The Bible is God’s word to us. It is written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living,and it is the unerring, unchanging, undeniable Word of God.
Scripture references: II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160; Proverbs 30:5
“And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay
purified seven times.” Psalm 12:6
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Scripture references: Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelations 4:11
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His direction daily.
Scripture references: IICorinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8 ; Galatians 5:24,25; Ephesians 1:13,14
“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
I Corinthians 2:12-13
People were created to exist forever in spirit. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through His forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelations 20:15; Matthew 25:44,46; II Corinthians 5:1
“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 2:25 & 5:11-13
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Scripture references: Genesis 1:1,26,27; Genesis 3:22; Psalms 90;2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14
“Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Psalms 90:2
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Scripture references:Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John1:1-5; John 14:10-10; Hebrews 4:14,15; ICorinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; ITimothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into
heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
Scripture references: II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; I Peter 1:3-5
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it.
We can never make up for our sin by our good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his/her life by faith.
Scripture References: Romans 5:1;6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 1:12;14:6; Galatians 3:26
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the … through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that,… we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7