Throughout my years of ministry I have sought to minister to churches that embrace, as well as to personally preach, a “No Creed but Christ – Creed” ;-) , also known as a Restoration Church doctrine. But people are never happy with, “Oh I just believe and preach the Bible.” Understandably so, people tend to use and abuse the Bible to say whatever they want. Therefore, this page is an attempt to wring out of Scripture some key thoughts or phrases that explain how I interpret/relate Scripture into every day life.
Timber Lake Christian Church where I preach describes our core beliefs this way: T.L.C.C. About Us
To begin my study with new families I typically begin with this study: Becoming a Christian – Sharing His Story
10 Key Doctrines I Believe and Seek to Teach Others:
1. The one God exists eternally in the three persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14).
2. Scripture is inspired, wholly without error in the original manuscripts, and the sole authority for the Christian’s faith and practice (1 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Jn 10:35, 17:17; 1 Cor 2:12-13).
3. All that exists was created by God; He made humanity in His own image (Gen 1:1-27;Matt
19:4).
4. Adam and Eve’s disobedience introduced sin and death to all mankind, who fall short of God’s glory because of their own sin (Gen 3:1-19; Rom 3:23; 5:12-14). (see also BAD NEWs GOOD NEWS w-Scriptures)
5. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, was born of a virgin, tempted but without sin, fully human and fully divine (Phil 2:5-11; Jn 1:1-15; Isa 7:14; Lk 1:26-35; Heb 4:15).
6. The atoning death of Christ on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the grave
demonstrate God’s love and provide forgiveness and eternal life (Rom 5:6-11, 1 Cor 15:3-11).
7. Salvation is available to all people by God’s grace, through personal faith in Christ, at the
immersion of a penitent believer (Rom 3:21-25, 6:1-14; Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:8-10; Acts 2:38).Salvation, Faith, Circumcision & Baptism; Standard’s best on Baptism; Baptism study for Dads
8. The Holy Spirit inspired the authors of Scripture and miraculously empowered apostles and prophets to be the foundation of the church. Today, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, regenerates and comforts believers, and indwells them for service in Christ’s kingdom (2 Pet 1:19-21; John 3:5-8; 16:8-11; Titus 3:5-7; Gal 5:16-25; 1 Cor 12:4-7; Eph 2:20).
9. The bodily return of Christ will bring the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment of the righteous to eternal life and the wicked to everlasting destruction (Mt 24:29-51; 1 Cor
15:50-58; 2 Thess 1:9; Rev 20:7-15).
10. Christ has called the church to be holy, to carry out His Great Commission, and to build up all Christians. Each local congregation should be autonomous and unified, following the
model of the New Testament church in government and practice (Mt 16:18, 19, 28:18-20;
Eph 4:16ff.).
4 Popular Doctrines that I Do Not See Taught in Scripture: ( I do not see these teachings as necessarily a test of fellowship, but remain concerned of their potential to cause individuals to stumble or fall away from a saving faith in Christ.)
1. Popular teachings regarding baptism that are not biblical: a. “Sprinkling” or “pouring” are acceptable modes. b. Infants are saved from eternal punishment by “baptism” (sprinking) after birth. (What Is the History of Infant Sprinkling) c. The main purpose of baptism is to show “an outward sign of an inward work.” d. The act of baptism saves anyone who experiences it, also known as “baptismal regeneration.” Baptism Scriptures and Assumptions; Brief History of the Sinner’s Prayer
2. False teachings regarding the security of the believer: a. “Once saved, always saved” – that obedience and faithfulness to Christ have no bearing on one’s salvation. b. A works-based salvation – that perfect obedience and righteous living is the standard of and reason for one’s salvation.
3. False teachings regarding the present-day work of the Holy Spirit: a. Seekingmiraculous sign gifts – The miraculous sign gifts are prevalent today for the purpose of supporting Christians in their daily walk and should be sought after by Christians. b. Holy Spirit works only through the Word – The personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit was only for Christians in the first century, while present Christians only benefit from the Holy Spirit directly through the Word of God. The Gift of Tongues
4. False teachings regarding eschatology (“End Times”). a. Dispensational Pre-millennialism – The 1,000 year reign of Christ as mentioned in Revelation 20 is to be interpreted literally and that individuals will have an opportunity to accept Christ after the secret rapture of the church. b. Preterism – The prophecies of the New Testament concerning the kingdom, judgment, and return of Christ were fulfilled by events in the immediate future of the writers with no end times fulfillment to be expected. c. Dominion or Liberation Theology – The kingdom is ushered in on earth due to the efforts of the church in undermining human systems of government through either legislation of Mosaic law expectations or revolutionary behavior against oppressive rulers.