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However, we take Jesus at his word when he said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.

The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

The Governing Body follows the pattern set by “the apostles and elders in Jerusalem” in the first century, who made important decisions on behalf of the entire Christian congregation. (Acts 15:2) Like those faithful men, the members of the Governing Body are not the leaders of our organization. They look to the Bible for guidance, acknowledging that Jehovah God has appointed Jesus Christ as the Head of the congregation.

That the sole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience.

“The faithful and discreet slave”: A small group of anointed brothers who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food during Christ’s presence. Today, these anointed brothers make up the Governing Body

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.

The Bible is a collection of 66 sacred books. It was written over a period of approximately 1,600 years. The Bible contains a divine message—“the word of God.”—1 Thessalonians 2:13.

The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.

We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired message to humans. (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16) We base our beliefs on all 66 of its books, which include both the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament.”

The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to them.

A comparison of ancient manuscripts shows that the Bible is basically unchanged despite millenniums of recopying on perishable materials.

Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and are deeply committed to the preservation of the Scriptures

While some passages might seem to show the Bible contradicting itself, they can usually be understood correctly by applying one or more of the following principles:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is 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. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

For that reason, Jehovah’s Witnesses have no objection to credible scientific research that indicates the earth may be billions of years old. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in creation, we are not antiscience.

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation.

The holy spirit is God’s power in action, his active force.

the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;

To benefit from that sacrifice, people must not only exercise faith in Jesus but also change their course of life and get baptized. (Matthew 28:19, 20; John 3:16; Acts 3:19, 20) A person’s works prove that his faith is alive. (James 2:24, 26) However, salvation cannot be earned—it comes through “the undeserved kindness of God.”—Galatians 2:16, 21.

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

A person who has gained salvation by faith in Jesus Christ can lose that faith and the salvation that comes with it.

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.

God dignifies us with free will, the power to make decisions of our own rather than having God or fate predetermine what we do.

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.

A relatively small number of people—144,000—will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Jesus in the Kingdom.—Daniel 7:27; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1, 3. Earth. God created the earth to be mankind’s eternal home. (Psalm 104:5; 115:16; Ecclesiastes 1:4) God will bless obedient people with perfect health and everlasting life in an earthly paradise.—Psalm 37:11, 34.

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 broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

Adam and Eve passed on their sinful condition to all their descendants. This is similar to the way human parents pass on genetic defects. (Romans 5:12)

Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation.

The soul, then, is the entire creature, not something inside that survives the death of the body.

In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.

God does not blame us for what Adam and Eve did. He understands that we are imperfect, and he does not expect more of us than he knows is reasonable.

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. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

God gave his Law, including the Ten Commandments, specifically to the ancient nation of Israel. (Deuteronomy 5:2, 3; Psalm 147:19, 20) The Mosaic Law is not binding on Christians, and even Jewish Christians were “released from the Law.” (Romans 7:6)

Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties, all which ceremonial laws being appointed only to the time of reformation, are, by Jesus Christ the true Messiah and only law-giver, who was furnished with power from the Father for that end abrogated and taken away.

Baptism is complete water immersion.

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Is not Jehovah a generous God? He says we have only to ask for holy spirit and he will give it to us.

He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ.

The only other scriptures that directly mention death in connection with baptism refer to a baptism that the individual himself undergoes, not a baptism on behalf of another person, one who is dead

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

The purpose of the Lord’s Evening Meal is to remember Jesus, showing our gratitude for his sacrifice in our behalf. (Matthew 20:28; 1 Corinthians 11:24) The observance is not a sacrament, or a religious practice that imparts merit such as grace or the forgiveness of sins.

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, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

When Jehovah’s Witnesses observe the Lord’s Evening Meal, only a small fraction of us partake of the bread and wine.

As stated earlier in other questions related to local church autonomy, the requirements for who may partake of the Lord’s Supper are addressed and determined by the local church.

For the new observance, Jesus used unleavened bread and red wine that were left over from the Passover meal. (Matthew 26:26-28) Following his example, we use bread without leaven or added ingredients and plain red wine, not grape juice or wine that has been sweetened, fortified, or spiced.

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, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

The observance is not a sacrament, or a religious practice that imparts merit such as grace or the forgiveness of sins.

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

A body of elders supervises each congregation. About 20 congregations form a circuit. Congregations receive periodic visits from traveling elders known as circuit overseers. Bible-based guidance and instructions are provided by a Governing Body made up of longtime Witnesses who currently work at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Warwick, New York, U.S.A.

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.

We are organized into congregations, each of which is overseen by a body of elders. However, the elders do not form a clergy class, and they are unsalaried. (Matthew 10:8; 23:8)

Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

Although they don’t assume a leadership role within the congregation, they have a full share in the public ministry.

While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

No human is now authorized to forgive a fellow human for sins against God. Although confessing to another person can help a sinner to recover, only God can forgive sins.

He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.

Christians are not required to observe a weekly sabbath. Christians are under “the law of the Christ,” which does not include keeping the Sabbath. (Galatians 6:2; Colossians 2:16, 17)

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private.

Orchestral recordings of all songs from Sing to Jehovah are now available on jw.org. Congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses should use these new recordings at their meetings.

Since God requires “exclusive devotion,” he is not pleased if we praise or worship images, pictures, idols, icons, statues, or symbols.

the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.

The miraculous gift of speaking in tongues evidently ended about the end of the first century C.E. No one today can rightly claim to speak in tongues by God’s power.

Probably most believe that the “gift of tongues” as described in the Bible ceased upon the completion of the Bible. Some may view speaking in tongues as a spiritual gift given to some Christians enabling them to communicate the Gospel to foreign cultures in a language the speaker had not known previously.

The gifts of the holy spirit, including that of speaking in tongues, were a temporary provision.

If you polled Southern Baptist churches across the nation on the topic of “charismatic” practices you would likely find a variety of perspectives. Probably most believe that the “gift of tongues” as described in the Bible ceased upon the completion of the Bible.

Drug use, hypnotism, and meditation techniques that empty the mind also expose a person to demon control.

Scripture teaches that the chief enemy of the praying believer is Satan (Daniel 10:10–14; Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 Peter 5:8)

If because of circumstances a sister must fill a role that is normally cared for by a brother, then Jehovah requires that she wear a head covering.

Jesus Christ is the head of the local church—we are not. Each church is responsible before God for the policies it sets and decisions it makes.

Mary set a fine example of faith, obedience, humility, and deep spirituality. She is among the faithful ones whom we do well to imitate.—Hebrews 6:12. Yet, despite her unique role as the mother of Jesus, the Bible does not teach that we should worship Mary or pray to her.

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.

In fact, Mary gave evidence that she was sinful when she presented the sin-atoning sacrifice that the Mosaic Law required of mothers.

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 human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin.

The Bible shows that we should pray only to God, in Jesus’ name. Jesus told his disciples: “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9, New American Bible) Never did he instruct his disciples to pray to saints, angels, or anyone other than God.

Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone; not to angels, saints, or any other creatures; and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone.

The Bible says: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4) Therefore, when we die, we cease to exist. The dead can’t think, act, or feel anything.

The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.

The Bible does not contain the word “purgatory,” nor does it teach that the souls of those who have died are purified in purgatory.

The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies; and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day; besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.

The original words translated as “hell” in some older Bible translations (Hebrew, “Sheol”; Greek, “Hades”) basically refer to “the Grave,” that is, the common grave of mankind. The Bible shows that people in “the Grave” are in a state of nonexistence.

The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

We do not use the word “rapture” here to describe this event because of its connection to Christendom’s false teaching. However, the faithful anointed still on earth will be gathered together instantly.

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.

The great tribulation will bring the greatest time of trouble ever to come upon mankind. According to Bible prophecy, it will occur during “the last days,” or “the end time.”

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.

What will those who go to heaven do there? They will serve alongside Jesus as kings and priests for 1,000 years. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 20:6) They will form the “new heavens,” or heavenly government, that will rule over the “new earth,” or earthly society.

There is no official stance in the SBC beyond what you find in The Baptist Faith and Message . An article published in SBC LIFE in 2014 may be helpful in studying various viewpoints on the end times held by Southern Baptists.

Jesus’ shed blood established “a new covenant” that replaced the covenant between Jehovah God and the ancient nation of Israel.

There is no official stance in the SBC beyond what you find in The Baptist Faith and Message.

After creating the first man and woman, God brought them together in marriage. He instituted marriage as a special bond between a man and a woman as a foundation for the family unit.—Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:18.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.

God reserves sexual relations for marriage mates only, as Hebrews 13:4 shows: “Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.”

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The Bible does permit divorce. However, Jesus identified only one acceptable reason to end a marriage, stating: “Whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication [sex outside of the marriage], and marries another commits adultery.”—Matthew 19:9.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.

Even when elders are asked to help a couple deal with marital difficulties, they are not authorized to tell the couple what to do. (Galatians 6:5) However, someone who chooses to divorce without Scriptural grounds is not Scripturally free to remarry.—1 Timothy 3:1, 5, 12.

Even the most expansive view of the biblical exceptions allowing for divorce and remarriage would rule out many, if not most, of the divorces in our churches

If a husband and wife choose to use a nonabortive form of contraception to avoid pregnancy, that is their personal decision and responsibility. No one should judge them.

That we oppose the distribution of birth control devices to minors except with parental or guardian consent.

Life is a gift from God. (Genesis 9:6; Psalm 36:9) He considers all life to be precious, including the life of a child in the womb. So if someone intentionally kills an unborn child, that amounts to murder.

We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept transfusions of whole blood, nor do we donate blood that would be used as a whole blood transfusion to another person. We also do not eat blood or unbled meat. However, whether to accept components or fractions derived from another person’s blood is a decision for each Christian to make.

Organ donation for research or transplantation is a matter of personal conscience.

It is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation. The Bible describes wine as a gift from God that can make life more enjoyable. (Psalm 104:14, 15; Ecclesiastes 3:13; 9:7)

That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages

For the following reasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t go to war: Obedience to God. The Bible says that God’s servants would “beat their swords into plowshares” and not “learn war anymore.”

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 11-12, 2024, affirm the historic, Christian principles of the just war tradition; and be it further RESOLVED, That war must be fought for a just cause, to defend, vindicate, and restore public order, peace, and justice when they have come under attack;