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The Brethren Church was formally organized at Dayton, Ohio, on June 6-7, 1883. The Brethren movement, from its beginnings in 1708, had always avoided a formal creed, fearing that it would limit the work of the Holy Spirit in shedding new light on Scripture. The Dayton Convention reaffirmed this historic position:

Brethren have asserted from their beginnings that believers must hold correct doctrinal beliefs and also demonstrate visibly the new life which they have received in Christ Jesus. Thus doctrine is no mere exercise of the mind, but a declaration through the entire life that Jesus Christ is Lord. For this reason Brethren life, like Brethren belief, centers on Jesus Christ.

God has made available to us in Christ and the Spirit, in Scripture and the church, all the resources needed to live the life of faith. By His life Christ exemplified the walk to which we are called; by His death He made possible renewed fellowship with the Father; by His resurrection He revealed the power that is available to us. The Holy Spirit now enables us as God’s children to live in obedience to Scripture and grow in spiritual maturity. Scripture provides the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles which we are to follow as a loving response to God and as a means of glorifying Him. The church is the gathered community which nurtures believers in the life of faith. Using these resources, we can demonstrate the new birth through new behavior. What we are by faith in Christ we are to become by faithfulness to our Lord.

    Matt. 7:21-27; 1 John 2:6; Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-19; 1 John 1:3; Eph. 1:18-21; Rom. 8:12-17; Gal. 5:16-25; John 14:15; John 14:21-24; 1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17; Phil. 4:9; Col. 1:9-10; Heb. 10:23-25; Col. 1:21-23; Col. 2:6-7

European Phase

The roots of the Brethren movement are to be found in Germany in the early 1700’s. The people who would make up the eight founding members of the Brethren, including their outstanding leader, Alexander Mack, Sr., were originally part of a movement known as Radical Pietism. This movement called people to experience a life-changing spiritual awakening and to separate themselves from the established churches, particularly the Lutheran and Reformed churches, because they were viewed as having departed from true commitment to Jesus Christ.

However, Radical Pietists saw no need for external expressions of the faith such as baptism and communion. Mack and other radicals experienced opposition from the state authorities for their beliefs, and therefore sought refuge in the county of Wittgenstein in the small town of Schwarzenau. Here Mack and a small group of fellow radicals came to the conviction in 1708 that full obedience to Jesus Christ and the Word required that they observe the practices of baptism, communion, and discipline.

Their act of believer baptism in 1708 founded a new Christian fellowship. Zealous evangelism of their fellow radicals, the established churches, and the Mennonites spread their faith to several other locations in Germany. But this activity also brought persecution on the Brethren from the authorities in Germany including exile, confiscation of property, imprisonment, and service as a galley slave in one case. In 1719 about twenty Brethren families, from the congregation in Krefeld, Germany, were the first Brethren to emigrate to America.

Under the leadership of Peter Becker, they settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in the colony that William Penn had opened up as a haven for religious dissenters in Europe. In 1720 Alexander Mack led the Schwarzenau group to Surhuisterveen in West Friesland in the Netherlands. This move was probably occasioned both by continuing governmental pressure on the Brethren and economic hardships. Then in 1729 Mack led about 120 Brethren to America, who settled in Pennsylvania as well. Few Brethren remained in Europe after these emigrations; those who did tended to join other Pietistic groups or similar groups like the Mennonites.


The Brethren in America (1719-1785)

The Brethren who came to Germantown in 1719 did not formally organize a congregation in the New World until Christmas Day, 1723, when they held their first baptisms and love feast, presided over by Peter Becker. The evangelistic efforts of the Germantown Brethren formed two new congregations the next year, Coventry and Conestoga. A division occurred within the Conestoga congregation in 1728, in which the charismatic leader, Conrad Beissel played the lead role. He would become the central figure in the communal society that became known as the Ephrata Cloister, to which many Brethren were attracted.

Throughout the 18th century the Germantown congregation continued to play a leading role in Brethren life through such capable leaders as Alexander Mack, Sr., and Jr., and Christopher Sauer II. Sauer and his father were known for their printing establishment that served the German speaking settlers in America and which published the three editions of the Sauer Bible, the first European language Bible printed in America.

The evangelistic zeal of the Brethren spread their faith quickly in America, with congregations being found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas by 1770. The Brethren were characterized by their practice of believer baptism by trine immersion and their observance of the Lord’s Supper with its three parts: feetwashing, love feast, and communion. Their worship services had lively preaching and singing. Their congregations were led by unpaid or free ministers elected by the local church; they also had deacons who assisted the ministers and cared for the welfare of the congregation. Brethren people sought to live a devout and Christ-like style of life and to maintain their principles of nonconformity, nonresistance, and non-swearing.


Brethren Expansion and Development (1785-1880)

The Brethren, officially known as the German Baptist Brethren and informally as the Dunkers, continued to expand during this period, establishing new homes and congregations on the American frontier. They founded numerous congregations in the Midwest and had even reached the West coast by the 1850’s. The Brethren had been able to maintain their German subculture through the beginning of the 19th century, but increasingly the influence of American culture was felt on the brotherhood.

During the 1830’s and 40’s the Brethren made the shift from a predominantly German-speaking church to a predominantly English-speaking one. During the 1800’s Annual Meeting came to play an increasingly important role in the life of the church. These yearly gatherings of Brethren from throughout the country began in the mid-1700’s and had served the dual role of maintaining fellowship among the scattered Brethren and developing unity on questions of faith and practice that were considered by the assembled Brethren.

During the course of the 19th century the Brethren had to interact with American culture to an ever greater measure because the artificial barriers of a different language and insulated life on the frontier were steadily eroding. As a result the Brethren brought increasing numbers of questions to Annual Meeting for deliberation, on issues as diverse as the allowance of carpets and flowered wallpaper in homes, to the proper style of plain clothes, to the acceptance of higher education and Sunday Schools.

By the 1860’s two quite divergent views were developing in the church about such issues. One group, the Progressive Brethren, felt that the brotherhood should make full use of such practices as Sunday Schools, evangelism, higher education, and foreign missions to enable the church to spread the beliefs of the church more widely and to move more quickly into the mainstream of American culture. An opposite position was taken by the Old Order Brethren who felt that such innovations would move the church in the direction of worldly Christianity and away from the old order or faith of the church. During the 1870’s a third group, the Conservatives, arose as a mediating position between the two extremes. By the beginning of the 1880’s, tensions among these factions had reached a breaking point.

 
The Division of the 1880’s

Between 1880 and 1883 a three way division occurred in the German Baptist Brethren Church. About four thousand Old Order Brethren withdrew during 1880 and 1881, formally organizing themselves into the Old German Baptist Brethren Church. In 1882 Henry Holsinger and many of his Progressive followers were expelled from the church. In 1883 they organized The Brethren Church with about six thousand members. The main body of the German Baptist Brethren, known informally as the Conservatives at the time, would eventually adopt the name, the Church of the Brethren, in 1908. They had about 50,000 members following the division.


Reorganization and Revitalization (1883-1930)

The Brethren Church reluctantly began the difficult task of reorganizing the church, since they had been unwillingly forced out of the German Baptist Brethren Church. The period of the 1880’s and 90’s were difficult ones, due to the lack of sufficient numbers of ministers and to financial hardship that nearly closed the denomination’s publishing company and its college, Ashland College, which had been founded in 1878 and had come under the control of the Brethren Church.

The former “Progressive Brethren” moved rapidly into the mainstream of American church life, emphasizing education, theological training for ministers, the ordination of women, and home and foreign missions. Brethren individuals became involved in many of the interdenominational movements of the early 20th century and they also came under the influence of fundamentalism and liberalism. Between 1913 and 1920 a liberal controversy erupted in the church, but was brought to an end when the Ministerial Association adopted a conservative statement of doctrine and practice in 1921, “The Message of the Brethren Ministry.” As a result, those influenced by liberalism left the church for more compatible denominations.

The 1920’s and 30’s witnessed expansion of the church’s home and foreign missions programs and further developments in the training of ministers. A seminary had been begun at Ashland College in 1906 under the leadership of J. Allen Miller, though it was really a Bible Department in the college. In 1930, however, the seminary began to offer a graduate level degree.
 

The Division of 1939

All was not well within the church, however. Two distinct factions were forming in the church during the 1930s, one influenced strongly by fundamentalism and the other retaining more of the traditional Brethren beliefs. Controversy first broke out regarding Ashland College, with the Fundamentalist Brethren desiring to transform it into a Bible college and the Brethrenists wanting to continue pursuing its accreditation as a liberal-arts institution. Eventually, theological and personality issues entered the conflict.

The distressing division occurred in 1939, resulting in the approximately 30,000 members splitting nearly evenly between the Grace Brethren, so named after the founding of Grace Theological Seminary in 1937, and the Ashland Brethren so called because of their support of Ashland College.

 
Period of Disillusionment (1940-1960)

The division of 1939 affected the Ashland Brethren far more adversely than it did the Grace Brethren. A number of ministries that add vitality and vision to a denomination sided with the Grace Brethren: the youth work, the home and foreign mission programs, and nearly all the young ministerial recruits. The emotional drain of the division itself, combined with the exertion needed to begin new ministries from scratch, created a period of despair and disillusionment in the Brethren Church that lasted nearly twenty years. Leaders within the church suggested three options for the future of the church during this period: join the Church of the Brethren, let the denomination disintegrate, and rebuild.
 

Period of Revitalization (1960-?)

Thankfully, visionary leaders in the church decided to invest the necessary effort to move the church forward. New home and foreign mission programs were begun during the 1940s, but escalated during the 1960s and 70s. Special emphasis was place on youth work beginning in 1946; it began to bear fruit by the 1950s as new leaders were recruited and trained for service in the church.

Especially significant for the advance of the denomination has been the key role played by Ashland Theological Seminary. In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were serious concerns whether the seminary could continue. In 1963, when Joseph Shultz became the dean of the seminary, it was the smallest such school in Ohio with 22 students. His visionary leadership of the seminary enabled it to become the largest seminary in Ohio. Today, under the direction of Fred Finks, the seminary has over 700 students.

The period since 1960 has also witnessed several other significant developments: renewed interest in the historical and theological heritage of the church, important structural changes at the denominational level, and cooperation with other evangelical churches through the National Association of Evangelicals and with other branches of the Brethren in various research, service, and missionary activities.

Today there is a renewed sense of direction and vision in the church. We are seeking to discern the unique calling that God has given the Brethren Church while at the same time we are working together with other like-minded denominations in various ways. We have restructured the denomination to make it more efficient and responsive to change while at the same time we desire a national organization that will model servant leadership. We continue to uphold our historic commitment to evangelism at home and abroad while at the same time we try to be faithful to our heritage of service to the needy in the world. Above all we seek to be faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ in both word and deed.

Salvation is both an event and a process: it is an accomplished fact, a continuing walk, and a future hope. Always the gift of God, salvation is received by repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, both witnessed to through water baptism. In faithfulness to His promises, God adopts believers as His children, forgiving their sins and giving them His Holy Spirit. They in turn demonstrate their faith by obeying the commands of Christ and following His example in daily living. Scripture uses various terms to describe aspects of salvation, but ultimately it means Christ-likeness conformity to the image of God’s Son by the work of His Spirit within us. To that end we are kept by the power of God, which operates through our faith.


    Phil. 1:6; Col. 2:6; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:9-10; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; John 1:12; Gal. 4:4-5; Acts 2:38; Matt. 22:34-40; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 John 2:4-6; Rom. 8:28-29; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet. 1:5

God created humanity, male and female, in His own image with freedom to obey or disobey Him. As a result of their disobedient choice, sin entered our race and its effects of guilt and corruption have passed on to every person. The image of God, though not destroyed, is now distorted. Sin dwells in all people, making them unable to please God or to escape its power in their lives. The penalty of sin is death, but a new, right relationship with God is promised to those who accept life in Christ Jesus.

Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 2:16-17; Gen. 3:17; Rom. 5:12-19; Gen. 9:5-6; Matt. 7:11; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 7:18-25; Rom. 8:6-8; Rom. 6:23; John 1:12

Brethren doctrine centers on Jesus Christ as the living Word of God. The Holy Spirit progressively revealed God’s one plan of salvation in Christ from its first promise in the Old Testament to its fulfillment in the New. Given in human words in history, the Scriptures of both Testaments are the inspired Word of God, authoritative, trustworthy, and true in every respect. The New Testament, witnessing to the climax of that history, is the final rule of faith and life for the church. As an expression of grateful love to God, Brethren believe and obey the Bible, for only the written Word reveals to us Jesus Christ, the living Word.

John 1:1-4; John 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:10-11; Gen. 3:15; Matt. 5:17-20; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; John 10:35; Heb. 1:1-2; John 14:15; John 14:21-23; 1 John 5:3; John 5:39; John 5:45-47; Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:44-47

God’s purpose in human history is to form a people for His own glory. This purpose, begun in the Old Testament nation of Israel, is continued in the New Testament church, which is founded upon Jesus Christ. He calls it to be a visible body of His followers, extending His own ministry in the world. It is composed of all who have received Him as saving Lord and have committed themselves to being His faithful disciples. This one body finds expression in local communities of believers who are responding to the call of God. Through mutual submission they covenant together for the purposes of worship, nurture, evangelism, and service.

God in His gracious love gave to the church special gifts through His Spirit. These gifts, varied and numerous, have but one purpose: to strengthen the body by equipping each member for ministry. Love is the framework in which the gifts operate and guides their use for the common good.

God also gave to the church ordinances, symbolic rites established by the command and example of our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. They are pledges of our faithfulness to Him, visible declarations of the gospel, and necessary expressions of an obedient faith. The ordinances include baptism by trine immersion; confirmation by the laying on of hands; the threefold communion service consisting of the washing of feet, the love feast, and the bread and cup; and the anointing of the sick with oil. The ordinances uniformly testify to the gracious work of the triune God for His people in the past, in the present, and in the future.

   Deut. 7:6-8; Isaiah 43:5-7; 1 Pet. 2:9-10; 1 Cor. 3:11; Matt. 5:13-16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Acts 2:28-41; Matt. 16:24-26; 1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:2; Eph. 5:18-21; Acts 2:42-47; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31; Eph. 4:7-16; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; 1 Cor. 12:7; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:12; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Eph. 4:15-16; John 13:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:26; John 13:15; Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:3-4; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 9:10-19; John 13:1-17; 1 Cor. 11:20-22; 1 Cor. 11:23-29; Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:23-29; Mark 6:13; James 5:13-16; 1 Cor. 11:26


Worship

The church worships when believers gather to praise and honor the living God. His nature and works call forth responses of reverence, submission, adoration, and celebration. These responses take the forms of reading and declaring His Word, praying, singing, giving, and other activities that glorify God. The worship experience should never be taken lightly. It requires preparing the heart, focusing the mind, exercising the will, and the participation of each worshiper. True worship glorifies God and renews His people.

    1 Chr. 16:7-36; Ps. 8:1-9; Ps. 100:1-5; Rom. 11:33-36; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:18-20; John 4:23-24; Rom. 12:1-2; Ps. 33:1; Heb. 12:28-29

 

Fellowship

The source of Christian fellowship is our relationship with God restored through Christ. Fellowship is the bond that forms as God joins believers to one another in Christ’s body by His Spirit. True fellowship is Christ-centered, resulting in a unity which is based on truth, love, and humility. Therefore togetherness without substance, emotion without obedience, or tolerance without caring cannot be fellowship. Genuine fellowship will produce a sense of mutual concern, wholehearted service, and abiding joy. The nearest the church approaches the divine ideal of fellowship is in the experience of the communion service.


    1 John 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 4:1-6; Eph. 4:14-16; Phil. 2:1-4; John 13:34-35; Gal. 5:13-15; 1 John 1:3-4


Discipleship

Jesus calls people to follow Him, learn from Him, and bring others to Him. This lifelong process is discipleship. It begins as the Holy Spirit leads persons to repentance and faith in Christ. It continues as they use the resources available in Christ and the Spirit, in Scripture and the church, to grow in the life of faith. The church is responsible to shepherd and nurture believers in their growth. Discipleship is not optional for the Christian. The life goal of every believer is Christlikeness.

 

    Matt. 11:28-30; Matt. 16:24-26; Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 14:25-33; Phil. 4:19; John 16:13-14; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 10:23-25; Eph. 4:11-16; Matt. 7:21-23


Stewardship

God has entrusted to all persons resources to manage during their lifetime; for example, life, family, time, abilities, opportunities, and material possessions. While providing these for our enjoyment, He likewise instructs believers to entrust all back to Him, to be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share. Because our culture has clouded the difference between real and perceived needs, the believer must learn to be content with what God has provided and renounce selfish materialism. Our example is Christ, who, though rich, became poor for the sake of others. Stewards who are found faithful do not put their trust in material possessions; they entrust these possessions to God, using them for His glory and the extension of His kingdom.

 

    1 Chr. 29:14; Ps. 24:1; Ecc. 2:24-25; 2 Cor. 8:3-5; 2 Cor. 9:6-15; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; Matt. 6:24-34; Phil. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 6:6-10; Heb. 13:5; 2 Cor. 8:9; Prov. 11:28; Luke 16:1-13; 1 Cor. 4:2

 

Discipline

The church is called to be a body which reflects God’s character of holy love. Therefore the spiritual well-being of each member is its concern. This concern is shown in discipline that seeks the restoration of members whose behavior is damaging their relationship with God or other people. The primary responsibility for reconciliation rests with the person(s) involved. If this responsibility is not fulfilled, the church must take initiative to effect reconciliation because persistent sin weakens the health of the entire body. If these efforts fail, the final recourse is to remove the unrepentant member(s).

 

    Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; 1 John 4:7-8, 1 John 4:16; Gal. 6:1; James 5:19-20; Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-22; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; 1 Cor. 5:9-13

The family is ordained by God as society’s basic unit. Its nucleus is a husband and a wife and any children they may have. Scripture commands parents to provide the proper environment in which children can grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As an expression of this responsibility, parents are encouraged to bring their children before the congregation in an act of public dedication. By instruction and example, parents are to teach their children about faith in God, leading them toward personal acceptance of Christ as saving Lord. Children are to honor and obey their parents, and so learn to become responsible individuals through their parents’ loving support and discipline. All family members share obligation for the care of one another.


    Gen. 1:27-28; Gen. 2:24; Deut. 6:5-7; Ps. 78:1-8; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 1 Sam. 1:27-28; Luke 2:22; Matt. 19:13-15; 2 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 3:14-15; Ex. 20:12; Prov. 6:20-24; Luke 2:51-52; Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20; 1 Tim. 5:8

 
Marriage

God ordained marriage at creation as the lifelong covenant between a man and a woman that creates a new family unit. The New Testament uses the relationship between Christ and His church as the model for the union between a husband and a wife. The love they share is demonstrated through mutual respect and support as each responsibly serves the other. Exclusive to marriage is the sexual relationship. It is God’s gift, and is for the expression of intimacy and the continuation of the human race.

 

    Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:3-6; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:18-19; 1 Pet. 3:1-7; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Heb. 13:4; Gen. 1:27-28; Prov. 5:15-23

Personal obedience is a necessary expression of faith in Christ. We are to obey the teachings of Christ and the apostles not as a means of salvation, but as a grateful response to the grace we have received. Likewise our obedience is not motivated by slavish adherence to external laws, but by inner commitment to love God and please Him in all respects. While perfection is unattainable in this life, we press on toward the goal of full obedience to Christ.

 

    Rom. 1:5; Rom. 16:26; James 2:18-26; Eph. 2:8-10; Col. 1:9-12; 2 Cor. 3:5-6; Matt. 22:34-40; Rom. 13:8-10; Phil. 3:12-14

 

The Devoted Life

The devotional life is the practice of private worship. It recognizes that the heart of the Christian faith is a personal relationship between the God of holy love and human beings for whom He cares. For this bond of fellowship and love to grow, the believer must give consistent attention to prayer and to the reading and study of Scripture. In faithful devotional life God meets us and we meet Him. The effect is the believer’s deepening trust, growing understanding, and Christlike living.

 

    Deut. 7:6-16; 1 John 4:7-19; Luke 5:16; Phil. 4:6-7; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Phil. 4:8-9; Ps. 1:1-6; Ps. 9:10

 

Spiritual Maturity

Spiritual maturity is the process of transforming the entire character of the believer into the image of Christ. He is the source, the focus, and the goal of this process. Christians mature as they practice a vital devotional life, use their gifts, share their faith, and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. The result is a character marked by wisdom, balance, and, above all, love.

 

    Eph. 4:11-13; Gal. 2:20; Phil 1:21; Col. 2:6; Ps. 1:1-6; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet. 3:15; Gal. 5:16-25; Col. 1:9-10; 1 Cor. 13:4-7

By the sending of His Son, God inaugurated the last days. Therefore the church waits eagerly for the consummation of the divine plan in Christ. Prior to that, the human body at death returns to the dust from which it came. The soul of the Christian goes immediately to be with the Lord, while the souls of the unsaved enter into torment. The climax of God’s plan will include the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ from heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords; the bodily resurrection and judgment of believers unto eternal life; the bodily resurrection and judgment of the wicked unto eternal punishment; and a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, where the saved will live eternally with the Lord. The Bible does not focus so much on the details and order of final events as on how believers are to live in light of these things.

 

    Heb. 1:1-2; Rom. 8:22-25; 1 Cor. 15:20-28; Gen. 3:19; Ps. 104:29; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 22:43; 2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:21-24; Matt. 16:27; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Tim. 6:14-15; Rev. 19:16; Dan. 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Isaiah 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:9-10; 2 Pet. 3:11-15; 1 John 3:2-3

The Bible reveals one true and living God in three equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This one God is eternal, infinite, personal, and perfect. The description and reality of the trinity transcend human reason, logic, and proof; they remain matters of revelation, confession, and worship. In holy love, the triune God by an act of sovereign will, created the universe and all living things. In this activity, as in everything touching the world of space and time, all three persons of the Godhead participated.

 

    Deut. 6:4; 1 Tim. 2:5; Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:22; Matt. 3:13-17; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Tim. 1:17; John 4:23-24; 1 Cor. 13:12; Gen. 1:1-23; John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 11:3; John 14:9-12; John 16:13-15

 

The Father

Scripture reveals the first person of the trinity as the Father. The created world testifies to Him in both the external order of nature and the internal working of conscience. As the Father of Old Testament Israel, He led the nation with parental love and care, with warnings, chastenings, and promise of inheritance. He sent His beloved Son into the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. All who confess Him as Lord, the Father makes a new creation and adopts as His children.

 

    Psalm 19:1; Rom. 1:20-21; Rom. 2:14-16; Isaiah 63:15-16; Isaiah 64:8; Ps. 78:1-72; Ps. 105:1-45; Ps. 106:1-48; Deut. 7:6-16; Matt. 3:16-17; John 6:57; John 8:42; John 17:8; John 1:12; Rom. 8:12-17; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 4:4-7

 

The Son

The second person of the trinity is the Son. He is the living Word, the revelation and revealer of the unseen Father. Although He possessed the divine nature from eternity, the Word became flesh for us and for our salvation. He was born of a virgin and lived the perfect human life upon earth. As Man and God, Jesus lovingly gave Himself for others in a ministry of service and reconciliation. His obedient life led to His sacrificial death in fulfillment of prophecy. Upon the cross He bore sin and its penalty in our place. He was raised and glorified in the body in which He suffered and died. He ascended as Lord and Savior into heaven, where He continually intercedes for those who are His and from which He will return in glory. Therefore He is the source of eternal salvation for all who believe in Him, submitting to His Lordship.

 

    John 1:1-4; John 1:14; John 1:18; John 14:5-10; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:3-4; Phil. 2:5-11; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; Mark 10:45; Rom. 5:10-11; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Phil. 2:8; Isaiah 53:4-12; 1 Pet. 2:24; John 20:24-29; Phil. 2:9; Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 8:33-34; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 9:24; Heb 9:28; Matt. 24:30; Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:9-10; Heb. 5:9

 

The Holy Spirit

The third person of the triune God is the Holy Spirit. He was active in creation, the history of Israel, the inspiration of Scripture, the ministry of Jesus, and the birth of the church. The Spirit likewise acts today, opening the mind to understand Scripture, calling forth the response of repentance and faith, and giving the desire and ability to grow in Christlikeness. The New Testament portrays His activity as both event and process: It describes the event using the terms receiving, being filled, sealed, and baptized to indicate that the Holy Spirit comes to the believer at conversion. It describes the process as the Holy Spirit filling and equipping Christians at numerous times for special tasks. He joins them to Christ’s church, directs them to a local congregation of believers, and bestows on them spiritual gifts for the church’s ministry. The Spirit’s indwelling is to make a visible difference in the lives of Christians as they yield to, and cooperate with, His transforming power.

    Gen. 1:1-2; Num. 11:16-30; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Matt. 3:13-17; Acts 10:38; Acts 2:21; 1 Cor. 2:12-14; John 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 12:3; Gal. 5:16-25; Acts 8:15; Acts 8:19; Acts 10:47; Acts 19:2; Acts 2:4; Acts 9:17; Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:16-17; 1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 4:8; Acts 4:31; Acts 13:9; Acts 13:52; Eph. 5:18; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Cor. 12:7; 1 Cor. 6:17-20; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 3:14-19

The State

God has ordained governments as His agency for maintaining social order in a sinful world. Christians are to submit to governments by obeying their laws, paying taxes, and honoring those in office. We are to pray for our leaders so that we may lead quiet and godly lives. Christians should minister on behalf of the downtrodden, working within the system to bring about justice. When faced with an oppressive social order, they are to respond with love, demonstrating within the church a Christian alternative. Where obedience to Scripture conflicts with the law of the land, believers must be willing to suffer for what is right. Knowing that both individuals and governments are under God’s sovereignty, the church summons all to repentance and submission to the Lordship of Christ.

 

    Matt. 22:15-22; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-15; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:17; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; Prov. 14:31; Prov. 19:17; Prov. 22:22-23; 1 John 3:17; Isaiah 10:1-2; Amos 5:10-15; Dan. 3:13-18; Acts 5:29; 1 Pet. 2:20-23; 1 Pet. 4:12-19; Acts 17:30-31

 

Three Negatives

Obedience to Christ is the center of Brethren life. This conviction has led the Brethren historically to practice non-conformity, non-resistance, and non-swearing. In non-conformity, Brethren have sought to follow the way of Christ in contrast to the way of the world. In non-resistance, Brethren have renounced the Christian’s use of violence in combating evil, striving, as far as possible, to be reconciled to all persons. In non-swearing, Brethren have sought to lead such trustworthy Christian lives that oath-taking becomes unnecessary. Every believer must live in a way that exhibits to the world the truth and love of Christ.

 

    Matt. 7:13-14; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; Matt. 5:38-46; Rom. 12:14-21; Matt. 5:33-37; James 5:12; Matt. 5:13-16

 

Social Concern

The church is called to be both witness and servant in society. As witness, the church is salt and light in the world. This includes not only living obediently but also addressing the moral and social issues of the day from the foundation of Scripture. As servant, the church is to radiate God’s love manifested in Jesus. Among believers we seek to express this love through mutual aid and care. In the world we seek to minister to the whole range of human needs. Service to others is in reality service to Christ and a necessary expression of our obedience.

 

    Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:12; Zech. 7:8-14; James 2:1-16; Eph. 5:1-2; 1 John 4:7-11; Acts 2:44-45; Col. 3:12-14; Matt. 25:31-46

 

Evangelism

God has reached out in love through the person and work of Jesus to redeem a lost world. He demonstrated the heart of evangelism by sharing the good news with all whom He met. Christ promised abundant life to those who respond in obedient faith. Following His example, each believer, grateful to God and burdened for fallen humanity, shares with others the new life in Christ. This witness is a natural expression of the total attitude and life of the person under the Lordship of Christ. Empowered and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, believers model and proclaim good news to a dying world for the purpose of making disciples and building the church.

 

    John 3:16; Matt. 4:23-25; John 5:24; John 10:10; Acts 5:24; 1 Pet. 3:15; Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20