The Baptist Faith
and Message
Just for
shits and grins here is the creed of my former chruch.
[Adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention May
9, 1963]
My comments will be made within the creed
and placed in (..)
I. 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. It has God for its author, salvation for
its end, and truth, without any mixture of error , for its matter.
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. The criterion by
which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Ex. 24:4;
Deut. 4:1-2; 17:19; Josh. 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105,
140; Isa. 34:16; 40:8; Jer. 15:16; 36; Matt. 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke
21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16 ff.; 17:11;
Rom. 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25;
2 Peter 1:19-21
( BASICALLY SAYS THAT THE BIBLE IS INERRANT, BUT TO SEE
DIFFERENT JUST CHECK MY BIBLE CONTRADICTION LIST::HERE:::)
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. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.
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.
(How is this possible? How can god be three and one at the
same time with out dividing his nature? I know, the bullshit alarms
are going off gentle reader! For a look at how god is NOT a trinity,
check out this little ditty here.)
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 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. Gen. 1:1; 2:7; Ex. 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11 ff.; 20:1
ff.; Lev. 22:2; Deut. 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chron. 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isa.
43:3, 15; 64:8; Jer. 10:10; 17:13; Matt. 6:9 ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19;
Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Rom. 8:14-15;
1 Cor. 8:6; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6;
12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7
(Hmmmmm all loving? Then, when god allows killing and
muder, he is being all loving. Right. But for a good look at how
god CANNOT be all everything look HERE.)
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
the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself
completely with mankind yet without sin. 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. 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, partaking of the nature of God and of man,
and 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. Gen. 18:1 ff.; Psalm 2:7 ff.;
110:1 ff.; Isa. 7:14; 53; Matt. 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; Rom. 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3, 34; 10:4;
1 Cor. 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2 Cor. 5:19- 21; Gal. 4:4-5;
Eph. 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thess.
4:14-18; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-3; 4:14-15;
7:14-28; 9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; l3:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John
1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Rev. 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11;
13:8; 19:16
(Well, is he god then? Or is he the son?)
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old
to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to
understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness
and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration.
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 assurance of God to 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.
Gen. 1:2; Judg. 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; 139:7 ff.; Isa. 61:1-3;
Joel 2:28-32; Matt. 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; 4:3l; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,
39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27;
1 Cor. 2:10- 14; 3:16; 12:3-11; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thess. 5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:14; 3:16; Heb. 9:8, 14;
2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Rev. 1:10; 22:17
( HERE WE HAVE THREE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY ONE THING.
CAN YOU SAY "LAW OF CONTRADICTION"???? CAN YOU SAY POLYTHEISM???)
III. 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. 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,
and as soon as they are capable of moral action 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 man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect
and Christian love. Gen. 1:26-30; 2:5, 7, 18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalm 1;
8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isa. 6:5; Jer. 17:5; Matt. 16:26; Acts 17:26-
31; Rom. 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:6, 12, 19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,
29; 1 Cor. 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22; Eph. 2:1-22; Col. 1:21-22; 3:9-11
( OKAY WHATEVER)
IV. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption or 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.
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. 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
into a relationship of peace and favor with God.
B. 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 perfection through the presence
and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should
continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
C. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final
blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. Gen. 3:15; Ex. 3:14-17;
6:2-8; Matt. 1:21; 4:17; 16:21- 26; 27:22 to 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; Rom. 1:16-18;
2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3 ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18, 29-39; 10:9-10, 13;
13:11-14; 1 Cor. 1:18, 30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Cor. 5:17- 20; Gal.
2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11- 16; Phil. 2:12-13;
Col. 1:9-22; 3:1 ff.; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Tim. 1:12; Titus 2:11-14;
Heb. 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1 to 12:8, 14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter
1:2-23; 1 John 1:6 to 2:11; Rev. 3:20; 21:1 to 22:5.
V. 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. 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, 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.
Gen. 12:1-3; Ex. 19:5-8; 1 Sam. 8:4-7, 19-22; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 31:31
ff.; Matt. 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; Rom. 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15;
11:5-7. 26-36; 1 Cor. 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Eph. 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11;
Col. 1:12-14; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:10, 19; Heb. 11:39
to 12:2; 1 Peter 1:2-5, 13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2
(ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED PEOPLE. UNLESS YOU WERE NEVER
A TRUE BELIEVER. THEN THIS GOD OF UNENDING LOVE SENDS YOU TO BURN
IN A HOT HOT HELL)
VI. 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.
This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic
processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation
members are equally responsible. Its Scriptural officers are pastors
and deacons.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ
which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages. Matt. 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; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12;
Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11, 21; 5:22-32; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:18;
1 Tim. 3:1-15; 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rev. 2-3; 21:2-3
( FUNNY HOW THE BIBLE TEACHES WOMEN ARE SECOND CLASS PEOPLE,
YET WE ARE TOLD THEY ARE EQUAL IN THE CHURCH. WHAT BIBLE ARE THEY
READING???? PLUS WHAT GIFTS DO THEY HAVE?? CAN THEY RAISE THE DEAD??
HEAL THE SICK??? ACCEPT PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE??)
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. Matt. 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;
Acts 20:7; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16, 21; 11:23-29; Col. 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 be employed in exercises of worship
and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and by refraining
from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employment's,
work of necessity and mercy only being excepted. Ex. 20:8-11; Matt.
12:1-12; 28:1 ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1- 7; Luke 24:1-3, 33-36; John
4:21-24; 20:1, 19-28; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Col. 2:16; 3:16;
Rev. 1:10
( WE ALL KNOW THAT SATURDAY IS THE SABBATH. SO THE SOUTHERN
BAPTISTS BREAK A COMMANDMENT EVERY SUNDAY!! WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT
TO SAY SUNDAY IS THE SABBATH??)
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.
Gen. 1:1; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Matt. 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;
Rom. 5:17; 8:19; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; Col. 1:13; Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:28;
1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Rev. 1:6, 9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22
(SO IF I DO NOT RECOGNIZE GOD AS MY KING, THEN WHAT?
PLUS BEING CHILDLIKE IN MY BELIEF SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE TO TURN YOUR
BRAIN OFF AND JUST FOLLOW THE PACK. )
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
he 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. Isa.
2:4; 11:9; Matt. 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; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 4:5; 15:24-28,
35-58; 2 Cor. 5:10; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18;
5:1 ff.; 2 Thess. 1:7 ff.; 2; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus
2:13; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7 ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2;
Jude 14; Rev. 1:18; 3:11; 20:1 to 22:13
( SUCH BULLSHIT IF YOU ASK ME. OH YES THE WORLD WILL END
IN A FEW BILLION YEARS WHEN THE SUN BURNS OUT. PLUS JESUS
LIED ABOUT COMING BACK TO HIS DISCIPLES IN MATT 16:27, 28. SO WHAT
MAKES YOU SURE THE CHURCH HAS A HANDLE ON THE TRUTH???)
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