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God’s Unity
God's Unity means that there is one God who has existed forever and will continue to exist, and He is the only true God and Creator of the universe. (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-11, and John 17:3).
The Trinity
The Tri-unity of God refers to the belief that there is one God who exists in three distinct Persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all referred to as God in the Bible. Although they are one substance, they exist in a relationship as three distinct Persons. Over 60 passages in the Bible mention the three Persons together, including Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, and 2nd Corinthians 13:14. Although the word Trinity is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the concept is taught. Similarly, other concepts such as atheism, divinity, incarnation, monotheism, and rapture are not named but are taught in the Bible. For example, Psalm 14:1 teaches about atheism, Psalm 139 speaks of God's divinity, John 1:1-14 teaches about the incarnation, and Isaiah 43:10 teaches about monotheism. Additionally, 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18 teaches about the rapture.
Human Depravity
Love is not love if it is programmed or forced. As John Lennox puts it, quote, “God took a risk when He made humans. Instead of making us robots, He gave us the ability to choose and love Him,” end quote. The first human, Adam, used his free will to choose sin. Human depravity means that, because of Adam, every human is spiritually separated from God and is totally incapable of saving ourselves. When Adam sinned, he died spiritually, and his relationship with God was severed. Additionally, all of Adam's descendants, humans, are "dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1). Without a new birth (being born again), no one can enter life. (John 3:3). We are sinful and cannot please God by our own good works alone. We can never be "good enough." When we try to deal with the problem of spiritual separation and death on our own terms, we will fail. The ultimate result of human depravity is experiencing God's coming wrath and eternal punishment to mankind because of sin. (John 3:36, John 5:24, Romans 3:26).
Christ’s Virgin Birth
Jesus was conceived supernaturally in Mary's womb. (Isaiah 7:14). Our sin is not just our actions; it is inherent in our nature, passed down from our ancestors. (Psalm 51:5, 1 Corinthians 15:22, and Romans 5:12-15). Unlike us, Jesus did not inherit this sin nature due to God's intervention in His birth. Consequently, Jesus was sinless and never even inclined to sin, remaining perfect. His virgin birth, as described in Matthew 1:18-23, was a divine intervention to break the chain of sin.
Christ Sinlessness
God is holy, and due to our sin, we are unable to have a direct relationship with Him. Jesus, being sinless, intercedes on our behalf and offers us salvation before God, as stated in 2nd Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, and 1st Peter 2:22.
Christ’s Deity
The only way for humans to be restored spiritually to God is for there to be a bridge across the gap of separation. So God sent His Son Jesus to the world, as stated in John 3:16, who retained His full God nature, becoming a perfect man as the Messiah in order to bridge the chasm. If Jesus is not both God and man, He cannot mediate between God and man. (1st Timothy 2:5). Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Trinity, is not just a good teacher or a righteous man as taught. (John 1:1-14, Colossians 2:9, and Hebrews 1:8). Jesus’ audience, in John 10:33, clearly understood His claim to be God.
Christ’s Humanity
Jesus, also being fully human, slept (Matthew 8:24), He wept (John 11:35), and He got hungry (Mark 11:12). Without being fully human, Jesus could not pay the price for human sin. He needed to be God to have the power to save us, and He needed to be human to adequately represent us. Christ had to be both God and human. 1st John 4:2-3 makes it clear that acknowledging Jesus as the Christ Incarnate, God in the flesh, is essential to the Christian faith.
Necessity of God’s Grace.
Without God's grace, establishing a relationship with Him is impossible. Salvation is solely God's ability to rescue us. (Titus 3:5-7, Romans 9:16).
Necessity of Faith
Faith involves relying on God to accomplish what we cannot do on our own. Salvation cannot be earned through good deeds, as no amount of work can repay the debt owed to God. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). However, if we openly confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead, Romans 10:9-10, we will be saved and back in union with God. It is faith in Jesus Christ, not good deeds, that establishes our connection with God. Because Jesus took on our punishment on the cross, when we believe in Him for salvation, we are not judged based on what we deserve but based on God's undeserved favor.
Christ’s Atoning Death
The penalty we owe to God was paid by Christ through His death on the cross. The acceptable payment had to be perfect, complete, and without fault. Christ, the perfect man, gave Himself in our place, so that whoever believes in Him will not die (physically and spiritually) but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, John 14:6, Mark 10:45, 1st Peter 2:24, 1st Peter 3:18).
Christ’s Bodily Resurrection
The sacrificial death of Christ served to atone for our sins, yet the fulfillment of this act required His victory over death through a physical resurrection in the same body. (John 2:19-21). Indeed, God raised Jesus' body from the grave. (Luke 24:39, Romans 4:25, Romans 10:9). As Christ triumphed over death and exemplified a new, glorified physical form, all individuals will experience resurrection and eternal existence in either heaven or hell. (1st Thessalonians 4:12-18, Revelation 20:12-13).
Christ’s Bodily Ascension
Christ died for our sins and was physically resurrected for our salvation. Then forty days later, He was taken up (“ascended”) to heaven. (Luke 24:50-51, John 16:7, Acts 1:9-11). Because Christ has ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit now helps us, guides us, convicts us of wrong. (John 14:16-19, John 16:8, John 16:13).
Christ’s Intercessions
Christ’s bodily ascension allowed Him to serve as our mediator (or high priest) before God. In God's presence, Christ prays continually on our behalf. Like a lawyer defends someone before a judge, so Jesus defends us before the bar of God's law and against the accusations of Satan. (Revelation 12:10). Christ represents our best interests before God, giving us assurance that our prayers are heard by God. (Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:25, 1st John 2:1).
Eschatology
Just as Christ left the world physically, so He will return in the same manner. His second coming is the hope of the world. When He returns, dead believers will receive their resurrected bodies. Believers that are alive when He returns will not die, but will be transformed into immortal, physical bodies. Christ’s bodily return to earth will be visible to all, and believers will rule with Him in His kingdom and live with Him forever. Those who do not believe will be separated from God forever. Jesus is coming again soon, and we should be ready. (Matthew 24:30, Revelation 22:12, Colossians 3:3 through 4, Luke 12:40).
Inspiration of Scripture
For us to have a sure foundation for what we believe, God revealed His Word (the Bible) as the basis of our beliefs. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2nd Peter 1:20–21). God cannot err and neither can His Word (Hebrews 6:18, John 17:17). Without a divinely authoritative revelation from God, such as we have in the Scriptures, we could never be sure of the doctrines that are necessary for salvation.
Method of Interpretation
The essential Christian doctrines are derived from the Bible by the literal method of interpretation – that is, Scripture is true, just as the author, God, meant it. By applying the historical-grammatical method of interpretation to Scripture, one can know which truths are essential for salvation.