- You believe in the existence of one only living and true
God, the
Creator,
Preserver, and Governor of the universe; omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent; self-existent, independent, immutable; possessed of
infinite benevolence, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy, and truth, and
who is the only proper object of worship.
- You believe that God exists in three persons: the Father,
the
Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that these three are one God.
- You believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments were
given by inspiration of God, and are a revelation of His will to men,
and
the sufficient and only rule of faith and practice.
- You believe that mankind, in their natural state, are
destitute of
holiness, and entirely depraved, and justly exposed to the Divine
wrath.
- You believe that the Lord Jesus Christ; perfect God and
perfect
man, is the only Savior of sinners, and the only mediator and
intercessor between God and man; and that by His perfect obedience,
sufferings, and death, He made full atonement for sin, so that all who
believe in Him
will assuredly be saved, and that there is no other sacrifice for sin.
- You believe that in consequence of the utter wickedness
of
man,
it is necessary that all should be regenerated by the power of the Holy
Ghost, in order to be saved.
- You believe that we are justified by the righteousness of
Christ
alone,
through faith, and not by any fastings, alms, penances, or other deeds
of our own; and that while good works are inseparable from true faith,
they can never be meritorious
ground of salvation before God.
- You believe that holiness of life, and a conscientious
discharge
of the various duties we owe to God, to our fellowmen, and ourselves,
are not only constantly binding upon all believers, but essential to
the Christian character.
- You believe that, besides God, no other being is to be
worshiped
and
adored, and that each person in the sacred Trinity is worthy of our
worship, which, to be accepteable, must be offered through no other
mediation than that of Jesus Christ alone; and that the use of relics,
pictures, crosses, and images of any sort, in any act of worship, and
of the intercession of the saints, is directly contrary to the
Scriptures, and highly displeasing to God; and the prayer of the dead
is not authorized in the word of God.
- You believe that there will be a resurrection of the
dead,
both
of the just and of the unjust, and a day of judgment; and that the
happiness of the righteous, and the punishment
of the wicked, commence at death, and continue without end.
- You believe that any number of believers, duly organized,
constitute a church of Christ, of which Christ is the only Head; and
that the only sacraments of Christ's Church are Baptism and the Lord's
Supper; the former being the seal of the covenant, and a sign of the
purifying operation of the Holy Spirit, and token of admission into the
visible Church, and the latter, in shewing forth by visible symbols the
death of Christ, being a perpetual momento of His atoning love, and a
pledge of union and communion with Him and with all true believers.
- You believe that the Gospel is the chief instrument
appointed by
Christ for the conversion of men and for the edification of His people,
and that it is the duty of His Church to carry into effect the Savior’s
command, “Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every
creature.”
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