Baptist
Faith and Message
(Southern Baptist Convention, 1925, revised 1963)
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.
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.