Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Introduction
At first, this blog's purpose was solely to reprint a series of emails exchanged between American Guy and myself a few years back regarding Christianity and evolution. AG has declined to be an authorized team member on this blog (for now) but has given his permission for me to publish his side of the story.
In both of our emails, first names of people other than AG and myself have been edited as first initials only. These emails were sent long before he was known as American Guy and before I took the name Green. For convenience sake though I will use these names when referring to either he or I. Following the format used in God vs Darwin, AG's emails will be in red and mine in green.
I warn you, due to the material covered, the posts tend to be quite lengthy, though I hope that won't detract you from your reading and commenting.
I had intended to post just those emails and that's all, but now I think I'm going to aim on expanding the scope of the blog to incorporate everything I've written regarding Christianity and religion, including (eventually) dual postings from my part in GvD. However, please don't ignore, God vs Darwin which is a great read in and of itself because of the differing viewpoints of the four main contributors.
Commentary from you, the readers of this blog, are always welcome and could spark topics and ideas for future posts.
In both of our emails, first names of people other than AG and myself have been edited as first initials only. These emails were sent long before he was known as American Guy and before I took the name Green. For convenience sake though I will use these names when referring to either he or I. Following the format used in God vs Darwin, AG's emails will be in red and mine in green.
I warn you, due to the material covered, the posts tend to be quite lengthy, though I hope that won't detract you from your reading and commenting.
I had intended to post just those emails and that's all, but now I think I'm going to aim on expanding the scope of the blog to incorporate everything I've written regarding Christianity and religion, including (eventually) dual postings from my part in GvD. However, please don't ignore, God vs Darwin which is a great read in and of itself because of the differing viewpoints of the four main contributors.
Commentary from you, the readers of this blog, are always welcome and could spark topics and ideas for future posts.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Doctrinal statements of belief
The Bible
1. We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the Old and New Testaments. They are the Word of God and do not just contain the Word of God.
2.They are God's complete and final revelation to man. They are inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. The Scriptures we now posess have been preserved by God without significant variation and therefore may be said to be the very Word of God
3. They are the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God and are the final authority for faith and life. (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18 & 24:35; John 10:35 & 16:12-13)
The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature; co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 1:16-17; Matthew 28:19)
a. The Father: We believe in God the Father, the only true God, who created all things and in whom we live and have our being. (John 17:3; Acts 17:28; Revelation 4:11)
b. The Son: We believe in the
i. Virgin birth of Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35)
ii. Deity of Christ (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8)
iii. Miracles of Christ (John 2:11 & 11:43-44)
iv. Sacrificial death of Christ for our redemption as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice. (1 Corinthians 15:1-6; 1 Peter 2:24)
v. Literal bodily resurrection of Christfor our justification. (Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12)
vi. Intercessory priesthood of Christ as our representative and advocate. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25 & 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2)
vii. Premillenial, Pretribulational return of Christ, for His Church - known as the rapture. (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
viii. Coming again of Christ to rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years during the millennial kingdom. (I Corinthians 15:24-25; Revelation 20:3-6)
c. The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit was active in the creation and in His relation to the unbelieving world - He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of unrighteousness, and of judgment to come; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, fills, motivates, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and controls the believer. (John 14:16-17, 26 & 16:8-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; Acts 5:30-32; Romans 8:14-16, 26-27)
Creation
We believe in the Genesis account of creation and that it is to be accepted literally, not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God's own image and after his own likeness; that man's creation was not a matter of evolutionor evolutionary change of species or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and plant life was made directly, and God's established law was that they should bring forth only "after their kind". (Genesis 1:1, 11, 24-27, 2:7, 21-23; Jeremiah 10:12; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:3; Acts 4:24, 17:23-26; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 10:6)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell and inherited a sinful nature becoming alienated from God; that man is totally depraved, and of himself totally unable to change his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23 & 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12)
Salvation
We believe one must be born from above and that this salvation is the gift of God, not of works, brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7 & 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all of the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new man over the flesh through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and that all claims to the eradication of the flesh in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:13, 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9)
Separation
1. We believe a Christian is separated to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and should obey the command of Scripture to “come out from among them” and be separate from religious apostates and to such doctrinal principals which conflict with sound Scriptural teaching. (Romans 1:1 & 16:17; Titus 3:10; 1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14)
2. We believe a Christian should walk free of all known sin and worldly activities in such manner as not to bring reproach upon his Savior and Lord. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 & 7:1; 1 John 2:15-17)
The Church
We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of this present age. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23 & 5:22-27)
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of all His gifts and that the gifts to the church of evangelist, pastor and teacher are sufficient for the perfection of saints today and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12)
2. We believe that God does hear and answer prayers of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)
Missions
We believe that it is the responsibility and obligation of Christians today to witness by life and word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind, by their service, prayers and gifts. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
Satan
We believe Satan to be a fallen angel, the author of sin and cause of Adam’s fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11 & 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
Coming Events
We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillenial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and his subsequent return to the earth, with his saints, to establish His millennial kingdom. (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18 & 5:9; Revelation 3:10 & 19:11-16)
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29 & 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, body and soul are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)
3. We reject all theories of soul sleep and believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 1:6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
1. We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the Old and New Testaments. They are the Word of God and do not just contain the Word of God.
2.They are God's complete and final revelation to man. They are inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. The Scriptures we now posess have been preserved by God without significant variation and therefore may be said to be the very Word of God
3. They are the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God and are the final authority for faith and life. (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18 & 24:35; John 10:35 & 16:12-13)
The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature; co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 1:16-17; Matthew 28:19)
a. The Father: We believe in God the Father, the only true God, who created all things and in whom we live and have our being. (John 17:3; Acts 17:28; Revelation 4:11)
b. The Son: We believe in the
i. Virgin birth of Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35)
ii. Deity of Christ (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8)
iii. Miracles of Christ (John 2:11 & 11:43-44)
iv. Sacrificial death of Christ for our redemption as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice. (1 Corinthians 15:1-6; 1 Peter 2:24)
v. Literal bodily resurrection of Christfor our justification. (Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12)
vi. Intercessory priesthood of Christ as our representative and advocate. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25 & 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2)
vii. Premillenial, Pretribulational return of Christ, for His Church - known as the rapture. (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
viii. Coming again of Christ to rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years during the millennial kingdom. (I Corinthians 15:24-25; Revelation 20:3-6)
c. The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit was active in the creation and in His relation to the unbelieving world - He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of unrighteousness, and of judgment to come; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, fills, motivates, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and controls the believer. (John 14:16-17, 26 & 16:8-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; Acts 5:30-32; Romans 8:14-16, 26-27)
Creation
We believe in the Genesis account of creation and that it is to be accepted literally, not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God's own image and after his own likeness; that man's creation was not a matter of evolutionor evolutionary change of species or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and plant life was made directly, and God's established law was that they should bring forth only "after their kind". (Genesis 1:1, 11, 24-27, 2:7, 21-23; Jeremiah 10:12; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:3; Acts 4:24, 17:23-26; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 10:6)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell and inherited a sinful nature becoming alienated from God; that man is totally depraved, and of himself totally unable to change his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23 & 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12)
Salvation
We believe one must be born from above and that this salvation is the gift of God, not of works, brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7 & 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all of the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new man over the flesh through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and that all claims to the eradication of the flesh in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:13, 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9)
Separation
1. We believe a Christian is separated to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and should obey the command of Scripture to “come out from among them” and be separate from religious apostates and to such doctrinal principals which conflict with sound Scriptural teaching. (Romans 1:1 & 16:17; Titus 3:10; 1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14)
2. We believe a Christian should walk free of all known sin and worldly activities in such manner as not to bring reproach upon his Savior and Lord. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 & 7:1; 1 John 2:15-17)
The Church
We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of this present age. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23 & 5:22-27)
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of all His gifts and that the gifts to the church of evangelist, pastor and teacher are sufficient for the perfection of saints today and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12)
2. We believe that God does hear and answer prayers of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)
Missions
We believe that it is the responsibility and obligation of Christians today to witness by life and word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind, by their service, prayers and gifts. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
Satan
We believe Satan to be a fallen angel, the author of sin and cause of Adam’s fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11 & 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
Coming Events
We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillenial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and his subsequent return to the earth, with his saints, to establish His millennial kingdom. (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18 & 5:9; Revelation 3:10 & 19:11-16)
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29 & 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, body and soul are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)
3. We reject all theories of soul sleep and believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 1:6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
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