Question 1

The Scriptures

Accepted Answer

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; 36:1-32; 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.

Question 2

God

Accepted Answer

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; Isaiah 53:1-12; 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.

Question 3

Man

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

Salvation

Accepted Answer

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man,  and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and  Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the  believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration,  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  Savior.  
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

Question 5

God’s Purpose of Grace

Accepted Answer

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 does  not contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust  Christ as Savior and Lord. 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.  Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; 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; 3:16-19, 36;  5:24, 40; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans  5:9-10; 8:28-39; 9:22-23; 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 2:10-14; 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.  Revelation 22:17

Question 6

The Church

Accepted Answer

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 two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and  deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church,  the office of pastor/elder/overseer/deacon 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

Question 7

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Accepted Answer

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.

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.

Question 8

Last Things

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

The Family

Accepted Answer

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;  Psalms 127; Psalms 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.

Statement of Faith