ABC Doctrinal Stance
Notes
Transcript
Alright, good morning everyone! It is our second class of the total 4 in our New Member’s Class.
Last week, we took some time to get to know everyone. We passed out sheets that allowed each of you to share your testimony and then we took turns sharing where we come from, and how we came to know the Lord.
Those of you who are new today, can you raise your hands so that I can get you one of those sheets? At some point over the next couple of weeks, we will take some time to let you all share with us your own testimony.
Today, we are going to dedicate this class to sharing ABC’s statement of faith. We are not going to follow the BFM 2000 word for word, so don’t worry… that would be brutal to accomplish in one class.
Instead, I want to share with you what we consider to be Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith.
Let me explain, and you might want to write this down somewhere. If you are around me any length of time, you will probably hear me say this again:
In Essentials… We must have Unity.
In Non-Essentials… We must have liberty.
In All Things… We must have Charity.
That is a motto I picked up from a guy years ago, and I have always tried to stick to that.
Essentials are the things that we must agree on. As you will see today, there are two different categories of that, but we will get to that later. These are things that we simply cannot enjoy Christian Fellowship over if we are not in agreement. We must agree.
Non-Essentials are those things that we can agree to disagree over, but yet we can still maintain a healthy level of Christian fellowship with one another. These are what we would call secondary beliefs.
But regardless if it is an essential… or a non-essential doctrine, we have been commissioned by God to deal with all people in charity, or love. So even when we disagree, we do so in a loving way.
Everybody good with that?
Alright! Good deal!!
So we are going to split the beliefs we talk about today up into two main categories: What We Believe… and What We Teach!
What we believe will consist of those things we consider to be essential. So in this section, in order for us to maintain a healthy Christian Fellowship, we must agree on these things. There are very basic beliefs to the Christian Faith, and I do not foresee that there will be any issues.
What We Teach will be our official stance on secondary issues, but we can agree to disagree.
What We Believe
What We Believe
Within this category of “What We Believe”, we are going to split these essential Doctrines up into two more categories:
Essential Doctrines for Christian Unity
Essential Doctrines for Christian Unity
The Authority of the Scriptures
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Why Essential?
If we don’t have some type of governing authority that is outside of ourselves, then who is to say who’s right and who’s wrong? Something or someone has to set the moral standard. Something has to establish “absolute truth”. Relativity simply won’t work, and leaves you with nothing but chaos. The Word of God is the final authority on all things.
The Triune God
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Why Essential?
The Trinity describes the very nature of the God we worship. Scripture reveals one God eternally existing in three distinct persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Rejecting this doctrine fundamentally changes our understanding of God and His work in salvation. We cannot be united in our praise and worship of God, if we do not believe in the same God.
Humanity’s Sinfulness and Need for Salvation
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Why Essential?
To deny the reality of sin is to deny the need for a Savior.
The Virgin Birth, Perfect Life, Substitutionary Death, and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Virgin Birth
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Perfect Life
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Substitutionary Death
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
Bodily Resurrection
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
Why Essential?
If Jesus was not born of a Virgin, then He could not be called the Son of God.
If Jesus did not live a perfect life, He could not have been the sacrifice for sin.
If Jesus did not die for us, we could not be forgiven, because there would be no atonement for sin.
If Jesus did not rise again, there would be no victory over sin and death.
The Exclusivity of Christ in Salvation
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Why Essential?
Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. If we cannot agree on that, the Gospel is rendered useless.
The Reality of Christ’s Return, Resurrection of the Saints, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
Christ’s Return
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Resurrection of the Saints
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Judgment
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Literal Heaven & Hell
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Why Essential?
Without these truths, we lose a fundamental part of our future hope, accountability before God, and urgency in sharing the Gospel.
Essential Doctrines for Church Unity
Essential Doctrines for Church Unity
Baptism & Lord’s Supper as Ordinances
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
Why essential?
Jesus commanded the church to do both of these things. To refuse or say that either of these two things are unnecessary is to disagree with Christ Himself.
Believer’s Baptism by Immersion
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
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.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
Also, the Greek word for baptize, baptizo, literally means to be immersed.
Why Essential?
As previously stated, baptism is one of only two ordinances that is commanded to the church by Christ to be observed. If there are differences of understanding concerning what this should look like, this could easily hinder the spiritual progression of a person and cause disunity amongst the brethren.
Regenerate Church Membership
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Why Essential?
The church is intended to be a gathered body of people who have personally trusted Christ for salvation. It membership does not require a credible profession of salvation, the church loses the distinction between belonging to Christ and merely participating in religious activities. Unity would also be impossible, since unity can only happen through the Holy Spirit of God.
Biblical Teaching Concerning Marriage, Sexuality, and Gender.
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Why Essential?
Scripture establishes moral standards for marriage, sexuality, and personal holiness. We must acknowledge God’s authority to define what is righteous and sinful rather than allowing culture or personal preference to determine those standards.
God designed man. God designed marriage. God alone gets to define both of these things and the relationships that are acceptable to HIM!!!
Congregational Responsibility and Church Discipline
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Why Essential?
God has called believers to live in accountable relationships with one another. Without accountability and shared responsibility, membership becomes an affiliation rather than a biblical commitment to one another.
Biblical Qualifications and Structure for Church Leadership
1 Timothy 3:1-13 speaks on qualifications for Pastors and Deacons.
Titus 1:5-9 speaks to those same things.
Why Essential?
If there is not a common understanding and agreement as to what the leadership of the church is to look like and who is qualified to serve in those positions, members cannot function together under a common structure of spiritual oversight and service.
What We Teach
What We Teach
Literally… everything else.
We teach Free Will. We do not teach Calvinism/Reformed Theology.
We teach a cautious continuationist belief concerning the spiritual gifts.
Concerning end times, we teach a pretribulation rapture and premillennial reign of Christ.
We teach the young earth theory.
I personally teach from the NKJV of the Bible, but I am not opposed to several of the other translations. I like the NASB, CSB, ESV, and the NLT.
We have a mixture of old and new songs in our praise and worship.
I prefer that people never take a drink of alcohol, but we do have some in the church who have a drink from time to time. Drunkenness is obviously sinful.
We homeschool our children and I personally think that is best, but if your kids go to public school, I ain't mad at you.
In terms of politics, I personally am a republican, but that’s one conversation that I really don’t get into. People get so upset when they talk about politics, and I am simply not going to fuss about it. I believe in the Bible and what it says, period.
