statement of faith

1. The Scriptures: The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction.


2. 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.


3. Man: Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His 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.

4. Salvation: 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, sanctification, and glorification.


5. God's Purpose of Grace: Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, 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 a 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.


6. 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, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, 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 two ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion). Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.


7. 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.


8. The Lord's Day: The first day of the week is the Lord's Day.


9. The Kingdom: The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over menwho willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment toJesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.


10. Last Things: God, in His own time and in His ownway, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to Hispromise, 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.


11. Evangelism and Missions: It is the duty and privilege of every followerof Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.


12. Education: Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.


13. Stewardship: God is the source of all blessings, temporal andspiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritualdebtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions.


14. 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.


15. 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.


16. 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 ofChrist they should do all in their power to put an end to war.


17. Religious Liberty: God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He hasleft it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary toHis Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate.


18. The Family: God has ordained the family as the foundationalinstitution 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.


Download the full SBC Statement of Faith and Message