Xofyerg Reads The Bible
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One of the foundational qualities of the Bible is its clarity (sometimes called perspicuity). That means Scripture's main teachings are plain enough to be understood without the need of special expertise or church-sanctioned interpretations.
The Bible frequently speaks about its own clarity. Psalm 119:130 says, "The unfolding of Thy words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." The average person who humbly reads the Bible can say, "I have more insight than all my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99). Psalm 19:7 teaches, "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."
The idea of hidden codes in the Bible contradicts all of that by limiting accessibility to the real message of the Bible to so-called experts who can decipher the cryptic messages God "hid" in the Scriptures. But such "experts" aren't needed because the Bible contains no hidden codes.
One hidden-code theory works like a common word-search puzzle--hidden messages are supposedly embedded diagonally within the Hebrew text. But that's as foolish as turning your daily newspaper into a word-search puzzle and expecting to find meaningful stories hidden in it. Newspapers aren't written to convey messages in secret code, and neither was the Bible. Both should be read using ordinary rules of language.
Of course there are concepts in the Bible that are hard to understand--even the apostle Peter admitted that (2 Peter 3:15). But the way to discover the meaning of those hard passages is not by seeking out hidden messages, but by engaging in diligent study that accurately handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Take heart! The Bible is clear and even the most untrained reader can understand it. God wants you to understand the Bible, and He has provided the Holy Spirit as a guide. After all, "man does not live by bread alone, but...by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Scientific evidence for the big bang - If the big bang occurred, the universe has a discrete moment of creation, and this moment of creation requires a cause, and yet it is one outside of time and matter, and other properties of the universe. It is consistent that this "uncaused cause" would be a mind.
Order and Design - a natural world as complex and organized as ours demands an intelligent mind, not accident or chance to originate. We have little evidence to support ordered things coming from disorder, only from an ordered mind.
Anthropic principal or "the fine tuning argument" - The existence of life on this planet and in this universe at all is balanced on a razor's edge. Physical constants align perfectly to allow life, oxygen levels are just as we need them to be, and Jupiter's gravitation convenient collects meteors so they don't crash into us. This again is amazing intricacy that demands an intelligent mind/designer behind it.
Irreducible complexity - Many of the features of life appear to be irreducibly complex, such as the operation of a single cell. Suggests an intelligent mind behind the process of their creation rather than that they could be generated entirely by chance. (this argument does borrow from Behe's "mousetrap" dilemma, could get you in an evolution debate)
DNA in cells - Densely packed information, such as hat present in a cell, is not consistent with an origin in random chance. This again suggests an intelligent mind behind its origin.
Drive for meaning in life - Human beings demand that meaning exists within their lives, and struggle violently the idea that life is complete absurdity, which it essentially would be without the existence of the supernatural. Human beings constantly behave and act as if there is meaning and purpose to their lives, which suggests that this could be the case.
Morality - Our lived experience is that objective morality outside of ourselves exists, and yet without God, this is impossible. And we believe that this morality is above even cultural norms or laws, as evidenced by the judgement at the Nuremberg trials, in which it was ruled that Nazi soldiers were accountable to a law above the commands of their nation's officials. Yet this sort of objective morality demands a lawgiver above ourselves.
Love - The fact that we experience love and an genuinely care for others suggests that there is more to reality than matter and energy.
Free will - We experience that we are able to make decisions and also that we are responsible for our actions. This also suggests that our existence is more than defined simply by physical laws, for we could not actually be responsible for our choices otherwise.
Life comes from life, not from non life, and reason comes from reason, not non reason. - If we are actually just highly developed monkeys, why should we believe anything we think? Without God, our rational mind comes from the non rational.
Fun quote: If life comes from non life, and rational comes from the non rational - these are clearly miracles. And yet atheists have no miracle giver
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The Holy Scriptures
We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, consisting of 66 books which constitute the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, the complete and unalterable special revelation of God, and our final authority. We believe in the normal, literal, and consistent interpretation of the Scriptures; and a dispensational understanding of God’s progressive revelation. (Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
The Godhead
We believe in the one triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – coeternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life. He came that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14) We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice sufficient for the sins of the whole world, and our justification is verified by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 2:24; 1 John 2:2) We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who in this present age convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; who regenerates and baptizes into the body of Christ those who believe; and who indwells and seals them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14) We believe the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and it is the privilege of believers to be filled with, and their duty to walk in, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe man was created in the image and likeness of God; in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and mankind is totally depraved and unable to remedy its lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)
Salvation and Security
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for all people and all who trust Him are saved by grace through faith on the grounds of His shed blood, accepted in the beloved, kept by God’s power, and thus secure in Christ forever. (John 1:12; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:5, 18-19) We believe every saved person is a new creation with provision made for victory over sin through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The sin that is present in us is not eradicated in this life. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:13, 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9) We believe it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; 1 Peter 2:13-20)
The Church
We believe the Church, which began with the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, is the body and bride of Christ. It is the spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of the present age. (Acts 2:1-36; 1 Corinthians 12:13-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27) We believe the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
Ordinances
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the Church in this present age. These are believer’s water baptism, practiced by immersion, and the Lord’s Supper, observed as a memorial of His death. (Acts 8:12, 35-39; 10:47-48; 1 Corinthians 1:14; 11:23-34)
Missions
We believe that Christ commissioned individuals in the church to make disciples from among all nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ gives the Church evangelists and pastor-teachers. These gifted men are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:7-14) We believe the Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts upon believers for Christian service and the edification of the Church. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11) We believe the church age was initiated through the ministry of the apostles and prophets accompanied by sign gifts to confirm their message. These sign gifts gradually ceased by the time of the completion of the New Testament. (1 Corinthians 12:28-31, 13:8-10, 14:1-28; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 2:3-4)We believe God hears and answers prayer in accord with His own will for healing of the sick and afflicted. (John 14:13-14, 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)
Dispensationalism
We believe the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations, which define man’s responsibility in successive ages. A dispensation is not a way of salvation, but a divinely ordered stewardship by which God directs man according to His purpose. (John 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24- 25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6) We believe salvation is always by grace through faith regardless of the dispensation in which the believer may have lived. God’s purpose of salvation by grace through faith alone has always been based upon the substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:10-12)
The Personality of Satan
We believe Satan is a created being, the author of sin, the tempter in the fall, the declared enemy of God and man, and the god of this age. He shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12- 17; Matthew 4:2-11, 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones. We believe that at the end of the seven-year tribulation He will return to earth with the saints in power and glory to reign for a thousand years. (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18, 5:9; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13) We believe the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited and glorified to be forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6) We believe the souls of unbelievers are, at death, absent from the body and in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
Creation
We believe the triune God, by a free act and for His own glory, without the use of existing materials or secondary causes, brought into being – immediately and instantaneously in six literal days by the word of His mouth – the whole visible and invisible universe. (Genesis 1:1-27; Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 104:25-26; Isaiah 40:21-31; John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:16-17)
Human Sexuality
Sexual intimacy is a wonderful gift of God that is only to be expressed between a man and a woman within the love and bonds of marriage. Therefore, we believe that any other form of sexual intimacy is both immoral and a perversion of God’s gift. (Genesis 2:24-25; Proverbs 5:18; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; Leviticus 18:1-30; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27)
Biblical Unity and Separation
We believe the saved should be separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating holy living in all personal and ecclesiastical associations and relationships. We believe the Scriptures teach us to cooperate wherever possible with Christians, churches, and organizations that hold to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith and have a philosophy of ministry that is compatible with ours. It is the servant-leader’s responsibility to endeavor to maintain the unity of the faith and the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and love while separating from those who, though professing Christ, have clearly deviated from the historic doctrines of the Christian faith or are engaging in unethical or immoral behavior. (Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:1-3, 13; Colossians 3:12-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 2 John 9-11) We believe the Scriptures teach that disciples of Jesus Christ should be holy and consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ and obedient to His commands, being spiritually insulated from the world system but not isolated from unbelievers. Further, Christians must not misuse their liberty in violation of their consciences, as a stumbling block to others, or as a license for fleshly impulses or ensnaring habits. (Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; I Corinthians 6:12, 19-20, 9:19-23; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:14; James 4:4-5; 1 Peter 2:9, 16-17; 1 John 2:15-17)