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—— Adopted by —— |
The 1999 session of the Southern Baptist
Convention, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, adopted the following motion addressed
to the President of the Convention:
"I move that in your capacity as Southern
Baptist Convention chairman, you appoint a blue ribbon committee to review the
Baptist Faith and Message statement with the responsibility to report and bring
any recommendations to this meeting next June in Orlando."
President Paige Patterson appointed the committee
as follows: Max Barnett (OK), Steve Gaines (AL), Susie Hawkins (TX), Rudy A.
Hernandez (TX), Charles S. Kelley, Jr. (LA), Heather King (IN), Richard D. Land
(TN), Fred Luter (LA), R. Albert Mohler,
Jr. (KY), T. C. Pinckney (VA), Nelson Price (GA), Adrian Rogers (TN), Roger Spradlin (CA), Simon Tsoi (AZ),
Jerry Vines (FL). Adrian Rogers (TN) was appointed chairman.
Your committee thus constituted begs leave to
present its report as follows:
Baptists are a people of deep beliefs and cherished
doctrines. Throughout our history we have been a confessional people, adopting
statements of faith as a witness to our beliefs and a pledge of our
faithfulness to the doctrines revealed in Holy Scripture.
Our confessions of faith are rooted in historical
precedent, as the church in every age has been called upon to define and defend
its beliefs. Each generation of Christians bears the responsibility of guarding
the treasury of truth that has been entrusted to us [2 Timothy 1:14]. Facing a
new century, Southern Baptists must meet the demands and duties of the present
hour.
New challenges to faith appear in every age. A
pervasive anti-supernaturalism in the culture was answered by Southern Baptists
in 1925, when the Baptist Faith and Message was first adopted by this
Convention. In 1963, Southern Baptists responded to assaults upon the authority
and truthfulness of the Bible by adopting revisions to the Baptist Faith and
Message. The Convention added an article
on "The Family" in 1998, thus answering cultural confusion with
the clear teachings of Scripture. Now, faced with a culture hostile to the very
notion of truth, this generation of Baptists must claim anew the eternal truths
of the Christian faith.
Your committee respects and celebrates the heritage
of the Baptist Faith and Message, and affirms the decision of the Convention in
1925 to adopt the New Hampshire Confession of Faith, "revised at certain
points and with some additional articles growing out of certain needs . . .
." We also respect the important contributions of the 1925 and 1963 editions
of the Baptist Faith and Message.
With the 1963 committee, we have been guided in our
work by the 1925 "statement of the historic Baptist conception of the
nature and function of confessions of faith 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, large or small, for the general instruction and guidance of
our own people and others concerning those articles of the Christian faith
which are most surely held among us. They are not intended to add anything to
the simple conditions of salvation revealed in the New Testament, viz.,
repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour
and Lord.
(2) That we do not regard them as complete
statements of our faith, having any quality of finality or infallibility. As in
the past so in the future, Baptists should hold themselves free to revise their
statements of faith as may seem to them wise and expedient at any time.
(3) That any group of Baptists,
large or small, have the inherent right to draw up for themselves and
publish to the world a confession of their faith whenever they may think it
advisable to do so.
(4) That the sole authority for faith and practice
among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are
only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience.
(5) That they are statements of religious
convictions, drawn from the Scriptures, and are not to be used to hamper
freedom of thought or investigation in other realms of life.
Baptists cherish and defend religious liberty, and
deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession of
faith upon a church or body of churches.We honor the
principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming
together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under
the Word of God.
Baptist churches, associations, and general bodies
have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and as instruments
of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to state before the world
that these are doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Baptist
tradition of faith and practice.
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 to express the truth as revealed in
Scripture, and to bear witness to Jesus Christ, who is "the Way, the Truth,
and the Life."
The 1963 committee rightly sought to identify and
affirm "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and
with which they have been and are now closely identified." Our living
faith is established upon eternal truths. "Thus this generation of
Southern Baptists is in historic succession of intent and purpose as it
endeavors to state for its time and theological climate those articles of the
Christian faith which are most surely held among us."
It is the purpose of this statement of faith and
message to set forth certain teachings which we believe.
Respectfully Submitted,
Adrian Rogers, Chairman
Max Barnett
Steve Gaines
Susie Hawkins
Rudy A. Hernandez
Charles S. Kelley, Jr.
Heather King
Richard D. Land
Fred Luter
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
T. C. Pinckney
Nelson Price
Roger Spradlin
Simon Tsoi
Jerry Vines
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;
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; 1 Corinthians 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.
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.
From
the Chairman of the Committee
on the Baptist Faith and Message
Dear Southern Baptist:
On behalf of the Committee on the Baptist Faith and
Message, I am pleased to release this report and recommendation to the Southern
Baptist Convention. President Paige Patterson appointed our committee by
authorization of the Convention as it met in Atlanta last year. Meeting over a
period of several months, we reviewed the confessional history of our
denomination and considered the challenges faced by the Baptists of this
generation. We were guided by the rich heritage embodied in the 1925 and 1963
editions of the Baptist Faith and Message. We have sought to retain all the
strengths of that noble heritage, to clarify the truths there expressed, and to
address the needs of our own times.
Baptists cherish our doctrinal inheritance. We are
a people of the Book, who recognize no other authority for faith and practice
but God's Word. Thus, we receive and affirm those doctrines revealed in the
Bible, and we are unembarrassed to take our stand upon the solid rock of
biblical authority. Our confessions represent statements of those doctrines
revealed in the Bible. The Bible is the source of our authority, not merely a
support for our historic doctrines.
In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention first
adopted the Baptist Faith and Message as a public statement of our faith and
doctrine. Nearly forty years later, faced with new challenges and questions,
the Convention adopted a revised edition of the Baptist Faith and Message in
1963. Now, again nearly four decades after the Convention's last comprehensive
action, a new generation must take up the stewardship of the faith "once
for all delivered to the saints" [Jude 3].
Our generation faces the reality of a postmodern
culture, complete with rampant relativism and the denial of absolute truth. A
pervasive secularism has infected our society and its corrosive effects are
evident throughout the life of our nation. Moral decay and assaults upon
cherished truths dominate the arena in which we must now minister, and to which
we must now proclaim the Gospel.
Our profound respect for the heritage of the
previous statements is reflected in the intentional decision of our committee
to incorporate language from both the 1925 and 1963 editions in our
recommendation. Both of these historic statements speak to the present, as well
as the past.
Scripture instructs us always to be ready "to
give an account" for the hope that is within us [I Peter 3:15]. This is
our motivation and the cause to which we have dedicated this process. As the
Baptists of old acknowledged, each generation faces the responsibility of
speaking to the issues of its day, and facing the challenges of its own
climate.
The preface to our report sets forth the rationale
and method for our work. With the 1963 committee, we cite the principle set
forth by our forebears in 1925: "As in the past, so in the future,
Baptists should hold themselves free to revise their statements of faith as may
seem to them wise and expedient."
We now propose a new edition of our honored
confession. This generation must set forth its witness to the truths revealed
in the Bible. Where necessary, we have proposed changes and additions to
certain sections. We have retained the structure of the confession and the
substance of each article. We have proposed no new articles. Several of the
articles are presented without any revision at all. Our recommendation is
intended to clarify our doctrines for this present age, and to define our
beliefs against the backdrop of modern confusion.
Our hope is that a rising generation of Baptists
will recognize the significance of our biblical doctrines, embrace our Baptist
heritage, and own this confession of faith for themselves.
The following is a summary of revised articles
included in our report:
1. We have sought to clarify the intention of both
previous editions of the Baptist Faith and Message as reflected in Article I:
The Scriptures. We have made the total truthfulness and trustworthiness of the
Bible even more explicit, and we point to Jesus Christ as the focus of divine
revelation. We have removed the statement that identified Jesus Christ as
"the criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted," because it
has been subject to misunderstanding. Jesus Christ cannot be divided from the
biblical revelation that is testimony to Him. We must not claim a knowledge of Christ that is independent of Scripture or in
any way in opposition to Scripture. Likewise, Scripture cannot be set against
Scripture.
2. In the context of modern denials of the
omniscience, exhaustive foreknowledge, and omnipotence of God, we have
reaffirmed the teachings of the Bible and the consistent teaching of our
Baptist tradition, as reflected in Article II: "God."
3. We have made clear our embrace of the substitutionary character of Christ's atonement in Article
II:B "God the Son."
4. We have clarified God's creation of human beings
as male and female, both made in His image. The gift of gender is thus part of
the goodness of God's creation. This is reflected in Article III:
"Man."
5. Baptists must also make clear our affirmation of
the blessing of racial and ethnic diversity, and acknowledge that all races
possess full dignity by the creative intention of God. This is also included in
Article III: "Man."
6. Given the pervasive influence of a postmodern
culture, we are called to proclaim Jesus Christ as the only Savior and
salvation is in His name alone. Baptists thus reject inclusivism
and pluralism in salvation, for these compromise the
Gospel itself. Salvation comes only to those who call upon the name of the
Lord, and come to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Article IV:
"Salvation," includes this clarification.
7. We reaffirm the New Testament heritage of
Baptist congregationalism in Article VI: "The Church," recovering the
language of the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message and affirming the contribution
of the 1963 statement as reflected in the last paragraph of the article. The
church comprises all the redeemed, and will include "believers from every
tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation."
8. The Convention has spoken clearly its conviction
that while both men and women are gifted and called for ministry, the office of
pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. This is included in Article
VI: "The Church."
9. Our Baptist ancestors of a mere generation ago
could not have imagined the need to address the issues of abortion,
homosexuality, euthanasia, and all manner of deviant and pagan sexuality. We
answer with a clear word of biblical correction. This is found in Article XV:
"The Christian and the Social Order."
In other articles we have made minor
clarifications, adjusted language to modern usage, and added phrases from the
1925 statement as appropriate.
Sincerely,
Adrian Rogers, Chairman