taught in its pages.
God
There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). He is the creator of heaven
and earth,
and of all living beings. He has revealed Himself to humanity as the
Father
(Creator), in the son (Savior), and as the Holy Ghost (indwelling Spirit).
Father
God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is the Eternal One, the Creator of
all things, and the
Father of all humanity by creation.
He is the First and the Last, and beside Him there is no God (Isaiah
44:6).
There was no God formed before Him; neither shall be there any after
Him (Isaiah 43:10).
Son
Jesus is the Son of God according to the flesh (Romans 1:3)
and the very God Himself according to the Spirit (Matthew 1:23).
Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16:16); the creator of all things (Colossians
1:16-17);
God with us (Matthew 1:23); God made flesh (John 1:1-14);
God manifested in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16);
He which was, which is, and which is to come, the Almighty (Revelation
1:8);
the mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus Himself testified of His identity as God when He said,
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:7-11)
and "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).
It took shedding of blood for the remission of the sins
of the world (Hebrews 9:22), but God the Father was a Spirit
and had no blood to shed. Thus He prepared a
body of flesh and blood (Hebrews 10:5)and
came to earth as a man in order to save us,
for in Isaiah 43:11 He said, "Beside me there is no Saviour."
When He came in flesh the angels sang,
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is not a third person in the Godhead, but rather the
Spirit of God
(the Creator), the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. The Holy Ghost
comes to dwell in
the hearts and lives of everyone who believes and obeys the gospel,
as the comforter,
Sustainer, and keeper (John 14:16-26; Romans 8:9-11).
Sin
Sin is the transgression of the law, or commandments of God (I John
3:4). The guilt
of sin has fallen upon all humanity from Adam until now (Romans 3:23).
The wages
of sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23;
Revelation 20:14) to all those who refuse to accept salvation as set
forth in the
Word of God.
Salvation
Salvation consists of deliverance from all sin and unrighteousness
through the blood
of Jesus Christ. The New Testament experience of salvation consists
of repentance
from sin, water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the
remission of
sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, after which the Christian
is to live a godly
life (Acts 2:36-41).
Water Baptism
Water baptism is an essential part of New Testament salvation and
not merely a
symbolic ritual. It is part of entering into the kingdom of God (God's
church, the
bride of Christ), and therefore, it is not merely a part of local church
membership.
(See John 3:5; Galatians 3:27).
Mode of Baptism
Water baptism is to be administered only by immersion. Paul said, "We
are buried
with him [Jesus Christ] by baptism (Romans 6:4; see Colossians 2:12),
Jesus came
up "out of the water" (Mark 1:10), and Philip and the eunuch went down "into
the
water" and came up "out of the water" (Acts 8:38-39).
Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are applied to our lives when
we experience
New Testament salvation: "Repent [death to sin], and be baptized [burial]
every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost [resurrection]." (See Acts 2:38;
Romans 6:1-7; 8:2).
Sprinkling, pouring, or infant baptism of any kind cannot be substantiated
by the
Word of God, but are only human traditions.
Formula for Baptism
The name in which baptism is administered is vitally important, and
this name is
Jesus.
Jesus' last command to His disciples was, "Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost"
(Matthew 28:19). We should notice that He said name (singular) not
names. As
previously explained, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not names of
separate
persons, but titles of positions held by God. An angelic announcement
revealed
God's saving name in the New Testament: "She shall bring forth a son,
and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins"
(Matthew 1:21).
The apostles understood that Jesus was the name to use at baptism,
and from the
day that the church of God was established (the Day of Pentecost) until
the end of
their ministry, they baptized all nations (Jews--Acts 8:16; Gentiles--Acts
19:5) in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus is the only name given for our salvation. "Neither
is there salvation in
any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby
we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Baptism of the Holy Ghost
The baptism of the Holy Ghost is the birth of the Spirit (John 3:5).
This spiritual
baptism is necessary to put someone into the kingdom of God (God's
church, the
bride of Christ) and is evidenced by speaking in other tongues (other
languages) as
the Spirit of God give utterance.
It was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29) and Isaiah (Isaiah 28:11),
foretold by John
the Baptist
(Matthew 3:11), purchased by the blood of Jesus, and promised by Him
to His
disciples (John 14:26; 15:16). The Holy Ghost was first poured out
on the Day of
Pentecost upon the Jews (Acts 2:1-4), then upon the Samaritans (Acts
8:17), and
later upon the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-46; 19:6). "The promise is unto
you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call"
(Acts 2:39).
Tongues
1. Speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance
is the manifestation
God has given as the definite, indisputable, supernatural witness or
sign of the baptism of the
Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6).
It was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah as the rest and the refreshing
(Isaiah 28:11-
12), foretold by Jesus as a sign that would follow believers of the
gospel (Mark
16:17), and experienced by Jews and Gentiles alike.
2. The gift of "divers kinds of tongues," mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians
12:1-12
and concerning which he gave regulations in I Corinthians 14:1-40,
is given by both
for self-edification (I Corinthians 14:4) and for the edification of
the church (I
Corinthians 14:27-28).
In church meetings the gift of tongues is used to give a public message,
and it is to be
interpreted. Since this gift can be misused in public, it needs proper
regulation (I
Corinthians 14:23-28). Not all believers exercise the gift of tongues,
which is
different in function from tongues given by God as the initial witness
of the baptism
of the Holy Ghost.
Paul said, "Forbid not to speak with tongues" (I Corinthians 14:39)
and "I thank
my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" (I Corinthians 14:8).
Who dares to
teach or preach to the contrary?
Speaking in tongues means speaking miraculously in a language unknown
to the
speaker, as the Spirit gives utterance. Tongues can be classified in
two ways,
according to function: (1)speaking in other tongues as the initial
evidence of the
baptism of the Holy Ghost and (2)the gift of tongues as mentioned in
1 Corinthians.
Holiness
After we are saved from sin, we are commanded, "Go, and sin no more"
(John 8:11).
We are commanded to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world
(Titus 2:12) and warned that without holiness no one shall see the
Lord
(Hebrews 12:14).
We must present ourselves as holy unto God (Romans 12:1), cleanse
ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (II Corinthians 7:1), and separate
ourselves from
all worldliness (James 4:4).
If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear?
(I Peter 4:18).
No one can live a holy life by his own power, but only through the
Holy Spirit. "Ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts
1:8).
Divine Healing
God has made Himself known through the ages by miraculous healings
and has
made special provisions in the age of grace to heal all who will come
to Him in faith
and obedience. Divine healing was purchased for us by the blood of
Jesus Christ,
especially by His stripes (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; I Peter 2:24).
Jesus went everywhere healing those who were sick (Matthew 4:23-24),
and He
commanded His disciples to do the same (Matthew 10:8). He said concerning
those
who believe the gospel, "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover"
(Mark 16:18). Mighty healings and miracles followed the disciples wherever
the
gospel was preached.
There is no sickness or disease too hard for God. Any of us, our children,
or our
friends can be healed by the power of God.
"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church;
and let them pray
over him , anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord shall raise
him up: and if
he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults
one to
another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:14-16).
Second Coming of Christ
Jesus Christ is coming back to earth in bodily form, just as He went
away (Acts
1:11). He will catch away a holy people (His bride, His church) who
have accepted
redemption through His blood, by birth of water and of the Spirit,
and who are
found faithful when He comes.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
"One shall be taken and the other left" (Luke 17:36). Will we be ready?
The signs of His coming are everywhere. The days of peril are here
indeed, with
forms of godliness void of the power of God; society and politics corrupted;
and
people's hearts filled with pride, blasphemies, unholiness, love of
evil, and love of
pleasures (II Timothy 3:1-13). These things, together with multitudes
running to
and fro, the increase of knowledge (Daniel 12:4), the persecution of
the Jews and
their return to Palestine (Luke 21:24), and scores of other things
are starting signs
that Jesus' coming is drawing near.
Wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, storms, floods, distress
of nations,
perplexity, and people's hearts failing them for fear are sounding
the solemn alarm
that Jesus' coming is at hand
(Matthew 24:6; Luke 21:25-28).
"Prepare to meet thy God" (Amos 4:12).
Resurrection
There will be a resurrection of all the dead, both just and unjust.
"Marvel not this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in graves shall
hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto
the resurrection
of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation"
(John 5:28-29).
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . . and the
sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in
them" (Revelation 20:12-13)
(See also Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:13-23.)
Judgment
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews
9:27).
For this reason there will be a resurrection for everyone. "For we
must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad"
(2 Corinthians 5:10).
The eternal destiny of every soul shall be determined by a just God
who knows the
secrets of everyone's heart. "And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep
from the
goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on the left. Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
. . .Then
shall he also say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed,
into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And
these shall go away
into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew
25:32-34,
41, 46).
GOD Bless In Jesus Name
Amen.
