Article 17 & 18: Religious Liberty; The Family

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and

commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state

should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of

its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should

be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being 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. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ

contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose

penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support

of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the

right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and

propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is

composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

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 husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's

image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love

his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to

protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of

her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the

image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to

respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next

generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.

Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their

children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and

loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their

parents.