WHEREAS, The Word of God, the Bible, is the complete, trustworthy, and inerrant written record of God’s revelation of Himself to man (John 16:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21); and
WHEREAS, True Christians throughout the ages have affirmed the exclusivity, sufficiency, and finality of the Gospel; and
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have expressed their theological convictions in the Baptist Faith and Message; and
WHEREAS, The Bible reveals God as the only true, eternal Creator and self-sufficient, self-existent Sovereign of the universe, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8); and
WHEREAS, Jesus Christ is the unique and eternal Son of God, the incarnate Word, who was with God and was God, and was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit, without sexual relations, born of the virgin Mary (John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:14-16; 9:6-7; Matthew 1:18-21); and
WHEREAS, There have been and will be many false and counterfeit Christs (Matthew 24:24; 2 Corinthians 11:4); and
WHEREAS, The Holy Spirit of God is the third person of the Trinity and is co-equal, co-eternal and of one substance with the Father and the Son (Genesis 1:2; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:13-15); and
WHEREAS, Salvation is on the basis of Jesus Christ’s complete and total atonement for sin on the cross, and is the sole way to God (John 1:29; 3:16-21; 12:44-50; 14:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21); and
WHEREAS, Jesus Christ was raised bodily on the third day victorious over sin, death, and the grave (Matthew 28L1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58); and
WHEREAS, Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone (John 1:12-14; John 3:16; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6); and
WHEREAS, All human works, merits, and forms of righteousness are as filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23-28); and
WHEREAS, All Christians are called to give a reason for the hope that is within them, to defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints, and to proclaim its truth to all people everywhere (1 Peter 3:15); Acts 2:42; Philippians 1:17; Matthew 28:18-20).
Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting June 9-11, 1998, in Salt Lake City, Utah, affirm the finality, sufficiency, and exclusivity of the Christian Gospel and of biblical revelation as the sole source of saving truth, “For there is no other name under heaven given among man by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).