Growing to understand the Essentials

There are essentials God wants all disciples to achieve understanding of. These essentials have nothing to do with methods, but understanding God and how we respond to Him. Of course, knowing God is limited to Biblical revelation, how He points us to recognize His power in creation, and in a limited sense personal experience. Personal experience includes having peace, developing the attitudes and character described in the Bible, and recognizing God’s direction to worship and serve Him.

The following statement is a good place to start studying. Each paragraph statement and the Scriptures which follow should be studied.

The Essentials

The Fundamental Doctrines

We believe the Bible in its original documents to be the inspired, inerrant and authoritative Word of God. We desire to understand the Bible by faithful and prayerful study of it. (2 Peter 1:20–21; 2 Timothy 3:14–17; 2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 16:25–34; 2 Thessalonians 2:10).

We accept the Bible’s claims that God exists, that He is holy and just, that He created all things, is sovereign over all things, and will judge all people. In addition, we believe God exists in three persons identified primarily as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 11:3 & 6; 1 Peter 1:14–17; Matthew 28:19).

We accept the Bible’s claims that Jesus of Nazareth is God incarnate, the Christ and the Son of the Living God. He lived a sinless life of service to God. Jesus became the sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all people. Thus, He died upon the cross, was buried and raised to life on the third day to atone for the sin of mankind. (Matthew 1:18–25; 1 Corinthians 15: 3–4; Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 2:21–25).

We believe the Bible’s claims that the Holy Spirit is Divine. He was present in the beginning. The Scripture revealed to mankind originates from Him. The Spirit works to draw people to Christ. He is the indwelling endorsement of God of our salvation and our powerful assistant to accomplish God’s will. (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 13:14; Hebrews 9:14; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Samuel 23:2; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Romans 8:26-27; John 15:26-27; 16:7-11; Galatians 5:22-23)

We wait for the final coming of Jesus to raise the dead and present the Church before God holy and blameless. (1 Corinthians 15:20-58; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We believe that every Christian is to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, follow the Biblical mandate of servanthood, and worship and serve in loving unity with the Lord’s church. (John 13:34-35: John 14:15; John 14:23-24; John 15:10; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 5:29; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 John 2:3-6; 5:3; Matthew 16:18; 1 Timothy 3:15).

We accept and obey the commission given of Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew 28:18–20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’”.

THE ESSENTIALS continued:

Salvation is received and servanthood continues as:

1) We accept that we all have sinned and need forgiveness from God to be at peace with Him, entering His blessing. (Romans 3:23; 5:1–2).

2) We believe the message about Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Thus, we accept the Gospel message about entrance into God’s Kingdom through Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross. Only through that sacrifice can one be pronounced forgiven and come under the saving grace of God. (Romans 5:6–10; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:27–28).

3) We confess by word and deed that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, who has given His life for us, has been raised to be Lord, and will return to take and present those who have believed in Him before God holy and blameless. Confessing Jesus is a lifetime activity. (Matthew 16:16; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:21–22; Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:8-10).

4) We are to respond to God’s message of salvation in full faith by turning (repenting) to Jesus as the Christ and submitting to His Lordship. (Luke 24:46–47; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 3:19; Acts 20:21; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Peter 3:9).

5) We believe we are to “Call upon His name” in request of the salvation God offers through His Son. The Bible is clear that we call upon the name of the Lord at the time of our immersion into Christ. (Matthew 16:16; Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21-22).

6) We submit to the Biblical command that all repentant believers be baptized (immersion in water), into the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), to receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the Scripturally revealed point when God accepts the repentant person’s faith and justifies them. (John 3:5; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15–16; Acts 2:36–41; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1–7; Galatians 3:26–29; Colossians 2:11–12; Titus 3:5–7; 1 Peter 3:21).

7) We commit to lifetime faithfulness to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:6–10; Colossians 3:15–17; Hebrews 10:19–39; James 2:14-26; 1 John 2:3-6).