What We Believe

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 1:19-21.4  

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.
 

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.
 

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.

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.

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.
 

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. 

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.
 

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  scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women  are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor 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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.

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.
 

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  pornography. 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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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