God
God is the creator of all things (Gen 1:1). God’s ways are perfect (Psalms 18:30). God is Spirit (John 4:24). God is love (1 John 4::8) God is without beginning or end, from “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalms 90:2). God is one (Deut 6:4), and beside Him there is no other god and no equal (Isaiah 45:5,). God is holy (Leviticus 11:44), just (Deut 32:4), jealous over his people, an avenger of iniquity (Deut 5:9), merciful, gracious, kind, and slow to anger (Joe 2:13).
God has been made manifest in three distinct ways: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 14:23-26, Matt 3:16-17, 2 Cor 13:4). These three are distinct from one another, yet inseparable in the makeup of one God.
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word, who is with God and is God (John 1:1-2). God created all things through him (Heb 1:2, Col 1:13-19, John 1:3). Jesus is the author of salvation in that he was sent by God to be born of man (the incarnation, God made flesh) (Gal 4:4), lived a sinless life (Heb 4:15), offered up His life on the cross (John 10:18), died a substitutionary death (1 John 2:2), rose again (1 Cor 15:3-4), and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). He lives forever to make intercession on our behalf as our high priest (Heb 7:24-25), advocate (1 John 2:1), savior (1 John 4:14), Lord (Acts 10:36), and Lamb (Rev 5:12).
Jesus spoke of another comforter (or helper), whom the Father would send in His (Jesus’) name (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit dwells in believers and makes them new creatures (1 Cor 3:16, Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus (John 15:26), empowering us to live like he did (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit teaches us (1 Cor 2:10), convicts us of sin (John 16:8), gives us spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22) and spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:1,7).
The fullness of our one God is revealed in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (1 John 2:23, Matt 28:19). Through Jesus Christ we have access to God our Father and are given the Holy Spirit by faith in His (Jesus’) name (Rom 5:1, Luke 11:13).
God’s most personal covenant name in the Old Testament is YHWH, sometimes pronounced “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”, as revealed in the Old Testament (Ex 6:3). In the New Testament God reveals his Son Jesus (Jehovah salvation or Jehovah has saved) (Matt 1:21). We can now refer to God in the more intimate term “Father”, and we approach him in the name of our Lord, savior and God Jesus Christ (John 14:13, Luke 11:2).
Salvation
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8, Rom 5:2). The gospel must be believed on for salvation (2 Cor 4:3). The gospel in it’s simplest form can be summed up in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:
[1Co 15:1-4 KJV] 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
We must believe in and accept Jesus Christ dying and being resurrected from the dead. Without a resurrected savior, our faith is in vain (1 Cor 5:17).
True belief produces repentance, which was the first message Jesus taught, “repent and believe”:
[Mar 1:14-15 KJV] [14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
When one repents (turns away from sin) and believes the gospel, it is a work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Scripture makes it clear that baptism should be done immediately upon belief and repentance. Belief and baptism are inseparable (Mark 16:16). This is associated with saving faith (Acts 2:38).
Baptism is a commandment of God (Mark 16:15, Matt 28:19). Baptism is the response to belief in Jesus Christ. The commandment of baptism is for remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Luke 3:3). So baptism, while a physical act, is spiritual obedience and should always be the response to belief in Christ (1 Peter 3:21, Col 2:11-12). Therefore baptism is an inseparable part of salvation that should be administered immediately after confessing faith in Jesus Christ (not before) (Acts 8:12, Acts 8:36-37, Acts 10:47-48, Acts 16:32-33). Baptism shows that our sins are buried with Christ through baptism and we are raised by faith in the operation (death and resurrection of the Messiah) of God (Col 2:11-12, Rom 6:1-6). Baptism is the simplest explanation for being born of “the water and spirit”, as spoken of in John 3:5.
Baptismal Formula
There is no record of any baptizer speaking any words over those being baptized. The only time we see an utterance at baptism is for the person being baptized to confess the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 22:16, Rom 10:9-10). To be as Biblically accurate as possible, at baptism the persons being baptized confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. The baptizer by faith speaks the words “In the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I baptize you into the Lord Jesus Christ for remission of sins.” (Matt 28:19, Acts 2:38, Acts 19:5)
Baptism is done by full submersion in water as seen in scripture and because of the definition of the word itself (Mar 1:10, Acts 8:39).
Church Government
God used apostles – people with special messages and anointing – to testify of their eye-witness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 9:1). The church is built on the work of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20). The church is spread by those who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 10:4). Established churches should have men who have been drawn by the Holy Spirit to shepherd the flock of God (Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23). These men are know as elders or overseers in the New Testament (1 Tim 3:1, Acts 20:17, 28).
Overseers/Elders should have a desire for the position (1 Tim 3:1) as well as meet the spiritual qualifications (1 Tim 3:2-7). Overseers/elders should also be called by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28).
Elders have two primarily responsibilities, 1) feed (to shepherd) the flock of God 2) rule/oversee the flock of God in spiritual matters (1 Tim 5:17, Acts 20:18, 1 Peter 5:1-3).
Scripture indicates a plurality of elders (presbytery or eldership), a group of men who were spiritually accountable to one another and governed not as lords in a monarchal system, but as a team of equals – Christ are Chief shepherd at the head (one head), then all the under-shepherds (Acts 15:2, 6, 23, Acts 16:4). Among that team of equals God has liberty to give gifts such as administration, prophecy, teaching, etc (Rom 12:4-8).
The administration of the church and many other important matters involve the deacons (Acts 6:1-4). The qualifications of a deacon are the same as an elder except they do not need to be able to teach (1 Tim 3:8-13). The elders shepherd and govern in spiritual matters, the deacons govern the daily ministry administration activities.
