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Doctrinal Statement
February 17a, 2015
Copyright © 1999, 2000, Ronald W. Leigh
A. The Uniqueness of Biblical Christianity B. The Bible C. God D. Jesus Christ E. The Holy Spirit F. Angels, Satan, and Demons G. Man and Sin H. Salvation I. Christian Living J. The Local Church Endnote ——————————————————— |
A. The Uniqueness of Biblical Christianity
I affirm that biblical Christianity is unique, the only true religion. Its God is the only true God and its teachings invalidate all contrary teachings.
1. Biblical Christianity is that system of Christianity which is based solely on the Word of God, the Bible, and is thereby differentiated from all branches of organized religion.
2. Truth can be distinguished from error (the "law of non-contradiction" is valid). In addition, upon examination of all relevant evidence functional certainty is possible.
3. Biblical Christianity is unique among religions, belief systems, world views, and philosophies. The God of the Bible is the only true God, and the plan of salvation taught in the Bible is the only way to God. God has revealed himself, including his actions and purposes, and has thus established both factual truth, all contrary notions being false and rejected, and moral right, all contrary notions being wrong and repugnant. [1 Cor 8:4-6; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 4:1-6; 5:20]
B. The Bible
I affirm that the Bible is God’s inspired anthology, is completely reliable, and is to be believed and obeyed. Its books should be interpreted according to the normal rules of interpretation with the aid of the Holy Spirit.
1. While God’s existence, eternal power, and divine nature can be understood from creation, detailed information about God and his intent for man can be known only because of God’s special revelation in Jesus Christ and the Bible. [Romans 1:20; John 1:18]
2. The Bible, or “Scripture,” consists of the thirty-nine Old Testament and twenty-seven New Testament books historically recognized as the Protestant canon, and these alone.
3. Rather than merely subjectively becoming the Word of God to a person as he supposedly encounters God thru it, the Bible is objectively the Word of God. [Luke 8:11-15 and Acts 13:5-8; 44-48 (the seed and Paul’s proclamations are referred to as the “word of God” regardless of the hearer's response. Compare Ezekiel 3:11); 1 Thessalonians 2:13]
4. The Bible is not merely a record of the development of certain men’s religious thought. Nor is it merely cleverly invented stories, nor merely the result of human insight. Rather, the Bible was inspired by God and written by divinely guided human authors. [2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16, 20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13]
5. The Bible is accurate in what it records, true in what it affirms. It was completely without contradiction or error of any kind in the original manuscripts, the Old Testament's reliability being explicitly affirmed by Jesus Christ. The whole Bible has been preserved to the present day to such an extent that it is completely trustworthy in what it teaches. [Matthew 5:18; John 10:35b]
6. The Bible is God’s complete written revelation of himself and his plan for man’s salvation and is thus the final authority for Christian faith and conduct. Each individual should read, meditate upon, believe, and apply it in everyday life. The Bible’s authority is higher than the authority of any church or institution. No individual should be dependent on a church or institution for his interpretation of the Bible. [2 Timothy 3:15-17; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 119:9-11; James 1:22-25]
7. Each book of the Bible, being written in human language and being human literature, should be interpreted in the same fashion as other human literature as far as its literary and grammatical form is concerned, beginning with the recognition that propositional language can and does communicate truth, and that each passage has a single objective meaning. Thus, (1) the passage’s literary genre must be recognized, (2) its grammatical structure must be examined, (3) proper place must be given to literal, figurative, and idiomatic expressions, (4) the passage’s context must be studied, (5) the passage’s historical-cultural background must be taken into account, and (6) parallel passages must be integrated.
8. Because of ignorance and pride, man needs divine assistance in understanding and accepting the teachings of the Bible. [Luke 24:45; Acts 16:14; 1 Corinthians 2:14-15]
9. Bible study, while involving meditation (conscious, cognitive, meaningful reflection upon a biblical passage), has no place for any so-called “higher,” mystical knowledge which is supposedly above cognition and language. The believer is not to look for new revelation from God while in a trance, nor from mediums or spiritists, but is to carefully and prayerfully study what God has already said in Scripture. [Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; Leviticus 20:6; Isaiah 8:19-20]
C. God
I affirm that God exists eternally as three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, having one essence. God is the creator of all things including man, but not including evil. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, just, and loving.
1. God is not merely a force, nor the laws of the universe, nor the prime mover, nor divine principle, nor absolute mind, nor highest ideal, nor the sum of all being and existence, nor the ultimate dialectic, nor any other unenlightened philosophic construct. Rather, God is spirit and God is personal. He exists objectively, not merely subjectively in human thought, and thus he is called “I am.” He alone is God, eternal and unchanging. [John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Exodus 3:13-14; 1 Timothy 2:5; Deuteronomy 4:35,39; 6:4; James 1:17b]
2. God is a trinity, that is, one God consisting of three, and only three, individual persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person, apart from the other two, possesses all the essential attributes of deity and is worthy of our worship and allegiance. There are no others that possess all the essential attributes of deity. Their unity is found in the fact that they all share the same nature and purpose. Their individuality is found in the fact that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. [Matthew 3:16-17; John 16:5-7; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Peter 1:2; Isaiah 44:6-20]
3. God created every real entity and person, material and nonmaterial, including the physical universe, angels, and man. God exists separately from creation. [Genesis 1:1 - 2:3; 2:7; Psalm 148:1-6; Isaiah 42:5; John 1:3; Col 1:16]
4. God did not create good or evil. [See Endnote]
5. God knows all things past, present, and future, including men’s thoughts. His prior knowledge of an individual's thoughts and decisions is noncausative and thus does not lessen the individual's freedom or responsibility. [Psalm 139:1-4; 147:5; Matthew 10:30; Isaiah 41:22-23; 1 Kings 8:39; Mark 2:6-8; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Chronicles 28:9]
6. God is free and autonomous, the supreme sovereign. His power is unlimited. God alone is to be worshiped and addressed in prayer. [1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Mark 4:39; 5:12; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:13-14 (compare Matthew 4:10)]
7. God is holy, that is, all of his decisions and actions are good and right. God is just, that is, all of his dealings with others are characterized by fairness and equity. God is loving, that is, his intent is always for others’ benefit. [Isaiah 6:3; Jeremiah 9:24; 1 Peter 1:15; Deuteronomy 32:4; Nehemiah 9:33; John 3:16; 1 John 4:16]
8. God the Father draws people to Jesus Christ, and this drawing is necessary for anyone to come to Christ. [John 6:44]
D. Jesus Christ
I affirm that Jesus Christ is both God and man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and will return to earth for his own.
1. Jesus Christ is fully God – the second person of the trinity, the one and only Son of the Father. He is not a created being, but existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the creation of all things, and took part in that creation. [John 1:1-3; 3:16; 10:30-33; 20:30-31; Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-8]
2. Jesus Christ is fully human and possesses a physical body. He became a man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. [John 1:14; Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-8; Matthew 1:18-23]
3. Jesus Christ is not merely a fable, myth, or legend, but lived on earth as an actual historical person whose life and death are recorded by both allies and adversaries. His ministry and death occurred during the rule of Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome. [All four Gospels, especially Luke 3:1-3, 21-23; 1 John 1:1-2; 4:2-3; 2 John 7; In addition, secular references to Christ found in Tacitus, Annales, xv.44; Suetonius, Vita Claudii, xxv.4; Pliny (the Younger), Epp. X (ad Traj.), xcvi; and others]
4. Jesus Christ did many genuine healings and other miracles during his earthly ministry. [Matthew 9:35; Mark 6:56; Luke 7:21-22; John 2:11; 20:30-31]
5. Jesus Christ was tempted as we are, yet never sinned. [Matthew 4:1-11; Acts 3:14; Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5]
6. The death of Christ was not merely an unconscious state or a self-imposed hypnotic state, but a real physical death and burial. [Matthew 27:50, 57-66; Mark 15:37, 43-46; Luke 23:46,50-56; John 19:30-34, 38-42]
7. Jesus Christ died for our sins. His death was more than just an example or the death of a martyr. His death was substitutionary, and as such was a spiritual death in the sense that he died in our place, carrying our sins and bearing the punishment of separation from the Father for those sins. Jesus Christ provides the only way of salvation. His death is his "finished work" – the single sacrifice which alone is sufficient payment of the penalty for all sin for all time. [1 Peter 2:24; 3:18a; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 27:46; Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 2:2; Heb 10:1-18]
8. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave, then appeared to many verifying that he was alive, then ascended to heaven to the right hand of the Father where he intercedes for us. [Matthew 28:6; Acts 1:2-3, 9; 7:56; 10:38-41; 13:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Romans 1:4; 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 7:25]
9. Jesus Christ enlightens all men and draws all men to himself. [John 1:9; 3:19; 12:32]
10. Jesus Christ will return visibly from heaven to earth, bringing those who have died in Christ with him and gathering living believers, so that all believers will be with him forever. [John 14:2-3; Matthew 24:30-31; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 9:28]
E. The Holy Spirit
I affirm that the Holy Spirit is God. He convicts the world of sin, regenerates and secures those who trust in Jesus Christ as savior, and guides and empowers believers in their daily lives.
1. The Holy Spirit is fully God – the third person of the trinity. [Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4]
2. When Jesus Christ returned to heaven, he and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to believers to teach and guide them, thus glorifying Christ. [John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15]
3. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. [John 16:7-11]
4. The Holy Spirit regenerates those who receive Christ, baptizing them into the universal church known as the body of Christ, indwelling them at the time of salvation, and thereby sealing them as a guarantee of their eternal salvation. [John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30]
5. The Holy Spirit guides and empowers believers, intercedes for them, and gives them individualized service gifts enabling them for various ministries. [Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:18; 4:11-12; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Romans 12:3-8]
F. Angels, Satan, and Demons
I affirm that angels are personal beings, created by God, serving God and ministering to man. Satan and demons are also personal beings, enemies of God and intent on human ruin.
1. Angels were created by God as personal spirit beings, higher than man, able to appear in visible form. They are not the souls of departed human beings. Angels are spirits who serve God and minister to believers. [Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:5-9; John 20:12]
2. Satan (also known as the serpent, the tempter, and the devil) is a personal spirit being. He fell from heaven and became the archenemy of God and leader of all evil spirits, whose aim is the destruction of man. He is a liar and deceiver, presenting himself as an angel of light. He tempted Adam and Eve, Jesus, and tempts believers. He is destined for eternal fire. [Luke 10:18; Genesis 3:1-4; Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:11-16; 1 Peter 5:8 (compare Job 1:7); Matthew 13:25, 37-39; 1 John 3:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; Matthew 25:41]
3. Demons, also known as evil (unclean) spirits and the devil's angels, are personal spirit beings sharing the same goals, means, and end as Satan. [Matthew 10:1 (compare v. 8); Mark 5:2-13; Matthew 25:41]
G. Man and Sin
I affirm that Adam and Eve were created by God in God’s image. They fell into sin, and all men have inherited a sin nature from these first parents. All men sin personally resulting in condemnation by God, separation from God, and the danger of eternal hell.
1. God created Adam and Eve, the parents of all human beings regardless of race, not according to or from any animal kind, but in God’s own image, which includes a soul or spirit distinct from the body and freedom of choice. Each human being is an individual person separate and distinct from all other persons and from the rest of creation. Men are not God, nor part of God, nor do they become gods. Adam and Eve were actual historical persons whose line of descendants is on record. [Genesis 1:26-28; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Isaiah 47:8-10 (compare Exodus 3:14); Ezekiel 18:20; Genesis chapters 5 & 10;]
2. Adam and Eve, although God had pronounced them “very good,” were tempted by Satan and fell into sin by disobeying God. God’s punishment of them included both physical death and spiritual death, that is, separation or alienation from God. [Genesis 1:31; 3:1-19, 23; 5:5; Habakkuk 1:13a; Isaiah 59:2]
3. All human beings, as descendants of Adam and Eve, have inherited a sin nature, leading to universal sin. All have sinned, whether in thought or action, whether by omission or commission. Sin is more than just a mistake or lack of education; it is conscious disobedience to God. Because of creation's witness, Christ’s enlightening and drawing, and the Holy Spirit's conviction, all men are without excuse and are thus personally guilty. [Romans 3:10-12; 5:12, 18a; Psalm 14:2-3; 1 John 1:8,10; Exodus 20:17; Genesis 6:5; 1 Kings 8:46; Matthew 5:27-28; James 4:17; John 1:9; 12:32; 16:7-11; Romans 1:18-20]
4. Sin results in separation or alienation from God, which is spiritual death. [Romans 6:16.23; Ephesians 2:12; 4:18; Colossians 1:21; Habakkuk 1:13a; Isaiah 59:2]
5. After death all men face, not annihilation nor reincarnation, but judgment. Apart from divine intervention, all men would remain alienated from God, under God’s wrath and condemnation, and destined for eternal agony separated from God in hell. [Hebrews 9:27; Ephesians 2:3b; John 3:18, 36; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9]
H. Salvation
I affirm that everyone who admits his own sin, repents, and receives Jesus Christ as savior is immediately forgiven and granted eternal life. He is saved, not because of any personal status or good deeds, but because of God’s love, mercy, and grace, and because of his faith in Jesus Christ.
1. Any man, woman, or child who recognizes that he is lost due to his own sin, who believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins, and who repents (turns from his sin) and has faith (trust) in Christ as savior, is immediately saved, that is, he is forgiven of his past sins and receives eternal life. Every man, woman, or child who does not, remains lost and under God’s wrath. [John 1:12; 3:16-18, 36; 1 John 2:2; Acts 13:38; 16:31; 20:21; 2 Peter 1:9]
2. When a person receives Christ as his savior, he is justified by God and regenerated by the Holy Spirit and thus becomes a permanent child of God and a member of the universal church of Jesus Christ. His position as a lost and condemned sinner is immediately changed to the position of a saved citizen of heaven. [Acts 13:39; Romans 5:9; John 5:24; Ephesians 2:1-9, 19; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Philippians 3:20]
3. This salvation is a free gift for those who turn from their sin and receive Christ as savior, made possible only because of God’ love, mercy, and grace in providing a way of salvation and drawing men to Christ. Man cannot redeem himself. Salvation is based not on any human position or merit, nor on any supposed good works or commitment to good works, nor on an attempt to turn over a new leaf, nor on any other form of self improvement, nor on any ritual or sacrament, but solely on faith in Christ. [John 1:12-13; 6:44,65; Acts 15:1-11; Titus 3:7; Romans 3:24; 5:15-17; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9]
4. Genuine repentance is necessary for salvation. In order to be saved, an individual must deal with the fact that he is a sinner. Salvation is not merely asking God to help you along your so-called spiritual journey.
5. Faith, rather than being contrary to knowledge, is based upon knowledge (hence the importance of special revelation and enlightenment). Faith is not something a person tries to exercise in spite of his uncertainty.
6. Any so-called “faith” which does not have Christ as its object (including faith in self, others, institutions, or even faith in faith) is useless. Only faith in Christ and his substitutionary death results in salvation. Jesus is the only savior. [John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5]
7. The saved are eternally secure. [Romans 8:28-39; John 10:28-29; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 11:32; 1 Peter 1:3-5]
8. The saved can have assurance of their salvation. [1 John 2:3; 5:11-13]
9. Upon death, the saved are immediately at home with the Lord. [2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Philippians 1:23]
10. When Christ returns, those already dead in Christ will be brought with him and their bodies will be raised imperishable, and those believers who are still alive will also go to be with Christ and become immortal. [1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54]
I. Christian Living
I affirm that each Christian’s life should be characterized by loyalty and obedience to Christ, spiritual growth, and sharing the faith with others.
1. The Christian’s daily life should display biblical virtues so as to honor the Lord by word and deed, including such things as humility and thankfulness, unselfishness and love, honesty, prayer, sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, good works, and service to others. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; Phil 1:27; 2:3-4; 4:4-8; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 2:10; 4:29-30; 5:8-11, 15-20]
2. The Christian should strive, with the Lord's help, to live a holy life. When he sins, he should confess those sins to the Lord and forsake them. The Lord is faithful in forgiving confessed sins. [1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:3-5; Proverbs 28:13]
3. The Christian should grow in biblical wisdom and maturity through Bible study and Christian fellowship. [2 Timothy 3:16-17; Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:11-13; Hebrews 10:24-25]
4. The Christian, by his life and words, should explain the gospel (the message of Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection) to others and defend the faith. [Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 3:15]
J. The Local Church
I affirm that the local church is ideally composed of true believers. Each local church is autonomous, is led by several qualified elders, and meets regularly for instruction and edification. Each local church practices the two ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's supper.
1. The local church is a local community of Christians, called saints, which gathers regularly. The local church is not subject to any external ruling body. Rather, the local church’s highest human authority is the congregation (the adult members). [Opening greetings of Paul’s epistles; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25]
2. The local church is led by a group of men called elders (also referred to as pastors and overseers in the New Testament) who meet biblical qualifications. Elders are chosen by and subject to the congregation. Elders are not to lord it over the congregation as if they were a board of directors, but are to be humble servants of the people. Their focus is on the ministry of the word and on prayer. [Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 5:17]
3. Deacons are servants, male or female, who meet biblical qualifications, chosen by the congregation to accomplish a stated task. [Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13]
4. The principal purposes of the gatherings of the local church are instruction and mutual edification, with the goal of Christ like maturity for each believer. The instruction comes largely from the elders, and the mutual edification occurs as Christians minister to each other as they have been gifted by the Holy Spirit. [Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 4:11-13; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31]
5. The meetings of the local church should be conducted in the language common to most present. Tongues, as described in the New Testament, were human foreign languages, sometimes given miraculously by God. Today, in church gatherings, a tongue (a human language other than the common language) is to be permitted only when it can be interpreted, so that the entire gathering may be edified. Unintelligible utterances are not permitted. [Acts 2:1-15; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 14:1-40]
6. Any miracle observed by the church should bring glory to God, not to the recipient or the agent of the miracle. [Acts 14:8-15]
7. Water baptism is the believer's outward portrayal of his inner identification with Christ, representing his death to sin and new life in Christ. Baptism does not produce salvation. Rather, it is the believer's expression of the fact that he has been saved. Thus, water baptism is for believers only, and never for infants. Baptism is expected of all believers. [Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12; 10:47; 18:8; 19:1-6]
8. The Lord's supper (also called communion or Eucharist) is the believer's regular use of food and drink as symbols of Christ’s body and his substitutionary death. The Lord's supper is not a means of salvation, but serves simply to remind those who are already saved of their savior's substitutionary sacrifice, until he returns. [Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26]
Endnote
[See Section C, Paragraph 4] Questions about the origin of evil are based on a misunderstanding of the nature of evil. It is helpful to make a distinction between two categories: (1) entities, including beings or persons, which have objective existence, and (2) the labels we use to describe both the qualities or states of those entities and changes, processes, and experiences involving those entities. Such things as physical objects and individual spirit beings exist objectively. However, such things as strength, intelligence, truth, beauty, justice, good, evil, and growth are labels or descriptions which we use to characterize what we observe about entities. Things in this second category have only conceptual reality, whereas things in the first category also have objective reality. Since good and evil are characterizations rather than objective entities, they are not subject to being created in the same sense that entities were created. Good and evil are positive and negative characterizations of a person’s actions. Thus evil is a possibility whenever persons, whether divine, angelic, or human, make free choices. Culver comments,
Moral evil originates in a wrong exercise of freedom on the part of a moral being. (Robert Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical, Mentor, 2005, p. 163)