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Showing posts from June, 2019

Brief Reflections on Our Statement of Faith: #6 Man

Article 6. – Man. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God. We believe that because of this, each human life is of immeasurable value and worth. We also believe that in Adam’s sin the race fell, became alienated from God, and became subject to the power of the devil. As a result of this, every human being inherits a sinful nature, and is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:53; Romans 3:10-19; 5:12; 8:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:6). --------- The idea that man has been made in the image of God is one that is foundational to a Scriptural understanding of humanity. And yet few things can be more confusing to someone trying to understand wht the Bible teaches. What is the image of God? Is it our ability to think or to love? Perhaps it's that we have a soul? Or maybe somehow we actually look like God? Christians have at different times connected the idea of God

Brief Reflections on Our Statement of Faith: #5 Angels

Article 5. – Angels. We believe that God created a company of sinless, spiritual beings, known as angels. These angels are involved in various ministries. (Genesis 3:22-24; Daniel 12:1; Isaiah 6:1-3; Matthew 4:11; 18:10; 26:53; 28:2,6; Luke 15:10; 16:22; Acts 8:26; 1 Corinthians 4:9; 1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14; Jude 9). We believe that “Lucifer, son of the morning,” the highest created angel, sinned through pride, thus becoming Satan; that a great number of angels rebelled against God with him in his moral fall, thereby becoming demons. Some demons are active as Satan’s agents and associated with him in the execution of his unholy purposes, while others are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; 1 Timothy 3:6; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). Angels and demons are the topic of much of a lot of discussion. It is one of those areas of discussion which seems very prone to extremes, where some people are ove

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #4 The Holy Spirit

Article 4. – The Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost. He dwells in every believer, and by His baptism unites all believers into the body of Christ. As the Indwelling One, He is the source of power for all acceptable service and worship (John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:7). We believe that the Holy Spirit is involved in various ministries. He restrains evil; convicts the world; regenerates, indwells, and anoints all who are saved, sealing believers unto the day of redemption. We also believe that the Holy Spirit will teach, guide, and enable those believers who are yielded to Him and walking in obedience to the Word (John 3:6; 16:7-16; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:20-27). We believe that divine enabling gifts for service are bestowe

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #3 The Lord Jesus Christ

Article 3. – The Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the eternal Son of God became incarnate through the virgin birth, and received a human body and a sinless human nature. He became and remained a perfect man, and yet He retained His absolute deity, and is at the same time very God and very man (Luke 1:30-35; 2:40; John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:15). We believe that in fulfillment of prophecy He came first to Israel as her Messiah-King, and that being rejected of that nation, He, according to the eternal counsels of God, gave His life as a ransom for many. Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place, for our sins, as our substitute (John 1:11, 29; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 3:23-26; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 21; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 10:5-14; 1 Peter 3:18). We believe that Jesus Christ literally arose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died. The resurrected Christ walked and talked with men and women. His resurrection confirmed the truth

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #2 The Godhead

Article 2. – The Godhead. We believe there is one God, existing eternally in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three persons are coequal in nature, attributes and in every perfection (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 110:1-4; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:18-20; John 1:1-18; 6:37; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6; Hebrews 1:8). In our very brief statement on the Godhead, we are seeking in very brief terms to describe the classic Christian doctrine of the Trinity. To state it another way, God is three persons Each Person is truly God There is one God This three-in-one and one-in-three understanding of God's being is unique to Christianity. We don't believe in multiple gods, unlike, for example, Mormons or Hindus. But neither do we believe God to be a singular person, as Jews or Muslims do.  There are a number of reasons this is significant, but I will touch on one. in 1 John 4:8 we read that, "God is love.&quo

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #1 The Bible

Article 1. – The Bible. We believe that the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the breathed out word of God. We believe that this word is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice, inerrant in the original writings, and designed to transform our lives by showing us Christ. We believe the words of the Bible should be interpreted in their normal, natural, and usual sense (Matthew 5:17; John 10:35; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:21; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:16). Why do we begin with the Bible? Wouldn't it make sense to start somewhere else? Not for believers in the God who reveals himself in the Bible. As theologian Michael Horton has put it, "Theology [the study of God] can only exist as a legitimate enterprise when it begins with Gods self-revelation." So we begin with the Bible because it is only through the Bible that God speaks authoritatively to reveal himself to us. In Gen