What we teach about:

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

We teach that the Bible is God's written revelation to man, thus the 66 books of the Bible given to us by the Holy Spirit constitute the plenary Word of God, plenary meaning inspired equally in all parts. (1 Corinthians 2:7-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

 

We teach that the Word of God:

• Is an objective and propositional revelation (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 2:13)

• Is verbally inspired in every word (2 Timothy 3:16)

• Is absolutely inerrant in the original documents

• Is infallible

• Is God-breathed

 

We teach the literal, grammatical-historical interpretation of Scripture which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days (Genesis 1:31; Exodus 31:17).

 

We teach that the Bible constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12-13; 17:17;1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter1 :20-21).

 

We teach that God spoke in His written Word by a process of dual authorship. The Holy Spirit so superintended the human authors that, through their individual personalities and different styles of writing, they composed and recorded God's Word to man (2 Peter1:20-21) without error in the whole or in the part (Matthew 5:18; 2Timothy 3:16).

 

We teach that, whereas there may be several applications of any given passage of Scripture, there is but one true interpretation. The meaning of Scripture is to be found as one diligently applies the literal grammatical-historical method of interpretation under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (John 7:17; 16:12-15;1 Corinthians 2:7-15; 1 John 2:20).

 

It is the responsibility of believers to ascertain carefully the true intent and meaning of Scripture, recognizing that proper application is binding on all generations, and understanding that the truth of Scripture stands in judgment of men; never do men stand in judgment of it.

 

GOD

We teach that there is but one living and true God (Deuteronomy6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7, 1 Corinthians 8:4)

 

We teach that God an infinite, all-knowing Spirit (John 4:24), perfect in all His attributes, One in essence, that eternally exists in three Persons:

• GOD The Father

• GOD The Son

• GOD The Holy Spirit

 

We teach that only GOD is deserving of worship and that He is worthy of worship and obedience equally in each of the Three Persons He exists as (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

 

 

 

 

GOD THE FATHER

We teach that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity: 

• Orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace (Psalm 145:8-9; 1 Corinthians 8:6).

• Is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1 :1-31; Ephesians 3:9).

• As the only Absolute and Omnipotent Ruler in the universe, is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19, Romans11:36).

• His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6), but He is spiritual Father only to believers (Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 6:18).

 

He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11).

He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1 Chronicles29:11).

In His sovereignty He is neither the author nor approver of sin (Habakkuk 1 :13; John 8:38-47), nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (1 Peter 1:17). He has graciously chosen from eternity past those whom He would have as His own (Ephesians 1:4-6); He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; He adopts as His own all those who come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own (John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5-9).

 

GOD THE SON

We teach that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father (John 10:30;14:9). We teach that God the Father created according to His own will, through His Son, Jesus Christ, by whom all things continue in existence and in operation (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews1:2).

 

We teach that in the incarnation (God becoming man) Christ surrendered only the prerogatives of deity but nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind. In His incarnation, the eternally existing second Person of the Trinity accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity and so became the perfect God-Man (Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9).

 

We teach that Jesus Christ represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness (Micah 5:2; John 5:23; 14:9-10; Colossians 2:9).

 

We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ was virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23, 25; Luke 1:26-35), that He was God incarnate (John1:1, 14); and that the purpose of the incarnation was to reveal God, redeem men, and rule over God's kingdom (Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:29; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 7:25-26; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

We teach that, in the incarnation, the second Person of the Trinity laid aside His right to the full prerogatives of coexistence with God and took on an existence appropriate to a servant while never divesting Himself of His divine attributes (Philippians 2:5-8).

We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive (John 10:15; Romans 3:24-25; 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24).

 

We teach that on the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing sinner is freed from the punishment, the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God (Romans 3:25; 5:8·9; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Peter2:24; 3:18).

 

We teach that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; Romans4:25; 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1).

 

We teach that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus' bodily resurrection is also the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers (John 5:26-29; 14:19; Rom. 1:4; 4:25; 6:5-10;1 Car. 15:20, 23).

 

We teach that Jesus Christ will return to receive the church, which is His Body, unto Himself at the rapture, and returning with His church in glory, will establish His millennial kingdom on earth (Acts 1:9·11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20).

 

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is the One through whom God will judge all mankind (John 5:22-23):

• Believers (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

• Living inhabitants of the earth at His glorious return (Matthew 25:31-46)

• Unbelieving dead at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15)

 

We teach that Jesus Christ Lord King of Glory is:

• Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2 :5)

• Head of His Body the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18)

• The coming universal King, who will reign on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:31-33)

• The final Judge of all who fail to place their trust in Him as Lord and Savior (Matthew 25:14-46; Acts 17:30-31).

 

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We teach that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and Deity, including intellect (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), emotions (Ephesians 4:30), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), eternality (Hebrews 9:14), Omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10), Omniscience (Isaiah 40:13-14), Omnipotence (Romans 15:13), and truthfulness (John16:13).

 

We teach that in all the Divine attributes He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 28:25-26, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 10:15-17).

 

We teach that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation (Genesis 1:2), the incarnation (Matthew 1:18), the written revelation (2 Peter 1:20-21), and the work of salvation (John 3:5-7).

 

We teach that the work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost, when He came from the Father as promised by Christ (John 14:16-17; 15:26) to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is His church (1 Corinthians 12:13). The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming

believers into the image of Christ (John 16:7-9; Acts 1:5; 2:4; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:22).

We teach that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers them for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13).

 

We teach that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they committed to writing God's revelation, the Bible (2 Peter 1:19-21). Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation, and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit (John 16:13; Romans 8:9, Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).

 

We teach that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith (John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11;2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

We teach, in this respect, that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today, and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles in the beginning days of the church were for the sole purpose of pointing to and authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth, and were never intended to be characteristic of the lives of believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4).

 

MAN

We teach that mankind was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Mankind was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God (Genesis 2:7, 15-25; James 3:9).

 

We teach that God's intention in the creation of mankind was that man should glorify God, enjoy God's fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God's purpose for man in the world (Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1 :16; Revelation 4:11).

 

We teach that in Adam's sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, became subject to the wrath of God, and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man's salvation is thereby wholly of God's grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis2:16-17; 3:1-19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8).

 

We teach that, because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam's sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All men are thus sinners by nature and by action, and have been recognized declared sinners by God.by choice, and by divine declaration (Psalm 14:1; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12).

 

SALVATION

We teach that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His perfect and righteous existence, the merit of His sinless life on this earth, the merit of the shedding of His innocent blood, the merit of the power of His resurrection, and not at all on the basis of human merit or works (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7;2:8-10,· 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

REGENERATION

We teach that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and divine life are given(John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5). It is instantaneous and is accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God (John 5:24) when the repentant sinner, as enabled by the Holy Spirit, responds in faith to the divine provision of salvation.

 

We teach that genuine regeneration is manifested by fruits worthy of repentance as demonstrated in righteous attitudes and conduct. Good works are the proper evidence of regeneration, the fruit of regeneration (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:10), and will be experienced to the extent that the believer submits to the control of the Holy Spirit in his life through faithful obedience to the Word of God (Ephesians 5:17-21; Philippians 2:12; Colossians 3:16; 2 Peter 1:4-10).

 

We teach that only genuine regeneration can result in the ability to love God, which then enables the believer to obey the greatest commandment of all, "to love God with all the heart, soul, and mind" (Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27; Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37; Joshua 22:15). Therefore, the motivation for obedience to God in all things comes from love for God and not from a sense of duty.

 

We teach that this obedience causes the believer to be increasingly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ in this life (2 Corinthians 3:18). Having been spiritually transformed, regenerated, and reborn, God shapes the believer into the eternal finished work He pre-purposed that believer to be before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1; Romans 8-9; Psalm 139). Such a conformity finalizes into a perfectly completed work of God in the believer's glorification after this life, which results in the ability of the believer to dwell in the presence of Holy God as will be witnessed by the world at Christ's coming (Romans 8:17; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:2-3).

 

ELECTION

We teach that election (planned and purposeful choice) is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1 :1-2).

 

We teach that sovereign election does not contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; John 3:18 -19, 36; 5:40; Romans 9:22-23;2 Thess. 2:10-12; Revelation 22:17). Nevertheless, since sovereign grace includes the means of receiving the gift of salvation as well as the gift itself, sovereign election will result in what God determines. Therefore, all whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith, and all who come in faith the Father will receive (John6:37-40, 44; Acts 13:48; James 4:8).

 

We teach that the unmerited favor God grants to totally depraved sinners is not related to any initiative of their own part, or to God's anticipation of what they might do by their own will, but is solely of His sovereign grace and mercy (Ephesians 1:4-7; Titus3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:2). In other words, a sinner chooses God only because God chose them first, and did so from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1). God controls both His Own choice and ours. God could not be Omnipotent (all powerful) if He were in a subjective position to only anticipate possibilities, or know future events without ability to affect them.

 

We teach that election should be looked upon as based merely on abstract sovereignty. God is truly sovereign, but He exercises this sovereignty in harmony with His other attributes, namely, His Omniscience, Justice, Holiness, Wisdom, Grace, and Love (Romans 9:11-16). God's Sovereignty will always exalt His will in a manner consistent with His character as revealed in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:25-28; 2 Timothy 1:9).

 

ATONEMENT

We teach that Christ's atoning work of the cross is an actual atonement for sin, not a random or generic atonement. The punishment Christ experienced on the cross was by God the Father, on His Son. It was from no other source. Evil men unwittingly crucified Jesus but were only allowed to commit the act by the predetermined decree and council of God (Acts 2:23). Therefore, the wrath of God on Jesus Christ as He was crucified to death was exacting. That means God knew precisely how much punishment was needed to put on His Son in order for Christ to sufficiently pay for the sins of all who would ever believe in the history of mankind. God knows of every single sin and He is the only One that could possibly know how much punishment it would take to completely satisfy His Own perfect justice system. So He unleashed His wrath on the Lord Jesus Christ until the exact amount of sufficient punishment was exhausted and the sin debt was paid in full.

 

We teach that the required death penalty Jesus paid, the punishment He suffered was:

• Personal

• Individual

• Precise

• Known beforehand by God

• An actual reality

• For every person who would ever believe---past, present, and future

 

We teach that Christ's atonement for sin must be understood as actual and not potential. Christ's atoning work is personal for each individual believer and not potential because a potential atonement would mean that Jesus personally paid with His life for the sins of masses of people who God knew would ahead of time never be saved. Although the power of the work of the cross was sufficient to cover the sins of the entire whole of mankind, it was in no way generic, based on estimates or suppositions by God of who might potentially be saved, and certainly was not for those who die lost. The lost pay for their own sins in the experience eternal death, forever in torment, forever in a horrific state of dying, forever separated from God with no hope of reprieve, forever out of the sight and mind of God (Isaiah 65:17). The notion that the punishment Christ suffered included punishment of those who die lost would mean that God knowingly and unnecessarily punished His Son for the sins of people who were already in hell paying for their own sins. Such a position would be inconsistent with the Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent Character of God Who declares the end of all things from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).

 

We teach that the Truth of actual atonement is consistent with the Trinitarian Character of God, that God knows all things because He determines all things, declares all things, and works all things according to His will (Isaiah 40:26; 42:5; 46:10, Daniel 4:35; Psalm 148:5; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11, 1:8; Genesis 1:1; Revelation 22:13; Acts 2:23, 17:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Job 14:5; Luke 22:22). Believers can rejoice that His will includes the eternal Truth of God's purposeful, personal, and predetermined choice of all who would ever believe (Ephesians 1 :1-11, 2:10; James 1:18; Isaiah 43:7; Romans 8-10; Psalm 148:5; Psalm 139; 1 Peter 1-2).

 

JUSTIFICATION

We teach that justification before God is an act of God (Romans 8:33) by which He declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Isaiah 55:6-7) and confess Him as sovereign Lord (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11). To be justified means to be made right with God. This righteousness is apart from any virtue or work of man (Romans 3:20; 4:6) and involves the imputation of our sins to Christ (Colossians 2:14;1 Peter 2:24) and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). By this means God is enabled to "be Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26). By imputation God charged Jesus Christ as if He had committed all the sin of all who would ever believe past, present, and future, and punished Him for it, and by imputation credits all believers with the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

SANCTIFICATION

We teach that every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by justification and is therefore declared to be holy and is therefore identified as a saint. This sanctification is positional and instantaneous and should not be confused with progressive sanctification. This sanctification has to do with the believer's standing, not his present walk or condition (Acts 20:32;1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 2:11;3:1; 10:10, 14; 13:12; 1 Peter 1:2).

 

We teach that there is also, by the work of the Holy Spirit, a progressive sanctification by which the state of the believer is brought closer to the standing the believer positionally enjoys through justification. Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:171 19; Romans6:1-22; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 5:23). In this respect we teach that every saved person is involved in a daily conflict-the new creation in Christ doing battle against the flesh-but adequate provision is made for victory through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The struggle nevertheless stays with the believer all through this earthly life and is never completely ended. All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are unscriptural. Eradication of sin is not

possible but the Holy Spirit does provide for victory over sin (Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 3:12; Colossians 3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9).

 

SECURITY

We teach that all the redeemed once saved are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 5:9-10; 8:1, 31-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-5; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25; 13:5; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24).

 

We teach that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God1s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for sinful living and carnality (Romans 6:15-22; 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13, 25-26; Titus 2:11-14).

 

SEPARATION

We teach that separation from sin is clearly called for throughout the Old and New Testaments and that the Scriptures clearly indicate that in the last days apostasy and worldliness shall increase (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5).

 

We teach that, out of ever-increasing love for God out of ever deepening gratitude for the undeserved grace of God granted to us1 and because our glorious God is so worthy of our total consecration, all the saved should live in such a manner as to demonstrate our adoring love to God and so as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior.

 

We also teach that separation from all religious apostasy and worldly and sinful practices is commanded of us by God (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13;2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).

 

We teach that believers should be separated unto our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; Hebrews 12:1-2) and affirm that the Christian life is a life of obedient righteousness that reflects the teaching of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12) and a continual pursuit of holiness (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:1-10).

 

THE CHURCH

We teach that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body1 the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11 :2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).

 

We teach that the formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

 

We teach that the church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed until this age (Ephesians 3:1-6; 5:32).

 

We teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1;1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:25).

 

We teach that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors, and pastor teachers; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9;1 Peter 5:1-5).

 

We teach that these leaders lead or rule as servants (gr. doulos - slaves) of Christ (1 Timothy 5:17-22) and have His spiritual authority in directing the church. The congregation of believers have a responsibility to submit to their spiritual leadership (Hebrews13:7, 17).

 

We teach the importance of discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20;2 Timothy 2:2), mutual accountability of all believers to each other (Matthew 18:5-14), as well as the need for discipline of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of Scripture (Matthew 18:15-22; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 1:19-20; Titus 1:10-16).

 

We teach the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations (Titus 1 :5).

 

We teach that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith whether by organized association, or otherwise. Each local church, however, through its elders and their interpretation and application of Scripture, should be the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. The elders should determine all other matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government (Acts 15:19-31; 20:28;1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

 

We teach that the purpose of the church is to glorify God (Ephesians 3:21). Christ is glorified in His church when the church corporately:

• Builds itself up in the faith (Ephesians 4:13-16)

• Worships God (John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; Revelation 4:10; 11:16; 19:4)

• Focuses on the instruction of the Word (2 Timothy 2:2, 15; 3:16-17)

• Fellowships (Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3)

• Keeps the ordinances as laid out in Scripture (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42)

• Advances and communicates the gospel to the entire world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; 2:42).

 

We teach that the health and success of a local church is a spiritual issue, not a physical or logistical one. The church is not a building or geographic location but is an eternal, living, breathing, spiritual, organism. It is the body of Christ. It is the bride of Christ. It is the citizenship of God's Kingdom, a spiritual nation of people with a specific earthly purpose, and a specific eternal purpose. Therefore the success of any local church cannot be measured by the physical size of its congregation, buildings, or bank accounts. It cannot be measured by the talents or positions of its leadership. The spiritual health of a local church cannot be determined by its clever technology, impressive programs, dramatic productions, or media sensations. The single gauge that determines the success and health of a local church is the spiritual maturing in the lives of its members.

 

We teach the calling of all saints to the work of service. There is no such thing as a believer who is not called to minister. All believers are called to 24/7 full time ministry. Service to God is the life of a believer, not a voluntary extra-curricular activity. Serving God is not limited to specific times or man-made programs, nor is it only meant for those who involve themselves in a particular ministry job vocationally for a living (1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:12; Revelation 22:12).

 

We teach the need of the church to cooperate with God as He accomplishes His purpose in the world. To that end, He gives the church spiritual gifts. He gives men chosen for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12). He also gives unique and special spiritual abilities to each member of the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8,· 1 Corinthians 12:4-31;1 Peter 4:10-11).

 

We teach that there were two kinds of gifts given the early church:

• Miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles' message (Hebrews 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12)

• Administering gifts given to equip believers for edifying one another.

 

With the New Testament revelation now complete, Scripture becomes the sole test of the authenticity of a man's message, and confirming gifts of a miraculous nature are no longer necessary to validate a man or his message (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Miraculous gifts can even be counterfeited by Satan so as to deceive even believers (1 Corinthians 13:13-14:12; Revelation 13:13-14). The only gifts in operation today are those non-revelatory equipping gifts given for edification (Romans 12:6-8).

 

We teach that no one possesses the gift of healing today, but that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith and will answer in accordance with His own perfect will for the sick, suffering, and afflicted (Luke 18:1-6, John 5:7-9; 2 Corinthians 12:6-10; James 5:13-16; 1 John 5:14-15).

 

We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church:

• Baptism (Acts 2:38-42)

• The Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:17-20)

 

Christian baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39) is the solemn first witness of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It is a beautiful testimony of a believer's union with Christ picturing death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Romans 6:1-11). It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ (Acts2:41·42).

 The Lord's Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes, and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination (1 Cor. 11:28-32).

 We also teach that, whereas the elements of Communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in the Lord's Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells every believer, and so is present, fellowshipping with His people (1 Corinthians 10:16).

 

ANGELS

Holy Angels:

We teach that angels are created beings and are therefore not to be worshiped. Although they are a higher order of creation than man, they are created to serve God and to worship Him (Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:6-7; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:10;22:9).

 

Fallen Angels:

We teach that Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. He incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19), by taking numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-14), and by introducing sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1- 15).

 

We teach that Satan is the open and declared enemy of God and man (Isaiah 14:13-14; Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 12:9-10); that he is the prince of this world, who has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20); and that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

 

LAST THINGS

Death:

We teach that physical death involves no loss of our immaterial consciousness (Revelation 6:9-11), that the soul of the redeemed passes immediately into the presence of Christ (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8), that there is a separation of soul and body (Philippians 1 :21-24). For the redeemed, such separation will continue until the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), which initiates the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6), when our soul and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with our Lord (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians15:35-44, 50-54). Until that time, the souls of the redeemed in Christ remain in joyful fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8).

 

We teach the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life (John 6:39; Romans 8:10-11, 19-23; 2 Corinthians 4:14), and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:13-15).

 

We teach that for the unbeliever, this present life is the best they will ever experience, since, to die in the state of unbelief means an irreversible dimension of eternal death that involves unspeakable torment and suffering (Revelation 20:15; Mark 9:43-48). In contrast, for the believer, this present life is the worst we will ever experience since, to die is to gain a glorious eternal life in the presence of our eternal Savior and Lord having been securely adopted into His eternal household and made permanent citizens of His eternal Kingdom (Phil 1:21; Romans 8:15; 8:23; Ephesians 1)

 

We teach that the souls of the unsaved at death are kept under punishment until the second resurrection (Luke 16:19-26; Revelation20:13-15), when the soul and the resurrection body will be united (John 5:28-29). They shall then appear at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) and shall be cast into hell, the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41-46), cut off from the life of God forever (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1 :7-9).

 

The Rapture of the Church:

We teach the personal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of a seven year period of global indictment called the Great Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Titus 2:13). Before this seven-year tribulation Christ will call His church up and out of this world to "meet Him in the air" (1Thess. 4:17) translating His church from this earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11) and into His Holy Presence in the Throne room of God (Revelation 4:4). Between this event and His glorious return with His saints, believers are identified (Revelation 4:4) and rewarded according to their works (1 Corinthians3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

 

The Great Tribulation:

We teach that immediately following the removal of the church from the earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) the righteous judgments of God will be systematically unleashed upon an unbelieving world (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; 12:1;2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Revelation 16), and that these earth judgments will be finalized by the return of Christ in glory to the earth (Matthew 24:27-31; 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). At that time the Old Testament saints will be raised and the living will be judged (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4-6). This period includes the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15-31; 25:31-46).

 

The Second Coming and Millennial Reign:

We teach that, after the tribulation period, Christ will come to earth to occupy the throne of David (Matthew 25:31; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 1:10-11;2:29-30) and establish His messianic kingdom for 1,000 years on the earth (Revelation 20:1-7). During this time the resurrected saints will reign with Him over Israel and all the nations of the earth (Ezekiel 37:21-28; Daniel 7:17-22; Revelation 19:11-16). This reign will be preceded by the overthrow of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, and by the removal of Satan from the world (Daniel 7:17-27; Revelation 20:1-7).

 

We teach that the kingdom itself will be the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel (Isaiah 65:17-25; Ezekiel 37:21-28; Zechariah 5:1-17) to restore them to the land that they forfeited through their disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The result of their disobedience was that Israel was temporarily set aside (Matthew 21:43; Romans 11:1-26), but will again be awakened through repentance to enter into the land of blessing (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel36:22-32; Romans 11:25-29).

 We teach that this time of our Lord's reign will be characterized by harmony, justice, peace, righteousness, and long life (Isaiah 11;65:17-25; Ezekiel 36:33-38), and will be brought to an end with the release of Satan (Revelation 20:7).

 

The Judgment of the Lost:

We teach that following the release of Satan after the 1,000-year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:7), Satan will be released by God for a short period of time. Satan will quickly organize vain and fruitless rebellion that once and for all seals his eternal fate. He will deceive the nations of the earth and gather them to battle against the saints and the beloved city, at which time Satan and his army will be devoured by fire

from heaven (Revelation 20:9). Following this, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Then Christ, who is the Judge of all men (John 5:22), will resurrect and judge the great and small at the Great White Throne Judgment.

 We teach that this resurrection of the unsaved dead to judgment will be a physical resurrection, whereupon receiving their judgment (John 5:28-29), they will be committed to an eternal conscious punishment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15).

 

Eternity:

We teach that after the closing of the millennium, the final judgment of Satan, and the judgment of unbelievers (2Thessalonians 1 :9; Revelation 20:7-15), the saved will enter the eternal state of glory with God, after which the elements of this earth are to be dissolved (2 Peter 3:10) and replaced with a new earth, wherein only righteousness dwells (Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 20:15; 21:1-27; 22:1-21). Following this, the new heavenly Holy City will come down out of heaven (Revelation 21 :2) and will be the dwelling place of the saints, where they will enjoy forever fellowship with God and one another (John 17:3; Revelation 21-22).0ur Lord Jesus Christ, having fulfilled His redemptive mission, will then deliver up the kingdom to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24-28), that in all spheres the triune God may reign forever and ever (1 Corinthians 15:28).

 

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. It means you have been obedient to the Gospel. Consider the following truths found in Scripture:

 

God Is Sovereign Creator

Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

 

 

God is Holy

God Is Holy. God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1 :16)

 

Mankind Is Sinful

According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: "There is no man who does not sin" (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we are utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own. (Romans 3:10-12).

 

Sin Demands a Penalty

God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death: (Ezekiel 18:4). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences (Romans 6:23).

 

Jesus Is Lord and Savior

The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

 

The Character of Saving Faith

Faith is believing. It sounds simple and cliche, but it is true. Moreover, it's a truth not hard to understand. But while faith is a simple concept, it can, in fact, be difficult to exercise. Aller all, faith is completely believing something and/or someone, beyond the fog of doubt. It is absolute trust. It is polar opposite to skepticism. When you completely trust someone, it doesn't enter your mind that they might betray you. It is unthinkable that they could be lying to you. So you don't go around doubting them. You believe in who they are. You believe their words, you believe in their abilities, you believe in the relationship, etc. You have complete faith they will always be who you know and trust them to be.

 

Saving faith is completely believing in Who and what we have not physically seen (Heb 11:1). Believing the Gospel is to believe beyond question that God loved us before we were ever born (even before He created the earth, Ephesians 1) That's why Jesus describes True saving faith is always accompanied by repentance. Repentance is widely misunderstood and in the modern American church culture. In fact, the subject of repentance is vastly ignored today because it is not a popular truth. It doesn't sell. Preachers avoid it like the plague because it doesn't fill the pews or the coffers. Making people feel good about themselves is what draws crowds and brings in the money. Telling people they can simply "accept Jesus Christ" without any commitment to anyone or anything is appealing because fits the American "get something for nothing" profile. Fame and fortune seeking preachers promote this "easy believism" gospel because it gets the desired results, more members and more money. This "no-strings-attached" gospel message hugely promoted, or suit follows the understanding of your sinful position. God grants people repentance graciously.

  

Repentance is:

• Agreeing with God that you are sinful and have no ability within yourself to become sinless, therefore you have no ability whatsoever to save yourself.

• Confessing your sinfulness to God, and making a conscious choice to abandon your own sinful will & way (Luke 13:3,5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9) and pursue Christ and His will & way (Matthew 11:28-30; John 17:3) in obedience to Him (1 John 2:3).

 It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in humble confession, submission, and obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

 

Lordship Salvation

The Gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience. Thus, the invitation Jesus repeatedly gave throughout His earthly ministry, and still gives today, is clear: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mark 8:34; Matt 16:24). It is the true invitation, the call to salvation, the gift of glorious eternal life that the Lord offers to anyone who is willing to come to Him on His terms.

 Christ's Invitation

The Lord's invitations were neither appealing nor attractive. None of the three requirements He demands are very popular:

1. Deny yourself

2. Take up your cross

3. Follow me

 

The invitations Jesus gave were not events filled with persuasive mood music. They were not urgent pleas to "come forward" and "make a decision" in front of crowds of people. They were not emotionally charged "altar calls" at the end of a service. Nor were they self-elevating productions meant to draw applause. He didn't use pressure tactics, manipulation, coercion, clever strategies, guilt trips, trickery, parades or charades to get people down the aisle or "say the sinner's prayer". His invitations were never "sales pitches" meant to entice people to "accept Jesus". He didn't promise to fix all people's problems or the gaining of selfish benefits like having "God at your service". He never promised anyone health, wealth, and prosperity. He never tried to persuade people into getting saved. Quite the contrary!

 

What He did say was that coming to Christ meant self-denial, not self-promotion. It meant a willingness to suffer persecution and difficulty for the cause of Christ. It meant submission to the Lordship of Christ. It meant a commitment to follow Him in obedience to His will, a giving up of self-will forever. It is the understanding that He is the Lord and we are not. In order for anyone to be truly saved a person must acknowledge and confess before God the realization that Jesus Christ is LORD, and in repentance, submit to His Lordship, committing to follow Him in obedience (Romans 10:9-11; Luke 13:3-5; Mark 8:34). In short, that means we serve Him, He doesn't serve us!

 

So the invitation God gives is not an offer for ease, comfort, convenience, wealth and prosperity. The true call to salvation by our Savior Himself involves abandoning the quest of personal attainment and selfish ambition (John 12:25). It involves a willingness to suffer for the sake of the Gospel (Luke 21 :17). It involves humble obedience to the Lord of the Universe (John 8:31; 15:14). It involves giving up our own self will, ways, and wishes, and submitting to the greater priority of God's will, His ways and purpose (Luke 14:26). That is Our Lord's invitation, the call to salvation recorded in Mark 8:34, Matthew 16:24, and Luke 9:23.

 

Sadly, the church today has felt the need to reinvent the Gospel into a message that is attractive and non-confrontational in attempt to attract membership, be politically correct, or not offend anyone. The new, redesigned gospel message fits current, self-centered lifestyles. It feeds people's pride and self-image. It targets what people want---wealth, popularity, self-esteem, prosperity. It's a feel-good gospel that promises to deliver not only a mansion in heaven, but material success in this life---No change necessary, repentance is optional, and obedience sold separately. It is a no-strings-attached gospel that allows all the benefits God can give without missing a beat or changing a thing. It is non-committal, non-invasive, and sinner-friendly---a simplified gospel that markets salvation in an easy step formula for your convenience.

 

Compare that with the Lord's call to salvation in Mark 8, Matthew 16, Luke 9, John 6 Deny yourself? Suffer? Submit to obedience? Give your life away to the Lord? Who wants to do that? That doesn't sound easy or convenient. That doesn't sound like health, wealth, and prosperity. That sounds like it might cost something. Nobody wants to give up anything. We just want to receive all the benefits we can get.

 

Prosperity gospel and easy-believism

The truth is, the salvation message of the Bible doesn't at all resemble salvation teaching in most churches today. Today's popular message seems to be a convenient little quick-fix formula involving three easy steps that go something like this:

1. Admit you are a sinner

2. Know that Jesus died on the cross to pay for sin

3. Recite a prayer that acknowledges what you know and accepts Jesus as Savior

 

And poof! Like magic you are saved. You're in--you said the "sinners prayer" (as if there were some magical significance in the words). You accepted Jesus (as if He needs to your approval to be invited into your life). It's quick. it's easy. It's convenient. You now have the benefit of heaven -- plus -- Jesus, who now must commit to doing everything you want Him to do. What a sweet deal! You can still be in charge of your life, with a little supernatural boost every now and then from God, who must feel privileged to have someone like you on His team.

 

Repentance? What's that? Humility, brokenness, confession, submission, obedience, are things that are just not part of the message anymore. The true Gospel has been replaced with a false one. Truth has been replaced with an attractive lie. It's called "prosperity gospel" and "easy-believism" and it is wildly popular particularly in the American pop culture church today.

 

Overall, "accepting Jesus" is understood by most to mean "go along with the church's program". And lots of people are willing to do that as long as it doesn't cost them anything or inconvenience them in any way. As long as a person can easily and without conflict fit God into their lifestyle, they're ok with it. How far from the true Gospel has the church swayed!

 

The true message of Christ's invitation for salvation is that we come to Him with commitment to follow Him. It's not Him following us. It's us obeying Him --- not Him obeying us. It's us serving Him --- not Him serving us. Jesus never tried to persuade people to follow Him by making the Gospel sound easy, convenient, non-invasive, or attractive. In other words, He wasn't "seeker sensitive". Never once did The Lord Jesus Christ ever present Himself as a liberal minded Savior who was careful not to offend anyone, inconvenience anyone, confront anyone, cramp anyone's style, or intrude on anyone's "rights".

 

The fact is, we are a devastatingly sinful society and Holy God does not tolerate sin. Therefore, as Holy God, Jesus does offend a world of lost sinners. He indicts them, will judge them, and sentence them to eternal death if they remain unrepentant and never submit to Him in obedience to the Gospel. That offends people. Hell is offensive to self-serving people who want to hang on to their sin. That's not a popular message to pews full of church-goers who want all the benefits of heaven but also want the sinful attractions of a Godless, self-indulging society. Jesus is clear in His invitation that no one can have it both ways.

 

Well, naturally people want it both ways. It is human nature to want all the benefits of having God smiling down on you while you get to live any way you want to. No repentance, no commitment, no change, no accountability, no submission, it's God that must submit to your demands, you are in control, you call the shots, God has to respond to you, answer to you, He has no choice in the matter, as if you were the master and He the servant.

 

What lost sinner wouldn't want that deal? Who wouldn't want a Jesus " at your service" fixing all your problems, pumping your ego, making you rich and prosperous, granting wishes and doing everything you demand him to do like some genie in a bottle? Preposterous! In fact, it is blasphemy. But that is exactly the kind of appealing gospel package that money-hungry, membership-building, results-oriented preachers are selling! People "accept Jesus as their personal Savior" as though they were accepting Him as their personal assistant! It is a dangerous deception because not only does it give people a false sense of security (people think they are saved), but it teaches a wrong view of God.

 

Countless thousands have fallen victim to the "repeat this prayer" kind of salvation. The notion that God is forced to save anybody who recites a certain prayer is nowhere in the Bible. Jesus never taught any such thing. The words "accept Jesus into your heart" is not found anywhere in the pages of Scripture nor is even the idea of it. It is a complete fabrication that comes from a repackaged, man-made, man-centered false gospel designed to attract masses of lost people looking for an easy way to heaven, a way that doesn't require giving up sin and self. In other words, a way to heaven without repentance. Such a gospel does not exist. Repentance is clearly required for salvation (Luke 13:3-5; Matthew 3:8; 4:17; 11:20; Mark 6:12; Luke 3:3; 5:12; 15:7-10; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 2 Timothy 2:25; Hebrews 6:1; 6:6; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 2:5; 2:16; 3:3; 3:19)

 

False gospels like this are propagated by false teachers (preachers) and they are nothing new. Paul, Timothy, John, and other apostles encountered them in the early church. Most of the time these false teachers are unsaved people who have somehow wormed their way into church leadership roles. Being unregenerate themselves makes them vulnerable to become agents of satan, who takes over their minds and influences them, using them to scatter the flock of God. Not having to repent from a sinful lifestyle is attractive to a sin-loving, self-serving society. It's easy-believism. This so-called "prosperity gospel" sells like candy. Mega churches are exploding on to the scene everywhere, fueled by this deception. Churches like this are full of lost people who think they are ok because Jesus is their “buddy” and God is ok with them as they are. Reduce the Gospel into a no-repentance-necessary, man-centered, no-strings attached, convenient, quick-fix formula and you have the recipe for today's American pop-culture church explosion.

 

Big church is big business. And there is no shortage of talented, savvy, money hungry, preachers who are all too eager to feed the sheep whatever good tasting, spiritual junk food they want to keep them coming and the money flowing. The message doesn't have to be true, it just has to sell. That means it must be attractive. So you promote a no-repentance, non-committal gospel that says people can live however they choose to live and still go to heaven. That sells! You tell people that there is no need to submit to following the Lord or even confess Him as such. All you have to do is “accept Jesus".

 

To mention hell is taboo. The truth about our sinfulness and God's judgement are left out. Repentance, commitment, submission are words that are simply never heard in these environments. The result is, lost people who go to churches like this week after week never learning of their sinful, totally lost condition. They never hear of their desperate need for redemption. They know Christ died on the cross to pay for sins but can't explain why because they don't know why. All they ever get is an ego boost or a "positive thinking" speech telling them how wonderful they are. Instead of learning, some people go to church only when it's convenient. Many, many people go to church looking to be served. Scores of people go for the entertainment. Most go looking to benefit themselves in some way. That's why churches today spend thousands of man hours and millions of dollars on buffets of stylish, finely tuned programs that appeal to every personality, dramatic media productions and special effects seem to dominate so-called worship services all in an effort to attract masses of people. Then to keep them coming we must filter what the Bible really says, we must tweak the Gospel to make it sound appealing. We can’t tell people it's going to cost them anything. Nobody wants to give anything. Americans are all about getting, not giving. We are all about conveniences so we can’t tell people the true Gospel because it's not at all convenient.

 

To deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ is the Lord's invitation to obey the Gospel and that's not convenient. In fact, there is not even a hint of self-exalting, self-applauding, self- serving, self-pleasing, self-promoting, self-fulfilling, self-gaining, self-indulging appeal at all in that statement. In fact  the center of attention is Christ (as it should be), not on self. So while popularity driven preachers and money driven religion continues to build their empires on promoting a seeker friendly, politically correct false gospel, the truth still stands in the unchanged Words of our Lord "if any man wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."

 

Our Lord's message liberated people from the bondage of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God's righteousness. Our Lord's words about eternal life were invariably accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation lightly. He taught that the cost of following him is high, that the way is narrow and few find it. He said many who call him Lord will be forbidden from entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt.7:13·23).

 

Present-day evangelicalism largely ignores these warnings. The prevailing view of what constitutes saving faith continues to grow broader and more shallow, while the portrayal of Christ in preaching and witnessing becomes fuzzy. Anyone who claims to be a Christian can find evangelicals willing to accept a profession of faith, whether or not the person's behavior shows any evidence of commitment to Christ. In this way, faith has become merely an intellectual exercise. Instead of calling men and women to surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him. This shallow understanding of salvation and the gospel, known as "easy-believism," stands in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches.

 

What exactly is Lordship Salvation?

To put it simply, the gospel call to faith pre-supposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ's authority. This is the essence of the Lordship salvation truth. There must be repentance. Repentance is a clear requirement for salvation as is faith (Luke 13:3-5; Matthew 3:8; 4:17; 11:20; Mark 6:12; Luke 3:3; 5:12; 15:7-10; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11 :18; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 2 Timothy 2:25; Hebrews 6:1; 6:6; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 2:5; 2:16; 3:3; 3:19). 

Repentance and faith are inseparable when it comes to salvation. Yet repentance is what is left out of the false gospel being promoted today because it is unpopular. Opposite of pride and self-centeredness that dominates our sinful lives, a repentant spirit is a readiness to give up our will to serve yourself for God's will, to serve His purpose instead. That begins at salvation and stays with the believer forever. 

Repentance is not a onetime event produced by an emotion filled moment. It is a lifelong spiritual attitude, a way of life for every believer. There are many articles of faith that are fundamental to all evangelical teaching. For example, there is agreement among all believers on the following truths:

 • Christ's death purchased eternal salvation

• The saved are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone

• Sinners cannot earn divine favor

• God requires no preparatory works or pre-salvation reformation

• Eternal life is a gift of God

• Believers are saved before their faith ever produces any righteous works

• Christians can and do sin, sometimes horribly

 

What, then, are the distinctives of lordship salvation? What does Scripture teach that is embraced by those who affirm lordship salvation but rejected by proponents of "easy believism"? 

The following are distinctives of a biblical understanding of true salvation and the Gospel:

• Scripture teaches that the Gospel calls sinners to faith and repentance (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21; 2 Pet. 3:9)

• Repentance is a turning away from self and sin, the desire for selfish and sinful living (Acts 3:19;Luke 24:47) and turning to Christ in humble submission to His Lordship with a resolve to follow Him instead of yourself, satan, and the evil world system.

• Repentance is the abandonment of the pursuit of your will and your way, and the embracing of His will and His way.

• Repentance is a decision, a willful choice that consists not of a human work but of a divinely bestowed grace. in other words, God "grants repentance" (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25) meaning He graciously enables a lost sinner desiring salvation the ability to repent.

• Just as the willful, desired choice of a sinner to give their life to Christ is only by God's pre-determined decree to exercise His Divine Grace on that individual (Ephesians 1; Romans 8), so is the desire, the choice, the ability to repent is a God-given grace (Acts 5:31; 11 :18; 2 Tim 2:25).

• All human beings are self-seeking sinners. No human being seeks God of their own volition (Romans 3:11).

• No sinful person has the power to rid themselves of binding sin -- nor does the sinful heart really want to (Romans 3:10-18). People only want to stop sinning when the sin has an undesired consequence. It is the consequence of sin that people don't want, the sin itself they love. If a sin seems to have no immediate negative consequence, the person is happy to keep on sinning.

• Repentance is a complete change of attitude in mind and heart. (An attitude is simply a viewpoint. It is a particular line of thinking that determines your position and response to something).

• Repentance is a change of inner attitude toward sin and the Gospel -- a change of heart that effects a person's position regarding their sinfulness and their response to the Gospel.

• A repentant heart changes from a desire to love, protect, and cling to their sin as though it had great value, to a heart that now desires to hate all sin and love righteousness instead (Matthew 5:6). That's not natural. We are born with an an appetite for sin and we love it. It is beyond the realm of human nature to love righteousness over sin. That's why repentance leading to salvation must be a supernatural work of God in the sinful heart of a person. It cannot come from human effort no matter how religious or self-disciplined someone may be. Completely quenching a never-satisfied thirst for sin is humanly impossible.  

• It is God that convicts a heart of sin

• It is God that prepares a heart for the hearing of the Gospel

• It is God that opens a heart to the understanding of the Gospel

• It is God that grieves a heart over the eternal consequence of sin

• It is God that humbles a heart with the inability to save ones self

• It is God that draws a heart with desire to be saved

 

Repentance is a change of heart, but genuine repentance will effect a change of behavior as well (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:18-20). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that repentance is simply a synonym for faith and that no turning from sin is required for salvation.

 

Second, Scripture teaches that salvation is all God's work. Those who believe are saved utterly apart from any effort on their own (Titus 3:5). Even faith is a gift of God, not a work of man(Eph. 2: 1-5, 8). Real faith therefore cannot be defective or short-lived but endures forever(Phil. 1 :6; cf. Heb. 11). In contrast, easy believism teaches that faith might not last and that a true Christian can completely cease believing.

 

Third, Scripture teaches that the object of faith is Christ Himself, not a creed or a promise (John 3:16). Faith therefore involves personal commitment to Christ (2 Cor. 5:15). In other words, all true believers follow Jesus (John10:27-28). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that saving faith is simply being convinced or giving credence to the truth of the gospel and does not include a personal commitment to the person of Christ.

 

The Sufficiency of Scripture

It is significant that one of the biblical names of Christ is Wonderful Counselor(lsa. 9:6). He is the highest and ultimate One to whom we may turn for counsel, and His Word is the well from which we may draw divine wisdom. What could be more wonderful than that? In fact, one of the most glorious aspects of Christ's perfect sufficiency is the wonderful counsel and great wisdom He supplies in our times of despair, confusion, fear, anxiety, and sorrow. He is the quintessential Counselor. 

This is not to denigrate the importance of Christians counseling each other. There certainly is a crucial need for biblically sound counseling ministries within the Church, and this need is met by those who are spiritually gifted to offer encouragement, discernment, comfort, advice, compassion, and help to others.

 In fact, one of the very problems that has led to the current plague of bad counsel is that churches have not done as well as they could in equipping people with those kinds of gifts to minister effectively. In addition, the complexities of this modern age have made it more difficult to take the time necessary to listen well, serve others through compassionate personal involvement, and otherwise provide the close fellowship necessary for the church body to enjoy health and vitality.

 

Churches have looked to psychology to fill the gap, but it isn't going to work. Professional psychologists are no substitute for spiritually gifted people, and the counsel that psychology offers cannot replace biblical wisdom and divine power. Moreover, psychology tends to make people dependent on a therapist, whereas those exercising true spiritual gifts always turn people back to all-sufficient Savior and His all-sufficient Word.

 

Psalm 19:7-9 is the most monumental and concise statement on the sufficiency of Scripture ever made. Penned by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these three verses offer unwavering testimony from God Himself about the sufficiency of His Word for every situation and thereby counter the teaching of those who believe that God's Word must be augmented with truth gleaned from modern psychology. In this passage David makes six statements, each highlighting a characteristic of Scripture and describing its effect in the life of the one who embraces it. Taken together, these statements paint a beautiful picture of the sufficiency of God's Word.

 

Scripture Is Perfect, Restoring the Soul

In the first statement (v. 7), David says, ''The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul." This word "perfect" is the translation of a common Hebrew word meaning "whole", "complete", or "sufficient". It conveys the idea of something that is comprehensive, so as to cover all aspects of an issue.

 

Scripture is comprehensive, embodying all that is necessary to one's spiritual life. David's implied contrast here is with the imperfect, insufficient, flawed reasoning of men. God's perfect law, David says, affects people by "restoring the soul" (v. 7). To paraphrase David's words, Scripture is so powerful and comprehensive that it can convert or transform the entire person, changing someone into precisely the person God wants him to be. God's Word is sufficient to restore through salvation even the most broken life-a fact to which David himself gave abundant testimony.

Scripture Is Trustworthy, Imparting Wisdom

David further expands the sweep of scriptural sufficiency in Psalm 19:7, writing, "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." David's use of the word "sure" means that the Lord's testimony is unwavering, immovable, unmistakable, reliable, and worthy to be trusted. It provides a foundation on which to build one's life and eternal destiny. God's sure Word makes the simple wise (v. 7). The Hebrew word translated "simple" comes from an expression meaning "an open door." It evokes the image of a naive person who doesn’t know to shut his mind to false or impure teaching. He is undiscerning ignorant and gullible, but God's Word makes him wise. Such a man is skilled in the art of godly living: He submits to Scripture and knows how to apply it to his circumstances. The Word of God thus takes a simple mind with no discernment and makes it skilled in the issues of life.

 

The Sovereignty of God

Sovereign means exclusive. It means the only one. In government the president is sovereign in that he is the only one, there is only one president of the United States. God is Omnipotent meaning He is All Powerful He is All Mighty. There can be only One who is all powerful. No doctrine is more despised by the natural mind than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride resists the suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, and rules over everything. The carnal mind, burning with enmity against God, hates the biblical teaching that nothing comes to pass that God doesn't allow and nothing happens outside His eternal decrees. Most of all, the human nature hates the notion that salvation is entirely God’s work.

 

The reason this truth is so despised and rejected is because it works against everything that human pride promotes, particularly in our American culture where self is the primary focus and we dare people to stand in our way or step on our rights. We teach our children they have the power and the right to be anything they want, do anything they want, or get anything they want without limitation. The "American way" seems to have become a license to live any way you want fulfilling all desires without restraint. Self-indulgence is the preoccupation of the day, self-advancement is the ambition of the day, self- promotion is the overarching attitude of the day, and is even seen as a virtue. The "American dream" means to assert your freedom by claiming everything you can, pushing your rights, even if it means trampling on someone else’s. It's a free country so you should cleverly use it to your advantage, take charge, call the shots, forge ahead bulldozing everyone that gets in your way after all, it is your right.

 

God's Sovereignty Regarding Salvation

If God chose who would be saved, and if His choice was settled before the foundation of the world, then believers deserve no credit for any aspect of their salvation. But that is precisely what Scripture teaches. Even faith is God's gracious gift to His elect. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father" (John 6:65). "Nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matt. 11 :27).

 Therefore no one who is saved has anything to boast about (Eph. 2:8-9). "Salvation is from the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). The doctrine of divine election is explicitly taught throughout Scripture. For example, in

the New Testament epistles alone we learn that all believers are "chosen of God" (Titus 1:1). We were "predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will"(Eph. 1: 11). "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world .... He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1 :4-5). We "are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son ... and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Rom. 8:28-30).

 

When Peter wrote that we are "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Peter 1 :1-2), he was not using the word "foreknowledge" to mean that God was aware beforehand who would believe and therefore chose them because of their foreseen faith. Rather, Peter meant that God determined before time to know and love and save them; and He chose them without regard to anything good or bad they might do.

 

Scripture teaches that God's sovereign choice is made "according to the kind intention of His will" and "according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will"-that is, not for any reason external to Himself. Certainly He did not choose certain sinners to be saved because of something praiseworthy in them, or because He foresaw that they would choose Him.

He chose them solely because it pleased Him to do so. God declares "the end from the beginning ... saying, 'My purpose will be established, and l will accomplish all My good pleasure"' (lsa.46:10). He is not subject to others' decisions. His purposes for choosing some and rejecting others are hidden in the secret counsels of His own will.

 

Moreover, everything that exists in the universe exists because God allowed it, decreed it, and called it into existence. "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Ps.115:3). "Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps" (Ps. 135:6). He "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1: 11). "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom. 11 :36). "For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things. And we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him" (1 Cor. 8:6).

 

What about sin? God is not the author of sin, but He certainly allowed it; it is integral to His eternal decree. God has a purpose for allowing it. He cannot be blamed for evil or tainted by its existence (1 Sam. 2:2: "There is no one holy like the Lord."). But He certainly wasn't caught off-guard or standing helpless to stop it when sin entered the universe. We do not know His purpose for allowing sin. Clearly, in the general sense, He allowed sin in order to display His glory-attributes that would not be revealed apart from evil- mercy, grace, compassion, forgiveness, and salvation. And God sometimes uses evil to accomplish good (Gen. 45:7-8; 50:20; Rom. 8:28). How can these things be?

 

Biblical Eldership

Biblically the focal point of all church leadership is the elder. An elder is one of a plurality of biblically qualified men who jointly shepherd and oversee a local body of believers. The word translated "elder" is used nearly twenty times in Acts and the epistles in reference to this unique group of leaders who have responsibility for overseeing the people of God.

 

The Office of Elder

As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words "elder" (presbuteros), "overseer" (episkopos), and "pastor" (poim-en) all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer(episkopos) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1 :6-9 are unmistakably parallel. In fact, in Titus 1, Paul uses both terms to refer to the same man (presbuteros in v. 5 and episkopos in v. 7). All three terms are used interchangeably in Acts 20. In verse 17, Paul assembles all the elders (presbuteros) of the church of Ephesus to give them his farewell message. In verse 28 he says, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to shepherd [poim-aino] the church of God." First Peter 5:1-2 brings all three terms together as well. Peter writes, "Therefore, I exhort the elders [presbuteros] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd [poim-aino] the flock of God among you, exercising oversight [episkope-o] not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God' The different terms, then, indicate various features of ministry, not varying levels of authority or separate offices, as some churches espouse.

 

A Plurality of Elders

Nowhere in Scripture does one find a local assembly ruled by majority opinion or by a single pastor. The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that each local body of believers is shepherded by a plurality of God-ordained elders. Simply stated, this is the only pattern for church leadership given in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul left Titus in Crete and instructed him to "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1 :5). James instructed his readers to "call for the elders of the church" to pray for those who are sick (James 5:14). When Paul and Barnabas were in Derbe, Lystra, lconium, and Antioch, they "appointed elders for them in every church" (Acts 14:23). In Paul's first epistle to Timothy, the apostle referred to "the elders who rule well" at the church at Ephesus (1 Tim. 5:17; see also Acts 20:17, where Paul addresses "the elders of the church" at Ephesus). The book of Acts indicates that there were "elders" at the church in Jerusalem (Acts11 :30; 15:2, 4; 21 :18). Again and again, reference is made to a plurality of elders in each of the various churches. In fact, every place in the New Testament where the term presbuteros ("elder") is used it is plural, except where the apostle John uses it of himself in 2 and 3 John and where Peter uses it of himself in 1 Peter 5:1. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a reference to a one-pastor congregation.

 

It may be that each elder in the city had an individual group in which he had specific oversight. But the church was seen as one church, and decisions were made by a collective process and in reference to the

whole, not the individual parts. In other passages, reference is made to a plurality of elders even though the word presbuteros itself is not used. In the opening greeting of his epistle to the Philippians, Paul refers to the "overseers [plural of episkopos] and deacons "at the church of Philippi (Phil. 1 :2). In Acts 20:28, Paul warned the elders of the church of Ephesus, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which God has made you overseers [plural of episkopos]" (Acts 20:28). The writer of Hebrews called his readers to obey and submit to the "leaders" who kept watch over their souls (Heb. 13: 17). Paul exhorted his Thessalonian readers to "appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction" (1 Thess. 5:12)-a clear reference to the overseers in the Thessalonian assembly.

 

Much can be said for the benefits of leadership made up of a plurality of Godly men. Their combined counsel and wisdom helps assure that decisions are not self-willed or self-serving to a single individual (cf. Prov. 11 :14). If there is division among the elders in making decisions, all the elders should study, pray, and seek the will of God together until consensus is achieved. In this way, the unity and harmony that the Lord desires for the church will begin with those individuals he has appointed to shepherd His flock.

 

The Qualifications of Elders

The character and effectiveness of any church is directly related to the quality of its leadership. That's why Scripture stresses the importance of qualified church leadership and delineates specific standards for evaluating those who would serve in that sacred position. The qualifications for elders are found in 1Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1 :6-8. According to these passages, an elder must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money, not fond of sordid gain, a good manager of his household, one who has his children under control with dignity, not a new convert, one who has a good reputation outside the church, self-controlled, sensible, able to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, and above reproach as God's steward.

 

The primary responsibility of an elder is to serve as a manager and caretaker of the church (1Tim. 3:5). That involves a number of specific duties. As spiritual overseers of the flock, elders are to determine church policy (Acts 15:22); oversee the church (Acts 20:28); ordain others (1 Tim. 4:4); rule, teach, and preach (1 Tim.5:17; cf. 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:2); exhort and refute (Titus 1 :9); and act as shepherds, setting an example for all (1 Pet. 5:1-3).

 Those responsibilities put elders at the core of the New Testament church's work. Because of its heritage of democratic values and its long history of congregational church government, modern American evangelicalism often views the concept of elder rule with suspicion. The clear teaching of Scripture, however, demonstrates that the biblical norm for church leadership is a plurality of God-ordained elders, and only by following this biblical pattern will the church maximize its fruitfulness to the glory of God (Phil 3:17; 1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-81 Timothy 2:11-12

 • A man

• The husband of one wife

• Temperate

• Prudent

• Respectable

• Hospitable

• Able to teach

• Without addictions

• Gentle

• A good manager of his household

• Not a new convert

• Knowledgeable in sound doctrine

• Not self-willed

• Not quick-tempered

• Loving what is good

• Just

• Devout

• Above reproach

• A model of Godliness

• An example to the flock

 

The single overarching qualification is that he is to be "above reproach." That is, he must be a leader who cannot be accused of anything sinful because he has a sustained reputation for blamelessness. All the other qualifications, except perhaps teaching and management skills are in synergy with the "above reproach" qualification. 

An elder is to be above reproach in his marital life, his social life, his business life, and his spiritual life. In this way, he is to be a model of Godliness so he can legitimately call the congregation to follow his example (Phil. 3:17).

 

In addition, the office of elder is limited to men. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says, "Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet." In the church, women are to be under the spiritual authority of the elders. Women are excluded from teaching men or holding positions of authority over them. 

Within the church family, Godly women are instructed to teach, minister, and be examples to the younger women (Titus 2) or the less fortunate women such as widows (1 Timothy 5). The reason the Bible clearly outlines God's leadership structure for the church is not that God views women as inferior with regards to ability, importance, or value. God makes it quite clear in His Word that He is impartial to mankind (1 Samuel 14:14; Romans 2:11; Acts 10:30; Eph 6:9; 1 Peter 1:17). God's pattern for church leadership simply follows that of the home.

God instituted the home before He instituted the church. Therefore, in the eternal consistency of God, His design for leadership responsibility in the church is synonymous with that of the home to a great degree.

 

In God's design for the home the husband and father is the watchman, the umbrella, the overseer in a loving, caring fashion. He is the overall provider, protector, and the one God holds accountable for the outcome of the home. It is not the mother. Although the mother may do some of the same things like generate income, protect and discipline her children, etc. (Proverbs 31) she is not the one God holds responsible for the overall success of the home. It is the father (1 Timothy 5:8). The wife and mother is an equally important role but different. It is not an inferior role, it is simply a different role. Both are equally important, equally unique, and both play an extremely significant role in God's design for the family. The difference is in the responsibility. God holds the husband and father to a much higher accountability.

 

So it's in the shadow of the home that God structured church leadership. The Godly men of the church that make up it's leadership are the watchmen, the umbrella, the overseers in a loving, caring fashion, providing spiritual food for God's flock. God holds the leadership of a local church accountable for the overall spiritual growth, health, and vitality of that local church.

 

As the apostolic era came to a close, the office of elder emerged as the highest level of local church leadership. Again, not high in social importance or privilege, but high in accountability. Thus, the position of pastor/elder began to carry a great amount of responsibility. Today pastors/elders should be the greatest human resource to know the mind and heart of God with regard to teaching His Word and dealing with issues in the church.

 

Church Discipline

On occasion, a Christian will wander away from the fellowship of other believers and find himself ensnared by sin through ignorance or willful disobedience. It then becomes necessary for the church, and particularly its shepherds, to actively seek the repentance and restoration of that Christian. As shepherds of the flock, the elders love the sheep and are also held accountable by God for their spiritual welfare, including that of the wandering sheep. As in the Lord's parable in Luke 15:3-8, it is a time of joy, both in heaven and within the church, when the wandering Christian truly repents. One means by which the church seeks to lovingly restore wandering believers is the process of church discipline. In Matthew 18, the Lord explains to His disciples how to respond when a fellow believer sins. The principles He sets forth must guide the body of Christ as she seeks to implement discipline in the church today. Proper, Biblical church discipline in the church promotes

 • Spiritual good health

• Spiritual safety from infectious sin

• Spiritual growth

• Spiritual well being

• Spiritual life

• Joy and vitality

 

Sadly, Biblical church discipline has all but disappeared in today's modern church culture. Legalistic churches where the pastor rules people like a dictator, usurping Christ's position as head of the church, many times using and abusing people wielding his imaginary power through manipulation and intimidation is not Biblical church discipline by any definition. In fact, in much of these types of settings disorder, confusion, oppression, and rebellion breeds as people begin to resist.

 

The Purpose of Discipline

The purpose of church discipline is the spiritual restoration of fallen members and the consequent strengthening of the church and glorifying of the Lord. When a sinning believer is rebuked and he turns from his sin and is forgiven, he is won back to fellowship with the body and with the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. The goal of church discipline, then, is not to throw people out of the church or to feed the self-righteous pride of those who administer the discipline. It is not to embarrass people or to exercise authority and power in some unbiblical manner. The purpose is to restore a sinning believer to holiness and bring him back into a pure relationship within the assembly. In Matthew 18:15, Jesus says, "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." The Greek word translated "won" was originally used of accumulating wealth in the sense of monetary commodities. Here it refers to the gaining back of something of value that is lost, namely, an erring brother. When a brother or sister strays, a valuable treasure is lost, and the church should not be content until he or she is restored. The body of Christ is in the business of recovery (Gal. 6:1), and such is the purpose of church discipline.

 

The Process of Discipline

In Matthew 18: 15·17, Jesus sets forth the four-step process of church discipline:

1. Tell him his sin alone, if that doesn't work go to the next step

2. Take some witnesses, if that doesn't work go to the next step

3. Tell the church, if that doesn't work go to the next step

4. Treat him as an outsider.

 

Step One (Matt. 18:15)

The process of church discipline begins on an individual level. Jesus said, "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private" (v. 15a). Here, an individual believer is to go to a sinning brother privately and confront him in a spirit of humility and gentleness. This confrontation involves clearly exposing his sin so that he is aware of it and calling him to repentance. If the sinning brother repents in response to the private confrontation, that brother is forgiven and restored (v. 15b).

 

Step Two (Matt. 18:16)

If the sinning brother refuses to listen to the one who has rebuked him privately, the next step in the discipline process is to take one or two more believers along to confront him again (v. 16a). The purpose is so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed (v. 16b). In other words, the witnesses are present not only to confirm that the sin was really committed, but to confirm that the sinning brother was properly rebuked, and verify whether or not he is repentant of the sin. The presence of additional witnesses is as much a protection for the one being approached as it is for the one doing the approaching. A person could be biased or mistaken. It would be presumptuous to think that one person should make the ultimate determination, especially if he was the one who had been offended. The witnesses need to confirm whether there is a heart of repentance, indifference, or rejection. Such a report provides the basis for further action since the situation has been verified beyond the report of one individual. The hope is that the ones who are brought to confront the sinner will not have to become public witnesses against him before the rest of the church. Ideally, their added rebuke will pe sufficient to induce a change of heart in the offending brother that the initial rebuke did not cause. If this change of heart does occur, that brother is forgiven and restored, and the matter is dropped.

Step Three (Matt. 18:17a)

If the sinning brother refuses to listen and respond to the confrontation of the witnesses, after sufficient time those witnesses are then to tell the church (v. 17a). This is most appropriately done by bringing the matter to the attention of the elders, who in turn oversee its communication to the assembly as a whole. How long the witnesses continue to call the person to repentance before telling the church should be determined by prayer and the wise, prudent discernment of those involved. Steps 3 and 4 of Biblical church discipline are very rare for a number of reasons:

• an unrepentant person bent on continuing their sin leaves the church before all steps of church discipline are carried out.

• the erring believer is restored before step 3

• these steps should be absolutely avoided until it is certain that over a time the erring brother plans to continues to sin, and refuses to repent when appropriately confronted.

 The elders should send a letter by registered mail warning the individual that the third (or fourth) step of discipline will be taken if they have not received word of repentance by a specific date. When this date has passed, the person's sin and refusal to repent are made known publicly, either before the entire assembly during a Communion service or through a fellowship group in which the person is known. But as far as the welfare of the brother himself is concerned, the purpose of the ostracism is not to punish but to awaken, and it must therefore be done in humble love and never in a spirit of self-righteous superiority (2 Thess. 3:15).

 When a church has done everything it can to bring a sinning member back to purity of life but is unsuccessful, that individual is to be left to his sin and his shame. If he is truly a Christian, God will not cast him away, but He may allow him to sink still deeper before he becomes desperate enough to turn from his sin. The command not to have fellowship or even social contact with the unrepentant brother does not exclude all contact. When there is an opportunity to admonish him and try to call him back, the opportunity should be taken. In fact, such opportunities should be sought. But the contact should be for the purpose of admonishment and restoration and no other.

 That crucial and potent procedure often draws the sinner to repentance and obedience. If repentance does take place, the sinning believer is forgiven and restored.

 Step Four (Matt. 18:17)

This extremely rare final step in the process of church discipline is ostracism. If a sinning believer refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be ostracized from the fellowship. Jesus said, "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer" (v. 17b).  The term "Gentile" was primarily used of non-Jews who held to their traditional paganism and had no part in the covenant, worship, or social life of the Jews. On the other hand, a "tax-gatherer" was an outcast from the Jews by choice, having become a traitor to his own people.

 

Jesus' use of these terms doesn't mean that the church is to treat these people badly. It simply means that when a professing believer refuses to repent, the church is to treat him as if he were outside of the fellowship. They are not to let him associate and participate in the blessings and benefits of the Christian assembly.

 

When a man in the Corinthian church refused to forsake an incestuous relationship with his stepmother, the apostle Paul commanded that the man be removed from their midst (1 Cor.5:13). The believers there were not even to share a meal with him (1 Cor. 5:11), since dining with someone was symbolic of a hospitable and cordial fellowship. The one who is persistently unrepentant is to be totally ostracized from the fellowship of the church and treated like an outcast, not a brother. This sounds harsh but is for the spiritual health of the church. Persistent infection will spread if not removed from a wound.  Spiritually, it works the same way. Infectious sin that is allowed to persist will spread and can heavily damage, if not kill off a local church.

 

Therefore, for the welfare of the church, putting a brother out is to:

• Protect the purity of the fellowship (1 Cor. 5:6)

• To warn the assembly of the seriousness of sin (1Tim. 5:20)

• To give a testimony of righteousness to a watching world.

 

As for the welfare of the brother himself, the purpose of the ostracism is to awaken him to the greater possibility of God's chastisement. It is not to punish him, that's up to God, not us. This step must be done in humble love and never in a spirit of self-righteous superiority (2 Thess. 3:15). It must always with the lowly mindset that we are all vulnerable to sin. We are all needy and dependent on God's mercy and forgiveness.

 

Rock Springs church is not a place or a building. We are a people who belong to God by His own work, through His own choosing, and for His own eternal purpose (1 Peter 2:9 -10). By no merit or campaign of our own, we are simply people God has graciously saved from the overpowering grip of sin and the everlasting death penalty that comes from the guilt of being in that position (see Salvation).

 

We understand that salvation is completely a work of God. We cannot save ourselves. We have absolutely no ability to measure up to God's perfect standard. We have no capacity to produce righteousness, win any favor with God, or bring any glory to God.

 

God glorifies Himself. Thankfully, God glories in the rescue of men. It is His will that people be saved. In fact, it is so much God's will to save people that even before He ever created the earth His plan of salvation was already in place (Eph 1 :4). It was His choice, His plan, His will before any of us ever existed.

 

Salvation is His plan, not ours. He designed it, initiated it, and brought it to fruition. He saves us. He credits us with the righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ, and He Glorifies Himself by accomplishing that work in us. We are saved by Him and for Him. It is God that wanted to reconcile the broken relationship, not us (2 Cor 5: 18-21).

 

So it's about Him, not us. His motive is love (John 3:16) His choice from the beginning is to have for Himself a select holy nation of people to live with Him in His Kingdom forever (1 Peter 2). His purpose is to save us to an eternal life of obedience and worship (Eph 1):

 1. out of love for Him

2. out of obedient hearts

3. out of gratitude for His amazing Grace

4. out of joy for the glorious everlasting life He has given us

6. out of lives being changed more and more into His Image

7. out of the faith God gives us to live as citizens of His eternal Kingdom

8. out of belonging to Christ, having been permanently adopted into His eternal family