Redemption

The Great Assembly

The Great Assembly

The study of the church, including its nature, ordinances, ministries, mission, and governmental structure, is called Ecclesiology. Evolving from the Scottish word kirk, the English word “church” derived from the Greek Kuriakos, meaning “belonging to the Lord.” It is found only twice in the New Testament, an adjective applied to the Lord’s supper and the Lord’s day. The frequent word ekklesia was translated into the English expression “church” that we employ in the New Testament today. Neither Kuriakos nor ekklisa were used to refer to a building or place of gathering until the Greeks, in post-Apostolic times, substituted the term kuriakos, meaning “the Lord’s House,” to designate a church building. In the New Testament, the words used for a religious place of assembly are exclusively temple or synagogue.

Separation of The Church from Israel

Separation of The Church from Israel

God’s first and only covenant nation is Israel, and He called them His “firstborn son.” And Israel is the only nation He sovereignly chose to reveal Himself to, not a giant and mighty nation, but so insignificant they appeared to be nothing more than a small, powerless family. It says, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2); “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples” (Deuteronomy 7:7).

Israel's Covenants and The Kingdom

Israel's Covenants and The Kingdom

It can be said that Israel’s origins begin with Abraham, the father faith, as Paul, “It is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16). God desired that Abram become a source of blessing to the whole world, setting before him a moral imperative to obey His commandment to leave everything of this world behind. Nearly two thousand years before the Advent of Christ, the Lord God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make of him a great nation and a company of nations: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).

Assurance and Security of The Believer

Assurance and Security of The Believer

The assurance and security of the believer are essential to understand, and there are widely varying theological positions on the issue. But the assurance of our salvation provides the foundation and stability to our lives, removing doubt and uncertainty and deepening our faith and trust in the Lord. It enables us to enjoy an uplifting and rewarding prayer life, again trusting Him no matter what the current circumstances look like because we have an eternal promise of salvation. It gives us power over the fallen nature, temptations of the flesh, and the spirits of darkness that work against us, knowing that our lives are hidden with God in Christ. And it provides us with the strength to share our testimony of salvation and influence others with the Gospel, even in the face of adversity and persecution.

Consecrated Unto The Lord

Consecrated Unto The Lord

Several aspects of sanctification are important to Christians. The primary meaning, which occurs at the moment of our salvation, is the dedication, consecration, and setting apart of the Christian for the holy work of God. And the secondary meaning of sanctification is the cleansing and purging of all moral defilement, which is an ongoing, progressive experience for the believer. Lastly, the complete and final sanctification occurs when Jesus returns, and we are delivered from our old sinful nature into a resurrected eternal, incorruptible body.

Justified Before God

Justified Before God

Justification and regeneration are closely related doctrines. Regeneration occurs in believers' hearts when they receive Christ and become “born again.” It refers to an impartation of life and is God’s answer to the problem of sin and spiritual death. In comparison, justification by faith is the foundational truth of God’s provision of salvation. Justification is often misunderstood but is one of the profound truths of God’s salvific plan restored to the church from the Protestant Reformation.

Faith and Trust

Faith and Trust

Our salvation requires faith, and Jesus was looking for it when He came to the Jewish people. Jesus told His disciples: “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

But Paul said: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). From his words, we are not saved by faith. Instead, God’s grace saves us through faith. But even our faith is a gift from God lest we erroneously believe that somehow, we can save ourselves from our dead nature caused by sin. No, we were dead in trespasses, and dead people are neither aware nor capable of making themselves alive through faith. Only God can save us by His grace and the faith He has given us so we might choose Him. As we read, “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

Election Unto Salvation

Election Unto Salvation

Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and ascension reveal many purposes in God’s unfolding restoration of humanity and His creation. God entered this world in the likeness of human flesh and the person of the Holy Spirit to bring about man’s complete rebirth and transformation. God’s provisions for us include election, repentance, faith, justification, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, assurance, and security. Christ is Lord and King over all, but without royal subjects to govern, there is no King, and there can be no Kingdom.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The idea of a bodily resurrection is a longstanding belief in Judaism, and there are multiple accounts in the Old and New Testaments. Elijah raised the son of Zarephath and the son of the Shunammite woman. Later, a man rose from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus from the dead. And in the Book of Acts, we read that Paul raised Eutychus from the dead. Even in recent history, we have heard stories of people who died and came back to life.

The Doctrine of Salvation

The Doctrine of Salvation

The word “salvation” in Greek, Soteriology, is derived from two Greek words, Soteria, meaning salvation, and logos, meaning “word, discourse, or doctrine.” Having studied the infinite holy nature of God and the fallen, depraved nature of man, only God could bridge the gap between Himself and His creation. As Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mathew 19:26).

The Nature of Sin

The Nature of Sin

There are many expressions in the Bible that define sin. Some include: missing the mark or aim, overpassing or trespassing of a line (to transgress), disobedience to a voice, falling where one should have stood upright, ignorance of what one ought to have known, diminishing of that which should have been rendered in full measure, non-observance of a law, lawless or anarchy (complete disregard for the law), and debt, failure in duty, and not meeting one’s obligation to God. The Bible also uses iniquity, godlessness, wickedness, unbelief, unrighteousness, injustice, and unholiness to define sin.

The Doctrine of Sin

The Doctrine of Sin

The Greek word for sin is hamartia, and the word for knowledge is ology. Therefore, hamartiology is the knowledge of the doctrine of sin. The scriptures speak continuously of the presence and reality of sin in the world. From Adam’s first sin through the final chapters of Revelation, God speaks of man’s sin and sinful nature. In the Old Testament, we read: “For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Paul said, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE” (Romans 3:10); “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).