02/19/2026
MESSAGE
Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message is a statement of
faith adopted by Baptist churches, associations,
and general bodies to express their doctrinal
beliefs and accountability. It affirms religious
liberty, soul competency, and the priesthood of
believers, and seeks to bear witness to Jesus Christ
and the eternal truths of Scripture
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
• The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has summarized key
Southern Baptist beliefs on various topics, such as
1. Bible
2. God
3. Salvation
4. Church
5. Family
6. Social Issues
The Scriptures (The Bible)
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.
The Scriptures (The Bible)
All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself
the focus of divine revelation.
The Scriptures (The Bible)
The Scriptures (The Bible)
Supporting Scriptures
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.
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.
B. God the Son
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.
Supporting Scripture
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.
C. God the Holy Spirit
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.
Supporting Scripture
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.
III. Man
Supporting Scripture
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.
IV. Salvation
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.
IV. Salvation
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.
IV. Salvation
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.
Supporting Scriptures
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.
V. God’s Purpose of Grace
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.
Supporting Scriptures
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 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 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.
**Note: This article was amended June 14, 2023, by action of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention**
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.
XII. Education
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.
XIV. Cooperation
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.
Supporting Scriptures
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 po*******hy. 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; 1Corinthians 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.
XVIII. The Family
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.
XVIII. The Family
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.
XVIII. The Family
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.
Report of the Baptist Faith and Message Study
Committee to the Southern Baptist Convention
Adopted, June 14th, 2000
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,
The Baptist Faith and Message Study Committee
Adrian Rogers, Chairman
Committee Members:
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
