God's Covenant with You
Know God's Word
Know the importance of God’s word being correctly read, interpreted and taught. Why is the church in so much trouble today? Is it because too many teachers are teaching God’s word from inspiration instead of perspiration?
God’s word is deep and complex yet carries a simple message. Be careful who you allow to influence you with God’s word. Those who teach God’s word should have their lives represent or mirror what is taught in God’s word.
It is important for you to know God’s word. This way, you can spot a counterfeit when it looms on the horizon. When ever possible, let scripture interpret scripture.
What are the essentials of Christian Doctrine?
Should we die on the sword over them?
Where do secondary issues fit into the teaching of God’s word?
How should we as Christians handle secondary issues with one another?
"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity."
There must be unity around the essentials, since essential Christian doctrine forms the line of demarcation between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the cults.
What Are The Essentials?
The Essentials of Christianity
Essential Christianity. We hear a lot of discussion about essentials and non-essentials, but what are the essentials of Christianity?
When we talk about the essentials of Christianity we're referring to the basic elements that make up and characterize our faith, and which, of course, separate it from other beliefs.
Let's survey these doctrines.
First, we believe in the Authority of Scripture, which is another way of saying that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. It's the ultimate source for knowledge about God, as well as the definitive guide for our daily lives.
Next we Affirm the existence of a Triune God or one God in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This God is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving. God created the universe from nothing and He rules over His creation sovereignly including both human and angelic beings.
We also hold that Man is a physical and spiritual being who is created in God's image. But because of his sin or transgression, man has lost his fellowship with God. The extent of sin is so great that its effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, suffering, and death.
By God's grace, Jesus Christ - Who is fully God and fully man - was sent to save us from our bondage to sin. We believe that Christ was born of a virgin, died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people. Faith in Christ is the only means by which mankind can escape eternal damnation and judgment.
Finally, we recognize the church as God's ordained institution headed by Christ. The church is composed of all believers, and is organized for worship, for fellowship, for the administration of the sacraments, for spiritual growth and support, and for evangelizing the world.