The Christians who meet together at Grace Fellowship Manchester believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, that Jesus Christ is its grand theme, and that salvation is wrought through the atoning blood of Christ alone by the convicting and regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. It is their desire to know the Lord Jesus deeper day by day and become more conformed to His perfect life so that lost souls may be saved and He may get the glory.
Our statement of Faith for Grace Fellowship, Manchester, U.K. (written by the elders of GCC, San Antonio)

1. The Scriptures

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were written by men in such a way that God is truly and actually the author. God caused words to be spoken by the mouth of, and written in the writings of certain men so that those words are inspired of God. Scripture is God’s Word!

2 Peter 1:21 …men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:21 God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago…

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God…

The Word of God is true and without any error.

John 17:17 …your word is truth.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true…

The Scriptures are complete and perfect just as the Lord has given them to us. They are not to be changed, altered, added to, or taken away from.

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect…

Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it…

Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

The Scriptures are the supreme standard and authority by which all human opinion, teaching, doctrine and statements of faith are to be tested.

1 John 5:9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater…

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world…

1 Thessalonians 5:21 … test everything; hold fast what is good.

John 10:35 Scripture cannot be broken…

^NKJ Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Acts 17:10-11 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

The Scriptures are the only sufficient source from which we may know how we are to be saved.

2 Timothy 3:15 …from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The Scriptures are also the only sufficient source from which we may learn how we are to live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Isaiah 66:2 …this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

The Scriptures are the only revealed channel through which God’s saving power flows.

1 Peter 1:23 …you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God…

James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth…

It is Jesus Christ who must be received and believed upon in order to gain salvation. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments reveal this Christ.

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me…

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen…

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon¹ his shoulder, and his name shall be called² Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53:3-4 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

All things in Scripture are not equally plain and easy to be understood by all, yet those things which are necessary to be known and believed for salvation are clearly set forth in the Scriptures so that the most simple of men might understand and believe them.

2 Peter 3:15-16 our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶ as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

2 Timothy 3:15 …and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Obeying the Scriptures is one of the chief marks of a true Christian.

John 8:31 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples…

James 1:22 …be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Loving and delighting in the Scriptures is another one of the chief marks of a true Christian.

Psalm 119:97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; ² but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 119:72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

^NAS 1 Peter 2:2 …like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation…

Psalm 119:140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.

The Scriptures reveal the standard by which God will ultimately judge all mankind.

Romans 2:12 …all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

2. The One True God

There is one, and only one, true and living God.

1 Corinthians 8:4 …there is no God but one…

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one…

This one true and living God is worthy to be feared and admired by all.

Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

This God is inexpressibly glorious in holiness.

Exodus 15:11 Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Isaiah 6:3 Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!

This God alone is creator and sustainer of all things.

Isaiah 40:28 The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Psalm 102:25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, ²⁷ but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Isaiah 44:24 I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself…

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Nehemiah 9:6 “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

This one true and living God is absolutely sovereign in the affairs of Heaven and earth being independent and supreme in all things according to the counsel of His own will.

Daniel 4:35 He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…

God alone knows all things before they occur because they all occur exactly as He has purposed.

Isaiah 46:9-10 I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, ¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

And for all this, God is neither the author of sin nor can guilt or blame be attributed to Him for the evil intentions and actions of any of His creatures.

James 1:13-14 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Acts 2:22-23 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – ²³this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

God alone is sovereign over the salvation of men.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…

Romans 9:15-16 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Men often put themselves in the place of finding fault with God for His designs, but it is in no way wise or advantageous for men to argue with God or find fault with Him.

Job 9:4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength – who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?

Job 40:2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

Romans 9:18-21 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. ¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?

3. The Trinity

The one true and living God exists as three distinct persons…the Father…the Son who is Jesus Christ…and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three persons is set forth in Scripture as God.

Philippians 4:20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 9:5 Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Acts 5:3-4 Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …You have not lied to men but to God.”

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all actively involved in creation.

1 Corinthians 8:6 … yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Hebrews 1:2 …but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are also all actively involved in the salvation of sinners. The Father has predestinated and chosen those who will be saved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

The Father also sent His Son into the world to bring us eternal life.

1 John 4:9 God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

The Son then came to this earth to seek and save sinners.

Luke 19:10 …the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

And to lay down His life for sinners.

Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

The Spirit of God gives life to the spiritually dead causing them to be born again.

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

This same Spirit also produces holiness and righteousness in the people of God by transforming them by degrees into the image of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:13 …if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit will also be the objects of our fellowship and worship throughout eternity.

Revelation 7:15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

4. God the Father

Though they share the same nature and essence, God the Father is not the same person as God the Son. They interact as two individual persons. The Son proceeds from the Father.

John 16:28 I came from the Father and have come into the world…

The Father sent the Son.

John 5:23 Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

The Father loves the Son.

John 3:35 The Father loves the Son…

The Father speaks to His Son.

Luke 3:22 …a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Father receives prayer from His Son

Hebrews 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

The Father forsakes His Son.

Matthew 27:46 …about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The Son returns to the Father.

John 16:28 …now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.

God the Father is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…and also the Father of all believers.

John 20:17 …go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God…

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God…

No one can come to Christ, except the Father grants it.

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me…

John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

John 6:45 Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me…

No one who denies the Son has the Father.

John 5:23 Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

1 John 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

John 15:23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

5. God the Son: Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is fully God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Jesus Christ is equal to the Father.

John 5:18 …he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus Christ reveals the Father

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…

John 14:8-9 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Jesus Christ is fully Man.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Galatians 4:4 …when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law…

Romans 8:3 God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

He was born of a virgin.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” , which means, God with us…

Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

Revelation 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings…

Acts 2:36 God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified…

Acts 10:36 Jesus Christ…he is Lord of all…

Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

John 4:25-26 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Jesus Christ is the only way by which men may savingly come to God the Father.

Hebrews 7:25 he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. A mediator is one who intervenes between God and men, in order to restore peace and friendship and in order to ratify the New Covenant with His blood…a covenant that guarantees peace and friendship between God and man.

1 Timothy 2:5 …there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…

Hebrews 12:24 Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant…

Jeremiah 31:33-34 …this is the covenant that I will make…declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jesus Christ alone bore the penalty for His people’s sin.

Hebrews 9:26 …he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Jesus Christ died for the sins of His people…was buried the same day…rose again from the dead the third day…and ascended thereafter to the right hand of His Father where He now intercedes for His people.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

Mark 9:31 …for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

Acts 13:30 …God raised him from the dead…

Acts 1:3 To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Mark 16:19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Romans 8:34 Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Jesus Christ will judge the world at the end of this age.

John 5:22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son…

Acts 10:42 …he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead…

Acts 17:31 …because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

6. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and was sent into this world by Christ to bear witness of Christ.

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

John 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

He will dwell with God’s people forever.

John 14:16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…

The Holy Spirit is the source of all the church’s power.

Luke 24:49 …behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

Acts 1:4-5 …wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

Acts 1:8 … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

He causes men to be born again.

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

He leads the people of God into truth.

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…

He leads the people of God into the fight against sin.

Romans 8:13 … if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

He indwells all true believers.

Romans 8:9 Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

He distributes spiritual gifts to the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, whose infillings typically impart power to preach the Gospel of Christ.

Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…

Acts 4:31 …they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

It is the Spirit of God who transforms believers increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:18 …we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

It is imperative that we do not quench the Spirit’s fiery influences by sinful attitudes and actions.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

7. The Depravity of Man

Man was definitely created in a good and upright and holy condition.

Genesis 1:27 God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 God made man upright…

But man willfully sinned against God by breaking the command of God

Genesis 2:15-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

In this one act of rebellion, Adam represented the entire human race in such a way that the guilt of his sin was imputed to us all so that condemnation and death came upon us all.

Romans 5:12 …sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…

Romans 5:19 …by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…

Romans 5:18 …one trespass led to condemnation for all men…

Romans 5:15 …many died through one man’s trespass…

We now so thoroughly bear Adam’s guilt and Adam’s nature that all men are conceived in sin and come forth from the womb as sinners.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Isaiah 48:8 …from before birth you were called a rebel.

By nature all are dead in sin.

Ephesians 2:1-2 …you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked…

By nature all are under the power of sin.

Romans 3:9-10 …we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one…

By nature all are children of wrath.

Ephesians 2:3 …we…were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

And in this state all are absolutely incapable of any good whatsoever.

Romans 3:12 …no one does good, not even one.

^NKJ Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…

Romans 8:7 …the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

Jeremiah 4:22 They are ‘wise’ in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.

Yet as evil as it is, men love their condition, and love their sin, and willfully pursue every form of unrighteousness.

^NKJ Job 15:16 …man… is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!

John 3:19 …the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

Isaiah 30:9 …they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD…

By nature men reject God, refuse to seek Him, and will not come to Him.

Romans 3:11 …no one understands; no one seeks for God.

John 5:40 …you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Unless saved from this evil condition, men and women will suffer eternally for their sins.

Romans 2:5-6, 8-9 …because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶ He will render to each one according to his works… ⁸ for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek…

But once saved by faith in Jesus Christ…a man no longer possesses an evil heart, nor is he any longer incapable of good.

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Romans 15:14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness…

Titus 2:13-14 …our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

In fact righteousness and obedience must be present if one has been truly saved.

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

1 John 2:3 …by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 John 3:9-10 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

8. Election

Election is most certainly taught in the Scriptures.

^NKJ 1 Thessalonians 1:4 …knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

Romans 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?

Mark 13:27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life, not based on anything God foresaw in the sinner, but based entirely on His mercy to choose them.

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom…

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Romans 9:10-15 … when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call – ¹² she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” ¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Though God most certainly elects some and not others, nevertheless, all men are responsible to repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…

1 John 3:23 …this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ…

And all those who do, will most certainly be saved.

Luke 15:10 …there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents…

Acts 16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…

9. The Way of Salvation

Jesus Christ is the only Savior given to mankind for rescuing men from sin.

Acts 4:11-12 Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

John 4:42 …we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.

Matthew 1:21 …you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

It is love that motivates God to offer men a way of salvation through Christ.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:8-10 God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The depth of God’s love for sinners is revealed by the depth of agony He required of Jesus Christ as He suffered for sinners.

Matthew 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Philippians 2:8 …he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Psalm 22:14-16 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; ¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

All that Christ has done to save sinners is offered to all men freely as a gift through the Gospel.

Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

All who receive this Gospel message will most certainly be saved.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you…

And they will be saved to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25 …he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him…

10. Regeneration

Man by nature is dead in trespasses and sins.

Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…

And in order to be saved, man must be regenerated, which means he must be brought to life by God.

Ephesians 2:4-5 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…

It is the Spirit of God that brings dead sinners to life, by causing them to be born again.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:7-8 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind¹ blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Regeneration is in no way a result of any work performed by the individual.

Titus 3:5 …he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit…

This results in a radical transformation to the individual.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

A new heart is given.

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Desires for righteousness are given so that sin cannot be persisted in and practiced.

1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

1 John 5:18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

A disposition to love is put within the person.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

And saving faith comes forth.

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God…

This new birth guarantees that the saint will overcome this world and be victorious in the end.

1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.

This does not happen by the will of man.

John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Nor does it happen apart from the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:23 …you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

11. Repentance and Faith

Repentance and faith are both commanded by the Lord.

Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…

1 John 3:23 …this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ…

True repentance and true faith are always found together. You can’t have one without the other.

Mark 1:14-15 Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Acts 20:21 …testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus warns us that the absence of either of these results in the eternal punishment of the sinner.

Luke 13:3 …unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Mark 16:16 … whoever does not believe will be condemned.

But it must be added that sinners are saved from their sins by Jesus Christ alone…only by the grace and mercy of God…not by any work done by the sinner.

2 Timothy 1:9 [God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…

Titus 3:5 …he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…

Although repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus are required of the sinner…neither of these in any way merit or earn favor with God. Rather, both are gifts that God gives to us…not works that we offer to Him.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Philippians 1:29 …it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but suffer for his sake…

Acts 11:18 Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life…

2 Timothy 2:25 …correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Repentance is repeatedly set forth in the Scriptures as turning from sin and turning toward God.

Ezekiel 14:6 Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols…

Ezekiel 18:30 Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again…

Acts 26:20 …repent and turn to God…

Acts 20:21 …testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God…

Repentance involves a total surrender to the Lord.

Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

It also involves a godly sorrow over sin.

2 Corinthians 7:10 …godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation…

Psalm 51:3-4 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Saving faith is the belief of whatsoever is revealed in God’s Word concerning Jesus Christ, accepting and resting upon Christ alone for salvation and eternal life.

Romans 10:9-10 …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

John 20:31 …these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Saving faith is an assurance of what God has said.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Romans 4:20-21 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

All faith is not saving faith.

John 2:23-25 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!

True repentance and true faith are always accompanied by works that bear witness to the authenticity of that repentance and faith.

Acts 26:20 …repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good¹ is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

12. Justification

Justification is that gracious act of God by which He both acquits the believing sinner of all sin and counts him righteous.

Romans 3:23-24 …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift…

Romans 4:7-8 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.

Romans 4:3 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

The justifying righteousness of God is only for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:21 … the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:10 …with the heart one believes and is justified…

God justifies the most ungodly of men counting them righteous entirely apart from any works or good they have done.

Romans 4:5-6 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…

Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Galatians 2:16 …yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

God is able to justify sinners and remain just Himself because Jesus Christ obeyed God in our place, became sin in our place, and shed His own blood in our place.

Romans 5:19 …by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 5:9 …therefore, we have now been justified by his blood…

Romans 3:26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Now for those who trust Him, Christ is the end of all our efforts at earning God’s favor by law-keeping, since He has earned righteousness for us.

Romans 10:4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes

Philippians 3:8-9 I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith

Those justified by faith in Jesus Christ are justified from all sins…it is the total pardon of all the sinner’s sins from the past and from the future…total pardon!

Acts 13:39 …and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

13. Sanctification

Sanctification is the act whereby the Lord sets apart for Himself a people for His own possession.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Hebrews 10:10 …we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Titus 2:14 …a people for his own possession…

Furthermore, every child of God experiences the sanctifying process of being transformed progressively and by degrees into the holiness and likeness of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 …sanctification by the Spirit…

It is the will of God that all Christians be sanctified.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification…

God predestinated His children to this.

Romans 8:29 …those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

The chief means used by the Spirit to bring about this change is the Word of God.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Ephesians 5:25-26 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…

The end of sanctification is eternal life.

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Each Christian must be actively involved in his own sanctification.

Romans 6:19 …just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Romans 8:13 … if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

2 Corinthians 7:1 …let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

14. Perseverance of the Saints

It is most certainly taught in the Scriptures that none who God truly saves will ever totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end. The Lord makes certain that none shall ever depart from Him by putting a fear of Himself in the heart of His people.

Jeremiah 32:40 I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

All who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, being justified by that faith, shall certainly arrive at a glorified state.

Romans 8:30 …those whom he justified he also glorified.

The power of God keeps the saint in a believing state.

^NKJ 1 Peter 1:5 …who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Scriptures declare it to be a certainty that God will finish every work that He starts.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

But this in no way rules out that Christians must strive and fight and willingly persevere in order to be saved.

Matthew 10:22 … the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Hebrews 3:14 For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Nor does this rule out that Christians may fall into temptation and into sin. They may grieve the Holy Spirit and bring upon themselves the discipline of the Lord, but in all these things, God shall definitely preserve them in the faith if they are truly His Children.

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways…

Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives…

Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever…

Many do indeed fall away from the faith, which only serves to prove they were never truly one of God’s people.

Matthew 13:20-21 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

1 Timothy 1:19 …holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith…

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

15. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Jesus promised His disciples that He would one day come again in order to gather them to Himself.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him…

Jesus will return to this earth in the same manner and with the same resurrected human nature with which He departed from this earth.

Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

And Scripture emphasizes that Jesus’ return will not be secret or unknown…but that every eye will see Him and every ear will hear.

Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail¹ on account of him. Even so. Amen.

Matthew 24:30-31 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

The day in which the Lord returns is sometimes referred to in Scriptures as the Day of the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, ² not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

2 Peter 3:4 & 10 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”… ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies¹ will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed

On that day of our Lord’s return, all the nations will be judged.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Matthew 25:31-33 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Jesus is coming soon!

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

16. Man’s Eternal State: Eternal Life

The Scriptures plainly and repeatedly teach that all men will finally and permanently remain in either one of two states: eternal life or eternal punishment.

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

John 5:28-29 …an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Romans 2:6-11 He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹ For God shows no partiality.

Matthew 25:34, 41 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:46 …these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Faith in Jesus Christ is always the determining factor…for those who believe on the Son of God, there is eternal life. For those who don’t trust and obey Him, there is wrath.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Eternal life is described as a wonderful everlasting paradise in the presence of God with pleasures and delights and glory that simply escape imagination.

Matthew 25:21 Enter into the joy of your master.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Romans 8:18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Luke 23:43 …he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Revelation 7:15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

After the coming Day of Judgment, God’s children will live forever in the midst of new heavens and a new earth.

Isaiah 65:17 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

2 Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away

And in that place no sin or anything that defiles will ever be found.

Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers…

Revelation 21:27 …nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be anything accursed…

God’s Children shall possess new glorified bodies in that place.

Philippians 3:21 [The Lord Jesus Christ] will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:48-54 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall¹ also bear the image of the man of heaven. ⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

And they shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

And they shall be with Christ.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

And they shall be like Christ.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him…

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

1 Corinthians 15:49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall¹ also bear the image of the man of heaven.

And they shall reign forever and ever with Christ.

Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

2 Timothy 2:12 …if we endure, we will also reign with him…

Revelation 3:21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

Revelation 22:5 They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

And above all they shall behold God!

Revelation 22:3-4 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

1 John 3:2 …we shall see him as he is.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

And the glory of God and of the Lamb will awe the Children of God with wonder and light and splendor and kindness forever more.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵ and its gates will never be shut by day – and there will be no night there.

Revelation 21:11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Revelation 22:5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Ephesians 2:7 …in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

17. Man’s Eternal State: Eternal Punishment

The Scriptures describe the eternal state of the wicked with the most fearful of terms.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…

Revelation 14:10 …he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night…

Matthew 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Mark 9:48 …where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus describes the eternal torments of the wicked as something to be escaped at all costs.

Matthew 18:8-9 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Scriptures describe the eternal dwelling place of the wicked as a lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur…

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

And it is called the second death.

Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.

Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

The second death does not indicate annihilation or the ceasing of existence…in which case the eternal state of the wicked would be the same as if they had never been born. Rather, Scriptures teach that it would have been better to have never been born than after having been born to suffer the second death.

Matthew 26:24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.

The second death is eternal…forever and ever. There will be unending misery, torment and tribulation as the wicked suffer the just punishment for sin.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction…

Matthew 25:46 …these will go away into eternal punishment…

Revelation 14:10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night…

These sufferings will not be greater or lesser than the wicked deserve…but exactly according to the perfect pure justice of the Lord.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works…

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

18. The Church

The church is the body of Christ and is the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22-23 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The churches are the glory of Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:23 … the churches, the glory of Christ.

Christ is the Savior of the church.

Ephesians 5:23 Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Christ loves the church and died for it.

Ephesians 5:25 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

The New Testament norm is that all Christians will gather with and belong to particular congregations of saints which form local churches.

Acts 15:41 …he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth…

1 Corinthians 11:18 …when you come together as a church…

1 Corinthians 16:1 …as I directed the churches of Galatia…

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians…

Jesus assumes His people will gather into churches.

Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

The writer of Hebrews calls us to do what can only be done in the church.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

The only Scriptural officers of the church are elders [i.e. overseers] and deacons.

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons…

1 Timothy 3:1-2 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Therefore an overseer must be above reproach…

1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified…

19. Baptism

Christian Baptism we practice is the one-time immersion into water of a believer done in the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

^NKJ Acts 8:36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” ³⁷ Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

John 3:22-23 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. ²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized…

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

Baptism is clearly commanded by the Lord and by His followers as an important act of obedience that flows from repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15-16 Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

But this ordinance does not of itself confer any saving merit to the sinner. We are saved by the washing of regeneration, not by the washing of water in baptism.

Titus 3:5 …he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

20. The Lord’s Supper

The Supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by Him, to be observed in His churches, until the end of the world as an ongoing remembrance and proclamation of His death.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”^2 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The outward elements used in the observance of the Supper are bread and alcoholic red wine.

Matthew 26:26-29 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the¹ covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Although Jesus says of the bread “this is my body”

1 Corinthians 11:24 This is my body…

He was speaking figuratively implying that the bread was emblematic or representative of His body. In the same way He took the cup saying “this cup is the new covenant in my blood.”

1 Corinthians 11:25 This cup is the new covenant in my blood…

Certainly He did not mean that the cup He was holding was actually the New Covenant in His blood, but was speaking figuratively, so also He spoke figuratively concerning the bread. The whole concept of eating and drinking the body and blood of Jesus Christ is figurative of having faith in Him.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

21. The Lord’s Day

The New Testament Scriptures teach that there is a day called the Lord’s Day.

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day

Because the early church clearly regarded the first day of the week with special attention…it is commonly assumed the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day.

Mark 16:9 …the first day of the week…

Luke 24:1 … on the first day of the week…

John 20:19 …the first day of the week…

Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week…

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week…

The New Testament Church gives the example of assembling on the first day of the week for worship and the breaking of bread and the preaching of the Word.

Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

The first day of the week was also chosen as the day for giving money to help the poor.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

It is fitting to view the first day of the week as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the redemption of His people.

Mark 16:9 He rose early on the first day of the week…

1 Peter 1:3 …he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

And it is this first day the Lord chose to manifestly meet with His people following His resurrection.

John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

22. The Great Commission

The Church alone has been given the responsibility to bear witness to Jesus Christ in this world. It is our solemn and joyful obligation to proclaim Christ among the nations.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15-16 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Luke 24:47-48 …and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

23. Liberty of Conscience

God alone is Lord of the conscience and we are not to impress the doctrines, opinions and commandments of men upon God’s people where those doctrines, opinions and commandments are contrary to God’s Word or not contained therein.

Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Romans 14:4-6 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master¹that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

James 4:12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Acts 4:19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge…

Matthew 15:9 … in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Colossians 2:20-23 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations – ²¹ “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” ²² ( referring to things that all perish as they are used) – according to human precepts and teachings? ²³These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.