Doctrines Of The Bible
Part 2
Jesus
The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each tell the thrilling story of the life of Jesus Christ
for all men everywhere. Just who was this man who captivated so much attention as He walked the shores
of Galilee, healing the sick, preaching in the villages, and teaching about a kingdom that was to come? How fortunate
that we know Jesus was "God manifested in the flesh." I Timothy 3:16 How wonderful to know the real reason for
the remarkable power 'to do miracles.
In the Gospels you can read to find out how Jesus called His disciples and how they left all to follow Him.
You can also realize that Jesus expects us to be led by His Spirit and follow His examples and teachings.
As you read, you will understand the real reason Jesus came to earth, which was to call sinners to
repentance. (Mark 2:17) God expects us to share in His ministry by loving others and helping them to find
reality in serving Jesus Christ. We can help others understand that the One True God can and will help them as they
help others. This is a sharing ministry. There is no room for selfishness.
Do you understand the true nature of Jesus Christ? How did He do the healings and miracles
that He did? Because God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:19) When Jesus was
questioning His followers, asking, "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man am?" They answered in many ways,
such as, "Some say you are John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." But
Jesus was much more specific. He said, "But whom do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Jesus
answered and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father, which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17)
Then Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. From that time, He told His
disciples of the things that were to happen to Him in the near future. Peter was later to use the keys or authority
given him on that day by Jesus Christ as he preached on the Day of Pentecost and established the Church of the
living God.
Who was Jesus Christ? What did Isaiah say about Him? Isaiah did not know God's real
name, but he prophesied and said, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince, of Peace." Isaiah also pointed out that His name would be called Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us. Jesus was really God, clothed in human flesh and dwelling among us. He who knew no
sin found it necessary to share our grief and sorrow, so that He might pay the debt we owed for our sins. Only then,
through a sinless sacrifice, could we be brought back into perfect fellowship and harmony with God. All mortals
had their sin debt "paid in full" once and for all by Jesus' death on the cross. This great and tragic event marked
the end of an era in history. No more must we offer sacrifices once a year for our sins. Jesus paid the supreme
sacrifice, and He did it willingly.
For more information on this subject, please read the study Who was Jesus?
Holy Ghost
The Comforter has come! We need not wait and hope. We need not spend our energies
tarrying. When our hearts are right, we will receive the Holy Ghost, because it has already been poured out.
Jesus said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name......
Whose name? Jesus' name!
The prophecies of two men were fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. These two prophets gave
outstanding prophecies. Isaiah spoke of ". . . "stammering lips and another tongue." (Isaiah 28:11) Peter spoke of
Joel's prophecy when he said, "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet, Joel: And it shall come to pass in
the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." (Acts 2:16-18)
As you read and study your Bible, you will find the doctrine of the Holy Ghost emphasized throughout
the scriptures. John the Baptist spoke of the coming baptism of the Holy Ghost and with "fire." Jesus
promised His disciples the Holy Ghost, emphasizing that He must go away so that the Comforter could come. He
commanded them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost came. (Acts 1:4)
The Jewish people were having a yearly feast day in which people from everywhere gathered in
Jerusalem to offer "thank you" gifts of food to God. This was the Feast of Pentecost.
But the disciples were not eating a big meal. They were praying and waiting for something
wonderful to happen. There was such an air of expectancy in the upper room as the disciples, Mary the mother of
Jesus, and many followers of Jesus tarried for the "power" from on high. There were about one-hundred and twenty
in all. Jesus had promised He would send the Holy Ghost, and He always keeps His promises!
Suddenly there came a sound from heaven. It sounded like a rushing, mighty wind. Only it
was not wind; it came right into the room where they were sitting. They could feel it! There were tongues that
looked like fire which sat upon each of them. It wasn't real flames, because it did not burn or harm them. This was
to let them know the Holy Ghost and fire had come, just as Jesus had promised.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them
utterance. The same Spirit of God who had made the world (the same Spirit that was in the body of Jesus)
now lived in their hearts and spoke through them in other tongues or languages they had not studied!
Jesus had kept His promise. (Acts 2) The Holy Ghost had been poured out on believers. The
disciples were no longer lonely. The Comforter had come!
The disciples received power when they received the Holy Ghost. One of the most important
purposes of this power was to make them bold witnesses of the power of God. The scripture says, "But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . ." (Acts 1:8)
Just as the Day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after the Passover, and marked the culmination of feast
days for the Jewish people, so does the outpouring of the Holy Ghost complete God's plan in providing salvation
for mankind. Jesus had said, "Upon this rock I will build my church." His Church was begun on the Day of
Pentecost. It has been steadfast through centuries, embodied by the very Spirit and life of Jesus Christ.
Notice that the audible manifestation or evidence the "one hundred and twenty" had, was speaking with
tongues. Of course, this manifestation had been prophesied about by Isaiah. (Isaiah 28: 1 1) He said, "For
with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Jesus also spoke of the signs that would follow
them who believe. "They shall speak with new tongues." (Mark 16:17)
The Jews spoke with tongues on the Day of Pentecost. So did the Gentiles at Caesarea
(Acts 10:46), the Ephesians (Acts 19:6), and the Apostle Paul. In fact, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the
evidence of speaking in other tongues, identifies us with Christ in His resurrection. (Romans 6:5 and Romans 8:11)
Just as Jesus Christ experienced death, burial, and resurrection in providing our salvation, we experience a type of
death, burial, and resurrection in receiving salvation through the steps of repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and the
infilling of the Holy Ghost. We are "in Christ" (I Corinthians 12:13) and Christ is "in us" (Colossians 1:27). What
a glorious privilege to know the truth!
For more information on this subject, please read the study Born again.
One God
There is only one God. This statement of fact is fully documented throughout the Scriptures.
In the Old Testament, God said, "Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." And, "Is there a God beside me?
yea, there is no God; I know not any." (Deuteronomy 6:4 and Isaiah 44:8)
This same truth is fulfilled in the New Testament. In Paul's writings we find, "For there is one
God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5) Again, "Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)
There are no contradictions in the Bible. The word "trinity" is not found in the Bible. This
term, coined by the Roman Catholic Church, was introduced at the Nicean Council of 325 A.D. It is accepted by
most Protestant groups, and states that there is one God divided into three persons who are coequal and coetemal.
This, of course, is a contradiction, an impossibility, and completely unscriptural. It is without scriptural foundation.
God is a Spirit. He has no physical limitations. He may be seen only in Jesus Christ. But
He is everywhere, an omnipotent, omnipresent God, filling the universe. John said, "God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)
Many people try to explain the mystery of godliness and get very confused. This simple truth
must be understood by revelation. The Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of God, will reveal this beautiful truth to
honest-hearted people seeking truth.
God was manifested in the flesh, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (I Timothy 3:16 and
John 1:14). In Jesus Christ dwelt all the fulness of the godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9)
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). God desired
complete fellowship with His creation, and He was finally achieving this goal through the supreme sacrifice.
The purposes of the Sonship of God are as follows:
- To provide a Redeemer, a sinless sacrifice for our sins. Only God could provide such
a sacrifice.
- To become our Mediator.
- To become our King. Someday,He will reign upon the earth as the King of kings.
(Matthew 26:64)
- To become our Judge. (Acts 17:3 1)
With this understanding, you can readily see how Jesus Christ possessed a dual nature.
He was both divine and human.
- He was deity when He said "all power" was given unto Him (Matthew 28: 18), and when
He exercised the right to forgive sins. (Mark 2:5 and Luke 7:48)
- He was humanity when He suffered, bled, and died on the cross.
- He was deity when He arose again, victorious over death.
For more information on this subject, please read the study
What is God's name?
Holiness
The meaning of the root word "holy" means to be separated or withdrawn from that which is common
or unclean, and consecrated to what is sacred and pure. God alone is pure and holy. He is perfect; man is
imperfect. God is divine; man is human. He is morally perfect; man is sinful. God abhors that which is evil. It is easy
to understand that He cannot tolerate sin of any kind. To Him it is vile and detestable. Therefore, it is evident that
man must become holy in order to attain fellowship with God.
Holiness is a condition of the heart. It is a sum total of our attitudes and consecrations toward
God. Therefore we must take heed of our attitudes and motives as we strive to be holy. We must manifest Christ-like
attitudes.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart.......... Are our hearts really pure? Are our motives
pure? Why do we do the things we do? What motivates us? Are our talents separated and dedicated to the service
of God? Can He really use us?
Only those who are holy and sanctified shall be able to see Jesus and enter His kingdom. On
that day, He will present to Himself a Church, ". . . a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:27)
To sanctify means to separate from evil and dedicate exclusively to the service of God. Man's
part is to bring himself to the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost and allow God to work His will. Sinful man is
wholly incapable of making himself holy. This is the work of the Holy One.
There is nothing man can do to merit sanctification. All his righteousness would be as filthy
rags. But thank God, we have a Holy One who is happy to sanctify and cleanse us!
The process of sanctification begins the moment a person hears or reads the gospel message, for the
Word of God has a cleansing influence in the heart of the hearer. "Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3) "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17) There
is a definite power in God's Word to convict sinners of their sins and reveal to them their need of a close walk with
God, a sanctification, and deeper consecration.
It is the responsibility of every God-fearing child of God to see to it that he keeps himself under the
influence of the sanctifying power of God by repentance, surrender of his will to God's will, consecration,
dedication, complete separation from the world, faith, and obedience.
None of us was born perfect. The very fact that Peter exhorted the saints to " . . . grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord. . . " proves to us that sanctification is a progressive process in our lives.
(2 Peter 3:18) The Christian who is filled with the Spirit, walks after the Spirit, and is led by the Spirit will live a
holy life, one that is dedicated and consecrated to the will of God. He will live a life above sin, and will feel no
condemnation.
There are many advantages and rewards of holy living. The Christian enjoys greater peace
of mind and heart. He enjoys happiness. His life is more fruitful and satisfying, for he lives a life of service to God
and others.
Are there any secrets to successful holy living? Indeed, there are! Following are only a few:
- Allow the power of the Holy Ghost to change you and teach you.
- Learn to communicate daily with God. It is of vital necessity that you talk to your "Creator." It is through
Him that we move and have our being. A prayerful life is a happy and victorious life.
- Realize that only after you relinquish your will to God's will will you know peace. Find the mind of God.
- Read the Bible daily. Let it "come alive" to your heart. Attend Bible studies and participate. Get involved
with your studies. Think about the lesson. Ask questions that will clarify doctrines.
- Dedicate yourself fully to His service and to His will for your life. Don't get sidetracked! Keep God as top
priority on your list and you can stay happy.
- Live each day one day at a time. Live "in-depth." Don't become stale. You can go on learning and keep
alive all your life!
- Keep your eyes off the faults of others. Look to Jesus as the one who has an answer to every problem
you might encounter.
- Witness to others of the power and the hope that lies within you. You will be blessed and feel victorious
when you witness boldly of the power of God.
- Discuss your problems with your pastor.
|
