Category Archives: Tenets

Tenets

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Tenet is defined as “Any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., especially one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.” The tenets are the beliefs that constitute our faith. Faith can be defined as the belief in the word of God, so the primary tenet of Christianity can be summed up in the statement, “we believe what the bible tells us.” We believe that the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant word of God. It is unfortunate that there are many interpretations of what the scriptures mean, by many groups who identify as Christian, that are in error. Here are the key tenets that define correct, biblical Christian faith:

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God the Father

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Our heavenly Father is the only God there is. He is eternal; he knows everything (omniscient); he exists everywhere (omnipresent); and he has power and authority over everything (omnipotent) and is loving, merciful, compassionate, just, and truthful. He judges but also offers forgiveness. He created everything and everything holds together by him. God is involved with us individually and has a plan for each of us as he accomplishes his will in the world.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

Our heavenly Father is the source of all life. God’s light is truth and virtue and righteousness (holiness).  In darkness lurks lies, transgression, immorality, and evil –attributes impossible for God to possess.

Jesus the Son

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He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16:15-16

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He was God incarnate, the word (revelation) of God living among us. Read John 1:14 He is our advocate in heaven, Read 1 John 2:1 and the light of the world. Read John 8:12 Jesus is God, he is not a created being. All things were created by him Read John 1:3 and all things were created for him. Read Colossians 1:16 In Jesus alone is life. Read John 1:4

Jesus is our only hope in this life and for salvation in the life to come. Read John 14:6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Jesus the Redeemer

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The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

To redeem is to buy back, to clear or to recover by payment or other satisfaction, to atone, to expiate (to make amends for, extinguish guilt).

Man is accountable for every sin committed; no man can successfully atone on his own and will face the judgment and wrath of God. Thankfully, Jesus, the son of God, the only perfect and righteous man, the spotless lamb, made the ultimate sacrifice and redeemed us from the penalty of our sin. He took the punishment for the ungodly by his brutal death on the cross. Jesus is the redeemer for all who call on his name.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

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And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1 Corinthians 15:17-20

Three days after dying on the cross, Jesus was raised from the dead. His resurrection proved his deity and validated his substitutionary atonement for our sins. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus did not die for our sins, only for his own. The validity of Christianity rests on the truth of the resurrection.

The Holy Spirit

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And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. John 14:16

The Holy Spirit God is a divine person with a will and emotions. The Holy Spirit lives within believers and through him we are led, comforted, informed, counseled, and disciplined.  Jesus referred to him as the “comforter” and he will be with you forever.

The Trinity

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Within the one being that is God, there are three distinct Persons who are coequal, coeternal, and coexistent: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Do you not understand this? That is OK. Do you not believe this? That is not OK. Faith is believing in the word of God, but there are many things in the word that we are not able to comprehend.

Every Person Needs Salvation

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 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

There is none righteous, no, not one. Read Romans 3:10 Every man is guilty before God and under condemnation. All men need salvation, no one will make it to heaven without redemption by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The Resurrection of Mankind

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Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29

Both the saved and the lost will be resurrected from the grave. We are all immortal and will live forever! Now here is the critical distinction that must be understood . . . the saved will be raised to eternal life and the lost to eternal damnation in the agony of Hell. Ample reason to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sin

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For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. I John 2:16

To sin is to transgress the divine law of God. Often repeated is that the penalty for unrepentant, unforgiven sin is death. Sin is manifested when we are enticed by our own lust and act on it, either in our minds or in the flesh. Lust is an immoral, illicit, unrighteous, or unholy desire or appetite. John tells us that sin resides in one of these three categories:

  • The lust of the flesh – this is the lust that is easiest to grasp, that is physical desire. It is adultery, fornication, pornography indulgence, gluttony, and pleasure.
  • The lust of the eyes – this is covetousness, the lust for things you want. This is often the root of many sins, like murder, adultery, theft, lying, hating your brother, etc.
  • The pride of life – this is the opposite of humility. Hubris, to put yourself ahead of others and even God. This is to violate the number one commandment – to worship only God.