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 as its purpose, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its content. 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.
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.
God the Father - God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history is according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, 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.
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 the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet is without sin. He honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His 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, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and 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.
God The Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the time a person trusts Christ as Saviour and the Lord, he is baptized with the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:13) He cultivates Christian Character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. These gifts are to be exercised humbly and discreetly for the strengthening of the church and should never be exercised in such a way as to be divisive or destructive. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption.
His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship and equips them for evangelism and service.
Man - is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin - (but) by his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.
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 broader sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification and glorification.
Election - is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man - it is a glorious display of God's sovereign goodness; and God in His election is infinitely wise, holy and unchangeable. Election excludes boasting and promotes humility.
Church - A New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant of the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising scripturally the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Baptism - and the Lord's Supper are the two ordinances of the church. Christian baptism - is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believers' death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ - (and) a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.
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, remember and proclaim the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Lord's Day - The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian Institution for regular observance.
The Kingdom of God - includes both general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who will fully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
Last Things - 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.
Evangelism & Mission - 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.
Education - The church itself is a school. Jesus told His followers to make disciples and to teach them all things He had commanded them.
Stewardship - God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debt to the whole world, a sacred responsibility to spread the gospel, and a binding stewardship in all areas of life.
Cooperation - Christ's people should as occasions require, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the greater objects of the Kingdom of God.
The Christian & The Social Order - Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society.
Peace - It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.
Religious Liberty - Since civil government is 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.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary subscribes to the Statement of Faith adopted by the Malaysia Baptist Convention. This statement emphasizes that:
