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Monday, June 27, 2011

So what are the Essentials to be a Christian?

 The answers may surprise you.
As many mainline Evangelicals (theological liberals) either flatly reject these outright or say they believe them in a "statement of belief" but never teach or preach these subjects and spending 30 years in their church would give you no understanding of the very foundation blocks of Historic Christianity. 

1 - The Bible must be considered the very Word of God. 
2 Peter 1 : 19-21 And we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  
2 - Belief in a Personal Triune God.
Acts 17 : 24-27 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us.
3 - Person and Work of Christ: including the Virgin Birth, Christ's Sinless Life, the Substitutionary Atonement for Sin, His bodily Resurrection, Ascension and future Return of Christ.
VB -Matthew 1 : When his (Jesus) mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. But as he (Joseph) considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
CSL - 2 Peter 2 : 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
SAfS - Isaiah 53: 4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.2 Corinthians 5 : 21 For our sake He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
BR-John 20 : 24-29 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
A-Acts 1 : 6-11  So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
RoC- 1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
 

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