# The Church Manual (Church of the Brethren)/Chapter 1

CHAPTER I.
DECLARATION OF FAITH.
1. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament have their authority from God and were written by divinely-inspired men and that they are a perfect, infallible, and sufficient standard of faith and practice, having truth for their matter and salvation for their end (2 Tim. 3: 15); that they reveal the principles by which God will judge the world, and therefore are and always will remain the only standard by which all human conduct shall be tried (Isa. 8: 20).
2. We believe there is one true and living God. He is an infinite Spirit, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, good, wise, just and merciful; he is the Creator, Preserver, and Sovereign of the universe; he is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all honor, confidence, and love. In the Godhead there are three persons — ​the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are one in the divine nature and one in will and purpose, but who execute distinct yet harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
3. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is one with the Father. He has all divine perfections. He is the Redeemer and Savior of men.
4. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person. He is one with the Father and the Son in will and purpose.
5. We believe that man was created in holiness, but through temptation and voluntary transgression, fell from that holy and happy state and thus fell under condemnation, in consequence of which all mankind are sinners (Rom. 5: 19), and need salvation.
6. We believe that the salvation of sinners can be obtained alone through the merits of the Son of God, who, by the will of the Father, freely took upon him our nature, yet without sin; honored the divine law by personal obedience, and by his death ​made a full atonement for our sins (John 3: 16; 1 Pet. 2: 24).
7. We believe that in his death he conquered sin and its power, rose triumphant from the grave, and ascended to the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us; that he will come again to judge the world in righteousness; that he will raise the dead, receive his own to himself, and banish the disobedient and wicked forever from his presence.
8. We believe that his suffering and death avail conditionally for all who believe and obey, and unconditionally to infants and others who are naturally incapable of exercising faith.
9. We believe that Repentance (Mark 6: 12; Acts 2: 38) and Faith (Mark 16: 16; Acts 8: 37), are absolutely essential, as first steps towards the better life, and that they are wrought in the soul by hearing and receiving the truth (Rom. 10: 17), by which we are deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ (John 16: 8), thus enabling us ​to receive holy baptism (Mark 16: 16; Acts 2: 38), with deep repentance and full confession, at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is revealed in his Word, and relying on him alone as an all-sufficient Savior (Rom. 10: 9-1 1).
10. We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer (Acts 8: 36-39) into each of the names of the divine persons in the Godhead, which we understand to be a trine immersion, which was the apostolic mode and the universal practice of the church during the first three hundred years of its existence. The Scriptural authority for this practice is found in the Commission (Matt. 28: 19). Baptism is a beautiful emblem of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effects in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Rom. 6: 4) it is a condition of pardon, (Acts 2: 38) and is a prerequisite to church relation.
11. We believe that in regeneration a new life principle is begotten in the soul of man by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of ​Truth, producing a disposition to joyful obedience to Christ and to holy conduct in life.
12. We believe that justification is an act of God, wherein he accepts as righteous the sinner, to whom is imputed the perfect righteousness of Christ, on the condition of faith in and obedience to the truth as revealed in the Scriptures.
13. We believe that the visible church of Christ is a body of baptized believers, associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the Gospel (Acts 11: 21, 22) observing all the ordinances of Christ (1 Cor. 11:2) governed by all his laws (Matt. 28: 20) and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by his Word (1 Cor. 14: 12) and that its officers are bishops or elders, ministers and deacons.
14. We believe that it is our duty to keep all the ordinances "as they were delivered to us," (1 Cor. 11: 2) observing all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded, whether in person or by his inspired apostles.
15. We believe that feet-washing is a church ordinance, instituted by our Lord in