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THE BIBLE:
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." -II Peter 1:20-21
"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." -II Timothy 3:15-17
"Feelings come and feelings go,
and feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the Word of God,
naught else is worth believing."
-Martin Luther
JESUS CHRIST:
(1) Who He is:
(Messiah) "For unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6
He is sinless.- I Peter 2:22
He is the Creator.- Colossians 1:16 / John 1:3
He is eternal.- I Timothy 1:16-17
(The "I Am")
"I am the Bread of Life." -John 6:35
"I am the Light of the world." -John 8:12
"I am the Door." -John 10:9
"I am the Good Shepherd." -John 10:11
"I am the Resurrection and the Life." -John 11:25
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." -John 14:6
"I am the True Vine." -John 15:1
"Before Abraham was, I am." -John 8:58
"For if ye believe not that I am He [Messiah], ye shall
die in your sins." -John 8:24
(2) What He (Messiah) came to do:
"And she [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from
their sins." -Matthew 1:21
"He is the propitiation [atoning sacrifice] for our sins:
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world." -I John 2:2
"I am come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly." -John 10:10
To be crucified and to rise again in a bodily resurrection. -Matthew 20:18-19
(3) What Jesus is doing at this moment:
"who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." -Romans 8:34
"I go to prepare a place for you." -John 14:1-3
(4) What Jesus is still planning to do:
"I will come again..." (as rescuer) -John 14:3
"I will come unto thee quickly..." (as judge) -Rev. 2:5
"I come quickly..." (as rewarder) -Rev.22:12
THE HOLY SPIRIT: (Third Person of the Trinity)
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word [Jesus, John 1:1], and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one." -I John 5:7
Regenerates the repentant sinner. -John 3:3-8
Reproves of sin. -John 16:8
Guides into all truth. -John 16:13
Glorifies Jesus. -John 16:14
Produces fruit pleasing to God. -Galatians 5:22-23
"The Bible without the Holy Spirit is like a sundial in the moonlight." -D.L. Moody
FAITH:
Needed for salvation. -Ephesians 2:8
Needed for the Christian walk. -II Corinthians 5:7
Needed for Christian warfare. I Peter 5:8-9
Needed to please God. -Hebrews 11:6
Needs to be tested and tried. -I Peter 1:7
Needs to produce works of righteousness. -James 2:17-20
Needs to be added* to in order to partake of Christ's
divine nature...to avoid barrenness and unfruitfulness of
spirit...blindness...forgetfulness and to make ones
calling and election sure. -II Peter 1:4-10
*"The word 'add' means there is something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do." -Oswald Chambers
"By faith the wilderness can become the suburbs of heaven."-Charles Spurgeon
"O how heavy is my work, when faith cannot take hold of an Almighty arm for the
performance of it!" -David Brainerd
REPENTANCE:
Was Christ's first sermon. -Mark 4:17
Needed for salvation. -Acts 3:19
Commanded by God. -Acts 17:30
Grace makes it possible. -Romans 2:4 / Acts 11:8
"Repentance is to leave the sin we loved before,
and show that we in earnest grieve, by
doing so no more." -Charles Spurgeon
"Repentance means that I estimate exactly what I am in
God's sight, and I am sorry for it, and on the basis of
redemption I become the opposite." -Oswald Chambers
"True repentance has a double aspect. It looks upon things past with a weeping eye and upon future things with a watchful eye." -RB. Smith
"The disposition of the Son of God can only enter my life by the road of repentance." -Oswald Chambers
FALSE VIEW: "Repentance does not mean to turn away from sin, nor to change in one's conduct...Biblical repentance is a change of mind or attitude concerning either God, Christ, dead works or sin." -The Ryrie Study Bible
SIN:
Entered the world through Adam. -Romans 5:12
All have sinned. -Romans 3:23 5:12
Sin is going our own way, doing our own thing. -Isaiah 53:6
By nature we are servants of sin. -John 8:34
Sin separates one from God. -Isaiah 59:2
Jesus came to unmask our sin. -John 15:22
Jesus came to forgive us our sin. -Mark 2:10
Jesus was made sin for us. -II Corinthians 5:21
Jesus was sacrificed for our sin. -I Corinthians 5:7
Jesus commands us to stop our sinning. -John 5:14
Jesus gives grace to help us stop sinning. -Romans 6:10-23
FREE WILL:
"Choose you this day whom you will serve..." -Joshua 24:15
"So I spake unto you and ye would not hear..." -Deut. 1:43
"how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, and ye would not." -Jesus, Matthew 23:37
"ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" -Acts 7:51
"The ultimate citadel is the citadel of the human will. It
[preaching] is successful only when it is able to storm the
will under the will of God." -G. Campbell Morgan
"God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go either wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong. I cannot. If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata-- of creatures that worked like machines--would hardly be worth creating..." C.S. Lewis
"Be careful not to shut your soul's door through doubt, when God has just opened it by
His grace." -John Bunyan
"But once acknowledge free will in man, and the origin of evil does not lie in God." -F.W. Robertson
"You may say, 'I wish to send this [musket] ball so as to kill the lion crouching yonder, ready to spring upon me. My wishes are all right; and I hope Providence will direct the ball.' Providence won't. You must do it; and if you do not, you are a dead man." -Beecher
GRACE & SALVATION:
*Humans are naturally unable to make any effort towards salvation
*Salvation is possible by grace alone
*Works of human effort cannot cause or contribute to salvation
*God's election is conditional on faith in Jesus
*Jesus' atonement was for all people
*God allows his grace to be resisted by those unwilling to believe
*Salvation can be lost, as continued salvation is conditional upon continued faith
"Faith is the effect of God illuminating the mind and sealing the heart, and it is
His mere gift." -James Arminius
"God will not consider any work good--nor is it really good, unless He Himself produces it through His grace." -Martin Luther
"The more I advance in grace, the more feelingly I shall say, Behold I
am vile." -John Newton
"...idle grace would soon become active corruption." -Charles Spurgeon
"O that my soul were so full of grace, that there might be longer no room for ever for the least lust to come into my thoughts." -John Bunyan
"By salvation, I mean not barely, according to the vulgar notion,--deliverance from hell, or going to heaven; but a present deliverance from sin, a restoration of the soul to its primitive health, its original purity; a recovery of the Divine nature; the renewal of our soul after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, in justice, mercy and truth. This implies all holy and heavenly tempers, and by consequence, all holiness of conversation." -John Wesley
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION: (conditional not unconditional) *Note the often used little word "IF"
"Yet now hath He reconciled...to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in
His sight; IF ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from
the hope of the gospel..." -Colossians 1:21-23 [emphasis ours]
"IF thou continue in His goodness..." -Romans 11:18-22 [emphasis ours]
"IF that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." -I John 2:24 [emphasis ours]
"IF we walk in the light, as He is in the light...the blood of Jesus Christ...cleanseth us from all sin." -I John 1:7 [emphasis ours]
"Now the just shall live by faith: but IF any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." -Heb. 10:38 [emphasis ours]
"IF ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." -Jesus, John 15:10 [emphasis ours]
"be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." -Jesus, Rev. 2:10
"For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast until the end." -Heb. 3:14 [emphasis ours]
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him, IF we deny Him, He will also deny us." II Timothy 2:12 (read along with) "They profess that they know God; but in works DENY Him..." -Titus 1:16 [emphasis ours]
IF we do OUR part through FAITH, God will do His!
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." -Philippians 1:6
"I would not give one straw for that assurance that sin will not dampen. If David had come to me in his adultery, and had talked to me of his assurance, I should have despised his
speech." -John Newton (author of Amazing Grace)
"If all those who begin to follow Christ get to heaven, then who shall be in hell?"-Charles Spurgeon
ANTINOMIANISM:
.....a term phrased by Dr. Martin Luther taken from the Greek to mean "anti-law". There are those in Christendom that believe when one is justified by faith by God's grace, that they no longer need to obey. For more on this subject please see an excellent article written by
P.G. Matthew at; http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~gvcc/radio_trans/antinomianism.html
HOLINESS: (imputed and personal)
Only God is Holy. -Rev. 15:4 Yet...
He commands His disciples to be Holy. - 1 Peter 1:14-16
The believer is imputed with God's Righteousness and Holiness at the time of new birth but needs to perfect it. - II Corinthians 7:1
When God commands the church through Peter to "be holy" He is not referring to the "imputed" holiness given to us at time of conversion but to that of our behavior.
-I Peter 1:15 "in all manner of behavior." But only because of the "imputed" holiness given to the believer can a believer ever possibly live a holy life. -John 15:5
We are chosen by God to be Holy. -Ephesians 1:4
It is our logical service to God. -Romans 12:1
It is only possible by putting on Jesus Christ. -Eph. 4:24
It is the true sign of a believer. -I John 2:6
You don't want to stand before God the judge without imputed and personal holiness. -Hebrews 12:14 / Eph. 5:27 / I John 2:28
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
"I feel barren and empty, as though I could not live without more of God; I feel ashamed and guilty before Him, I see that 'the law is spiritual, but I am carnal' I do not, I cannot live to God. O for holiness! O for more of God in my soul! O this pleasing pain!"-David Brainerd
"My soul was exceedingly grieved for sin, and prized and longed after holiness; it wounded my heart deeply, yet sweetly, to think how I abused a kind God. I longed to be perfectly holy that I might not grieve a gracious God; who will continue to love notwithstanding His love is abused! I longed for holiness more for this end than I did for my own happiness..."-David Brainerd
"I believe that great holiness sets us free from the love of this world and makes us ready to depart. By great holiness I mean great horror of sin and great longing after perfect purity."-C.H. Spurgeon
Q. What if I fail in holiness?
A. Proverbs 28:13 / I John 1:9
*To all those who think living a holy life is impossible, just read and BELIEVE Philippians 4:13
CHRISTIAN PERFECTION: (complete sanctification)
It is commanded by God in the O.T. "Walk before me, and be thou perfect." Gen.17:1
It is commanded by Jesus Christ in the N.T. ""Be ye perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect." Mt. 5:48
In Heart. "Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord..." I Kings 8:61
In Faith. "...by works was faith made perfect." James 2:22
In works. "Make you perfect in every good work, to do His will..." Heb. 13:21
In Holiness. "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7:1
Not possible through the works of the law and/or flesh. "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Gal. 3:3
Found only through Jesus Christ. "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did [Jesus Christ]; by which we draw nigh unto God." Heb. 7:19
Should be taught by Church leaders. " And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfectman, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:" Eph. 4:11-13
It is something we grow up into through grace. "Not as though I hade already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after..." Phil. 3:12 "...let us go on unto perfection..." Heb. 6:1
We can only grow up into perfection through faith in Christ which works patience. "...the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect, and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:3-4
What it is as...
TAUGHT BY JOHN WESLEY: "The doctrine of perfection, you say has perplexed you much, since some of our preachers have placed it in so dreadful a light; one of them affirming, 'A believer, till perfect, is under the curse of God and in a state of damnation.' Another, 'If you die before you have attained it, you will surely perish.' By perfection, I mean perfect love or the loving of God with all your heart, so as to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in everything to give thanks. I am convinced every believer may attain this; yet I do not say he is in a state of damnation, or under the curse of God, till he does attain it. No; he is in a state of grace, and in favor with God, as long as he believes. Neither would I say, 'If you die without it, you will perish;' but rather, 'Till you are saved from unholy tempers, you are not ripe for glory. There will, therefore, more promises be fulfilled in your soul before God takes you to himself."
"Certainly sanctification (in the proper sense) is an instantaneous deliverance from all sin; and includes an instantaneous power then given, always to cleave to God. Yet this sanctification (at least, in the lower degrees) does not include a power never to think a useless thought, nor ever speak a useless word. I myself, believe that such a perfection is inconsistent with living in a corruptible body: for this makes it impossible 'always to think right.' While we breathe, we shall, more or less, mistake. If therefore, Christian perfection implies this, we must not expect it till after death."
"I want you to be ALL LOVE. This is the perfection I believe and teach."
"Absolute or infallible perfection I never contended for. Sinless perfection I do not contend for, seeing it is not Scriptural! A perfection, such as enables a person to fulfill the whole law, and so needs not the merits of Christ,--I acknowledge no such perfection; I do now, and always did, protest against it."
"Only let it be remembered, that the heart of a believer is not wholly purified when he is justified. Sin is then overcome, but it is not rooted out: it is conquered, but not destroyed. Experience shows him, first, that the root of sin, self-will, pride, and idolatry, remain still in his heart. But as long as he continues to watch and pray, none of these can prevail over him."
Encouragement for those believers who are seeking to be like Christ but still fall far short. "Your finding sin remaining in you still, is no proof that you are not a believer. Sin does remain in one that is justified, though it has not dominion over him. For he has not a clean heart at first, neither are 'all things' as yet 'become new.' But fear not, though you have an evil heart. [old nature] Yet a little while, and you shall be endued with power from on high, whereby you may 'purify yourselves, even as He is pure;' and be 'holy, as He which hath called you is holy.' " -Wesley
What it is...
AS TAUGHT BY CHARLES G. FINNEY
In this discussion, then, I shall use the term entire sanctification to designate a state of confirmed, and entire consecration of body, soul, and spirit, or of the whole being to God--confirmed, not in the sense, (1.) That a soul entirely sanctified cannot sin, but that as a matter of fact, he does not, and will not sin. (2.) Nor do I use the term entire sanctification as implying that the entirely sanctified soul is in no such danger of sinning as to need the thorough use and application of all the means of grace to prevent him from sinning, and to secure his continued sanctification. (3.) Nor, do I mean by entire sanctification, a state in which there will be no further struggle or warfare with temptation, or in which the Christian warfare will cease. This certainly did not cease in Christ to the end of life, nor will it with any being in the flesh. (4.) Nor do I use the term as implying a state in which no further progress in holiness is possible. No such state is, or ever will be, possible to any creature, for the plain reason, that all creatures must increase in knowledge; and increase of knowledge implies increase of holiness in a holy being. The saints will doubtless grow in grace or holiness to all eternity. (5.) Nor do I mean by the term entire sanctification, that the entirely sanctified soul will no longer need the continual grace and indwelling Spirit of Christ to preserve it from sin, and to secure its continuance in a state of consecration to God. It is amazing that such men as Dr. Beecher and others should suppose, that a state of entire consecration implies that the entirely sanctified soul no longer needs the grace of Christ to preserve it. Entire sanctification, instead of implying no further dependence on the grace of Christ, implies the constant appropriation of Christ by faith as the sanctification of the soul.
"Sanctification is to have our sinful tempers cleansed, and the heart filled with love to God and man..." It is, in our measure, to be made like God. It is to be made partakers of the divine nature." -Samuel Logan Brengle *see II Peter 1:4-11
"I believe that as a child of God grows in sanctification he deepens in humility, and as he advances to perfection he sinks in his own esteem."-C.H. Spurgeon
LOVE:
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 John 3:14
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18
"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." 1 John 3:23
"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandment is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
The Lord will divide between the saved and the damned on the Day of Judgment based on this: a faith that has expressed itself in charity. Matthew 25:31-46 so... "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates?" II Cor. 13:5
"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."-Jm. Hewette
PRAYER:
"Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13:33-37
"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38
"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke 18:1
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at anytime your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places...Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Ephesians 6:12-18
"To have prayed well is to have studied well." -Martin Luther
"If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire and faith." -Martin Luther
"The Christian's armor will rust except it be furbished and scoured with the oil of prayer."-Wm. Gurnall
"He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day." -John Bunyan
"Pray and never faint, is the motto Christ gave us for praying. It is the
test of our faith, and the severer the trial and the longer the waiting,
the more glorious the results." -E.M. Bounds
MISSION:
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:18-20
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