What do you believe?

Filed under Theology, Worship by on January 23, 2012 at 6:19 pm {no comments}

Enduring Elements of Public Worship (part 1)

Thomas Aquinas said we must know:

  1. What to believe (The Apostles’ Creed)
  2. How to live (The Ten Commandments)
  3. What to pray for (The Lord’s Prayer)

These are the core issues of life and they are answered in the Creed (What to believe), the Commandments (How to live) and the Prayer (What to pray for).   Peter Kreeft in Knowing the Truth of God’s Love 1988 p44-47

What to believe?  The answer to that question is longer than we usually have time to explain. In fact, we often don’t know where to begin to give an answer.  For hundreds of years the “Apostles’ Creed” has been a common statement of faith for Christians all over the world.  Forms of it appear as early as A.D. 140 and full versions as early as A.D. 460.  Though not written by the apostles it is based in Scripture. It has become for many of us Christians a concise statement of our own belief – a shorthand way of expressing the fundamentals of our faith. It is also, importantly, short enough to memorize and readily bring to mind.  When recited together we remember we are the new people of God here, all over the world, and throughout the past 20 centuries.  Ephesians 2:19 “you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,  20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”  We do well to commit it to memory and declare to ourselves and each other what we believe.  I commend it to the church as a regular part of worship.

In the next issue we will consider “How to live – The Ten Commandments” and later “What to pray for – The Lord’s Prayer.”

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 8

Filed under Articles, Bible, Theology by on September 15, 2011 at 3:53 am {one comment}

Bible and Theology Audit

Over the next few weeks we will provide questions from an audit originally prepared by the Ligonier Study Center. There will be Old Testament questions, New Testament questions and theology questions.

The purpose of this closed-Bible exam is to give you an idea of the breadth and depth of your knowledge of the Bible; it is NOT a test of your relationship with Jesus. Some of the questions may be challenging to you but our ultimate intention is to encourage you in the pursuit of lifelong Christian education.

Whatever your audit results indicate, consider them positively as a new beginning point from which you can grow in the knowledge and understanding of the faith.

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 8

We began a Bible knowledge audit on July 12. Test your memory (not your salvation) by trying to answer the questions; you can get your results immediately.

This week and next week’s conclusion of the Bible/Theology quiz are questions on “theology”.

 

Based on Romans 8, place the following terms in the sequence in which they appear in the “Order of Salvation”.  Please place in logical sequence, not necessarily a time sequence.  (Some may occur simultaneously in time).  A. Faith B. Election C. Glorification D. Effectual Calling E. Repentance F. Regeneration G. Justification H. Sanctification  





True or False The doctrine of election teaches that God, before the foundation of the world, freely chose particular sinners to be saved by His grace.



True or False While justification is by faith alone, good works must flow from those who claim to be regenerate.



True or False The doctrine of irresistible grace teaches that the Spirit draws sinners to God, even while they are  unwilling to come to Him.



True or False God does not impute righteousness into the life of the believer.



True or False God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom stand in contradiction to each other, and will only be resolved in heaven. 



True or False “Total Depavity” means a person is as wicked as he could possibly be.



True or False The title “Son of Man: has no reference to the person of Jesus Christ.



True or False In Colossians, Paul depicts Jesus as the head of the body, the church.



True or False Sin may be defined as any and every lack of conformity with the moral law of God.



True or False The scriptures teach that God created the world “ex nihilo” – out of nothing.



True or False The person of, Jesus Christ is considered to have a confusion of two natures - human and divine.





 

..

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 7

Filed under Bible, Theology by on September 10, 2011 at 9:53 pm {no comments}

Bible and Theology Audit

Over the next few weeks we will provide questions from an audit originally prepared by the Ligonier Study Center. There will be Old Testament questions, New Testament questions and theology questions.

The purpose of this closed-Bible exam is to give you an idea of the breadth and depth of your knowledge of the Bible; it is NOT a test of your relationship with Jesus.  Some of the questions may be challenging to you but our ultimate intention is to encourage you in the pursuit of lifelong Christian education.

Whatever your audit results indicate, consider them positively as a new beginning point from which you can grow in the knowledge and understanding of the faith.

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible?  Part 7  

This week and next week’s conclusion of the Bible/Theology quiz are questions on “theology”.

We began a Bible knowledge audit on July 12.  Test your memory (not your salvation) by trying to answer the questions; you can get your results immediately.

Please go to What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 7 to view the quiz

.

SoundLiving Statement of Faith

Filed under Doctrine, Theology by on February 2, 2010 at 3:10 pm {no comments}

“The following SoundLiving.org statement of faith (SOF) is used by permission of the Evangelical Free Church of America (my ordaining denomination). The SoundLiving SOF is from an earlier EFCA draft (2006) than the one finally adopted by the EFCA, the major difference being that the earlier draft and hence the Soundliving.org SOF do not require premillenialism.” I am a non-dispensational premillenialist but do not believe that doctrinal position should be a “test of fellowship.”

We believe:

1. God’s gospel originates in and demonstrates the holy love of the eternal, triune God

—We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This one God, all-knowing and all-powerful, has, in love and grace, purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to restore His fallen creation for His own glory.

2. God’s gospel is authoritatively announced in the Scriptures

—We believe that God has spoken through the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. They are the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority that stands over every realm of human knowledge and endeavor. Therefore, the Bible is to be believed in all that it affirms, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

3. God’s gospel alone addresses our deepest human need

—We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned through the temptation of  Satan, corrupting that image. As a result, all humanity is alienated from God and under His wrath and can be rescued, reconciled, and restored only through God’s gracious work in Jesus Christ.

4. God’s gospel is revealed in history supremely through the Person of Jesus Christ

—We believe that Jesus Christ, Israel’s promised Messiah, is God incarnate, one Person in two natures, fully human and fully divine, having been conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of God the Father, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.

5. God’s gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ

—We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, died on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His shed blood and resurrectionare the only ground for salvation, and it is through faith alone in Christ that anyone is justified before God.

6. God’s gospel is applied and empowered by the Holy Spirit

—We believe that the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ by convicting the world, by regenerating sinners into union with Christ, and by indwelling, guiding, instructing, equipping, and empowering believers for Christ-like living and service.

7. God’s gospel is now embodied in the new community called the church

—We believe that the true church is composed of all those who have been saved by God’s grace through faith and regeneration by the Holy Spirit and are thereby united together in the body of Christ of which He is the Head. This church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of members of the true church.The two biblically-mandated ordinances of the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, visibly and tangibly express this gospel, strengthening our faith. They are to be celebrated by the church in obedience to Christ, but are not a means of salvation.

8. God’s gospel compels us to Christ-like living and witness to the world

—We believe that God’s justifying grace in the gospel must not be separated from its sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, acting with compassion toward the poor and needy, seeking justice for the oppressed. In fellowship with one another,we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil, especially with the Word of God and prayer. In all that we do, we are to bear witness to the gospel in word and deed, making disciples among all people.

9. God’s gospel will be brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of this age

—We believe in the personal and glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels, when He will establish His kingdom fully and exercise His role as Judge of all. This coming of Christ at a time known only to God requires constant expectancy and should motivate the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.  This is our blessed hope.

10. God’s gospel calls for a response which determines the eternal destiny of everyperson

—We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel, turning to God in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that in thebodily resurrection of the dead, the unbeliever will face judgment and eternal conscious punishment, while the believer will experience eternal blessedness and joy with theLord, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

 

SoundLiving Statement of Faith

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