My Doctrinal statement (for those who are curious)
[For in-depth explanations of the points below, see the fuller annotated document which goes into detail and clarifies each point HERE]
“As a Disciple of Jesus, a member of God’s Kingdom, a teacher of God’s Word, and a student of Scripture, I have come to believe that…
…God has revealed Himself to humanity both indirectly and directly. He has revealed Himself indirectly through general revelation which consists of the outer natural world as well as the inner philosophical world. He has revealed Himself most clearly through Special Revelation—direct encounters with humanity and the witness of such encounters contained in Scripture.
…Divinely Inspired Scripture is made up of the thirty-nine books contained in the Hebrew Bible and the twenty-seven documents contained in the New Testament which are the documents written under God’s Inspiration by those whom He moved to speak and/or write on His behalf.
…Inspiration refers to the Divine co-operation between God and the human author to produce a text that is the authoritative means of hearing from, or about, God in and through the voice, style, and personality of the individual author. The original text produced in this way is Inspired. Insofar as a translation adheres to and communicates the original text, it can be said to be Inspired as well.
I believe Scripture teaches that…
…God is, first and foremost, Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign Ruler of the universe. God is Relational. God is Personal. God is Holy.
… Humanity was created in the Image of God to be His obedient stewards and rulers of the earth, but who rebelled against God and as a result were mastered by Sin, and apart from God’s Grace remain “fallen priests” captive to Sin and in need of deliverance.
…Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of God’s people, Israel. He is Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the embodiment of God—completely human and completely Divine—the second Persona of the Trinity who became Incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth for the purpose of saving all of creation from the power of Sin and death.
…Sin is both an action, thought, or state of being that is in opposition to God’s moral order, as well as an animate force that holds humanity in bondage to decay and death—both spiritually and physically. Sin entered the world through the act of disobedience, distrust, and ultimately rebellion of the first humans. This act of Sin unleashed the power and reality of Sin into the created order which was intended to be ruled by God in cooperation with His most beloved creation—human beings. Apart from the Grace of God apprehended through faith, Sin reigns supreme over humanity. However, through God’s empowering, saving Grace, Sin’s hold on people is broken and they are free to walk in perfect obedience and relationship to God through the abiding power of the Holy Spirit. Sin can, and does, still war against God’s people, but it is now a foreign enemy trying to reclaim its former territory in the person’s life.
… Sin spread so quickly and thoroughly through humanity that only a small remnant remained faithful—though fallen—to God. However, God had already set in motion a plan to bring all of humanity back into proper relationship with Him. He promised deliverance over Sin and its chief proponent the serpent, i.e. Satan. This promise was continually reaffirmed by God through His covenants with humanity and ultimately found its fulfillment in the people of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Any who believed God and put their faith in His promise are welcomed into relationship with Him and citizenship in His eternal Kingdom.
…The means by which this relationship is restored—the object of faith regarding God’s promise—is the Atoning self-sacrifice of God in through the death of Jesus. Those who choose to believe in, put their faith in, and live in obedience to God’s promise enter into God’s Covenant and are saved from Sin’s power. This salvation from Sin and restored relationship with God are not unconditional; nor are they the result of human effort or accomplishment. Rather, salvation and restoration are made possible by God’s graceful offering being received freely by faith in God’s promise on the part of fallen humanity.
…Those who through faith enter into the Kingdom of God are transformed inwardly and become dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. The third Persona of the Triune God comes and dwells within the transformed believer much as He came and dwelled within the Tabernacle and Temple under the Mosaic Covenant.
…The Holy Spirit is also at work outside the believer, calling non-believers to faith, empowering groups of believers to effectively advance the Kingdom and influencing people even if at times they don’t even realize it.
…The Church is the term used to designate the collective members of God’s Kingdom. Under the Mosaic Covenant, the Church consisted Israel and those who joined themselves to Israel in faith and obedience to God. With the coming of the Messiah Jesus and the inauguration of the promised New Covenant, the Church consisted of all those who joined themselves to the Messiah in faith and obedience to God—both inside and outside of the borders of ethnic Israel.
…The mission of the Church has always been the same—to serve God wholeheartedly in faith and obedience and to reflect God’s character to those who don’t know or follow Him and who are, therefore, outside of the Covenant.
…The present age is part of the “End of Days” spoken of by Jesus, the Prophets, and the Apostles. It will end with the return of the Messiah Jesus to earth as triumphant ruler who destroys all evil and rids the earth of Sin once and for all. This will be the eschatological Day of the LORD, when all of God’s promises to His people will be fully realized. Until then, the Church will continue its mission to spread the Kingdom of God through telling the Good News of God’s Covenant with mankind and will remain in the world to actively oppose Sin and Satan in any of their manifestations.
…Part of the Messiah’s final victory will involve the resurrection of all of humanity from the dead. Those who are part of God’s Kingdom will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible—both spiritually and physically. Those who have rejected God’s reign will be separated from Him forever in a Godless eternal state. Apart from this final judgment, the entire created order will also be restored, cleansed, and freed completely from any remnant of Sin or its effects. Sin, death, Satan, and his followers will all be done away with and God will dwell in the midst of all of His people in a renewed creation forever.”
Categories: Biblical Scholarship, Biblical Theology, Blog, Eschatology, Heaven, Hebrew Bible, Ministry, New Testament, Theological issues