01. SCRIPTURES ARE INSPIRED BY GOD
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
- 2 Timothy 3:15-17
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13
- 2 Peter 1:21
02. ONE TRUE GOD
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1. Terms Defined
The terms "Trinity" and "persons" as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from "gods many and lords many." We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God who is One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural.
Christ taught a distinction of Persons in the Godhead which He expressed in specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but that this distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and incomprehensible, because unexplained.
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Father which constitutes him the Father and not the Son; there is that in the Son which constitutes Him the Son and not the Father; and there is that in the Holy Spirit which constitutes Him the Holy Spirit and not either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the one proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore, because these three persons in the Godhead are in a state of unity, there is but one Lord God Almighty and His name one.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are never identical as to Person; nor confused as to relation; nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to cooperation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son as to relationship. The Son is with the Father and the Father is with the Son, as to fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as to authority. The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son proceeding, as to nature, relationship, cooperation and authority. Hence, neither Person in the Godhead either exists or works separately or independently of the others.
The appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper name. It is never applied in the New Testament, either to the Father or to the Holy Spirit. It therefore belongs exclusively to the Son of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of Man. He is therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who because He is God and man is "Immanuel," God with us.
Since the name "Immanuel" embraces both God and man in the one Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title, Son of God, describes His proper deity, and the title, Son of Man, His proper humanity. Therefore, the title Son of God, belongs to the order of eternity, and the title, Son of Man, to the order of time.
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the Doctrine of Christ to say that Jesus Christ derived the title, Son of God, solely from the fact of the incarnation, or because of His relation to the economy of redemption. Therefore, to deny that the Father is a real and eternal Father, and that the Son is a real and eternal Son, is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the Being of God; a denial of the Father, and the Son; and a displacement of the truth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; angels and principalities and powers having been made subject unto Him. And having been made both Lord and Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until the end, when the Son shall become subject to the Father that God may be all in all.
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgment unto the Son, it is not only the express duty of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but it is an unspeakable joy in the Holy Spirit to ascribe unto the Son all the attributes of Deity, and to give Him all honor and the glory contained in all the names and titles of the Godhead except those which express relationship (see Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead, Unity of the One Being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit , and Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead) and thus honor the Son even as we honor the Father.
- Deuteronomy 6:4 [KJV/NIV]
- Isaiah 43:10,11 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
- Luke 3:22 [KJV/NIV]
1. Terms Defined
The terms "Trinity" and "persons" as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from "gods many and lords many." We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God who is One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural.
- Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
- 2 Corinthians 13:14 [KJV/NIV]
- John 14:16-17 [KJV/NIV]
Christ taught a distinction of Persons in the Godhead which He expressed in specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but that this distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and incomprehensible, because unexplained.
- Luke 1:35 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 1:24 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 11:25-27 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
- 2 Corinthians 13:14 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 1:3-4 [KJV/NIV])
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Father which constitutes him the Father and not the Son; there is that in the Son which constitutes Him the Son and not the Father; and there is that in the Holy Spirit which constitutes Him the Holy Spirit and not either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the one proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore, because these three persons in the Godhead are in a state of unity, there is but one Lord God Almighty and His name one.
- John 1:18 [KJV/NIV]
- John 15:26 [KJV/NIV]
- John 17:11 [KJV/NIV]
- John 17:21 [KJV/NIV]
- Zechariah 14:9 [KJV/NIV]
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are never identical as to Person; nor confused as to relation; nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to cooperation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son as to relationship. The Son is with the Father and the Father is with the Son, as to fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as to authority. The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son proceeding, as to nature, relationship, cooperation and authority. Hence, neither Person in the Godhead either exists or works separately or independently of the others.
- John 5:17-30 [KJV/NIV]
- John 5:32 [KJV/NIV]
- John 5:37 [KJV/NIV]
- John 8:17,18 [KJV/NIV]
The appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper name. It is never applied in the New Testament, either to the Father or to the Holy Spirit. It therefore belongs exclusively to the Son of God.
- Romans 1:1-3,7 [KJV/NIV]
- 2 John 3 [KJV/NIV]
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of Man. He is therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who because He is God and man is "Immanuel," God with us.
- Matthew 1:23 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 4:2 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 4:10 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 4:14 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 1:13 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 1:17 [KJV/NIV]
Since the name "Immanuel" embraces both God and man in the one Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title, Son of God, describes His proper deity, and the title, Son of Man, His proper humanity. Therefore, the title Son of God, belongs to the order of eternity, and the title, Son of Man, to the order of time.
- Matthew 1:21-23 [KJV/NIV]
- 2 John 1:3 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 3:8 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 7:3 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 1:1-13 [KJV/NIV]
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the Doctrine of Christ to say that Jesus Christ derived the title, Son of God, solely from the fact of the incarnation, or because of His relation to the economy of redemption. Therefore, to deny that the Father is a real and eternal Father, and that the Son is a real and eternal Son, is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the Being of God; a denial of the Father, and the Son; and a displacement of the truth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
- 2 John 9 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:1 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:2 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:14 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:18 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:29 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:49 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 2:22,23 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 4:1-5 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 12:2 [KJV/NIV]
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; angels and principalities and powers having been made subject unto Him. And having been made both Lord and Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until the end, when the Son shall become subject to the Father that God may be all in all.
- Hebrews 1:3 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Peter 3:22 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 2:32-36 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 14:11 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 [KJV/NIV]
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgment unto the Son, it is not only the express duty of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but it is an unspeakable joy in the Holy Spirit to ascribe unto the Son all the attributes of Deity, and to give Him all honor and the glory contained in all the names and titles of the Godhead except those which express relationship (see Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead, Unity of the One Being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit , and Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead) and thus honor the Son even as we honor the Father.
- John 5:22,23 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Peter 1:8 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 5:6-14 [KJV/NIV]
- Philippians 2:8,9 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 7:9-10 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 4:8-11 [KJV/NIV]
03. DIETY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare:
His virgin birth
His sinless life
His miracles
His substitutionary work on the cross
His bodily resurrection from the dead
His exaltation to the right hand of God
His virgin birth
- Matthew 1:23 [KJV/NIV]
- Luke 1:31 [KJV/NIV]
- Luke 1:35 [KJV/NIV]
His sinless life
- Hebrews 7:26 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Peter 2:22 [KJV/NIV]
His miracles
- Acts 2:22 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 10:38 [KJV/NIV]
His substitutionary work on the cross
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 [KJV/NIV]
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 [KJV/NIV]
His bodily resurrection from the dead
- Matthew 28:6 [KJV/NIV]
- Luke 24:39 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 15:4 [KJV/NIV]
His exaltation to the right hand of God
- Acts 1:9 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 1:11 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 2:33 [KJV/NIV]
- Philippians 2:9-11 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 1:3 [KJV/NIV]
Title Goes Here
This is where the description goes.
- The Bible is inspired by God and is "the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct."
- There is only one true God who exists as a Trinity.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, as the second person of the Trinity, is God.
- Man was created good and upright. However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
- Salvation "is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ."
- There are two ordinances. Believer's baptism by immersion is a declaration to the world that the believer has died and been raised together with Christ, becoming a new creation. The Lord's Supper is a symbol expressing the believer's sharing in the divine nature of Christ, a memorial of Christ's suffering and death, and a prophecy of Christ's second coming.
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience following conversion. Spirit baptism brings empowerment to live an overcoming Christian life and to be an effective witness.
- Speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
- Sanctification is "an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God". It occurs when the believer identifes with, and has faith in, Christ in his death and resurrection. It is understood to be a process in that it requires continual yielding to the Holy Spirit.
- The Church's mission is to seek and save all who are lost in sin; the Church is the Body of Christ and consists of all people who accept Christ, regardless of Christian denomination.
- Divinely called and scripturally-ordained ministers serve the Church.
- Divine healing of the sick is provided for in the atonement.
- The "imminent and blessed hope" of the Church is its rapture preceding the bodily return of Christ to earth.
- The rapture of the Church will be followed by the visiblereturn of Christ and his reign on earth for a thousand years.
- There will be a final judgment and eternal damnation for the "wicked dead."
- There will be future new heavens and a new earth "wherein dwells righteousness."
- The Bible is inspired by God and is "the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct."
- There is only one true God who exists as a Trinity.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, as the second person of the Trinity, is God.
- Man was created good and upright. However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
- Salvation "is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ."
- There are two ordinances. Believer's baptism by immersion is a declaration to the world that the believer has died and been raised together with Christ, becoming a new creation. The Lord's Supper is a symbol expressing the believer's sharing in the divine nature of Christ, a memorial of Christ's suffering and death, and a prophecy of Christ's second coming.
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience following conversion. Spirit baptism brings empowerment to live an overcoming Christian life and to be an effective witness.
- Speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
- Sanctification is "an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God". It occurs when the believer identifes with, and has faith in, Christ in his death and resurrection. It is understood to be a process in that it requires continual yielding to the Holy Spirit.
- The Church's mission is to seek and save all who are lost in sin; the Church is the Body of Christ and consists of all people who accept Christ, regardless of Christian denomination.
- Divinely called and scripturally-ordained ministers serve the Church.
- Divine healing of the sick is provided for in the atonement.
- The "imminent and blessed hope" of the Church is its rapture preceding the bodily return of Christ to earth.
- The rapture of the Church will be followed by the visiblereturn of Christ and his reign on earth for a thousand years.
- There will be a final judgment and eternal damnation for the "wicked dead."
- There will be future new heavens and a new earth "wherein dwells righteousness."