Beliefs

Detailed Exposition

Bibliology

I believe God preserves His Word[i]. It is without error[ii] and is trustworthy[iii]. God revealed Himself and His eternal plan for mankind through the Scriptures, and the focal point is the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God[iv]. The thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament comprise the whole canon of Scripture[v]. Every word of Scripture is God-breathed and illuminated through the Holy Spirit to believers.[vi] Through grace, believers are given spiritual gifts, and the Word is to be taught by those with the gift of teaching.[vii] God’s Word is able to equip us for every good work.[viii] God’s Word states that He gives His people everything they need for life and godliness through the knowledge He provides. I believe the promises of the Word prepare and provide believers all they need to live a life of obedient faith, the ability to resist evil and to eagerly look forward to our future hope in the eternal kingdom.[ix]

Trinitarianism

I believe in the doctrine of the Trinity as revealed in the Bible. There is one true God who eternally exists as three persons­­–Father, Son and Holy Spirit[x]–equal in nature[xi], equal in glory[xii], and distinct in relations.[xiii] Each person of the Godhead is fully divine,[xiv] and not three separate gods, but one eternal God.[xv] As such, each is worthy of the same reverence, trust, and obedience.[xvi]

I believe God exists as three eternal persons who share the same attributes[xvii] and freely choose to be in a relationship with one another.[xviii] The triune God is perfect,[xix] unchanging,[xx] all-knowing, all-powerful and present everywhere at the same time.[xxi] God is true,[xxii] holy,[xxiii] good,[xxiv] faithful,[xxv] loving,[xxvi] and merciful[xxvii]. Each member of the Godhead mutually indwells the other.[xxviii] The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit know and testify of one another.[xxix] God the Father glorifies the Son[xxx], the Son glorifies the Father[xxxi] and the Spirit glorifies the Son and the Father.[xxxii] God is self-existent[xxxiii] and the Creator of heaven and earth who sustains all things.[xxxiv]

I believe The Godhead shares a divine nature with distinct, yet harmonious, activities.[xxxv] The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exemplify perfect love and demonstrate a self-giving love to one another.[xxxvi] The Father eternally loves His Son and this love eternally flows over His creation.[xxxvii] God the Father demonstrated His love for His creation by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, so that all may know Him and have fellowship with Him.[xxxviii] The Son was sent from the Father[xxxix] and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.[xl] The Father is Ruler and Lord of heaven and earth,[xli] the Judge,[xlii] a Loving Reconciler,[xliii]and the One to whom all things return.[xliv]

I believe Jesus, the One and Only Son, is God[xlv] and was begotten by God the Father.[xlvi] Jesus was sent into the world to reveal God to men[xlvii], fulfill prophecy[xlviii], and to be the Savior of all who will receive Him by faith.[xlix] The eternally divine Jesus came to earth conceived by the Holy Spirit[l] and born through a virgin birth[li], taking the form of a human body and nature except for sin.[lii] He was fully God[liii] and fully man, who remained sinless throughout His life.[liv] Jesus the Son is Co-Creator of all things[lv] and the Sustainer.[lvi] He was the perfect Substitute–the sinless for the sinner–and by His death, He became the Savior.[lvii] Jesus rose from the dead as the conquering Redeemer[lviii] and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords,[lix] and Mighty God.[lx] Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and interceding as Advocate for believers.[lxi]

I believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person of the triune Godhead[lxii] and, as such, displays intelligence, reveals His own will, and shows emotions.[lxiii] He is eternal and dwells in every believer at the moment of salvation as the Counselor, Advocate, Teacher, and Spirit of Truth.[lxiv] To lie to the Spirit is the same as lying to God.[lxv] The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God the Father and teaches spiritual things to spiritual people.[lxvi] The Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts to each believer.[lxvii] It is an unpardonable sin to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.[lxviii] I believe prayer is to be prayed to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit.[lxix]

Angelology

I believe God created angels, and they are spiritual beings.[lxx] There are certain angels that did not sin against God and they serve him as ministering agents.[lxxi] God made man a little lower than angels.[lxxii] The highest-ranked angel, named Satan, sinned by choosing to desire to be like God.[lxxiii] Satan is an enemy of God and the people of God—deserving of God’s wrath.[lxxiv] Many angels, fallen angels, joined Satan in his rebellion against God.[lxxv] Some demons commit evil deeds that appear to be works of God.[lxxvi] God holds some fallen angels in bondage until judgment day.[lxxvii] Satan received his eternal death sentence at the cross of Jesus, but he roams the earth until the second coming of Christ when he will be confined for a thousand years.[lxxviii] Satan’s future and eternal destination is in the Lake of Fire with all the fallen angels.[lxxix]

Anthropology

I believe God is the creator of all, and He has unlimited authority over all creation.[lxxx] God is worthy of worship.[lxxxi] God created both male and female, in his own image and likeness.[lxxxii] He created mankind with a unique and complex nature that consists of both material and immaterial aspects.[lxxxiii] Men and women are of equal value and dignity in God’s eyes, and they are both given authority to rule over creation as partners.[lxxxiv] Mankind is distinct from the rest of creation—God crowned them with glory and honor.[lxxxv] Every man, woman, and child, including the unborn, has value and dignity.[lxxxvi] Mankind fell from God’s grace into sin, which was a rebellion against God, resulting in spiritual alienation from God and physical death spreading to all of mankind.[lxxxvii] God created mankind to have a personal relationship with Him and desires mankind to bring Him glory.[lxxxviii] Mankind is designed to be social beings, to live in community, to love and serve God, and to love others.[lxxxix] God’s plan is for marriage to be between one man and one woman, and for them to propagate children.[xc]

Hamartiology

I believe sin was first manifested in Satan, an enemy of God, and then he instigated Adam and Eve, who were originally created without sin, into sin.[xci] Adam and Eve sinned through rebellion by disobeying God.[xcii] Mankind’s first sin resulted in spiritual condemnation and physical death for all of humanity.[xciii] Sin is essentially rebellion, pride, idolatry, and unbelief.[xciv] Sin resulted in mankind inheriting a corrupt nature, and resulted in a spiritual disconnection from the holy triune God.[xcv] Sin brought curses upon creation: the ground was cursed, mankind would toil at work, and men and women would try to rule one another.[xcvi] Sin resulted in the wrath of God, and therefore mankind needed a Savior.[xcvii] God sent his only Son, Jesus, to take away the sins of the world through his sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross, effectually covering the death penalty and providing the way of reconciliation to a righteous God.[xcviii] The resurrection of Jesus provides complete assurance that His substitutionary work removes the death penalty for sin to those who believe with faith in Christ.[xcix]

Soteriology

I believe the triune God created mankind in His image and innocent of sin,[c] but man chose to sin against God.[ci] This original sin resulted in mankind’s need for a Savior, because sin had as its result God’s condemnation and wrath for the entire human race, (except the fully human and fully divine Jesus Christ)[cii], as well as physical and spiritual death and alienation from God.[ciii] Man is corrupted and dead in his sins,[civ] yet, there is saving hope by divine grace through faith.[cv]

      I believe that God’s plan to redeem His people is through His Son, Jesus Christ, a sinless man and divine Savior.[cvi] I believe salvation is a gift of God, by His grace alone, and received by man through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins.[cvii] I believe God gives His unmerited favor through His grace, as a free gift that is not earned and cannot be repaid; therefore, acceptance of God comes only through a work of God’s grace.[cviii] I believe that God’s grace, in the person of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, is what makes Christianity unique among all other religions.[cix] I believe God desires all men to be saved,[cx] yet, salvation is found only through faith in Christ. In addition, repentance for sins is a vital part of believing.[cxi] Salvation is found only in God’s grace and believing faith, and not in acts such as baptism, confession, communion, or works of service.[cxii] Before Christ came, I believe salvation was obtained by men through faith in God, with a faith that produced repentance, and that their works were credited to them as righteousness because they could not have known Jesus, the Lamb of God.[cxiii]

      I believe that the triune Godhead, in love, chose the cross as the means to provide atonement for the sins of mankind.[cxiv] Christ’s blood, poured out in His death on the cross, sufficiently atoned for all the sins of mankind: those that are past, present, and future.[cxv] His atoning death made the ransom payment for the guilt of sin,[cxvi] which satisfies God’s wrath,[cxvii] provides freedom from sin and Satan,[cxviii] and is the basis for a believer’s spiritual blessings[cxix] and for a new life with the indwelling Spirit of God.[cxx] Christ’s death was the substitutionary sacrifice for sin and, through His atoning blood, believers, through faith, are provided access to the Father.[cxxi] I do not believe Christ’s death was a ransom paid to Satan to free sinners from allegiance to him.[cxxii]

      I believe that God loves all sinners but chooses, or elects, only some to be saved, which is His sovereign choice.[cxxiii] I believe the gospel should be preached to all mankind because the elect are not saved until the point in time that they believe, because salvation is by grace through faith.[cxxiv] I believe there is a general calling in which God extends an invitation to enter into a saving relationship and a special calling or effectual call in which the Spirit of God works in the individual as they hear the Word of God and have the opportunity to exercise faith in Christ.[cxxv]

      I believe spiritual conversion describes the point or process by which a person is no longer in the condition of spiritual death, but in a condition of spiritual life, as in the spiritual turning from sin to faith in God.[cxxvi] God requires repentance, and He graciously provides the ability of the believer to respond with a repentant heart.[cxxvii] I believe conversion is a work of God through His Spirit.[cxxviii] I believe that evidence of conversion is displayed through the fruits of the Spirit in a believer’s life.[cxxix]

      I believe assurance of salvation is a gift of God’s grace to all believers based on Scripture’s record of Christ’s person and works.[cxxx] Assurance is not based on a believer’s worth or works.[cxxxi] I believe obedience is not required evidence for assurance, but those who have the indwelling Spirit will possess the heart desire to be obedient.[cxxxii]

      I believe that for conversion to be effectual there must be a personal response of faith.[cxxxiii] Faith that saves is one that has heard and understood the good news of Christ’s birth, works, death as a sacrifice for sins and resurrection from the grave.[cxxxiv] Those who possess saving faith will trust in God and have a firm commitment to please Him through obedience to His Word.[cxxxv] I believe God graciously enables faith in a believer.[cxxxvi]

      I believe the Holy Spirit regenerates us at conversion, which brings about new spiritual birth and an inner spiritual transformation.[cxxxvii] I believe the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit and is the indwelling presence of God in a believer.[cxxxviii] Believers are born again, or regenerated, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is the promised provision of the new covenant.[cxxxix] I believe the indwelling of the Spirit brings a new intimacy between God and a believer and the Holy Spirit enables the believer in all things.[cxl]

      I believe justification is God’s declaration of righteousness on those who believe, through faith, in Christ. God declares us righteous because God makes us righteous by forgiving our sins.[cxli] I believe that the biblical basis for justification is both Christ’s sinless life and His death on the cross.[cxlii] A believer makes an instantaneous exchange[cxliii] with Christ: their sin for His righteousness. Christ’s death atoned for sin and enabled us to be declared righteous.[cxliv] The righteousness that God gifts to believers is alien righteousness in that we are still sinners and continue to sin, yet He covers our unrighteousness.[cxlv] I believe that justification means that God acquits the guilty and declares them innocent because the payment for sin to satisfy His wrath has been made on the cross.[cxlvi] No one can ever bring about his or her own righteousness or bring about his or her own justification before God because righteousness only comes from God by faith.[cxlvii] I believe that a believer is to be faithful, to repent, and to confess his sins to God.[cxlviii] God’s gift of justification provides the believer with eternal life.[cxlix] I believe God provides assurance of justification through the truth in His Word.[cl]

      I believe perseverance of the saints’ means that those who believe continue to believe.[cli] I believe perseverance is God’s work in that He preserves a believer’s faith in Him.[clii] I do not believe that perseverance means that a believer will be sinless.[cliii] I believe that God puts new eternal life, in a believer at conversion,[cliv] and that God never lies, provides for the perseverance of the saints.[clv]

      I believe that eternal security is taught in the Word as a secure promise to believers.[clvi] Believers are secure because no one can remove them from God’s grasp.[clvii] I believe Christ is our advocate, seated at the right hand of the Father, and He continues to intercede for believers.[clviii] Believers are eternally secure because God chooses them, justifies them, and promises to glorify them.[clix] I believe, based on God’s Word, that nothing can separate us from Him.[clx] I believe God will complete the work He begins in believers.[clxi] I believe God grants the gift of faith, He secures the faith, and He enables the perseverance of the believer, as well.[clxii]

      I believe in the exclusivity of the gospel, in that salvation is found only through Christ, and one must have faith and explicitly state their belief in Christ.[clxiii] I believe salvation is found in the name of Jesus Christ and no other name.[clxiv] Although I do not find biblical evidence for assurance, it is my hope that the triune God, who is compassionate and merciful, will gift pre-born infants, children under the age of accountability, and those who do not have the mental capacity to understand or believe, are and will be graciously given saving faith in Christ.

Ecclesiology and Sanctification

I believe the Church is a universal body made up of true believers in Christ’s person and works, united into the body by faith in Christ, and sealed through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.[clxv] It is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church under the Lordship of the triune God.[clxvi] The Church is the people of God, united by the Spirit to one another and to Christ, its’ head.[clxvii] The Apostle’s Creed describes the Church as “the communion of saints.” The Spirit sanctifies each believer, making her holy.[clxviii] While there are many local churches,[clxix] of identifiable communities of believers meeting together[clxx], there is one universal Church under Christ.[clxxi] The church has aspects of visibility,[clxxii] with its purpose to be a light to the world[clxxiii], and invisibility, in that only God knows who is a true Christ-follower[clxxiv]. The Church has the redemptive purpose to make Christ known, and functions to restrain evil in the world.[clxxv] It is apostolic by following the doctrines and practices established by the apostolic writings.[clxxvi] The Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.[clxxvii] True believers in the Church are to function as ministers of the new covenant[clxxviii], witnessing to the lost world.[clxxix] The Church is distinct from Israel.[clxxx]

      I believe God gives a diversity of spiritual gifts to His people,[clxxxi] manifested through the Spirit, for the good of the body.[clxxxii] Each believer is given her gift(s) to prepare her to serve and build up the church to unity in faith and maturity in knowledge.[clxxxiii] I believe God gave spiritual gifts to men and women without gender distinction in the gifts.[clxxxiv] In the apostolic church, God appointed certain gifted men and women as apostles, prophets, deacons, evangelists, and teachers. I believe certain men and women today are called by God to be evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the work of ministry service.[clxxxv] I believe God has ordained certain offices, overseer, elders, and deacons[clxxxvi], for the purpose of maintaining order in the local church, and to shepherd[clxxxvii] and teach the essential truths of the faith.[clxxxviii] An essential element of keeping order in the Church involves the necessity for church discipline.[clxxxix] I believe the sacramental ordinances of the church include baptismal initiation and observance of the Lord’s Supper.[cxc] Both of these sacraments are a means to testify to the truth in Scripture.[cxci] I believe each believer is to join with other believers in the local church to exalt the triune God through corporate worship and prayer.[cxcii] Worship of God is a believer’s submission to and adoration of the glory of God.[cxciii]

I believe sanctification begins with a saving relationship with Christ, by faith, through grace—therefore a believer is justified at the point of salvation[cxciv]. The believer retains her sinful nature but is no longer doomed to spiritual death due to her human depravity.[cxcv] A believer is progressively sanctified as she grows in holiness and maturity in the faith, through the enabling of the Holy Spirit[cxcvi]. This growth is to be manifested in a growing, personal relationship with Christ, and a growing fellowship with others in the body of Christ. Part of sanctification growth is obedience in sharing the gospel and living a holy life, both of which are enabled by, and bring glory to God.[cxcvii] At the return of Christ, all believers will have their sinful nature replaced with a glorified nature—this is the point of complete sanctification.[cxcviii] I believe understanding the Trinity will help a believer experience a transforming relationship with the triune God. Within the church, it is essential to teach the Trinity.

Eschatology

I believe in the blessed hope manifested through faith in things not yet.[cxcix] Believers have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,[cc] which promises to believers a royal inheritance.[cci] Believers have hope in the second coming of Christ,[ccii] hope in eternal life with God[cciii] and hope in our complete righteousness.[cciv]

I believe in the future, pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, which is the next great event that will fulfill prophecy.[ccv] The Church, in fulfillment, will be removed before the 70^th week,[ccvi] and will not, therefore, experience the wrath of God that is poured out during the great tribulation.[ccvii] The Church—the Body of Christ—is not mentioned in Revelation 4 through 20, and will be in heaven during the great tribulation. This great tribulation also called the time of Jacob’s trouble,[ccviii] will be a time of the judgment of the whole earth and will last for seven years.[ccix] The Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, will reign during the tribulation until the second coming of Christ.[ccx] These seven years will be a time when many will come to faith in Christ,[ccxi] despite the antichrist exalting and proclaiming himself to be God.[ccxii]

I believe Christ will literally return to the earth[ccxiii] in His future second coming[ccxiv], but no one but the Father knows the day or hour.[ccxv] The second coming will occur at the end of the great tribulation, and Christ will come with power and glory, having both a visible and physical appearance.[ccxvi] His coming is to accomplish the first resurrection[ccxvii] and to set up His millennial kingdom on the earth.[ccxviii] Other purposes for Christ’s second coming will include: to lock up Satan in the abyss,[ccxix] to release creation from its curse,[ccxx] and to fulfill His covenant promises to restore Israel to the land.[ccxxi] Believers will reign with Christ, as priests of God,[ccxxii] some on thrones, to judge with authority[ccxxiii] for a thousand years.[ccxxiv] Christ will reign as King, with righteousness and justice with peace.[ccxxv] I believe that those at death who have believed with faith in Christ pass immediately into God’s presence, and remain with Him until their earthly bodies are resurrected at Christ’s second coming.[ccxxvi] At that time, believers will receive imperishable bodies united with their souls for use in their eternal state.[ccxxvii]

I believe the millennium will be the future, divine rule and thousand-year reign of Christ.[ccxxviii] Christ’s earthly millennium reign provides for the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to the patriarchal fathers, including Israel’s regathering and restoration to the land.[ccxxix] The return of Christ to reign as King and Judge will fulfill God’s purpose to restore to fellowship those who belong to Christ.[ccxxx]

I believe every person will spend eternity in either heaven or hell.[ccxxxi] I believe at the end of the millennium, unbelievers will be judged with eternal condemnation at the Great White Throne and doomed to eternal separation from God.[ccxxxii] Believers will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where rewards and crowns will be awarded.[ccxxxiii]

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[i] Matt 5:17–18; Rev 22:18

[ii] Prov 30:5

[iii] John 17:17; Titus 1:2

[iv] Mark 12:35–36; John 5:39–40; Acts 1:16; 18:28; 26:22–23

[v] 2 Tim 3:16; Jude 1:3; Rev 22:18­–19

[vi] 2 Pet 1:21; 2 Tim 3:16; John 16:12–15; 1 Cor 2:9–16

[vii] Rom 12:6–7

[viii] 2 Tim 3:16

[ix] 2 Peter 1:3–11

[x] Deut 4:35; Deut 6:4(the Shema with the Hebrew word “ehad” denoting a composite unity); Gen 1:26; Matt 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 15:26; Also see Horrell, Ch. 2 Veiled Glory, p. 11–henotheism-remaining true to one particular God above all other gods.

A description of the Trinity as God eternally existing as three persons is not intended to state that the three exist in space-time or temporal arrangement with one another. They do not have an order of creation and there is not a rank of importance within the Godhead. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each eternal and non-created. They are not one divine being with three different roles (modalism) or three separate divine beings acting in concert with one another (tritheism). The Trinity is one God as three persons­­ is divine unity in plurality.

[xi] Holsteen, Nathan D. & Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology: Revelation, Scripture, and The Triune God, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Bethany House Publishers, 2014) 158.

[xii] Nicene Creed; Heb 1:2-3

[xiii] Horrell, Dr. Scott, Part 2: Biblical Evidences For The Trinity, Class Notes, p 2; Isa 48:16; Ps 100:1.

[xiv] Horrell. Part 2: Biblical Evidences For The Trinity, Class Notes, p 4.

[xv] Holsteen, Nathan D. and Michael J. Svigel, ed. Exploring Christian Theology: Revelation, Scripture, and The Triune God, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Bethany House Publishers, 2014) 268. Ps 90:2. Also see Dallas Theological Seminary Article II from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement. John 1:14; 2 Cor 13:14; Heb 1:1-3; Rev 1:4-6

[xvi] Dallas Theological Seminary Article II from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; Matt 28:18-19; Mark 12:29-30; John 1:14

[xvii] Horrell, Part I: God’s Names and Attributes, Class Notes, p. 3. John 15:26; John 16:7-8.

Also see Dallas Theological Seminary Article II from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement. 

[xviii] John 4:35; John 10:15; John 5:19-20–the Son does what the Father is doing. John 16:13-15–the Spirit speaks what He hears from the Son; Heb 9:14–how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God….”

[xix] Deut 32:4; Matt 5:48

[xx] Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8

[xxi] Isa 40:12-28; Jer 23:23; Heb 1:3

[xxii] John 17:3; Rom 11:33

[xxiii] Lev 19:2, 21:8; Ps 99:3

[xxiv] Ps 25:8, 34:8

[xxv] Deut 7:9; Ps:25:10

[xxvi] John 17:24; Rom 5:8; 1 John 4:8

[xxvii] Ps 103:8; Eph 2:4-5

[xxviii] Horrell, Ch. 6 Intratrinitarian Relationships, Class Notes, p.17–Gk work perichoresis to describe mutual indwelling. John 10:38; 14:10; John 7:37-39; 20:22

[xxix] John 5:36-37; John 15:26; (Father); John 7:29; John 17:26: John 3:32(Son) John 16:13-15; 1 Cor 2:11(Spirit)

[xxx] John 16:14

[xxxi] John 17:4

[xxxii] John 16:14(glorifies the Son); Horrell, Ch. 6: IntraTrinitarian Relationships, Class Notes, p. 16­–“…the Spirit glorifies the Son and thereby also the Father.”

[xxxiii] Horrell, Part I: God’s Names and Attributes, Class Notes, p.3; Job 41:11; Acts 17:24-25; Rom 11:35-36.

[xxxiv] Col 1:16

[xxxv] Horrell, Ch. 6:IntraTrinitarian Relationships, Class Notes, p. 11; John 5:17 (Father) John 5:21; John 16:7(Son) John 14:16; John 16:8-11; John 16:13-15 (Holy Spirit); Acts 5:30-32.

[xxxvi] John 17:24-26; John 14:31

[xxxvii]Reeves, Michael, Delighting In The Trinity, (Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2012), 42-43; John 3:35; 1 John 4:16-17.

[xxxviii] John 3:16

[xxxix] Isa 48:16;

[xl] John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 15:26; The Bible clearly teaches as previously stated in this document that the Holy Spirit is God. The scriptural evidence is strong that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. John 14:16-17a says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is “the Spirit of truth…” John 14:26 says, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” And, John 15:26 tells us, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about me.” I believe God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to believers as is referenced in the Bible. Historically there was a question of whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Latin term filoque, meaning “and the Son” was added, in violation of the canon, to the Nicene-Constantinople Creed by the Church of Rome to indicate that the Spirit proceeds from the Father “and Son”. This addition was declared heresy and led to a break between Western and Eastern churches. If one does not believe in the referenced scripture as God’s truth, then it is a denial of of the Holy Spirit as a person of the Trinity and the One whom the Father sent to indwell those who believe in the triune God.

[xli] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 5; Matt 11:25; Eph 1:3-5; Rev 4:2-5:13.

[xlii] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 5; Gen 18:25; John 3:36.

[xliii] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 5; John 3:16; Eph 1:3-14; Gal 4:6-7; 2 Cor 5:17.

[xliv] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 5; 1 Cor 15:24-28.

[xlv] Matt 28:19-20; John 1:1-3; Phil 2:5-8; Heb 1:2-13; Also see Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 6-8

[xlvi]begotten-Ps 2:7; John 1:14.

[xlvii] Holsteen, Nathan D. & Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology: Revelation, Scripture, and The Triune God, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Bethany House Publishers, 2014) 162. “God the Son doubly humbled himself, first in becoming human, second in suffering the most shameful, torturous death….”

[xlviii] Isa 9:6-7; Mic 5:2

[xlix] Dallas Theological Seminary Article VI from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; John 1:12, 18; John 3:16

[l] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 7; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; Luke 1:35.

[li] Horrell, Chapter 4: God Made Flesh, Class Notes, p 2.

[lii] Dallas Theological Seminary Article II from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; Luke 1:30-35; Heb 4:15

[liii] Acts 10:36; Rom 9:5; 2 Pet 1:1

[liv] Dallas Theological Seminary Article II from Doctrinal Statements, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; John 1:1-2; Luke 2:40; Phil 2:5-8; hypostatic union-one person with two natures, without confusion or separation.

[lv] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 7; John 1:3; Col 1:16.

[lvi] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 7; Col 1:17.

[lvii] John 1:29; Rom 3:25-26; 2 Cor 5:14

[lviii] Heb 1:3

[lix] Rev 19:16

[lx] Isa 9:6

[lxi] Heb 1:3

[lxii] Acts 5:3-4; Athanasian Creed

[lxiii] Matt 28:19

[lxiv] John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7.  See also Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, 9. 1 Co 2:10-13; Acts 8:29, 9:30; Eph 4:30; Heb 10:29.

[lxv] Acts 5:3-4, 9

[lxvi] Horrell, Part 2: Biblical Evidences for the Trinity, Class Notes, p. 9; 2 Sam 23:2; 1 Cor 2:11-13.

[lxvii] 1 Cor 12:7–11; Eph 4:10; Rom 12:6–8

[lxviii] Matt 12:31-32

[lxix] Eph 2:18

[lxx] Gen 1:1

[lxxi] Heb 1:14; Rev 7:11–12

[lxxii] Heb 2:7

[lxxiii] Ezek 28:11–19; Isa 14:12–17

[lxxiv] 1 Tim 3:6; 2 Cor 4:3–4

[lxxv] Isa 14:12; Jude 6

[lxxvi] 2 Cor 11:13–15

[lxxvii] 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6

[lxxviii] Rev 20:1–3

[lxxix] Col 2:15; Rev 20:10

[lxxx] Gen 1:1; John 1:3, 10; Col 1:16

[lxxxi] Rev 4:11

[lxxxii] Gen 1:27

[lxxxiii] Matt 10:28; 1 Cor 5:3

[lxxxiv] Gen 1:26–28

[lxxxv] Ps 8:4–8; Heb 2:6–9

[lxxxvi] Gen 9:6; Jer 1:5; Ps 139:13–16

[lxxxvii] Gen 3:11–24; 6:5; Ps 14:2–3

[lxxxviii] Gen 3:8–9; Ps 27:4; Is 43:7

[lxxxix] Matt 22:37–39

[xc] Gen 1:28; 2:24; 4:1

[xci] Ezek 28:15–17; Gen 3:1–7

[xcii] Gen 3:6

[xciii] Rom 5:12; 16–18

[xciv] Gen 2:16–17; Jer 33:8; Isa 2:11–17; Ex 20:3; Rom 1:21; 22:20

[xcv] Eph 2:3; Rom 3:23; 7:18

[xcvi] Gen 3:16–19

[xcvii] John 3:36; Rom 1:18

[xcviii] John 1:29; Rom 3:25–26; 2 Cor 5:15

[xcix] Heb 1:3

[c] Gen 1:26-27

[ci] Gen 2:17; 3:6

[cii] Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, vol. 2, Creation, Fall, and Salvation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2015), 151.; Luke 1:31-35, 37; John 1:14

[ciii] Genesis 3:16-19, The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin are described.; John 3:36, “God’s wrath remains on him.”; Romans 3:2, All have sinned.; Romans 6:23, Sin reaps death.; Ephesians 2:1-3 “…you were dead in your transgressions and sins…were by nature objects of wrath.”

[civ] Ps 14:1-3; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:10-17, Man is not righteous in that no one can earn right standing with God.; Rom 8:6-8.

[cv] Eph 2:8; Rev 21:1-5

[cvi] John 3:16-17, 27; John 5:19-27; Rom 1:1-6

[cvii] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article V – The Dispensations, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; John 3:16; I Tim 1:4

[cviii] Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, vol. 2, Creation, Fall, and Salvation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2015), 134.

[cix] Ibid., 134-5. All other religions, other than Christianity, teach that you reap what you sow; in other words, your works will earn you what you deserve.

[cx] I Tim 2:3-4; 4:10; 2 Peter 2:1-36; 3:9; 1 John 2:1-2; Class Notes-God desires all men to come to saving knowledge of Him but He does not will the salvation of all mankind.

[cxi] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 1; Acts 3:19

[cxii] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article V – Salvation Only Through Christ, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement.

[cxiii] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 2. Faith is a gift of God and not of works.; Hebrews 11:1-40, Noah is one biblical example who “became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”; John 1:29

[cxiv] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), p 167. God is reconciled with sinners through Christ’s work on the cross to those who believe through faith in Him.

[cxv] Ibid., 142; Lev 17:11; Luke 22:20

[cxvi] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article V – The First Advent, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; 2 Cor 5:19; I Tim 2:5-6

[cxvii] Ibid., 174; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 3:25. The offering of the death of Christ, which represents penal satisfaction or propitiation, satisfied God’s wrath.

[cxviii] Ibid., 173

[cxix] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 167.; Rom 8:31-32

[cxx] Ibid., p 168.; Rom 6:1-11; 8:1-2

[cxxi] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 172.; Eph 2:14-18

[cxxii] Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, vol. 2, Creation, Fall, and Salvation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2015), 256. The objective atonement theory, which teaches that Satan received the ransom payment from Christ’s death, was a view of some early church fathers.

[cxxiii] Rom 9:11, 22-24 God displays His compassion to choose “objects of wrath” to be “objects of mercy”; Eph 1:4-5; Gal 1:15

[cxxiv] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 3.

[cxxv] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 3.

[cxxvi] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article VIII – The Extent of Salvation, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; Acts 26:18

[cxxvii] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 256; Acts 11:18; Rom 2:4; 2 Tim 2:25

[cxxviii] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 3; Deuteronomy 30:6 The Lord circumcises the heart so that one will love him.

[cxxix] Ps 51:10, 12

[cxxx] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 4; Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article XI – Assurance, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; 1 John 3:23-24; 4:15

[cxxxi] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article XI – Assurance, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement

[cxxxii] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 4

[cxxxiii] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg(Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 259; Jonah 3:5.

[cxxxiv] Ibid., 259-60; 2 Thess 2:13

[cxxxv] Col 1:10

[cxxxvi] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 262; 1 Cor 12:3

[cxxxvii] Ibid., 293; John 3:5; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15

[cxxxviii] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament, (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), 1329; Jeremiah spoke of a new covenant written on hearts and in minds and not on stones; Jer 31:31-33; Ezek 36:27 It is the Spirit that gives the believer the desire to love God and to obey Him.; 1 Cor 6:19

[cxxxix] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 5; Acts 2:4, 16-21

[cxl] Rom 8:26-27

[cxli] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 6; Gen 15:6; Ps 32:1-2; Isa 61:10; Rom 1:17

[cxlii] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 369. Christ’s sinless life provided the means to satisfy the necessary justice and to appease God’s wrath over sin. His death was in obedience to His father and to carry out the triune God’s plan of salvation and redemption for the chosen ones.

[cxliii] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 367; Kreider, Class Notes, Module 6. Justification is a declaration or verdict made by God at conversion, so it is a one time decision and not ongoing throughout a believer’s life. It is imputed righteousness that is experiential, judicial, psychological, and legal. N.T. Wright’s view: “Thus God’s declaration of forgiveness and his declaration of covenant membership are not ultimately two different things.” Historically, during the Reformation the definition of justification moved from “to be righteous” back to “to be declared righteous.”

[cxliv] Life Application Study Bible: New International Version, 2 Corinthians, (Wheaton: Tyndale Publishers, Inc. and Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 2100; 2 Cor 5:21; Kreider, Class Notes, Module 6. Alien righteousness is awarded as opposed to inherent righteousness, which is infused.

[cxlv] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 361-64; Neh 4:5; Ps 32:5

[cxlvi] Ibid., 365

[cxlvii] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 373; Philippians 3:9

[cxlviii] Ps 32:5

[cxlix] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 375; Luke 23:43; Rom 5:18, 21

[cl] Ibid., 379; Heb 10:22; We can have assurance of justification and salvation by scriptural testimony, through obedience to God’s commands, through our love in service to others, and through the presence and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

[cli] Ibid., 440; John 6:39

[clii] Ibid., 441; Heb 6:4-6

[cliii] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 6.

[cliv] Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, edited by John S. Feinberg (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997), 442.

[clv] Titus 1:2

[clvi] John 3:16-18; 5:25; 10:9-10; Acts 10:43; Rom 8:1

[clvii] John 10:27-30; Security is based on the triune God and not just on one but on all three of the Godhead.

[clviii] Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article X – Eternal Security, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement; Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2

[clix] Rom 8:30

[clx] Rom 8:31-33, 38-39

[clxi] Phil 1:5-6

[clxii] Kreider, Class Notes, Module 7

[clxiii] Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, vol. 2, Creation, Fall, and Salvation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2015), 252; Dallas Theological Seminary, Doctrinal Statement, Article VII – Salvation Only Through Christ, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement

[clxiv] John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12

[clxv] Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of The Church, ed. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 29. Acts 1:4–5, 11:5–16. Jesus affirmed that the Father promised the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

[clxvi] Michael J. Svigel, Class Lecture, ST 105, Module 3, Video 9. This is creedal language from the Council of Constantinople (AD 381). And, the early church fathers, including Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Irenaeus of Lyons, all emphasized the unity of the church and order under church leadership. 1 Cor 1:2; 1 Peter 2:4,9; Eph 5:25–27.

[clxvii] Ibid., 31. Col 1:24. See Dallas Theological, Doctrinal Statement, Article XIII—The Church, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement.

[clxviii] Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel, eds. Exploring Christian Theology: The Church, Spiritual Growth, and The End Times, (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2014), 55.

[clxix] 1 Thess 1:1; 1 Cor 4:17

[clxx] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST105, Module 2, Video 8.

[clxxi] 1 Cor 15:9; Eph 1:22–23, 4:4; Col 1:18. The universal church is also called the “catholic” church, a term first used by Ignatius of Antioch to describe the wholeness of the Church. A mark of the catholic church is teaching and upholding what Christians have believed everywhere, always, and by all.

[clxxii] Matt 5:14

[clxxiii] Acts 13:47. Not all believers in Christ are part of a local church, but should be in obedience to Christ. In addition, just because one attends a local church or is a member of a local church does not mean she is a true believer in Christ by faith through grace.

[clxxiv] Prov 21:2; Luke 16:15; Acts 15:8

[clxxv] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST105, Module 4, Video 6.

[clxxvi] Holsteen and Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, 55.

[clxxvii] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST 105, Module 2, Video 8. 1 Tim 3:15.

[clxxviii] 2 Cor 3:6

[clxxix] Matt 28:19–20; Col 1:13.The church is called to make disciples of all nations, to baptize, and to teach obedience to God’s commands. The church is not the kingdom but an instrument of the kingdom.

[clxxx] Acts 1:6; Rom 11:19–24, 26. The church has not replaced the nation of Israel or inherited the promises to Israel. God will fulfill his Davidic promises for the nation of Israel. See Dallas Theological, Doctrinal Statement, Article XIII—The Church, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement.

[clxxxi] Rom 12:4–8; 1 Cor 12–14; Eph 4:11–12; 1 Pet 4:10–11. These passages give the gift lists. Each gift lift is different from the others indicating there is a wide variety of gifts, and that these lists are not exhaustive. While I have personally witnessed miracles done by God, I am uncertain if God continues to give the sign gifts to believers today.

[clxxxii] 1 Cor 12:7–11; Heb 2:4. See Dallas Theological, Doctrinal Statement, Article XVI—The Christian’s Service, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement.

[clxxxiii] Eph 4:4:11–13

[clxxxiv] Col 3:16; Eph 5:19–20; 1 Cor 14:26

[clxxxv] Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:4–11; Eph 4:11. The Scriptures are clear that gifts are given to men and women as the Lord determines.

[clxxxvi] 1 Tim 3–5

[clxxxvii] Eph 20:28; 1 Peter 1:5. Overseers are to function as shepherds of the church of God.

[clxxxviii] Michael J. Svigel, Retro-Christianity: Reclaiming the Forgotten Faith, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 175. The essentials of an orthodox faith are: the deity and humanity of Christ; the fall and man’s total depravity; salvation by grace through faith; the inspiration and authority of Scripture; the triune God as Creator and Redeemer; the physical return of Christ; the church’s responsibility to evangelize and disciple, and God’s future finished work to restore humanity and creation. 2 Tim 2:2

[clxxxix] 1 Cor 5:13; Rom 16:17

[cxc] Luke 22:19–20; Acts 10:47–48; 18:8; 1 Cor11:26; Heb 6:1–5. They are confessions of the faith and represent visible means of one’s covenant confirmation and renewal. I believe in believer’s baptism, representing a conscious and informed decision, and which is consistent with the tradition of the apostolic church. I do not believe that the elements, the cup and the bread, are Christ’s literal body and blood, but signify his presence through the Spirit in symbolism only.

[cxci] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST105, Module 10, Video 1.

[cxcii] Svigel, Retro-Christianity, 202. Rom 11:33–12:2; Gal 1:3–5

[cxciii] Allison, Sojourners and Strangers, 432. God is not in need of a believer’s worship. Worship of God is not to be done out of a desire to gain God’s favor.

[cxciv] Eph 2:8–9

[cxcv] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST105, Module 11, Video 1. See Dallas Theological, Doctrinal Statement, Article IX—Sanctification, http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement. Eph 4:4–5

[cxcvi] Rom 12:1–2; 2 Pet 3:18

[cxcvii] Holsteen and Svigel, Exploring Christian Theology, 29. Eph 1:13–14; 5:27; Heb 10:10, 14

[cxcviii] Svigel, Class Lecture, ST105, Module 11, Video 1.

[cxcix] Heb 11:1

[cc] 1 Pet 1:3

[cci] 1 Pet 1:4

[ccii] John 14:1–3; Titus 2:13

[cciii] 1 Thess 4:13; Acts 28:20–31

[cciv] Gal 5:5

[ccv] 1 Thess 4:17

[ccvi] Dan 9:24; Rev 6:1–19:21

[ccvii] Rom 5:9; Rev 3:10

[ccviii] Jer 30:7

[ccix] Dan 9:27; Matt 24:21

[ccx] 1 John 2:18; 2 Thess 2:3–4; Rev 6:2

[ccxi] Rev 7:13–14

[ccxii] 2 Thess 2:3–4, 9–12

[ccxiii] Acts 1:9–11

[ccxiv] Rev 22:20–21

[ccxv] Matt 24:36

[ccxvi] Acts 1:11; Rev 19:11, 20:4

[ccxvii] Rev 20:5

[ccxviii] Acts 1:11; Rev 20:4

[ccxix] Rev 20:1–3, 10

[ccxx] Rom 8:20–21

[ccxxi] Jer 30:3

[ccxxii] Rev 20:6

[ccxxiii] Rev 20:4

[ccxxiv] Rev 20:4

[ccxxv] Isa 9:6–7

[ccxxvi] Luke 16:19–26; 23:42; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23–24

[ccxxvii] 1 Cor 15:42

[ccxxviii] Rev 20:1–10

[ccxxix] Is 11:1–12; Jer 30:1–24; Zech 14:6–21

[ccxxx] 1 Pet 1:4

[ccxxxi] John 3:16; John 14:2–3; 1 Thess 4:17

[ccxxxii] Dan 7:10; Matt 25:32; 2 Thess 1:8–9; Rev 20:11–15; Rev 20:10; 21:8

[ccxxxiii] Rom 14:12; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:8; Matt 5:12; 1 Thess 2:19