The Bible
God's word
The Bible is an historical account of Creator God making Himself known to His image-bearers. Scripture records the words of the Holy Spirit. It is without error in its original documents, therefore is by nature the truth.
The entire story of Scripture is the testimony of God to man. In this story, God reveals the terms by which He forgives man's sin and pours out His wrath on all wickedness. Man's faith and rejection of God is also revealed.
God is one, unique above all, existing as three separate persons. God lives in community within Himself, relating to Himself and us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God desires to be known as Creator because only Creator God may possess all authority, power, and wisdom to exist sovereignly and act with perfect mercy and justice.
the father
God
the son
the spirit
God is the HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD, therefore exists as FATHER. The HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD in the Hebrew culture is responsible for the physical provision and protection of the entire household. Because God desires to be known as FATHER, we can understand that our redemption makes us members of the FAMILY OF GOD.
God is also the FIRSTBORN SON, therefore exist as SON. The FIRSTBORN SON in the Hebrew culture is a role in the household that awaits the transition to the role of HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD. Because Jesus exists as the FIRSTBORN SON and King of the Kingdom of God, we can understand that our redemption makes us citizens of the Kingdom of God.
God is also the HELPER of the church, therefore He exists as SPIRIT. The HELPER baptizes (submerges) new believers in Himself, transforms them into new creations , and seals them for redemption. Because sll believers are baptized by the SPIRIT, we can understand that our redemption makes us living stones building up the dwelling place of God.
God created mankind in His image so we can know Him, understand what He says about Himself, and live in relationship with Him. God made mankind both male and female. The first people God created, Adam and Eve, were created as husband and wife. Through marriage, God desires that mankind multiply and fill the earth as image-bearers.
image-bearers
Mankind
All people reject God's kingship over our lives. We reject the relationship with Him designed for our flourishing. The Bible calls our rejection of God, sin. We sin against God in the way we think, speak, and act toward Him. All people choose to sin and "sell themselves into slavery to sin." Our relationship with God is severed because we believe a lie about God and ourselves. The punishment for our sin is eternal separation from the blessings of God in a literal place called Hell.
sinners
Because God loves us, He made a way for us to be purchased from our slavery to sin, returning to His household and being forgiven of our sin. This transactions is called REDEMPTION. By grace God chooses to forgive us. Through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven of our sin and redeemed from our slavery to sin. We are saved from the coming DAY OF JUDGMENT on our sin. REDEMPTION is a free gift of God through which we are rewarded eternal life in Heaven with Him.
To learn how to be SAVED, click here.
redeemed
In order to be saved from the coming judgment, we must repent. When we repent, we are changing our thinking. We begin by changing our thinking about Jesus. He is who He says He is. He is God. He died, was raised, and will return. He is both Lord and Savior.
Believe
When we repent, we are also agreeing with Jesus about our sin. All people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In agreeing that our sin deserves the punishment of eternal death in hell, we ask Jesus to forgive us. The great promise of the Bible is this: All who call on the name of the Lord (Jesus) will be saved.
Agree
When we repent, we also commit to spend the rest of our lives learning to obey Jesus. Jesus is SAVIOR--only through His shed blood on the cross can we be saved. Jesus is LORD--He is the ruler over our lives.
Commit
Jesus is God. He died on the cross so we may be forgiven of sin. He rose from the grave on the third day, and will return as JUDGE of a final JUDGMENT DAY. On this day, Jesus will remove all wickedness from the earth and reward those who submit to Him by faith with eternal life.
Salvation
When we respond to the gospel by faith, submitting to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are saved from coming judgment. The Holy Spirit BAPTIZES (SUBMERGES) us in Himself. We are in Him and He is in and surrounding us. When the Holy Spirit BAPTIZES a new believer, He transforms the believer into a new creation. He seals the believer with the seal of the King for redemption. He remains with the believer forever, helping the believer conform to the image of Jesus.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Because we are not always aware of the Holy Spirit's presence, and we don't always feel the Holy Spirit's dwelling, Jesus commanded that all new believers participate in a covenant ceremony--BAPTISM IN WATER. The word baptize means to submerge. The new believer is submerged in water so they may understand exactly what the Holy Spirit has done when they believed.
WATER BAPTISM is a physical picture of what the Holy Spirit has accomplished in the new believer. It is the perfect picture of our redemption.