Bible Doctrine 5; Repentance

 BIBLE DOCTRINE 5

                                         REPENTANCE

God’s Word teaches:

That Repentance is a complete turning away from all sins and its deceitful pleasures and that it is required from every sinner before he can truly and effectively believe in Jesus with saving faith - Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 55:7; Ezekiel 18:21-23; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:46,47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 20:20,21; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Hebrews 6:1-3.

   Repentance is a conscious turning away from evil, disobedience, sin or idolatry (Jonah 3:8-10; Proverbs 28:13; Mathew 12:41).  It is also turning from Satan unto the Living God. Repentance evokes a change from one’s mind and purpose in life.  It elicits a form of godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) which makes an erstwhile sinner regard sin with utter revulsion.  Godly sorrow makes the sinner or backslider to turn away from sin.  It also causes an abhorrence or hatred for sin.  The need for repentance is the heartbeat of a deeply compassionate God (2 Peter 3:9).  Repentance is the genesis of the process of restoration for backsliders and salvation of sinners.  It differs from tearful remorse which is merely an expression of sorrow over an embarrassing outcome of sin.  It is a universal command by God to all people (Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30; Acts 17:30,31).

   Repentance is the central theme of the gospel.  The doctrine and teaching of repentance is fundamental to the propagation of the gospel.  It is a foundation stone in the cardinal doctrines of the New Testament Church.  It’s vital place in Scripture, particularly in the New Testament, is underscored by the regularity of its usage.  "Repentance", "repent" or "repenting" occurs over sixty times in the New Testament alone.

   It was the key note of Christ’s preaching as well as the sum and substance of evangelistic, apostolic message.  He repeatedly emphasized that His mission was providing repentance for the sinner (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32; Acts 3:18, 19,26; 11:18).  Also, John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord, anchored his fiery messages in the wilderness on repentance (Luke 3:3-8).

   At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached repentance (Matthew 4:17).  His valedictory message to His disciples shortly before He was taken to heaven, was hinged upon repentance (Luke 24:45-47). This was principally because repentance is cardinal to the sinner’s reconciliation with God.  From His eminent position in glory, the Lord yet admonished the backslidden church to repent (Revelation 2:4, 5; 3:3).  Peter and other Apostles took a cue from the Lord and made the doctrine of repentance the fundamental theme of their gospel homilies (Acts 2:38; 3:19).  Paul the Apostle, sent to preach to the Gentiles, did not differ from either the Lord or the other Apostles on the necessity of repentance for the sinner or backslider to gain the mercy of God (Acts 17:30, 31; 20:20, 21).

   Repentance must therefore be preached to all men in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:47).  Sinners and backsliders must be made to know that no one is excluded from the challenge of the gospel to repent, for it is only through it that the manifold blessings arising from the remission of sins could be appropriated.

    Repentance, however, does not exist in isolation of faith.  Saving faith is taken as implying the change of mind which is repentance (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 20:21).  Both are a response to grace, creating a completely different orientation for the erstwhile sinner.  Works do not elicit repentance (2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 3:27,28; 4:1-8; Ephesians 2:8).  Paradoxically, repentance must necessarily produce works otherwise it is unreal (James 2:14-26; Ephesians 2:9, 10; Titus 3:8).

   True repentance manifests in a proper attitude towards sin (2 Corinthians 7:10, 11; Psalm 38:18; 51:17; 2 Samuel 12:13).  The repentant heart henceforth treats sin with disdain.  No sinner or backslider can be said to have genuinely repented if he still condones sin.  This is because essentially, sin is exceedingly abominable.  Consequently, the need for repentance by the sinner must be the pivot around which redemption messages must be woven.

   The practical side of repentance is restitution, which is the act of correcting all past wrongs and having a conscience void of offence towards God and man.  God expects the repentant sinner or backslider to correct every wrong committed against others.  Restitution is incontrovertibly an integral part of true repentance (Genesis 20:1-18; Numbers 5:6-8; Ezekiel 33:14-16; Matthew 5:23, 24; Acts 24:16). Through repentance, self-centeredness gives way to God or Christ-centeredness.  The forgiveness of sin is available only to those who repent, for they alone are worthy of God’s mercy.

   Repentance opens the way and makes us to receive the grace of God.  It provides pardon and remission of sins (Isaiah 55:7; Proverbs 28:13; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19). Through it, sinners receive justification and acceptance (John 1:12, 13; Galatians 3:8; 2:16; Romans 8:1; 5:12).  Above all, there is joy in heaven, joy to God, Christ and heavenly hosts when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10).  Repentance is a profitable doctrine that makes inward change and life a reality while activating a life of faith.

Bible Doctrine 4; The depravity of all men.

                                        BIBLE DOCTRINE 4          

TOTAL DEPRAVITY, SINFULNESS AND GUILT OF ALL MEN

God’s Word teaches:

The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the Fall, rendering them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation - Psalm 51:5; Job 14:4; Romans 3:23; 5:12-17; Mark 7:21-23; Ephesians 2:1.

     The total depravity, sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall render all sinners subject to God’s wrath and condemnation (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6; Romans 5:17, 19; Psalm 51:1-5). Man was created in the image of God, and he was righteous and holy. Man was the crown of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26, 27; Psalm 8:4-8). Through voluntary disobedience and transgression, man fell into the depths of sin. As a consequence, everyone born through our first parents (Adam and Eve) became sinners, shapened in iniquity and utterly void of the holiness of God. Every man became totally inclined to evil (Psalm 51:1-5; Romans 3:10-18,23; 7:14-21;  5:12-17; Job 14:4; Isaiah 48:8). As a result of the fall of man (Adam and Eve), all men born through man and woman became sinners through inheritance. By inheriting the nature of sin, man became depraved.  There is nothing in the natural man that has not been affected by the power of sin.

     The entire nature of man, mentally, physically, morally and spiritually, has been affected by sin. The testimony of the scriptures is that the image of God in man has been seriously marred by this great fall.  As a result of the fall, and the nature of sin inherited, man became separated from God, totally alienated from the perfect, holy and pure God.  This separation is the cause of man’s sorrow, shame, fear, heartaches and manifold problems, spiritually and mentally. Man became a transgressor (Romans 1:32; 6:23). All these have brought man under the wrath and condemnation of God, “for the soul that sinneth it shall die.” There is nothing we can do for ourselves to commend us to a righteous and holy God.  There is nothing the natural man (fallen away from grace) can offer to appease God in order to escape His righteous judgment.

     The Bible describes the fallen nature of man in various terms. Jesus Christ referred to sinners outside the Kingdom of God as swine and dogs. “Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6). He also referred to them as goats (Matthew 25:33). Paul in his epistle to the Philippians church warned them to beware of evil workers as dogs (Philippians 3:2).  Also, in his epistle to the Romans, he referred to the fallen nature of man as “there is none righteous, no, not one”, “they are together become unprofitable”, “their throat is an open sepulcher”, “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10-18,23).  Jesus and John the Baptist described men as vipers (Matthew 3:7; 12:34). Variously, the unregenerate man is characterized with reprobate mind filled with all unrighteousness - immorality, covetousness,  envy, murder; man is defiled and polluted (Romans 1:28-32; Mark 7:21-23), treacherous, violent and destructive (Isaiah 48:8; 59:5-8), cunning and crafty, full of wickedness, blind, foolish, with darkened understanding, children of wrath, (Ephesians 2:3; 4:14).  The Bible says that the whole man is sick.  The heart devises wicked imaginations, and has come far short of the glory of God.  All men have become enslaved to sin:  conceived in sin, born in sin, and lives in sin.  By nature and habit, he is a sinner.  The natural man cannot resist sin.

     The consequence of the Fall is that man became totally depraved, and the immediate effect was his separation from the Holy God, and the coming  into effect of  a curse upon Adam and his descendants (Genesis 3:1-6,14-19,23,24; Romans 5:12; 8:22).  God’s judgment also came upon all men: “The soul that sinneth it shall die,”  “for the wages of sin is death" (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23).  The human race has rebelled against God and broken His law, but the love of God constrained the holy God to plan for man’s redemption to fulfill the law that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).  Therefore, God undertook the redemption work for man by sending Jesus Christ to die for him. Jesus Christ became the divine provision of a Perfect Substitute and Sin-bearer (Genesis 22:7, 8, 14; Hebrews 9:22; Matthew 1:21).  By the perfect sacrifice of His blood (I Corinthians 5:7) and through His blood, man has complete protection from the  eternal consequence of the Fall,  from the curse of the broken law (Exodus 12:13; Galatians 3:13);  complete removal of the guilt and condemnation of sin, and full redemption by faith in Him (Isaiah 53:4-8; Acts 8:32-35; I Peter 1:18-21; 2:24).

     The atonement is the reconciliation of sinful, fallen man to God made possible through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The vicarious death of Jesus Christ is the substitution of the sufferings of Christ for the punishment of all sinners in the world.  The prime purpose of this is the full redemption of fallen mankind.  Through this “mercy-seat”, sinners are reconciled to God.  The power of sin over the natural man can only be broken by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12; Romans 5:17-19):  “For as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man shall many be made righteous.”

     God demands repentance from all sinners to avail themselves of the provision of redemption (Isaiah 53:5-7; Matthew 20:28; 26:28; John 3:14, 15; I Corinthians 5:7; John 1:12; 3:18,36) made in Jesus Christ. Repentance is the change which takes place in the penitent’s attitude towards sin.  It is turning away from sin to God.  Sincere and total repentance and godly sorrow for sin through the agency of the Holy Spirit are important prerequisites for salvation. Repentance is the deep inward experience which makes the sinner turn from sin to God.  Therefore, God demands repentance from all men (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3, 5; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30). When a sinner hears the gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit, the sinner will have deep, godly sorrow for his sins and acknowledge them by confessing all manner of sins. He goes before God on the merit of the atonement made by Jesus Christ through His vicarious death and accepts the sacrifice as a substitute for the punishment of his own personal sins. On the basis of this genuine repentance, the sinner asks for forgiveness and pardon based on the promises of God in the scriptures (Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 55:6,7; I John 1:9; Ezekiel 18:21,22).  As the sinner repents genuinely through the agency of the Holy Spirit he receives pardon (Luke 24:47; John 2:23).

Bible Doctrine 3; The Virgin Birth of Jesus

BIBLE DOCTRINE 3         

                        

                                   THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS

God’s Word teaches:

The virgin birth of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God as well as His crucifixion, death, burial and bodily resurrection - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Romans 1:4; I Corinthians 15:3,4.

         

     One of the most important facts concerning Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is that He was born of a virgin. The virgin birth confirms Christ’s Deity and clearly distinguishes Him as the only sinless man conceived without Adamic depravity.

       The virgin birth is thus an essential doctrinal truth which must be upheld for its fact and significance. Disputing this cardinal doctrine is by implication, denying Christ’s Deity and His distinctive nature. It was this distinctive spotlessness that disqualified every other man from satisfying God’s demand for substitutionary death. He therefore became the spotless Lamb of God found in fashion as a man.  Men say – can there be such things as miracles? Is there not an antecedent improbability that the order of nature, as we know it, should ever be changed? To receive and believe the record of Christ’s birth by a virgin-mother is to settle the whole question of the miraculous.

       God was the first to unveil the virgin birth of Christ, when He referred to Him as the “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15). This was God’s allusion to the fact that Christ would be conceived by a woman who had never known a man. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son…” (Isaiah 7:14). The word ‘virgin’ as used in this reference has obvious meaning and can be nothing else but a woman that has not known a man. Luke, in his gospel narrative, recorded that the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, a virgin betrothed to a man (Luke 1:26, 27). Matthew, in his gospel, narrated that after Mary had been espoused to Joseph, she was found with a child of the Holy Ghost before they came together (Matthew 1:18). He further recorded that Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her first born son, and he called his name JESUS.

      Jesus, during His earthly ministry, sometimes referred to people as His mother, His brothers and sisters, but never referred  to any mortal man as His father – not even Joseph (Matthew 12:49,50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). He always referred to God as His Father and this is another proof of His virgin birth. The Bible says that Joseph was a just man (Matthew 1:19). If Joseph had known Mary before Christ was conceived or was responsible for the conception, he would not have been thinking of putting her away, nor would he have qualified to be referred to as a just man. On the other hand, if Mary as an espoused virgin had conceived through a strange man, it would have been right for Joseph to have her out of the way (Deuteronomy 22:13-21; Matthew 19:9). The angel also would not have prevented Joseph from putting her away. The angel even bore witness that what was in her was conceived of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:20). “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). That was the announcement of the coming of the one only true virgin’s child.

         God bears witness to His approved ministers in various ways. Some of the signs that were recorded concerning Christ were also recorded concerning a few other messengers of God. A voice from the cloud witnessed to the ministry of Christ, but that was not as unique as the virgin birth because we see a similar witness in the ministry of Moses (Numbers 12:5-8; Matthew 17:5). And angel announced the conception of Christ, but we also know that the birth of Samson and John the Baptist were announced by angels (Judges 13:2-5; Luke 1:11-15,26-33). However, Moses, Samson and John the Baptist had earthly fathers. They were all descendants of Adam’s fallen race. The virgin birth is therefore a unique sign from the Lord, conferred on Christ and Him alone. No other living soul had ever or will ever be conceived by a virgin. The virgin birth is not the only historical event that confirms the deity of Christ. His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection from the dead do even more.  The Old Testament is replete with prophecies concerning Christ’s crucifixion. And these prophecies found fulfillment in the event on the cross (Genesis 3: 14,15; Psalm 22:6-8,16,18; Isaiah 53:3-6). Christ also foretold His crucifixion and death while He was yet with His disciples before it came to pass. Christ was despised and rejected of men. As He hung on the cross; passers-by railed, and wagged their tongues at Him. Even His supposed friends forsook and abandoned Him at the darkest hour of His life. A crown of thorns was plaited and placed on His head; stripes from barbed whips were laid on His back. He was wounded all over. His crucifiers drove long spikes through his hands and feet and pierced His side because of our transgressions. Apostle Peter brought the verity of His crucifixion on the religious sadists that perpetrated the act in His defense of the healing of the impotent man (Acts 4:5-10). Apostle Paul also preached it (1Corinthians 15:1-4). His crucifixion opens the floodgate of temporal and eternal blessings for man.

           Jesus Christ, the Pascal Lamb of God hanged on the cross of Calvary until His life expired.  His death became a reference point of events, time and date for the past, present and future. The soldiers on guard certified Him dead to Pilate before His body was released to Simon of Arimathea for burial. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses witnessed His burial in a sepulcher (Mark 15:43-47). The event on the cross is important to every man (Hebrews 2:9). Broadly stated, there are seven things Christ purchased for us through His death at the cross: forgiveness and full salvation (Luke 23:33,34), sanctification and holiness (Hebrews 13:12), a home in heaven (Luke 23:43), healing for all (Isaiah 53:5), deliverance from, and defeat of principalities and powers (Colossians 2:14,15), cancellation of every curse (Galatians 3:13), full  and perfect redemption (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).

        The bodily resurrection of Christ is mentioned 104 times in the New Testament.  But did Jesus rise from the grave?  First, the soldiers who were detailed to watch the tomb following the fear that the disciples might “come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead” (Matthew 27:64), knew that Christ’s resurrection was a physical reality. Second, the Jews knew that the resurrection was not a concocted story.  It cost them a great deal of money, in their attempt to stop soldiers from spreading the news (Matthew 28:11-15).Third, for years, the apostles proclaimed the resurrection in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus was crucified and where three days after, He rose from the dead. The story of the resurrection has since the historic event spread unchallenged.  Speaking to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:32) and nobody rose up to challenge him. Fourth, in Mark’s gospel, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, who went and told Peter and other disciples “as they mourned and wept.  And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not” (Mark 16:10, 11).  Again, Jesus appeared to two of the disciples (on their way to Emmaus). Yet, when “they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them” (Mark 16:13). In fact, their fear and unbelief was such that Jesus, on one occasion, upbraided them (Luke 24:25-27). By far, the greatest proof of Christ’s resurrection is His bodily appearance to His disciples at different times.  It puts to rest the erroneous doctrine of spiritual resurrection.

        Jesus is incomparably greater than any other prophet either before or after Him.  Why?  Because He (Jesus) was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4) if teaching was the only thing that made Jesus the Son of God, He would not be different.  Founders of other religions taught good human principles as well.  If ascetic life, miracles, wonders and signs were the only things that made Thomas to call Jesus, “My Lord and my God,” founders of other religions would also be qualified to be called “God” because they too lived ascetic lives and worked signs and wonders.  But, no, it is the resurrection that made all the difference. Because of the resurrection, Jesus has been declared to be, not only the Son of God but also, the Saviour and Judge of the whole world, of the living and the dead, the Jews and the Gentiles, the Barbarians and the Greeks, the Hindus and the traditional worshipers.  Whoever therefore shall call upon Him today shall be saved.

BIBLE DOCTRINE 2

BIBLE DOCTRINE 2         

                                           The Godhead

God’s Word teaches:

That the Godhead consists of three separate, distinct, and recognizable personalities and qualities, perfectly united in one. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are different Persons in the Godhead, not merely three names for one Person - Matthew 3:16, 17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19,20.

     The Godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  The Bible clearly teaches that each member of the Godhead is God; separate, distinct and recognizable personalities and qualities perfectly united in one.  The Father is called God (I Corinthians 8:6; Psalm 89:26; I Chronicles 29:10; Matthew 6:9), the Son, Jesus Christ, is called God (Isaiah 9:6,7; John 20:28), and the Holy Ghost is called God (Acts 5:3,4; I Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19,20; Hebrews 3:7-9; 10:15,16).  From the foregoing scripture references, it is clear that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct Persons, co-eternal, co-existent and co-equal in power and divine attributes. The word “GOD” in Genesis 1:1 means Elohim and in Hebrew language this is the plural of El (The Strong One).  “Elohim” (The Strong Ones) appear more than 2,700 times in the Old Testament and this plurality is seen in: “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness”; “The LORD said ... let US go down, and there confound their language” (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:6,7).  The Godhead (Romans 1:20) is also referred to as the Holy Trinity.

     The unity of the Godhead is scripturally evidenced in the execution of all divine plans and purposes. At creation, a significant fact about the Godhead emerged with the use of the plural noun “us”, by God Himself (Genesis 1:26).  Elementarily, this implies the involvement of more than one personality in the creation of man.  The same word continued to recur first, after the fall of man (Genesis 3:22), and on the threshold of God’s perfect desire to curb the foolish excesses of man, by wisely confounding him with diverse languages (Genesis 11:7).

     The testimony of scriptures on the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ reveals the perfect unity of the Godhead.  It was God’s anointing and the power of the Holy Ghost that enabled Jesus to fulfill His ministry (Acts 10:38).

     The divine-human relationship also confirms God in three persons perfecting the relationship of man with the Triune God (Ephesians 2:18).  The complementary functions of the Trinity are referred to in almost all books of the New Testament (Matthew 3:16,17; 28:19; Mark 1:10; John 16:7-15; 6:37,44; Romans 8:16;

 I Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:25; I Peter 1:2; Acts 10:38).

     The three personalities in the Godhead acted together in the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father did not just make His Son available to assume the garb of human flesh preparatory for His vicarious mission (John 3:16). This was a supernatural work made possible by the power of the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35).

     Further proof of the truth about the Godhead became clear at the baptism of Jesus Christ, when the Father sent the Holy Ghost in bodily form as a dove upon Christ, and God Almighty Himself made a public proclamation of Jesus as His beloved Son (Matthew 3:16,17). Even at the outset of His ministry, Jesus affirmed the companionship of God the Father and the Holy Ghost with Him. It was only by their combined workings that He was to fulfill His multi-pronged ministry of preaching the gospel, healing the sick, delivering the captives, etc. (Luke 4:18).

     Truly, the work of redemption which Jesus Christ completed by submitting Himself to die on the cross, was a joint venture with the Father and the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 9:14), as was the second work of grace, sanctification or holiness, by which man is cleansed from his in-bred depravity, the fallen nature he inherited from Adam (Romans 15:16). Also, the Godhead is at work in empowering believers through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, to discharge the duties handed them by God (John 15:26; 16:7-15; Luke 11:13).

     Christ’s command as He handed down the Great Commission to His disciples was to baptize all that repent and believe the gospel, in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).

     Even today, our prayer involves the three personalities in the Godhead. We direct our prayers to God the Father (Luke 11:2; 22:42; 23:34,46; John 17:1,5,24-26; James 1:5) through Jesus Christ, the Son (John 14:13,14; 15:16); and of course, without the help of the Holy Spirit all our prayers will be in vain (Romans 8:26).

     The Godhead is the universal testimony of the scriptures, for “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Son) and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7). It is only the perfect work of the Godhead that has continued to sustain us on a day-to-day basis as believers (2 Corinthians 13:14).

          The Godhead is a great mystery which is clearly beyond the finite mind of the unsaved natural man (I Corinthians 2:14) The believer accepts the gospel truth of the Trinity by faith, recognizing that God remains the eternal repository of all mysteries (Deuteronomy 29:29); that with respect to His being or essence, God is one; with respect to His personality, God is three; and the essence must neither be divided nor the persons confused.  In spite of the great mystery surrounding it, the doctrine of the Godhead has always proved to be eminently rich in spiritual and practical values.  And for all those willing, the Lord Jesus Christ promises the advent of a blissful reign by the Godhead (John 14:23).