A.
GOD’S
WORD
1. I
believe that the Bible is God’s special, written revelation to man in which He
has made known to man what man otherwise could not know (Isa. 55:9; 2 Cor. 4:4;
Gal. 1:11, 12; 1 Tim. 6:15, 16).
2. God
gave this revelation to man in progressive stages and periods (Dan. 12:8, 9;
Rom. 16:25, 26; Eph. 3:4-7; Col. 1:25-27).
3.
The Bible is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16)
and was given by inspiration (2 Pet. 1:21).
Inspiration is the Divine act of God as He breathed out His Word (1 Tim.
3:16) through the “carrying along” of the human writers of Scripture by the
Person of the Holy Spirit, resulting in an infallible, inerrant (Dt. 18:18-22;
Ps. 19:7-9; Isa. 59: 21; Jn. 17:17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; Ti. 1:1-3; Rev. 9:9) original
record that still incorporates the individuality, literary style, and personal
interest of each human author (2 Pet. 1:21).
The inspiration of the Bible is verbal-plenary, meaning that it is
inspired in all its parts (Mt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:16) and that it is inspired to the
very word (Mt. 5:18; 1 Cor. 2:13; Gal. 3:16).
4. Scripture
is complete (Eph. 2:20; 2 Pet. 3:2; Jude 1:3; Rev. 22:18, 19)
5. Scripture
is eternal (Isa. 40:8; Ps. 119: 89, 152, 160; Mt. 5:18; 24:35).
6.
The canon of Scripture consists of the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, and it is determined by
inspiration and not by any human council (Josh. 1:8; 8:31-35; 22:5; 23:6; Zech.
7:12; 1 Cor. 2:12, 13; 2 Pet. 3:15, 16; Rev. 1:3).
7.
Understanding the Scriptures requires
the illumination of the Holy Spirit (Ps. 119:18, 97-100, 104, 130; Jn. 12:16,
16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9-14; 2 Cor. 3:14-16; 1 Jn. 2:27), which necessitates a right
relationship with God (Jn. 14:16, 17; 1 Cor. 2:14). A correct understanding of the Bible requires
literal (or normative), grammatical, historical, Christo-centric (Lk.
24:25-27), contextual, and singular interpretation as well as a reliance upon
the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:11-14).
8.
Because the Bible is inspired by God, it
has the authority of God in all areas of life (Ex. 24:7; Mt. 4:4-10; 2 Tim.
3:16-4:3).
9.
The Word of God is powerful, effective,
and living (Ps. 119:9; Jn. 15:3; 1 Th. 2:13; Heb. 4:12).
B.
GOD
1. I
believe that the one and only (Isa. 45:22; Jn. 5:44) true God is He who has
revealed Himself through His material and animal creation (Job 12:7-9; Ps.
19:1-4; Rom. 1:19, 20), mankind (Gen. 1:26, 27), direct revelation (Gen. 6:13;
Jer. 1:4; Jon. 1:1), miraculous and providential works (1 Cor. 10:7-11), the
life and experiences of His people (Mt. 5:13-16; 2 Cor. 3:2, 3), His Word (Jn.
5:39; 2 Tim. 3:15), and Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:8, 9; Col. 2:9, 10; Heb. 1:2, 3).
2. He
is one God eternally existing in
three distinct Persons – Father, Son, and Spirit – who are coeternal, perfectly
unified, and equal in being, power, and glory, but who are distinct as to
priority and subordination as related to the work of the Godhead (Gen. 1:26;
Dt. 6:4; Mt. 28:19; Jn. 14:26; Acts 5:3, 4; Heb. 1:8; 1 Jn. 4:10; 5:20).
3. God’s
personality is proven through at least eight characteristics which display His
intelligence, sensibility, and will: life (1 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 10:30, 31),
intelligence (Prov. 3:19, 20; Isa. 40:28), purpose (Ps. 115:3; Eph. 3:11),
activity (Ps. 92:4, 5; Phil. 2:13), freedom (Job 23:13; Ps. 115:1-3, 9-13; Dan.
4:35), self-consciousness (Ex. 3:14; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11), emotion (Gen. 6:6; Ps.
145:8; 1 Jn. 4:8, 9), and spirituality (Jn. 4:24; Heb. 12:9).
4. God’s
personal attributes, which are seen in man to some extent, include, but are not
limited to: omniscience (Isa. 40:11-14; 46:9-11; Mt. 11:21), holiness (Isa.
6:1-5; 57:15), righteousness (Ps. 92:15; 119:137), love (Isa 49:14-16; Jn.
3:16; 1 Jn. 4:7-10), mercy (Dt. 4:31; Ps. 116:5; 2 Cor. 1:3), truth/trueness
(Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16; Jn. 17:3, 17), faithfulness (Dt. 7:9; Lam. 3:23; 2 Tim.
2:13), freedom (Job 23:13; Eph. 1:11), and omnipotence (Isa. 40:28; Rev.
19:6). God also has constitutional
attributes, which are limited to Him alone, and these include, but are not
limited to: incomprehensibility (Job 11:7-9; Rom. 11:33), self-existence (Ex.
3:14; Jn. 5:26), perfection (Ps. 18:30; Mt. 5:48), infinity (Ps. 40:5; 89:2;
147:5), eternality (Ps. 90:1, 2; Isa. 9:6; 1 Tim. 1:17), immutability (Num.
23:19; Jas. 1:17), and omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-10; Acts 17:27, 28). All of His attributes are interconnected.
C.
ANGELS
1. I
believe that the Bible is the only accurate and reliable source of information
about angels that we possess. Though the
Bible does not give a detailed description of the creation of angels, it does
reveal that they are in fact created beings (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 148:2-5; Col. 1:16;
John 1:1-3).
2. Angels
are spirit creatures (Heb. 1:14). As
such, they are currently of a higher order than mankind in strength, power, and
dignity (2 Pt. 2:10-12). However, they
are of a lower order than God and are therefore subject to Christ (1 Pt. 3:22;
Heb. 1:6). We are not to worship angels
(Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:8, 9).
In the future, believers will be elevated above angels as glorified
mankind (1 Cor. 6:1-3; Heb. 2:5-9; Rom. 8:15-17).
3. Some
angels are unfallen and are called “holy” and “elect” (Mt. 25:31; Mk. 8:38; 1
Tim. 5:21). Their general ministries
include worshipping God (Ps. 148:1, 2), bringing messages to man from God (Dan.
10:11-14; Lk. 1:26-38), and serving and protecting believers (1 Ki. 19:5-8;
Dan. 6:22; Lk. 16:22; Heb. 1:14). They
also served Jesus Christ during His time on earth (Mt. 4:11; 26:53; Lk. 22:43).
The unfallen angels include the following:
a. Gabriel (Dan. 8:16, 9:21; Lk. 1:19, 26-38)
b. Michael
the archangel (Dan. 10:21, 12:1; 1 Th. 4:16; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7)
c. The
Cherubim (Gen. 3:22-24; Ex. 25:17-20; Ps. 80:1; Ps. 99:1; Ezek. 10)
d. The
Seraphim (Isa. 6:2, 6)
e. Governmental
Rulers, Principalities, or Powers (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21, 3:10; Col. 1:16, 2:10)
f. Other angels with specific titles (Gen. 19;
Ezek. 9; Dan. 4:13, 23; Rev. 9:11, 14:18, 16:5)
4. Other
angels are fallen. These include Satan
and his demons (Mt. 25:41). Demons chose
to rebel against God with Satan, and now serve Satan as their king (Mt.
12:26). They are capable of indwelling
the bodies of men and animals (Mt. 8:28-31; Lk. 8:30). Demons cannot
indwell believers (Mt. 12:29; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Jn. 4:4), but they can influence,
oppress, suppress, deceive, etc. believers (Job 2:1-7; 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor.
11:13-15, 12:7; Eph. 4:26, 27, 6:11-13; 1 Tim. 4:1-3).
D.
SATAN
1. I
believe that Satan was a perfect, beautiful cherub (Ezek. 28:12, 14), but he
sinned against God in his pride (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:16-18). Like all other angels, he was created by God
(28:15), and is a person, not merely a force. He is undeniably powerful (Job 1:6-2:8; Lk.
13:16; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4; 1 Tim. 3:7; Heb. 2:14).
However, everything he does must be under the permissive will of God
because God is still infinitely greater than he is (Job 1, 2). Satan does not have the attributes of God,
such as omnipresence, omniscience, or omnipotence.
2. Satan’s
purpose is, and has always been, to make himself like God. This purpose can be seen in Satan’s actions
of leading angels in rebellion against God, tempting Adam and Eve to sin
against God (Gen. 3:1-5), and tempting Jesus Christ Himself to worship him
instead of God (Mt. 4:9, 10). In the
future, Satan will yet attempt to carry out this purpose through the “man of
lawlessness” during the tribulation (2 Th. 2:3, 4) as well as when he will
“deceive the nations” and “gather them together for war” (Rev. 20:7, 8).
3. Satan
is at war constantly with the redeemed (Eph. 6:10-18). He seeks to devour them (1 Pt. 5:7-9), and he
accuses them day and night before God (Rev. 12:10).
4. Satan
has “blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Cor. 4:3, 4), he leads them in
disobedience (Eph. 2:1-3), he has power over them (1 Jn. 5:19), and he holds
them captive to accomplish his will (2 Tim. 2:26). Unbelievers are referred to as children of
Satan (Jn. 8:43, 44).
5. The
devices of Satan are many and diverse.
He can use doubt, discouragement, and a number of other tactics. However, his favorite way to lead people away
from God seems to be deceit (Gen. 3:4, 5; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:14).
6. Satan
was judged at the cross (Jn. 12:31, 16:11; Col. 2:14, 15; Heb. 2:14), though
that judgment took the form of a suspended sentence. Satan still roams free, but he is now
somewhat restrained (2 Th. 2:7), and the fact that his defeat will be brought
to its completion is certain. During the
tribulation, he will wage war, but will be thrown down to earth from heaven in
defeat (Rev. 12:7-17). There, he will
wreak havoc on earth because he will know that “he has only a short time”. He will be bound in “the abyss” during the
millennium (Rev. 20:1-3). At the end of
the millennium, he will be released, he will lead the deceived nations in war,
and he will be defeated (Rev. 20:7-9).
Once all of this is done, he will be thrown into the lake of fire to be
tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20:10).
E.
MAN
1. I
believe that God directly created man in His own image (Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:7, 21,
22) without the use of evolution. This
does not mean that man is identical to or synonymous with God. Jesus is the
only one who is the exact representation of God (Heb. 1:3). However, man does possess personality
(intellect, will, and emotion) like God does.
Man also was created with a certain moral likeness to God. This moral likeness was corrupted in the
fall, but is renewed in the believer (Eph. 4:20-24).
2. Man
consists of three parts: body, soul, and spirit (1 Th. 5:23). The soul and the spirit are closely related
(Jn. 11:33, 13:21; Mt. 26:38), but they are still distinct (Heb. 4:12).
3. Man
has been given dominion over the animal kingdom and the physical world (Gen.
1:26-30).
4. Man
possesses a conscience, which is the inherent part of man that determines what
is good and what is evil. It is not
perfect, but it can be a number of things: good (1 Tim. 1:5), pure (1 Tim. 3:8,
9), cleansed (Heb. 9:13-14), blameless (Acts 24:16), awakened (Mt. 27:3, 4),
weak (1 Cor. 10:27-33), defiled (Ti. 1:15), seared (Eph. 4:19; 1 Tim. 4:1, 2),
ignorant (Jn. 16:2; Acts 26:9, 10; 1 Cor. 2:7, 8), and evil (Heb. 10:22).
5. The
first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were created innocent, but they were given a
choice as to whether or not they would obey God (Gen. 1:31; 2:16, 17). Physical (Romans 5:12-21), spiritual (Eph.
2:1, 5), and eternal death (Rev. 20:14) are results of their disobedience. In Adam, all mankind sinned (Romans 5:12-21). Therefore, all men are born as sinners with a
sinful nature and are entirely incapable of remedying this problem on their own
(Rom. 3:23, 7:14-20, 8:7, 8).
F.
SIN
1. I
believe that sin originated in heaven when Satan committed the sin of pride
(Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-19).
2. Sin
was introduced into the world through Adam (Rom. 5:12-21). God allowed this to happen, but He did not
tempt or lead Adam to sin (Jas. 1:13-14).
Satan contributed to the fall of man (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9) by deceiving
Eve (Gen. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:14). However,
Adam knowingly and intentionally sinned (Gen. 3:6; 1 Tim. 2:14).
3. Sin
in the Bible refers to either an individual action or the sin nature. In relation to the former, the Bible uses
several terms: sin (Rom. 3:23), transgression (Ps. 51:1), iniquity (Isa. 53:6;
Jas. 3:6), error (2 Sam. 6:7; 2 Pt. 3:17), trespass (1 Chr. 10:13; 2 Cor.
5:19), and unbelief (Heb. 3:12). Each of
these terms has a slightly different meaning, but essentially sin is any action
or attitude that opposes or falls short of God’s perfect and holy character,
and it is any neglect actions and attitudes that are congruous with that
character. All sin is against God (2
Sam. 12:1-13; Ps. 51:4), but some sins are also against fellow men (Mt. 18:21,
22) and others are against the sinner himself (1 Cor. 6:18).
4. “The
sin nature is the capacity, ability[, desire,] and natural tendency of man to
sin”[1]
(Rom. 7:14-20, 8:7, 8). This nature has
been passed down from generation to generation ever since Adam fell (Ps. 51:5;
Eph. 2:3; Rom. 3:9-19).
5. Sin
has impacted the heavens (Isa. 14; Ezek. 28; Eph. 6:11; Rev. 12:7-9), the earth
(Gen. 3:17, 18; Rom. 8:20-22), animals (Isa. 65:25), and mankind (Rom. 3:9-20). For mankind, sin resulted in total depravity
(Gen. 6:5, 12; Jer. 17:9; Mk. 7:21-23; Ti. 3:3), helplessness (Rom. 7:14, 8:7,
8; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 5:19), and death in all its forms (Rom. 6:23;
Eph. 2:1, 5; Rev. 21:8; 1 Tim. 5:6).
G.
SALVATION
1. I
believe that salvation originated with God.
The Bible portrays all three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit) working together to bring it to completion from beginning to end
(Ps. 3:8; Isa. 53:4-6, 10; Jon. 2:9; Jn. 1:29, 16:7-11, 19:30; Acts 2:23, 4:27,
28; Rom. 3:25).
2. Salvation
is the gift of God (Rom. 6:23), which may be received by any person who places
his or her trust/believes in Jesus Christ as personal Savior (Jn. 3:16-18, 5:24,
6:47; Acts 16:31). Salvation is in no
way gained by any sort of merit or work; it is by grace, through faith (Rom.
4:5; Eph. 2:8, 9; 2 Tim. 1:9; Ti. 3:5).
Once a person believes, he or she is immediately given eternal life (Jn.
6:47), baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Cor.
12:12, 13; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:9), indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9-11; 1
Cor. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:24), adopted as a child of God (Jn. 1:12, 13; Rom. 8:16, 17;
Gal. 4:4-7; 1 Jn. 5:1, 2), and is blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph.
1:3).
3.
At the very moment of salvation the
believer is saved from the guilt and penalty of sin (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:13,
14). After salvation, the believer has
two natures: the sin nature and the nature of Christ (Rom. 6:12-16, 8:12, 13;
Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:27-24). However, the
believer is saved from the power of sin as he or she walks by the power of the
Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:1-16, 8:2-4; Gal. 5:16-25).
Believers will be saved from the very presence of sin when they pass
through death into the presence of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8 or when Christ
returns at the Rapture to claim His Church (Rom. 13:11; 1 Pt. 1:3-5; 1 Jn.
3:1-3), whichever comes first.
4.
Jesus Christ died for the sins of the
world, was buried, and rose again three days later (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). This great work resulted in many
accomplishments. In this work, Christ
provided a substitute payment for sin (1 Pt. 2:24, 3:18; Rom. 3:25), fulfilled
the law (Mt. 5:17; Rom. 10:4; Gal.3:19-25), dealt with pre-cross sins (Rom.
3:25), served as a propitiation toward God (Rom. 3:25, 26; 1 Jn. 2:2), judged the old nature (Rom. 6:1-10), rendered
powerless the devil and his hosts (Jn. 16:11; Col. 2:14, 15; Heb. 2:14, 15),
provided the basis for cleansing (1 John 1:7, 9; Eph. 5:26), and brought
redemption (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7), reconciliation (Romans 5:6-11), justification
(Rom. 5:8, 9; 1 Cor. 6:11), and righteousness (Rom. 3:21, 22; 2 Cor. 5:21).
5.
Jesus Christ died for the whole world,
not just the elect (Jn. 1:29, 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:6, 4:10; Ti. 2:11; Heb. 2:9; 1 Jn.
2:2). However, though Christ’s work was
sufficient for all men, not all men will be saved. This is because all men can be saved if they
believe in Jesus for salvation, but not all men will believe (Jn. 3:18; 1 Jn.
5:10-12).
6.
God elects/chooses, draws, and
predestines believers (Jn. 6:44; Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-12; 2 Th. 2:13; 2 Tim.
2:10). However, this does not negate
free will or man’s responsibility, for God’s Word clearly sets forth the
requirement on the part of man to believe for salvation (Jn. 1:12; 3:16-18, 36;
Rom. 1:16, 3:22-30).
7.
Once saved, a believer can never lose
that salvation. The believer is secure
in Christ (Jn. 6:37-39; 10:25-28), sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21, 22;
Eph. 1:13, 4:30), and safe in the Father’s hand (Jn. 10:29). Therefore, it is possible for a person to
know for certain whether or not he or she is saved (1 Jn. 5:13).
H.
END
TIMES
1. I
believe that the next major event to occur in the program of God is the
Rapture, which will also be the end of the church age (1 Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Th.
4:13-18; 2 Th. 2:7). The judgment seat
of Christ will take place at this time for the believers (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor.
3:9-15, 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).
This will not be a judgment to determine the believer’s destination, but
rather a judgment of works for rewards or loss thereof (Jn. 3:18, 5:24; Rom.
5:1, 8:1; 1 Cor. 3:9-15, 11:31, 32; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 12:3-15).
2.
The Rapture will mark the beginning of
the seven-year Tribulation (Dan. 2, 7, 8, 9, 11; Mt. 24, 25; 2 Th. 2; Rev.
4:1-19:21).
3.
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ
will return at His Second Coming with His saints (Jude 14, 15; Rev. 19:11-16),
and the judgment of the nations (Ps. 96:13; Mt. 25:31-46) and the battle of
Armageddon (Zech. 14:1-9; Mt. 24:28; Rev. 16:12-16, 19:17-21) will take place.
4.
Next, Jesus Christ will set up the
Millennial Kingdom and will reign in righteousness for one thousand years with
His saints (Isa. 11:1-5; Jer. 33:15, 16; Zech. 14:4, 5, 9; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev.
20:1-3).
5. After
the Millennium, Satan is loosed for a season, and He leads the nations in
rebellion (Rev. 20:7-9), but He is quickly and finally defeated by God (Rev.
20:9, 10).
6. Then,
the great white throne judgment will occur, in which the unbelieving dead of
all ages will face their final judgment (Mt. 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:11-15).
7.
Finally, the present heavens and earth
will pass away, and God will create the new heavens and new earth (Isa. 65:17;
2 Pt. 3:13; Rev. 21:1).
I.
THE
CHURCH
1. I
believe that the universal Church consists of all who put their trust in Jesus
Christ as personal Savior from Pentecost (Mt. 16:18; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph.
5:25-32) to the Rapture. The local
church is a gathering of people who profess to be believers, with no guarantee
that all present are saved (Rom. 16:5; Phi. 1:2; 2 Pt. 2:1-3; Jude 1:4).
2.
The Church is distinct from the nation
of Israel, and has not replaced Israel.
God’s program for each is different, and that difference must be
considered when interpreting Scripture in order to gain a clear understanding
of the truths concerning them. For
example, the heavenly promises belong to the Church (Eph. 1:3-12), whereas the
earthly promises belong to Israel (Gen. 12:1-3). The Church is a priesthood (1 Pt. 2:5-9), but
Israel had a priesthood (Ex. 28, 29).
During the millennium, Israelites will be the subjects (Ezek.
37:21-28). In contrast, the Church will
co-reign with Christ (1 Cor. 6:2, 3).
These are but a few of the many distinctions between Israel and the
Church.
3.
The Bible sets forth seven figures to
illustrate Christ’s relationship to the Church.
These include: the Shepherd and the sheep (Jn. 10), the Vine and the
branches (Jn. 15), the Cornerstone and the stones of the building (Eph.
2:19-22), the High Priest and the kingdom of priests (Heb. 5-8), the Head and
the body (1 Cor. 12:12-15), the Last Adam and the new creation (1 Cor. 15:45,
47; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15), and the Bridegroom and the bride (Rev. 19:7, 8).
4.
Two ordinances were commanded by Jesus,
taught by the Apostles, and practiced in the New Testament churches. These include the Lord’s Supper (Mt.
26:26-29; Lk. 22:14-23; 1 Cor. 11:23-32) and water baptism (Mt. 28:19; Acts
8:12; 1 Cor. 1:14-17). The Lord’s Supper
is a memorial of what Christ has done, and the elements are merely
symbols. Baptism is an outward
expression of what has already taken place inwardly within the believer, namely
that the believer has died, been buried, and raised with Christ (Rom.
6:4). Therefore, I believe baptism
should be by immersion in order to picture this identification with
Christ. However, I also believe that the
purpose of baptism is for the believer to publicly identify with Christ, and I
do not believe that the mode of baptism alone should be a cause for division
within the church. Also, baptism is not
for the unsaved, seeing as how they have not been identified with Christ in
reality. However, baptism is not
required for salvation (Eph. 2:8, 9).
5.
The purpose of the church is to equip
the saints (Eph. 4:11, 12) to win souls (2 Cor. 5:19, 20; Acts 1:8) in
accordance with God’s primary purpose for this age of calling out (Acts
15:13-18; Rom. 11:25; 1 Pt. 2:9) and forming (Eph. 2:21, 22; 4:13) the Church.
J.
THE
PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
1. I
believe that Jesus has existed for all eternity. He is everlasting, he was not created, and he
did not have a beginning (Isa. 9:6; Mi. 5:2; Jn. 1:1, 2, 8:58; Rev. 1:11).
2. As
a virgin, Mary conceived the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 7:14;
Mt. 1:18, 20; Lk. 1:34, 35). She
remained a virgin until His birth (Mt. 1:25).
3.
Jesus Christ was and is inseparably fully
man (Isa. 53:2; Mt. 4:2, 8:24; Lk. 2:40, 46, 52, 19:10; Jn. 4:6, 19:28-30; Rom.
8:3; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:14) and fully God (Isa. 9:6, 7:14, 44:6; Jn. 1:1, 8:58,
20:28; Ti. 2:13; Heb. 1:3-13; 1 Jn. 5:20; Rev. 22:13) in one person. He is the second Person of the Godhead (Mt.
28:19). Jesus emptied himself by giving
up the independent exercise of His attributes and His visible glory during the
time of the Incarnation (Phil. 2:5-8).
However, He never ceased being God or ceased possessing His
attributes.
4.
The Old Testament looked forward to
Messiah’s work as Prophet (Dt. 18:18, 19), Priest (Ps. 110:4), and King (2 Sam
7:12-16; Ps. 2:6; Zech. 14:16). Jesus
acted as Prophet when He taught (Mt. 5:2-7:29), healed (Jn. 9:6, 7, 17, 33),
and predicted (Mt. 24:23-27) during the Incarnation. He did not assume His role as priest within
the priesthood of Aaron on earth, but His priesthood is much higher: the
priesthood of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6; 7:1-10).
Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of His people (Heb.
9:11-14) and now mediates and intercedes as High Priest for all believers
before the throne of God (Heb. 4:14-16; 6:19, 20; 9:15). Finally, Jesus offered to reign as King
during His first coming, but the Jews rejected Him (Mt. 21:1-11, 27:11, 29, 37,
42). He will reign as King on earth
during the Millennium (Isa. 9:6, 7, 11:1-5; Jer. 23:5, 6; Zech. 14:9; Lk. 1:32,
33).
5.
Jesus came to earth to testify to the
truth (Jn. 18:37). He is the truth (Jn.
14:6). Not only this, but He came to provide redemption (Isaiah 53:4-6; Mt.
1:21; Jn. 1:29; Jn. 3:16, 17). See the
section “Salvation” for more on Christ’s saving work.
6. Presently,
Christ is administering the gifts of gifted men to churches (Eph. 4:8-13),
interceding as High Priest (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), and advocating for believers
(1 Jn. 2:1, 2).
7. Jesus
Christ is alive today and He will return (Mt. 1:6, 9, Acts 1:9-110)! First He will come for believers at the
Rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Th. 4:13-18), and then He will come with the
believers to reign on earth at His second coming (Lk. 21:5-38; 1 Th. 3:13; 2
Th. 1:7-2:12; Jude 1:14, 15).
K.
THE
PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. I
believe that the Holy Spirit is not a force, but a person (Jn. 14:16, 17,
15:26, 16:7-14). He teaches (Jn. 14:26),
convicts (Jn. 16:8), leads (Gal. 5:18), speaks (Gal. 4:6), grieves (Eph. 4:30),
and does many more such things that require personhood. The Bible also speaks of Him being treated as
a person (Acts 5:3; 1 Th. 5:19).
2. The
Holy Spirit is the second person of the Godhead and as such is Deity (Job 33:4;
Ps. 139:7; Mt. 12:31, 28:19; Acts 5:3, 4; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11; 2 Cor. 3:17, 18,
13:14; 2 Pt. 1:21).
3.
Several symbols are used in Scripture in
reference to the Holy Spirit: a dove (Mt. 3:16), water (Jn. 7:37-39), fire
(Acts 2:3), wind (Jn. 3:3-8), wine (Eph. 5:18), and oil (1 Sam. 16:13)
.
4.
The Holy Spirit has ministered in
different ways throughout the ages.
Here, I will just consider His ministries in this age of grace, which is
from Pentecost to the Rapture. He
currently restrains all of mankind by various means (2 Th. 2:7), and He
convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn.
16:7-11). At the moment of salvation,
the Holy Spirit ministers immediately in 4 ways. He simultaneously regenerates (Jn. 3:6, 7;
Ti. 3:5), indwells (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:24), and seals (2 Cor.
1:21, 22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30) the new believer, as well as baptizes him or her
into the body of Christ (Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Cor. 12:12, 13; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:9)
once for all. The Holy Spirit also
dispenses spiritual gifts to all believers (1 Cor. 12:1-11). Finally, in the life of the believer, the
Holy Spirit has the ministry of filling (Eph. 5:18). Unlike the other ministries in relation to
the believer, this ministry requires believers to meet certain conditions and
may be lost or regained. If believers
are to be filled with the Spirit, they must not quench the Spirit (1 Th. 5:19),
they must not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), and they must walk in the
Spirit (Gal. 5:16). If this is true of a
believer, he or she will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23),
experience victory over sin (Gal. 5:16), be taught by the Spirit (Jn. 16:12,
13; 1 Cor. 2:15), possess confidence and assurance (Rom. 8:16), receive power
for witnessing (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:1-5), and have an effective prayer life
(Eph. 6:18; Jude 20).
5.
The sign gifts of speaking in tongues
and healing have ceased since the end of the time of the apostles (1 Cor.
13:8-13, 14:21, 22; 2 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:20; Heb. 2:3, 4).
[1] Richard A.
Seymour, Systematic Theology: A Basic
Outline Based Upon Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Eight-Volume Systematic Theology
(2002), ch. 4 p. 11.