Coast Community Church's Doctrinal Statement
I. The Divine Purpose in Creation
We believe that the primary purpose of mankind is to glorify and enjoy God, that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him alone, and that it is the heart of God to glorify Himself by satisfying His people with fullness of joy in the exaltation of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1; Psalm 16; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 2:9-11
II. The Proclamation of the Gospel
We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the divinely ordained means for the salvation of men and, as such, contains the foundational truths of Christianity which are essential for justification and sanctification and have been entrusted to the Church to be preached, taught, and passed on to future generations. Romans 1:14-17; 1 Timothy 3:15; Colossians 1:5
III. Sola Scriptura: The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture
We believe that the gospel of God is set forth clearly in the Bible, which is the only written, inerrant and infallible Word of God to men and is our final and sufficient authority for all matters of doctrine and practice. Romans 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:16; John 17:17; Matthew 7:24-27
IV. The Doctrine of the Trinity
We believe the gospel is a message of truth from the triune God who exists as one God (one essence) in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.Romans 1:1-4; 8:9-11; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19
V. God the Father
We believe that the gospel has its source in the very heart of God the Father who is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, being sovereign over all people and circumstances, and ordaining all things for His glory and purpose. Romans 1:1, 7; John 4:24; 1 John 1:5; 4:8; 1 Timothy 6:15-16
VI. God the Son, Jesus Christ
We believe that the focus of the gospel is God the Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, having both a divine nature and a human nature that are united in such a way as to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division. Romans 1; John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:19
VII. God the Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is a Person, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, and that it is His work to exalt Jesus Christ, to call people into fellowship with Jesus Christ and to conform them into the image of Jesus Christ. Romans 1; 8:9-11; Acts 5:3-4; John 16:13-14
VIII. Summary of the Gospel: Justification by Faith Alone
We believe that the gospel is the good news that God justifies (forgives and declares righteous) sinners by His grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus Christ alone.
We believe this justification is the result of the imputation of our sins to Jesus Christ on the cross and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us.
We believe the awesome result of this justification is the promise of all that we need in this life to live to God's glory and all that we need in the life to come to satisfy our souls in God fully and forever. Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; 4:3-5; 6:23; 10:9-10, 13; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; 2 Peter 1:3; Psalm 16:11; 2 Corinthians 1:19-20
IX. The Glory of God
We believe the good news of Jesus Christ begins with the reality that the Creator God is our Sovereign, Savior, Sufficiency, and Satisfaction.
We believe that the Sovereign and Good God created mankind in order to display the full range of His glory and to satisfy a chosen people with the joy that He has in Himself.
We believe that the gospel is the good news that God satisfies our need for an All-Sufficient Benefactor, providing all the resources we need for life and godliness here and now.
We believe that the gospel is the good news that God satisfies our need for an All-Satisfying Beauty, providing in Himself the glory that will satisfy our souls fully andforever. Romans 1:23, 25; Genesis 1-2; Ephesians 1:3-12; Colossians 1:13-17;Isaiah 46:9-11; 43:11-13; 40:28-31; 55:1-3
X. The Foolish Exchange
We believe that the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were created innocent and upright, being placed into a perfect, beautiful and sin-free environment in the Garden of Eden.
We believe that Adam, as the representative head of the human race, along with his wife Eve, chose to disobey God's command and thereby, to exchange the infinite glory of the Creator for the finite glory of created things. Romans 1:21-25; 5:12-19; Genesis 3
XI. The Sin of Idolatry
We believe that the fundamental sin of mankind against God is the sin of idolatry --- the worship of created things and people instead of God.
We believe the essence of the root sin of idolatry is the unbelief that looks to created things and people to supply what we need or to satisfy our souls instead of the God who created us.
We believe the unbelief of idolatry results in pride and disobedience to God's Law. Romans 1:21-32; Exodus 20:3-6; Mark 12:28-31; Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-13
XII. The Darkened Heart Problem
We believe that, as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve, man's biggest problem is a darkened heart --- the inner, non-material, person of mind, will and emotions --- that does not know or desire or value or trust God.
We believe that it is in the heart of man that the sin of idolatry still reigns so that men and women naturally look to other people and things or even themselves to supply their needs and to satisfy their souls instead of God and that all sin comes out of a heart that is in rebellion against God and is not the result of physical conditions, circumstances or the actions of other people. Romans 1:21-25; Matthew 15:16-20; Mark 7:20-23
XIII. The Reason for Evil and Suffering in This World
We believe that God is holy and perfect and there is no sin or evil in Him, nor is He the One responsible for sin and evil, though He is in charge of all that does or does not take place in this world over which He sovereignly and wisely reigns.
We believe that the responsibility for evil and suffering in the world lies in the rebellious hearts of people who do not love God and do not love one another.
We believe that God, in His righteous, temporal, judgment, has given people over to the sin in their hearts to various degrees and in various ways and as a result, we have a world filled with much evil and suffering.
We believe that God is ultimately using all evil and suffering to magnify His glorious and pure Name and to satisfy His chosen people in Himself. Romans 1:21-32; 5:12; 1 John 1:5; Psalm 118:1; Romans 8:28-30; Isaiah 45:1-7; Genesis 3:1-24
XIV. The Righteous Judgment of God
We believe that there will be a future day of judgment through the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge all people according to their known and unknown deeds and that this judgment will be impartial and perfectly just, resulting in some being rewarded with eternal good in heaven and some being punished forever with just torment in hell. Romans 2:1-16; Revelation 20:11-15
XV. The Standard of God's Law
We believe that every person will be judged by God according to the perfect standard of God's holy Law which is grounded in the Ten Commandments and is summed up in loving God perfectly and loving all other people perfectly. Romans 2:12-16; 13:8-10; Exodus 20:1-17; Mark 12:30-31
XVI. The Requirement of Inward Perfection
We believe that the standard of perfection that God requires for heaven and that is revealed in His Law extends beyond simply the outward action or word to the inward thoughts, desires, attitudes, and motives of the heart. Romans 2:12-13, 17-29; Proverbs 16:2; 19:3; 21:2, 4
XVII. Total Depravity: The Universal and Radical Sinfulness of Man
We believe that God's standard for acceptance into His kingdom is perfect righteousness
according to His Law --- perfect obedience to God's Law both outwardly in actions and words and inwardly in desires, motives, and attitudes, --- but the reality is that no one is righteous in God's eyes by this standard.
We believe that the sinfulness of man not only extends to every person, but has also affected every part of every person's life so that everything that a person naturally is and naturally does has been impacted and polluted by sin. Romans 3:9-20; 2:13; Isaiah 64:6; Mark 10:18
XVIII. The Futility of Human Merit and Works
We believe that no one will enter the kingdom of heaven on the basis of their own righteousness or merit or good works. Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 2:15-21
XVIX. Sola Gratia: Salvation by Grace Alone
We believe that the righteousness we need to enter the kingdom of God is the result of God's grace alone --- His undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor and goodness to undeserving sinners --- and is, therefore, a gift from God, not a gift to God. Romans 3:21-30; Ephesians 2:8-9
XX. Irresistible Grace: Salvation by Sovereign Grace
We believe that God saves who He will, when He wills, by graciously working in their hearts by the Holy Spirit to cause them to be born again to new life in Christ.
We believe that everyone God graciously works to save will be saved. Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:1-8
XXI. Limited Atonement: The Achievement of the Cross
We believe that Jesus Christ died for all those God had chosen to give to the Son and therefore, the cross achieved the salvation of all that Christ died to save. Romans 3:25; John 10:11-18, 25-30; Revelation 13:8
XXII. Double Imputation: Imputation of Our Sin
We believe that the gospel is the good news that God satisfies His wrath against sinners through Jesus Christ by imputing their sin to Christ on the cross.
We believe that Jesus Christ was our substitute and bore our sins on the cross in order to bear the punishment our sins deserve and satisfy the righteous demands of God's Law for justice. Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:13-14; Isaiah 53:4-6
XXIII. Double Imputation: Imputation of Christ's Righteousness
We believe that the gospel is the good news that God satisfies the righteous demands of His perfect Law through Jesus Christ by imputing the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to all who believe in Jesus.
We believe that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of obedience to the Law of God and satisfied the righteous demands of God's Law for perfect obedience on our behalf so that we could enjoy God's promised blessings to the righteous. Romans 1:16-17; 3:26, 28; 5:15-19; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; Philippians 3:9
XXIV. Solus Christus: Salvation because of the Cross of Jesus Christ Alone
We believe that God the Father justifies the ungodly --- declares someone perfectly forgiven and righteous according to His Law --- on the sole basis of the merit of His Son, Jesus Christ who obeyed perfectly to the point of death on a cross.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. Romans 3:24-26; Galatians 2:20; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5
XXV. The Incarnation and Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit and that He, as God Himself, revealed the invisible God to us in His words and lifestyle, proclaimed the truth of God in His teaching and preaching, and worked miracles by the power of God. Luke 1:30-35; Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1-14
XXVI. The Sinlessness of Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of obedience to His Father and, under the reign of Pontus Pilate, consummated His earthly life of obedience by being obedient unto the point of death on a cross for the sins of His people. Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-16
XXVII. The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ
We believe that God the Father confirmed the words, actions, and promises of Jesus Christ by raising Him from the dead after three days in the tomb. Romans 4:24-25; 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; John 20-21
XXVIII. The Ascension and Coronation of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples after His resurrection and then ascended to the right hand of God where He presently intercedes as a Great High Priest and reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, sovereignly ruling over all things for the glory of His name and the benefit of His people. Romans 8:34; 10:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Acts 2:32-36
XXIX. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ will one day return bodily to this earth to usher in His eternal kingdom, to deliver His people, judge the wicked and to establish a new heaven and new earth in which righteousness, joy, and peace will dwell forever. Romans 8:18-19; 14:17; Acts 1:6-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 19:11-21
XXX. Sola Fide: Salvation through Faith Alone
We believe that the salvation that has been accomplished on behalf of sinners by Jesus Christ is received through the means of faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone (ie, without works or the fruit of obedience to God).
We believe that faith consists of knowledge (or understanding), belief (or assent), and trust (or reliance) and that it embraces both the Person (Lord) and work (Savior) of Jesus Christ, trusting God to be all that He has promised to be for us in Christ.
We believe that saving faith trusts Jesus Christ for remission of sins (forgiveness), righteousness (fulfill of all God's requirements for heaven), resources (all we need for life and godliness here and now) and reward (full and lasting joy and satisfaction of our souls in heaven with God forever).
We believe that a saving faith will call upon God for salvation on the basis of the merits of Christ alone, will believe that God raised Christ from the dead as evidence of His Per-son and finished work, and will confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and seek to obey Him as such.
We believe that the faith that saves is a repentant faith and a reward-seeking faith. It is a faith that turns from sinful independence and ungodly pleasures and selfish ambitions and self-righteousness and trusts in Jesus Christ to satisfy God's wrath against their sin and to satisfy their souls in the coming kingdom of heaven. Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-30; 4:1-5:2; 10:1-17; Galatians 2:15-21;James 2:14-26; Hebrews 11:6, 24-27; Matthew 16:24-28; 13:44-46
XXXI. The Believer's Forgiveness of Sin
We believe that all those who trust in Jesus Christ and turn from their sin are justified --- declared "righteous" --- and that God treats us "just-as-if-we'd-never-sinned" by for-giving the believer in Jesus of all his or her sins (past, present and future sins) because all the sins of the believer were punished through the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. Romans 5:1; 3:23-26; Colossians 1:13-14; 2:13-14; Luke 24:46-47
XXXII. The Believer's Gift of Righteousness
We believe that all those who trust in Jesus Christ and turn from their sin are justified --- declared "righteous" --- and that God treats us "just-as-if-we-fully-obeyed-His-Law" by graciously giving to the believer in Jesus the gift of Christ's righteousness because of the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ to God's Law. Romans 5:1, 17-19; 1:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; Matthew 19:17
XXXIII. The Believer's Peace with God
We believe that through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross the wrath of God against the sins of believers in Jesus (ie, the justified) has been satisfied and believers are no longer under God's wrath or at war with Him, but have been reconciled to God and enjoy a relationship of peace with God through Jesus Christ so that God loves them and is always "for them," not against them. Romans 5:1-2; 8:31-39; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
XXXIV. The Believer's Standing in Grace
We believe that the justified (ie, believers in Jesus) stand in grace before God, having an unchangeable position before God of continual favor and unconditional acceptance (ie, peace with God) because they have been clothed with the gift of the righteousness of Christ, whose character does not change nor does His faithfulness to His promises. Romans 5:1-11; 8:28-39; 1 John 4:7-21; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
XXXV. The Believer's Hope of Glory and Eternal Life
We believe that the justified have the hope of full and lasting joy and satisfaction in God through seeing God face to face, being changed into His likeness, participating in His eternal kingdom, and enjoying perfect joy, peace and righteousness in His presence forever. Romans 5:1-2; 8:16-25; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Matthew 5:1-12; 1 John 3:1-3; Psalm 16:11; Revelation 21-22
XXXVI. The Believer's Sanctification of Evil and Suffering
We believe that the justified still experience much evil and suffering, from without and from within, in this life, but that God is faithful to use the evil and suffering in the life of the believer to bring about much good --- to confirm their salvation, increase their hope, to manifest Christ's strength in their weakness, to further their growth in faith and repentance and Christlikeness, to expand their ministry to others and to store up more treasure in heaven for the believer to enjoy in the life to come. Romans 5:3-5; 8:29-30; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; 12:7-10; Hebrews 12:1-17; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18; Matthew 5:10-12
XXXVII. The Believer's Union with Christ
We believe that the justified are in union with Christ, having been united with Christ in His death and resurrection and therefore, have been given all they need for life and godliness.
We believe that, because of our union with Christ, God loves us as He loves His own Son and will always and forever treat us with grace and kindness. Romans 6:1-11; Philippians 4:11-13; 2 Peter 1:3; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Acts 17:23-24; Ephesians 2:7
XXXVIII. The Believer's Freedom from Sin's Reign
We believe that the justified have been given freedom from sin's reign, having been delivered from the sphere of sin's dominion and therefore, are no longer slaves of sin, but rather slaves of God and of righteousness.
We believe that this is not the deliverance from all sin so that a believer can attain a sinless life, but that the believer's relationship to sin has changed so that he is able to hope for and expect progress in obedience from his heart and real holiness in living.Romans 6:1-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:1-12; Hebrews 12:14; James 2:14-26
XXXIX. The Believer's Freedom from the Law's Condemnation
We believe that the justified are free from the condemnation of the Law of God and therefore, they will never be rejected by God for their failure to keep His Law perfectly and are free, now and forever, from any wrath against their sin. Romans 7:1-8:1, 31-39; 5:1-11
XL. The Believer's Life-long Fight against Indwelling Sin
We believe that the justified are given a new heart that agrees with God's Law and desires to do what pleases God, but will still be engaged in a life-long spiritual struggle against indwelling sin, and that believers can have assurance of their salvation (no condemnation) in the midst of their struggle, since the reality of the struggle itself is evidence of the presence of new life. Romans 7:14-25; 8:12-14; Galatians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
XLI. The Believer's Victory through the Indwelling Spirit
We believe that the justified, although possessing a new heart, in light of the presence of indwelling sin, can do nothing in terms of living to please and obey God apart from Christ Himself and therefore, God has made provision for this in that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of producing Christlikeness in them, and who, therefore, enables them to understand and obey the Scriptures in their lives and to walk according to godly wisdom as they call upon God in prayer and depend upon His power by faith. Romans 8:2-25; Galatians 5:16-25; John 15:1-11
XLII. Unconditional Election: God's Electing Love
We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is effective in the lives of those that God has set His covenant love upon and chosen to save (ie, the elect), meaning that the salvation experience that comes to believers at a specific point in time was planned by God before the foundation of the world and that the willingness to turn from sin and trust Christ is the result of the irresistible work of the Spirit in regeneration according to God's sovereign choice; thus, salvation is initiated and made effective by God's choice, not man's. Romans 8:28-30; 9:6-29; Ephesians 1:3-6; John 15:16
XLIII. Perseverance of the Saints: The Believer's Security
The truth of God's electing love is the basis for the comfort and assurance that God will be faithful to keep His promises of eternal salvation to His people, regardless of what happens to them in this world and that all true believers will be preserved by God through faith and will persevere in faithfulness to Christ to the end and therefore, can never lose their salvation. Romans 8:31-38;John 10:26-29; 1 Peter 1:3-5
XLIV. The Crucified Life: Presentation of Our Bodies to God for His Glory
We believe that, for the justified, the only reasonable and proper response to the gospel of God's grace to them in Christ is to present their bodies and lives to God as living sacrifices for His glory and pleasure, devoting themselves to seeking God Himself in fellow-ship and seeking His power for gracious, grateful, obedient living in accordance with the commands of Scripture and the pursuit of godly wisdom, through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:24-28; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Jeremiah 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9;Galatians 2:20
XLVI. Presentation of Our Minds to Scripture (renewal)
We believe that, for the justified, a devotion to the truth of God as found in His Word is essential for the renewing of their minds and for the transformation of their hearts and lives by the Spirit into the image of Christ. Romans 12:1-2; John 8:31-32; Psalm 1; John 17:17
XLVII. A Life of Prayerful Obedience to God's Word for Gracious Loving
We believe that the justified should have as their purpose in life to glorify and enjoy God.
We believe that God is glorified as we seek to please Him through obedience to His will as revealed in His Word and as we pursue fellowship with Him through that obedience; in other words, we should seek to glorify God by seeking His face and showing His grace to others.
We believe that we can do nothing apart from Jesus Christ and the enabling of the Holy Spirit and therefore, devotion to prayer, a commandment in God's Word, is crucial to making real progress in obeying God's Word.
We believe that participation in the life of the Body of Christ is also, by God's design, a crucial element in growing in obedience and grace.
We believe that obedience to Christ's command to be baptized and to remember Him in eating and drinking of the Lord's Supper is also crucial to our fellowship and growth in Christ.
We believe that love is the ultimate end of the Law and that God has defined for us in the commands of His Word what love is and what love requires in each situation.
We believe that the pursuit of God's will for our lives is, in practice, the understanding and application to our lives of what God has written for us in the Scriptures and not the search for an authoritative word from God apart from the Scriptures. Romans 12:1-8; 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Jeremiah 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9; John 14:21, 23; 15:1-11; Acts 2:41-42; Colossians 4:2; Ephesians 6:10-20; James 1:21-25; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Matthew 7:24-27
XLVIII. The Believer's Loving Service and Use of Spiritual Gifts
We believe that the justified should seek to imitate Christ in loving by the practice ofserving others to the glory of God, including the faithful exercise of one's spiritual gifts in the life of the church.
We do not believe that God gifts anyone today to occupy the office of an Apostle or to exercise the "sign" gifts (prophecy, tongues, and miraculous healings), associated with the apostolic ministry, as described in the Scriptures. Nor do we believe that God speaks in a supernatural way to people to give direct revelation apart from the Scriptures. Since the Scriptures do not clearly indicate that God would never speak apart from the Scriptures or never gift someone with a "sign" gift for some purpose, we allow for the possibility of exceptions to these rules in certain contexts. Romans 12:3-8; John 13:5-17, 34-35; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:4; 2 Corinthians 12:12
XLIX. The Believer's Loving Submission
We believe that the justified should seek to imitate Christ in loving by the practice of submission to those in authority to the glory of God. Romans 13:1-14; Ephesians 5:15-6:9; 1 Peter 2:13-3:7
L. The Believer's Freedom and Loving Self-denial
We believe that the justified should seek to imitate Christ in loving by exercising Christian freedom in following their own personal convictions in disputable matters (ie, those matters not clearly addressed through a specific command in God's Word), yet willingly restricting their personal freedom and denying themselves in order to prevent other Christians from following their example and violating their own conscience.
We believe God has given us in His Word all we need to know to trust Him and obey Him completely and that believers are free and responsible to pursue godly and practical wisdom and preference in areas where God has not given clear commands. Romans 14:1-15:6; 1 Corinthians 8-10
LI. The Believer's Loving Commitment to Spreading the Gospel
We believe that the justified should seek to imitate Christ in loving by proclaiming the message of the gospel in word (creative communication of the truth of the gospel) and deed (compassionate service as a demonstration of and platform for the gospel) to a lost world. Romans 15:14-33; Matthew 28:18-20; 7:12; Mark 8:34-38; Acts 1:8; Philippians 1:27-30; 2 Timothy 1:7-8; 2:10; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
LII. Soli Deo Gloria: To the Glory of God from Beginning to End
We believe that the work of redemption in Jesus Christ and the providence of God over His creation are both designed to glorify God in the greatest way possible in every per-son's salvation and in every circumstance in history; to God be the glory is the theme and reality from the beginning to the end of every person's salvation and from the beginning to the end of all of history. Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:3-14; 3:21; Ezekiel 36:21-23; Isaiah 48:11
Note:
Coast Community Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Coast Community Church, as a Southern Baptist church, is a part of the Founders Movement within this denomination. The Founders Movement in the SBC is an informal association of churches that are Reformed and Baptist in theology and desire to call the SBC back to the original theological understanding of its founders as reflected in such documents as The Abstract of Principles.
See www.founders.org.
We do not believe that any spiritual gifts are given by God and exercised today by believers that implies the giving of direct and authoritative revelation of what God requires us to believe and to do apart from the Scriptures.
We do not believe that God gifts anyone to perform the works of, or to occupy the office of, an Apostle today (as described in the New Testament). Nor do we believe that the "sign" gifts (prophecy, tongues, and miraculous healings), as described in the Scriptures and as utilized by the Apostles for the authentication of their office, are given by God to individuals today, as a rule. But since God has not given us a clear statement in the Scriptures that indicates that He would never in any context or for any reason gift someone with one of the sign gifts, we acknowledge that there may be exceptions to the rule, as God sees fit. Nor do we believe that God speaks in a supernatural way to people to give direct revelation apart from the Scriptures, as a rule. Here again, there may be exceptions to the rule, according to God's good pleasure.