly seek to win the lost to Christ
by personal effort.
Education
The cause of education in the Kingdom
of Christ is coordinated 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, therefore, 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. "Cooperation is desirable between the
various Christian denominations.
The Christian & 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 should oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed,
selfishness, and vice.
Religious Liberty
Church and state should be separate.
The state owes every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its
spiritual ends. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.
Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. 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. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.