Our Beliefs

The purpose of our Statement of Faith is to confess essential elements of Christian faith regarding belief, salvation, and godly living as set forth in Scripture. Therefore, as the congregation of Woodlawn Baptist Church we hold these tenants of the faith as necessary for membership. Any amendments to our Statement of Faith will require a three-fourths vote of the congregation present at a membership meeting as outlined in the Constitution.

  • a. The Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, was written by men divinely inspired1 and is God's revelation of himself to humanity.2 It has God for its author,3 salvation for its end,4 and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.5 Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy as a supreme and final authority over all creation,6 and it will remain as such to the end of the world.7 Scripture, therefore, also contains all the words of God he deems necessary for salvation,8 trusting God perfectly,9 and obeying him fully,10 no other revelation is needed.11 All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.12

    1 2 Peter 1:19-21.
    2 Exodus 24:4; Hebrews 1:1-2.
    3 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
    4 Jeremiah 36:1-32; Romans 15:4.
    5 Matthew; 22:29; John 17:17.
    6 Isaiah 34:16; Hebrews 4:12-13.
    7 Psalms 119: 89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 21:33; 1 Peter 1:25.
    8 John 5:39-40.
    9 Psalms 119:140; Jeremiah 15:16; 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
    10 Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11, 105; Romans 16:25-26. 11 Acts 17:11.
    12 Luke 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-16; Acts 2:16ff.

  • a.There is one living, sovereign,1 and true God,2 eternally existing in three persons;3 these are equally, fully, and completely God.4 The three persons of the God-head each perfectly express divinity,5 and they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.6page2image54477568

    1 1 Timothy 1:17.
    2 Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 20:1ff. Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10.
    3 Matthew 28:19.
    4 John 10:38; 14:6-13; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 13:14; Colossians 1:15. 5 Mark 1:9-11; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6.
    6 Genesis 1:1; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:17; 1 John 5:7.


    God the Father

    b. God as Father1 reigns with providential care over his universe,2 his creatures,3 and the flow of the stream of human history4 according to the purposes of His grace.5 He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise.6 God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.7 He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.8

    1 1 Chronicles 29:10; Matthew 6:9ff.
    2 Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:15; Ephesians 4:6.
    3 Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Deuteronomy 32:6.
    4 Isaiah 64:8.
    5 Acts 1:7; Hebrews; 12:9.
    6 Exodus 15:11-18; 1 Kings 8:39; Isaiah 46:9-11; Matthew 7:11.
    7 Matthew 23:9; John 17:1-8; Romans 8:14-15; Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:17-19. 8 Ephesians 3:14-15.


    God the Son

    c. Christ is the eternally existent Son of God.1 In his incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.2 Jesus perfectly revealed3 and did the will of God,4 taking upon himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying himself completely with mankind yet without sin.5 He honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and in his substitutionary death on the cross6 he made provision for the redemption of men from sin.7 He was raised from the dead with a glorified body8 and appeared to his disciples as the person who was with them before his crucifixion.9 He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God10 where he is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.11 He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate his redemptive mission.12 He now dwells through all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.13

    1 Psalm 2:7-12; 110:1; Matthew 3:17; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 4:41; 22:70-71; John 1:1-18; 17:1-5; Acts 9:20; Hebrews 13:8.
    2 Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7 Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:35.
    3 John 14:7-11; 16:15; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 5:9.

    4 Matthew 11:27.
    5 2 Corinthians; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 2:22-23.
    6 Matthew 5:17; Mark 10:45; Romans 10:4; Hebrews 9:12-15; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 5:9-14.

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    7 Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 1:29; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; Romans 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3; Titus 2:13-14; 1 John 1:7-9.
    8 Matthew 28:1-6; Luke 24:46; Acts 2:22-24.
    9 John 20-21; Acts 9:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.

    10 John 16:28; Acts 1:9; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 19:16.
    11 John 11:25-27; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:14-28.

    12 Matthew 16:27; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 John 3:2.
    13 John 17:21-22; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Ephesians 4:7-10; 1 John 4:14-15; Revelation 12:10-11.


    God the Holy Spirit

    d. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine.1 He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures.2 Through illumination he enables men to understand truth.3 He exalts Christ.4 He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.5 He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration.6 At the moment of regeneration he baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ.7 He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through his church.8 He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer unto salvation9 and into the fullness of the stature of Christ.10 He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.11

    1 Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Psalm 139:7-12; Matthew 28:19.
    2 2 Peter 1:21.
    3 Luke 12:12; John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 12:3.
    4 Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; Mark 1:10; Luke 1:35; 4:1, 18-19; John 15:26; 16:14-15; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 5:6.
    5 John 16:8-11; Acts 5:3; 15:28; 1 Timothy 4:1-3.
    6 Luke 11:13; Acts 10:44-48; Romans 8:9-11, 14-16; Galatians 4:6; Revelation 22:17.
    7 Acts 2:38; 8:17; 19:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:13.
    8 Psalm 51:1; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:31; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:3-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:19.
    9 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 4:13.
    10 Hebrews 9:14; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
    11 Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 6:3; 8:39; 13:2; 16:6.

  • a. God brought all of creation into existence from nothing.1 Nothing in all of creation exists apart from his creative work,2 and yet God has rested from this creative work.3 Through the essence and properties of creation God revealed his eternal attributes through his creation.4 Therefore, God retains lordship over all of creation,5 and subsequently, he exclusively defines the right and proper nature of all existence.6
    b. Humanity is the special creation of God, made in his own image.7 He created humanity, male and female, as the crowning work of his creation.8 Humanity is created with the purpose of glorifying God9 and the intention of enjoying him eternally.10 The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created men and women in his own image, and in that Christ died for them;11 therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.12 The likeness and image of God is bestowed upon all persons at the point of conception and is retained throughout life.13

    1 Genesis 1-2; Job 38:4-11; Psalm 33:6-9; 90:2; 102:25; Isaiah 45:18; John 1:1-3; Revelation 10:6. 2 Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 40:21-22, 28; Jeremiah 32:17; Acts 17:24; Colossians 1:16-17.
    3 Genesis 2:3-4; Exodus 31:17.
    4 Romans 1:19-20.

    5 Psalm 24:1-2.
    6 Zechariah 12:1; Acts 14:15.
    7 Genesis 1:26-28; 9:6; James 3:9.
    8 Psalm 8:5-8.
    9 Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11; Revelation 4:11. 10 Ephesians 2:10.
    11 John 3:16; 1 John 2:2.
    12 Matthew 22:39; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:9-11; Romans 13:9.
    13 Psalm 139:13-16

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  • a. We believe that, although God created man morally upright,1 he was led astray from God’s Word and wisdom by the subtlety of Satan’s deceit, and chose to take what was forbidden,2 and thus declare his independence from, distrust for, and disobedience toward the all-good and gracious Creator.3 As the head of the human race, Adam’s fall became the fall of all his posterity,4 in such a way that corruption, guilt, death, and condemnation belong properly to every person.5 All persons are thus corrupt by nature, enslaved to sin, and morally unable to delight in God and overcome their own proud preference for the fleeting pleasures of self-rule.6 Only the grace of God can bring man into his holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.7

    1 Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7, 18, 22.
    2 Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-24.
    3 Jeremiah 17:5; Psalm 51:4.
    4 Psalm 51:5; Hosea 6:7; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. 5 Isaiah 64:6; Romans 1:18-32; 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3.

    6 Psalm 130:3; John 12:37-40; Romans 3:10-18; 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:4- 5.
    7 Psalm 32:1-5; Romans 5:6-10, 18-19; 6:6; 1 Corinthians 15:19; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 10:11-14.

  • a. Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which he regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.1 It is consistent with the free agency of man, and is wholly compatible with the simultaneous works of God’s definite plan and foreknowledge.2 It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.3 It excludes boasting and promotes humility.4

    1 Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 22:1-14; John 6:44-45,65; 15:16; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4- 23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 13:8.

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    2 Luke; 24:44-48; Acts 2:22-24; 16:14; Romans 10:12-15; 11:26-36; Ephesians 3:1-11; Hebrews 11:39 12:2; 1 Peter 1:2.
    3 John 3:16.
    4 Romans 11:5-7; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31; Ephesians 2:4-10.


    b. God the Father sent his Son to the world to seek and save those who are lost.1 The salvation provided by the Father is accomplished by the giving of his Son to pardon sins, satisfy the just requirements of God’s will, and to impute to sinners a righteousness not their own.2 Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal of sinners, who believe in Christ, from all sin.3 The Father sent the Son to be a perfectly obedient and sinless substitute to stand in the place of sinners and to receive in himself the just penalty of sinful humanity.4 The Father put forward his Son, Jesus, as a propitiatory sacrifice, thus satisfying the just requirements of God’s will.5 As a result of the justifying work of Christ, the righteousness of Christ is accounted by the Father to all those who have placed their faith in Jesus.6 So the lost sinner is saved from his or her sin and found to be in right standing with God by grace alone through faith alone.7

    1 Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32.
    2 Colossians 1:12-14.
    3 Titus 3:3-7.
    4 Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Mark 14-15; Romans 5:9-10; Hebrews 5:8-9; 1 Peter 2:21-25. 5 Romans 3:24-26; 4:22-25; Philippians 3:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.

    6 John 5:24; 17:6; Romans 3:28; 5:1. 7 Ephesians 2:8-9.

  • a. Jesus Christ is the good news.1 The good news, or the gospel, is revealed in his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension.2 Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel,3 his resurrection is the power of the gospel,4 and his ascension is the glory of the gospel.5 Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man.6 There is no other name by which men must be saved.7 For a person to partake in the salvation of Jesus he or she must repent of their sins, believe in the person and work of Christ, and confess him as Lord and Savior over their life.8 At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what he has accomplished.9 Therefore, we believe, all that takes place in our hearts, church, and ministries shall proceed from and be related to the good news.10

    1 Genesis 3:15; Luke 4:18; Romans 1:8-9, 16-17; 16:25-27. 2 Matthew 27:22-28:6; Luke 2:10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
    3 1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 3:13.
    4 Philippians 3:7-11.

    5 Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9; Colossians 1:18.
    6 John 17; Hebrews 8:6-7.
    7 Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:14-17.
    8 Mark 1:15; John 14:6; 5:24; 6:29; 10:9; Acts 2:38; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:21; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 16:25-27; 1 Peter 4:1-6.

    9 Galatians 1:6-10.
    10 Mark 1:38; Luke 4:43; 1 Corinthians 9:22-23; Galatians 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:4.

  • a. In accordance with Scripture, we are saved by God’s grace at the point of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, being united to him by the work of the Holy Spirit.1 Man is sinful and does not have the ability to save himself, least of all by good works.2 However, our faith will be evidenced by good works, obedience, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit.3 The Holy Spirit applies the saving work of Christ through:


    b. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.4 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.5 Repentance and faith are inseparable expressions of grace.


    c.Justification is provided by God's sending of his Son, accomplished by Christ’s work in the gospel, and applied to our lives by the Holy Spirit who enables sinners to believe in Jesus for their justification.6


    d. Adoption is the act of God affected in our lives by the Holy Spirit by which we become children of God and members of his family, by being united to Christ.7 The Holy Spirit’s on-going work in the lives of believers is the perpetual evidence of their adoption into God’s family.8


    e.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 or her.9 Growth in grace shall continue throughout the regenerate person's life.10


    f. Perseverance is the work of the Holy Spirit by which all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.11 It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh.12


    g. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.13 The Holy Spirit keeps believers unto the day of their salvation and leads them to be partakers of the glory revealed in Christ Jesus.14

    1 Acts 2:21; 15:11.

    2 Galatians 2:20-21; 6:15.
    3 John 15:1-16; Galatians 5:22-25; James 2:14-26.
    4 Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 3; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.
    5 John 16:8-11; Titus 3:3-7.
    6 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 5:5; 1 Timothy 3:16.
    7 John 1:11-14; Romans 8:23; Galatians 3:29-4:7.
    8 Romans 8:12-17.
    9 John 17:17; Romans 8:1-11; 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19-20; Ephesians 4:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
    10 Romans 6:1-14; 8:29; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 2 Peter 1:5- 11; Revelation 3:20.
    11 Romans 8:34-39; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 9:24-28; 1 Peter 1:3-5.
    12 Matthew 24:13-14; Romans 11:22; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 3:6, 14.
    13 Romans 8:30; Colossians 3:1-4.
    14 John 10:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18.

  • a. The church is the universal body of Christ;1 a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members.2 The church universal is always expressed by the establishment and continuance of local churches, as clearly demonstrated and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.3 The visible local church of Christ4 is a congregation of baptized believers,5 associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel;6 observing the ordinances of Christ; preaching the whole counsel of God’s Word;7 governed by his laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his word.8 God has autonomously laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.9 The responsibility to carry out this task rests ultimately with the congregation,10 who are to be perpetually led by qualified men who serve as elders of the church.11

    1 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 3:21; 5:25-32.
    2 Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; Colossians 1:18.
    3 Romans 1:7; Philippians 1:1; Revelation 2-3.
    4 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
    5 Acts 2:41.
    6 Luke 22:20; Acts 2:42-47.
    7 Acts 6:2-3; 20:27; 2 Timothy 4:1-5.
    8 1 Corinthians 5:4-5; 7:17.
    9 Acts 13:1-3; 14:27; Ephesians 3:8-11; Hebrews 11:39-40.
    10 Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20.
    11 Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:11-3:7, 14-15; 5:17-21; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Peter 5:1-4.

  • a. Water baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and becomes his disciple.1 Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself and the world; a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.2 Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection.3 It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin.4 Being a church ordinance, baptism is a prerequisite of church membership and the Lord’s Supper.5

    1 Acts 8:12-13; 10:47-48; 16:30-33. 2 Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:35-39. 3 Romans 6:1-11.
    4 Colossians 2:11-14.

    5 Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13.

  • a. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance symbolizing the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of his blood on our behalf,1 and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death.2 The Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ.3 As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and

    page7image54355904self-examination,4 we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and are united with other members of Christ’s body.5

    1 Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20. 2 1 Corinthians 11:23-25.
    3 1 Corinthians 11:26.
    4 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.

    5 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 21; 11:17-22, 33-34.

  • a. 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.1 The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.2 Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life,3 as is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.4 The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations.5 It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness6 undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.7

    1 Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-53; John 20:21. 2 John 3:16; 17:15; Acts 2; 13:2-3.
    3 Isaiah 55; Matthew 13:18-30, 37-43; Revelation 22:17.
    4 Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; Luke 10:1-18; John 14:11-12.

    5 Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:1-11.
    6 Acts 8:26-40; 10:42-48; Romans 10:13-17; Hebrews 2:1-3. 7 1 Thessalonians 1:8; Hebrews 11:39-12:2.

  • a. God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.1 It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. As marriage is the shadow that points to the relationship between Christ and the church, so also family is the shadow for which the body of Christ is the essence.2


    b. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.3 Marriage provides for the man and the woman the framework for intimate
    companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and

    the means for procreation of the human race.4


    c. Husband and wife are of equal worth before God, for both are created in God’s image,5 and their worth is expressed in complimentary roles. These roles reflect the relationship of God both within the Trinity and towards his church.6 A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church.7 He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.8 A wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.9 She has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.10


    d. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.11 Parents are to be the primary disciple makers of their children,12 therefore, they are to teach spiritual and moral values,13 lead them through biblical encouragement and discipline,14 and to be a consistent testimony to the gospel in word and deed.15 Children are to honor and obey their parents.16


    1 Genesis 2:15-25.
    2 Matthew 12:46-50; Ephesians 2:19.
    3 Genesis 2:24-25; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 19:1-12; Mark 10:6-12.
    4 Genesis 1:28; Proverbs 5:15-20; Ecclesiastes 9:9; Romans 1:21-27; 1 Corinthians 6:12-7:16; Hebrews 13:4.
    5 Genesis 1:26-28.
    6 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; Ephesians 5:29-32.
    7 Ephesians 5:25; Colossians 3:19.
    8 Psalm 128; Proverbs 17:6; Colossians 3:21; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Peter 3:7.
    9 Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1-6.
    10 Genesis 2:18-22; Proverbs 12:4; 14:1; 31:10-31; 1 Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:3-5.
    11 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalm 127:3-5; 139:13-16; Matthew 18:2-5.
    12 Ephesians 6:4.
    13 Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 78:1-8; Proverbs 1:8-9; 6:20-22; 22:6; 29:15, 17.
    14 Proverbs 13:24; 23:13-14; Hebrews 12:7-11.
    15 Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 1:3-5.
    16 Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20

  • a. God, in his own time and in his own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.1 According to his promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth;2 the dead will be raised;3 and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.4 The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment.5 The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever with the Lord.6


    1 Matthew 24:36, 44; Luke 12:40; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10.
    2 Matthew 24:27, 30, 26:64; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; Colossians 3:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; Hebrews 9:27-28.
    3 Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
    4 Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; Mark 8:38; Luke 12:48; Acts 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, Titus 2:13; James 5:8; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 1:18; 3:11.
    5 Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 1:14-15; Revelation 20.

    6 Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:17-25; Matthew 19:28-30; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, 35-58; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21:1-22:13.