I. The Scriptures
· The Holy Bible was written by men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (Mark 12:36; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
· It is God’s revelation of Himself to us. (Romans 15:4; 16:25-26)· It is a perfect account of history and of godly instruction. (2 Samuel 22:31)
· Scripture is completely true and trustworthy in all matters: historical, natural, and spiritual. (John 3:12; 17:17)· It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions are tested. (Hebrews 4:12)
· All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of the Bible. (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44-46; John 5:46)
II. God
· There is only one living and true God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10; 1 Timothy 1:17)
· He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being; the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 1:18; 43:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6)
· God is infinitely holy and perfect. (1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 99:9; Revelation 4:8)
· He is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future. (Isaiah 46:10; Job 37:16; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Revelation 4:11)
· To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. (Deuteronomy 6:5; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:28; 1 John 5:3)
· 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. (See passages below).
A. God the Father
· God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and over human history according to His purposes. (Job 10:12; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Matthew 6:25-34)
· He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. (2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 John 4:10)
· God is the spiritual Father of those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ. (John 1:11-13; Romans 8:15; Hebrews 12:9)
B. God the Son
· Christ is the eternal Son of God. (Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 1:34)
· Jesus Christ came as a human conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35)
· Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its needs and sufferings and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet He never sinned. (Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:15)
· He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He took the punishment of death on Himself so that mankind could be free from sin. (Romans 5:19; Hebrews 2:17-18; 5:7-9; 1 John 2:2; 4:9-10)
· He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples and walked with them for 40 days. (John 20-21; Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:20)
· He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9)
· He is the One Mediator, fully God and fully man, and through Him we are reconciled to God. (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15; Colossians 1:22; 2:9)
· He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to finish His work in saving us from sin and eternal punishment.
C. God the Holy Spirit
· The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. (Acts 5:3-4)
· He inspired the writing of the Holy Scriptures. (Matthew 22:43; Mark 12:36; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
· The Holy Spirit helps us to understand truth. (John 16:13)
· He exalts Christ.
· He convicts people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:7-11)
· He calls people to the Savior, and regenerates them (see section IV. A. below).
· At the moment of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (and thus becoming a believer, a Christian) He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
· He encourages Christians to develop Christian character, comforts believers, and gives them the spiritual gifts to serve God through His church. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
· He seals the believer for the day of final redemption. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30)
· His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
· He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6; Ephesians 3:16-19; 2 Timothy 1:7-9)
III. Man
· Mankind is the special creation of God, made in His own image. (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6; James 3:9)
· The uniqueness of human personality, emotion, and reasoning is clear evidence that God created man in His own image.
· God created the first couple (Adam and Eve) male and female as the crowning work of His creation, so the gift of gender is part of the goodness of God’s creation. (Genesis 1:27; 2:4-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9)
· In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was given freedom of choice by his Creator.
· By his free choice the first man, Adam, through the temptation of Satan, disobeyed God, fell from his original innocence. Moreover, from that point on, sin has become a part of the nature of all people. (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21)
· Therefore, as soon as people are capable of moral action, they become sinners and are under condemnation.
· Only the grace of God can bring us into holy fellowship with Him and only the grace of God can enable us to fulfill His creative purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 9:7-9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1 :5-7)
· All humans are descended from the first couple Adam and Eve. And for this reason Christ died for all of us; therefore, every person of the human race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Genesis 3:20; Acts 17:26-27)
IV. Salvation
· Salvation involves the redemption of mankind, and is offered freely to all who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
· By His own blood, Christ paid the penalty for sin for the believer. (Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5)
· In its broadest sense salvation includes:
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart brought about by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire person to Him as Lord and Savior. (John 3:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
B. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ based upon His righteousness. Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God. (Romans 4:23-25; 3:23-30; 5:16-19; 10:9-10; Galatians 2:15-17)
C. Sanctification is the experience by which the believer is set apart for God’s purposes. The process enables believers to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Growth in grace should continue throughout a believer’s life. (1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
D. Glorification is the end result of salvation and is the final state of the believer. (1 Corinthians 15:35-54)
· The work of salvation was finished by Christ on the cross and his resurrection three days later.
· In confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised him from the dead salvation is immediate, but it is also an on-going work, and will be finally realized after Christ’s second coming.
· Since salvation was accomplished by Christ, no power, person, or any other created thing can undo it.
· There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
V. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
A. Baptism
· 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 the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
· It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.
· It is a command of Christ that should be fulfilled immediately after receiving Christ.
B. Lord’s Supper (a.k.a., Communion)
· It is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the body of Christ (i.e., the church), through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of Christ and anticipate His second coming.
· It is to be a regular part of Christian worship
VI. The Church
· A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an individual local group of baptized believers, associated by the covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.
· Believer’s in the church:
· Observe the two ordinances of Christ (baptism and the Lord’s Supper).
· Are governed by His laws (from his Word, the Bible).
· Put to use the gifts, rights, and privileges they have been given.
· Seek to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
· The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation throughout all of time.
VII. Last Things
· God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.
· 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 unbelievers will be appointed to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment.
· The believers in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will live forever in the new heavens and earth with Jesus.
VIII. Evangelism and Missions
· It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.
· The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.
· Missionary effort is a natural result of the changed life of a believer, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.
· It is the privilege of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness combined with a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with Scripture.
