Our Beliefs
The Word of God
The Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, alone is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and having supreme authority in all matters of faith and life.
The Trinity
There is One living and true God, eternally existing in three Persons. They are equal in every divine perfection and They execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
God the Father
God the Father is the infinite, eternal and almighty personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love, and is the first Person of the Trinity. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of people, He hears and answers prayers, and He saves from sin and death all who come to Him in repentance and faith through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and is the second Person of the Trinity. He was miraculously born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and performed miracles. We affirm His incarnation, teachings, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and His personal, visible return to earth. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God the Father and humanity.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is sent from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit, as the abiding Helper, Teacher and Guide, indwells every believer in Christ and endows each believer with spiritual gifts for ministry to the family of God and the world.
Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in the Bible is to call all people into awareness of their sin, the availability of God’s marvelous grace, and the need for repentance and faith that results in complete forgiveness and fellowship with God. All people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under the judgment of God. Those who call on the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness, believe in His resurrection and receive Him as their Savior are granted salvation, forgiveness of their sin and are regenerated by the Holy Spirit into a new life in Christ. This act of salvation is based solely on the grace and mercy of God, and is not the result of human deeds or goodness.
Future Destiny
The Lord Jesus Christ will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to establish His kingdom and fulfill God’s eternal plan for creation. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For each person, there will be a resurrection of the body, the final judgment before God, the eternal bliss in heaven for those who are in Christ Jesus, and the endless suffering in hell for those who have not received salvation.
The Church
The Church consists of a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members, and exists as both a world-wide fellowship of the family of God as well as in specific local congregations consisting of a community of believers in Jesus Christ who are committed to obedience to Him. Believers in a local church are called by God to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, the teaching of the Word of God, observance of baptism and the Lord’s supper as ordinances established by Jesus Christ, and to fellowship and to minister to one another through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts. God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, beginning in their own communities and reaching cross-culturally to the ends of the earth.
The Ordinances
The Lord Jesus Christ has instituted two ordinances for obedient observance by the local church: 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. Baptism does not constitute salvation, but is a public profession of faith that a person has already experienced salvation. The Scriptures teach that the elements of Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, have no mystical or supernatural power, but were given by Jesus as symbols of the sacrifice of His body and blood as an atonement for the sins of the world. These two ordinances are to be observed and administered by God’s family until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Calvary Church Statement of Faith
I. The Bible
We believe that the entire Bible (Old and New Testament, which consists of 66 books) is the inspired Word of God, meaning that men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the very words of Scripture. 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. We believe that all Scripture tells the story of Jesus Christ in His person and work in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him. Accordingly, all Scripture stands alone as the believer’s source for doctrine and teaching
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; Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2–3; 18:28; 26:22–23; 28:23; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 2:13; 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21.
II. God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – referred to as the Trinity). God is the Creator, the Redeemer, the Preserver, and the Ruler of the universe. He is holy and perfect, all-‐powerful, all-‐knowing, ever present. His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future.
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:1-‐2; Isaiah 45:5-‐6,14,18,21-‐22; Matt. 28:18–19; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-‐3, 14; 6:27; 12:26; 15:26; 16:15; 20:28; Acts 2:32-‐36; 5:3–4; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 12:3-‐6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-‐6; Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 1: 1–3, 8; 1 Peter 1:2; Rev. 1:4–6.
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 Savior, 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
We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him. God created man as male and female to be 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 all mankind now inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin.
Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, men and women become sinners and are under the condemnation of God. 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; 5:1; 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, 23; 7:14-‐25; 8:7, 14-‐18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-‐31; 11:7; 15:19,21-‐22; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-‐22; Colossians 1:21-‐22; 3:9-‐11.
IV. Salvation and Eternal Security
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person places his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for his sin. Believers cannot lose Christ’s promise of eternal life. For this reason, after physical death, all Believers live eternally in God’s holy presence.
Romans 3:20-‐26; 6:23; John1:1-‐13; 3:5-‐8,16-‐21,36; 5:24; 10:28-‐30; 14:1-‐6; 17:3; 1 John 2:2; 3:2; Galatians 2:16; 3:1-‐7, 11; Ephesians 2:8-‐10; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 5:9; 6:19-‐20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-‐18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-‐58; Revelation 3:5; 21:8, 27.
A. Regeneration
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 Savior.
B. Justification
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
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
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. The Resurrection of Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ’s physical, crucified body was resurrected from the dead after three days. After His resurrection and forty day ministry on earth, He ascended into Heaven. In this resurrection, Christ conquered death, assuring eternal hope for all believers
Isaiah 53:5-‐6; Luke 24:23-‐40; John 14:18; Acts 1:1-‐11; Romans 10:9; 14:11; 1 Corinthians 15:12-‐23, 35-‐ 37; Philippians 2: 9-‐11; 1 Timothy 6:15; Hebrews 4:14-‐15; 5:1-‐10; 13:5; 7:25; 8:1,2; 9:11-‐15,24; 1 Peter 3:22; 1 John 2:1.
VI. The Christian Walk
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself. By obedience to the Word and daily yielding to the Spirit, every believer will mature and become conformed to the image of Christ.
Rom. 6:11–13; 8:2, 4, 12–13; Gal. 5:16–23; Eph. 4:22–24; Col. 2:1–10; 1 Pet. 1:14–16; 1 John 1:4–7.
VII. The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, and the members are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ (see Salvation above). Its members are constituted as such regardless of membership or non-‐membership in the organized churches of earth. However, the church is made up of local, autonomous congregations consisting 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. The church’s purpose is to glorify God by knowing and loving God, and by making Him known to all the world, proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the way, and the truth, and the life, that no one comes to the Father but through Him.
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.
VIII. The Ordinances
We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only ordinances of the church and that they are a scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age. 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 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; 10:47-‐48; 16:30-‐33;18:7-‐8; 20:7; Romans 6:3-‐5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-‐29; Colossians 2:12.
IX. The End Times
We believe that, according to Scripture, the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of Jesus in the air to receive to Himself into heaven both His own who are alive and remain and also all who have fallen asleep (died) in Christ. This event is the blessed hope set before us in Scripture, an event more commonly known as the Rapture, for which we should be constantly living our lives in expectation of occurring.
This event will begin the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6:1–19:21) during which the church, the body of Christ, will be in heaven. The whole period of this seventieth week will be a time of judgment on the whole earth, at the end of which the second coming of Christ will occur. The latter half of this period will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7), which our Lord called the great tribulation (Matt. 24:15–21). Isaiah 2:4; 11:9;Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; John 14:1–3; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff; Titus 2:11–14; Hebrews 9:27-‐28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 6:1-‐19:21; 22:13.
X. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that the period of great tribulation in the earth will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. This return will be in the same manner as He left, in person on the clouds of heaven, and with power and great glory to introduce the millennial age, to bind Satan and place him in the abyss, to lift the curse which now rests upon the whole creation, to restore Israel to her own land and to give her the realization of God’s covenant promises, and to bring the whole world to the knowledge of God.
Deuteronomy 30:1–10; Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Ezekiel 37:21–28; Matthew 24:15–25:46; Acts 15:16–17; Romans 8:19–23; 11:25–27; 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
We believe that 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
We believe that 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
We believe that 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. Marriage and the Family
We believe that 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, 14;Leviticus 18:20, 22; 20:13; Deuteronomy 6:4-‐9; 22:22; 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; Luke 16:18; 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.