What we Believe
“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine”
TITUS 2:1
Christ is the only Life, the only Truth and the only Way to the Father. And His Word must be taught in uncompromising TRUTH – even if it means being blocked, hated or kicked out of religious institutions (trust us, we know).
We’ve discovered many Churches simply copy and paste their doctrinal statement (which ends up being just a few sentences) from generalized templates. However, below you’ll discover our statement of faith which we have deeply searched the Scriptures over. As you study them for yourself, please reach out to us at info@livingstonesfellowship.us if you have questions.
The Godhead
God
God is love in three distinct Persons
God is love (1 Jn. 4:8). God is both One (Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 8:4) and yet three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew plural noun ‘Elohim’ is used to describe God. Genesis 1:26 showcases this plural Godhead: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’”; Isaiah 6:8 confirms: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” Matthew 3:16-17 depicts Jesus, God the Son, being baptized; God the Father speaking a blessing from Heaven and God the Spirit descending upon God the Son. All three Persons are God and yet individual Persons working together. Apostle Paul describes these three Persons: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).
God is All Powerful
There is nothing too hard for God because He is all powerful (omnipotent). Job declared, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). God’s power is seen over creation, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Ps. 33:6) and through His dominion over the earth (Dan. 2:21).
God is All Knowing
God is all knowing (Omniscience); Jesus knew people’s thoughts (Matt. 9:4) and Acts 1:24 says, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart”.
God is Sovereign
God is sovereign: preeminent in power and authority. Before the prophet Jeremiah was born, God called him to His divine purpose (Jer. 1:5). God’s sovereignty is so complete, mankind in his God-given freewill can disobey God’s call and yet never destroy God’s pre-planned purposes. Joseph said, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20).
Yet God’s complete sovereignty does not equate to total control over mankind. God desires all of mankind to be saved, yet not all will be (Acts 17:30, 2 Pet. 3:9). God asks man to choose to obey or choose to disobey. Joshua cried out, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Jos. 24:15). Jesus spoke of man’s free will: “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (Jn. 7:17); “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev. 3:20); and: “Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (Jn. 11:25).
The choice to believe and obey is yours and is something our sovereign God will never force.
God the Father
God is a loving Father to believers: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Ps. 103:13). God the Father is completely just (Deut. 32:4, 1 Jn. 1:9), righteous (Ps. 7:9, Jn. 17:25) and unchanging (Num. 23:19, Heb. 6:17). He is constantly always and completely all good (omnibenevolent); there is absolutely no evil, shadow or sin in Him (Ps. 5:4, Ps. 92:15). Every “good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jas. 1:17). We become the Father’s children when we believe in God the Son, Jesus the Christ through faith (Jn. 1:12, Gal. 3:26) and therefore can lovingly call upon God as our dear Abba Father (Gal. 4:6).
God the Son
Jesus Alone is Savior
Jesus Christ is God the Son and humanity's only savior! Jesus exclaims, “l am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me” (Jn.14:26). Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Jesus demonstrates “his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). He “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10), gloriously rising from the dead never to die again (Rom. 6:9).
Jesus is Deity
Even the Pharisees admitted Jesus declared Himself to be equal to God saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (Jn. 10:33) Thomas said of Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28), Isaiah prophesies Jesus as God, “...He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father…” (Is. 9:6) and John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father...”
Scripture declares Jesus as God while still distinguishing Jesus' Person as different from the Father: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn. 1:1,3,14) God the Father declares Jesus as God: “But about the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” (Heb. 1:8)
Finally, Jesus Himself explicitly declares His deity as equal to the Father while still distinguished from the Father, saying: “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30) and “before Abraham was born, I am!” (Jn. 8:58) showing us the 'I AM' statement of Jehovah in Exodus 3:13-14 as His statement as well.
Jesus Christ was divinely born of a virgin (Is. 7:14, Matt. 1:18-25), He is begotten (Ps. 2:7, Acts 13:33) and not made. Everything was created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). He humbled Himself into the likeness of a man as a servant (Phil. 2:7) but never laid down His deity while on earth, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9).
Jesus is the Word
Jesus is the Word of God (Jn. 1:14, Rev. 19:13) and as a thief in the night, He will return like lightning flashing across the sky to judge in wrath all unbelievers when His feet touch the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, causing it to be split in two (1 Thes. 5:2, Matt. 24:27, Jd. 1:15, Zech. 14:4).
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a Spirit and God
The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit: “God is a Spirit, and those who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:24). Peter specifically called the Holy Spirit 'God' when confronting Ananias' lies: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit... Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)
The Holy Spirit is a Promise
The Holy Spirit was present in the lives of God's people starting in the Old Testament (Jdg. 14:6, Ps. 51:11, Ps. 139:7) and lives in believers today (Jn. 14:17). The New Testament fulfills God’s promise of this indwelling in Joel 2:28, showing us He is God the Father’s gift sent in the name of Jesus to believers as a Helper, Advocate and Comforter (Jn.14:16-26). The Holy Spirit filled those who waited for Him (Acts 2:1-47) and this promise extends to all future generations (Acts 2:38-39). The believer’s body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
The Holy Spirit Regenerates Us
As the Holy Spirit was active in creation hovering over the waters (Gen. 1:2), so also a person is born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:5) by the living waters of the Spirit (Jn. 7:37-39) through faith in Jesus Christ. This results in regeneration from the Holy Spirit: “He saved us, not by works in righteousness that we did, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by that grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Ti. 3:5-6).
The Holy Spirit enters a person upon belief in Jesus Christ through faith (Gal. 3:2) and believers are encouraged to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and guides believers into all truth (Jn. 16:8, Jn. 16:13). Where the Spirit is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17); He empowers us (Acts 1:8) and sets us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). As we follow His lead, we become children of God (Rom. 8:14). The Holy Spirit helps us pray and understand God's will (Rom. 8:26-27).
The Holy Spirit Gives Us Gifts
According to God's will, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given, working out various spiritual gifts in believers (1 Cor. 12:1-31) and producing good fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit seals believers unto the day of their redemption (Eph. 1:13).
The Holy Spirit Can Be Grieved
The Holy Spirit can be grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30), quenched (1 Thess. 5:19), and lied to, which can result in death to the offender (Acts 5:3-4). Jesus sternly warned that people who blaspheme the Holy Spirit (what we believe today as continued, willful rejection of regeneration by the Spirit), will never be forgiven (Matt. 12:31-32, Mk. 3:28-30).
Mankind
Creation
Scripture clearly describes God as the creator of everything seen and unseen, not random chance or myopic Darwinian evolution (Gen. 1-2, Jn. 1:13, Col. 1:16, Heb. 11:3). Genesis depicts God making each animal “after its kind” and man in His own likeness, distinctly male and female (Gen. 1:27). Man is not God nor ever shall be; God alone is to be worshiped forever: “You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You” (Neh. 9:6).
Sin
Sin is lawlessness against the perfect law of God, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].” (1 Jn. 3:4) God did not create evil, for everything He made was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). God created man with free will, allowing the choice of obedience or disobedience. Adam was under command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and warned of the consequence of death from disobedience (Gen. 2:17). God always allows mankind to make personal choices while warning of the consequence of sin (Deut. 30:19-20, Jos. 24:15, Rom. 6:23).
Sin Brings Death
Death entered into the world as a consequence of Adam's willful, sinful disobedience (Rom. 5:12, Rom. 8:19-22). The “wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). All of humanity is in a sinful state from birth (Ps. 51:5, Rom. 5:12-14) and all mankind are sinners (Rom. 3:10), falling short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
Apart from Christ, we are all separated from God, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Is. 59:2). Our sin is responsible for our spiritual death, leading to eternal hell fire (Ps. 9:17, Prov. 15:24, Matt. 10:28, Matt. 25:46, Rom. 6:23, Rev. 20:14, Rev. 21:8).
Salvation
There is coming a day when the entire world will be judged according to God’s righteousness (Acts 17:31), therefore, our only hope of salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. “There is no other name in heaven or on earth by which man shall be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me” (Jn. 14:6).
Salvation Is A Free Gift
Salvation is by grace through faith, without personal merit and works (Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 2:11). Romans 10:9-11 declares, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'” Jesus said hearing His word and believing in Him will save a lost sinner (Jn. 5:24).
Jesus died for all people not some (1 Jn. 2:2, Rom. 10:13, Heb. 2:9). Even though not everyone will be saved, it is God's will for all men to be saved (Acts 17:30, 2 Pet. 3:9). Salvation is so wonderful that the free gift came even when we were weak (Rom. 5:6), still sinners (Rom. 5:8) and His enemy (Rom. 5:10)! In fact, the more we sinned, the more Grace abounded: “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 5:20-21)
Jesus’ blood completely cleanses believers from all sin (Heb. 9:14, 1 Jn. 1:7) and believers are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), walking in new life. Believers are adopted into God's family (Rom. 8:14-17, Eph. 1:5).
Sanctification
Once saved, believers are created anew in Christ to do the good things God planned for them to accomplish (Eph. 2:10). Believers should no longer partake in sinful, ungodly activities or use foul language but rather expose such things (Eph. 4:29, Eph. 5:7-11). Even though God's Grace abounded with continued sin, Christ followers are not to sin so Grace may abound but are to recognize, we are dead to sin and alive to Christ (Rom. 6:1-13). “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14) Believers are to strive to glorify God by the way they live (Rom. 12:2, 1 Thess. 2:4), by dying to themselves and allowing Christ to live through them (Gal. 2:20).
Mature by Fighting Sin
Believers must mature! (1 Cor. 14:20) “For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry” (1 Pet. 4:3).
As believers, we will struggle against our sinful nature. The flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, prohibiting us from doing what we desire (Gal. 5:17). Yet we are never alone in our struggle against sin: Jesus Christ is our advocate, constantly interceding for us, giving us grace in times of need! (Heb. 4:15, Heb. 7:25, 1 Jn. 2:1) God is merciful and faithful to forgive all our sin as we confess them (1 Jn. 1:9), and the Body of Christ prays for one another as confession to each other is made (Jas. 5:16).
Saved by Confession?
Our confession, homologeō, is not to a Catholic priest but literally means, “to say the same thing as another, i. e. to agree with”. When we confess our sin before God, we are agreeing with God’s Word about our sin instead of our flesh or this world system. Confession proves repentance, metanoia, meaning ‘a change of mind’.
Confession does not save us, only belief in Christ saves us as John 3:18 clearly says: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Rather, confession stops us from deceiving ourselves and brings us back into the reality of Grace: that only He is faithful to cleanse us, we cannot cleanse ourselves.
If confession saves you, tell me: how do you know you’ve confessed all your sins? Let me help you: you have not. There’s sin inside you that you do not even realize (yet) which is why Scripture says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps. 139:23-24)
However, we are never to abuse the grace of God in unrepentant sin (Rom. 6:1-23, Jas. 4:17). Repentance means ‘a change of mind’ and God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7-8), those who continually engage in sin without remorse, sorrow and a change of heart are in danger of hellfire (1 Cor. 6:9, Gal. 5:19-21, Heb. 10:26, Rev. 21:8). Yet all who come to Christ in humbleness can freely be made whole: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36), knowing “that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (Acts 13:38).
The Ekklesia
The Called Out Ones
The Church
In Scripture, the Greek word for ‘church’ is Ekklesia, meaning, ‘a gathering of called out ones to assembly’. The Ekklesia represents the holy nature of God by His people being called out from the world to Himself (Jn. 15:19, 2 Cor. 6:15-18). Local ekklesia's in Scripture were house churches (Acts 8:3, Rom 16:5), not man-made businesses with large building projects bestowing financial burdens upon people.
United in Love
The church is the body of Christ (Eph. 5:23-25), where Christ is the head in all authority (Col. 1:18). Believers are joined together in unison, not as individuals seeking self-centered gain but growing together in love (Eph. 4:16), exhorting one another against sin’s deceitfulness (Heb. 3:13), and freely sharing possessions, talents, needs, food, joys and sorrows (Acts 2:44-47, 1 Cor. 12:15-31). The body of believers should never forsake assembling together (Heb. 10:25), for we represent Christ before the world as His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20).
Scripture is Inerrant
Scripture is God Breathed
All scripture is God breathed and without error in its original language (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:20-21). Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh and the Word of God Himself (Jn. 1:1, Rev. 19:13). God’s Word is spirit and life, bringing the final authority and ultimate truth to every matter (Jn. 6:63, Jn. 17:17). It is constantly relevant for us today (1 Cor. 10:11, Rom. 15:4).
Scripture is Eternal
The Word of God remains forever and God has exalted it above His very name (1 Pet. 1:25, Ps. 138:2, Matt. 24:35). Scripture divides soul and spirit, discerning the thoughts and intents of each heart (Heb. 4:12). Christ followers must guard against any personal revelation or man-centric doctrine which does not stand in agreement with scripture (2 Cor. 11:4, Gal. 1:8). Scripture warns, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (1 Tim. 6:3-4).
Scripture is God Himself
In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God (Jn. 1:1-3) and the Word took on flesh (Jn. 1:14). The Word is our daily bread just as Jesus is the bread from heaven (Matt. 4:4, Jn. 6:35). The Word of God brings saving faith to the listeners (Rom. 10:17), we are born again through the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23) and we are saved by the implanted Word (Jas. 1:21).
In Galatians 3:8 we read: "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.'" Only Jehovah saw the future; only Jehovah preached; and only Jehovah spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 - thus, the Scripture is literally personified as Jehovah.
Gifts
Four Gift Givers
There are a variety of gifts given for various uses and each must be cherished so the purposes of God will not be quenched. Scripture depicts four 'gift givers' as Grace, the Holy Spirit, God and Christ:
- Grace gives individual gifts: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership and mercy (Rom. 12:6-8). These serve Christ by serving one another.
- The Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:8-10). These glorify Christ by guarding the Church against self sufficiency.
- God appoints church gifts: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations and varieties of tongues (1 Cor. 12:27-28). These gifts honor Christ through guarding against church schism.
- Christ gives ministerial gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints (Eph. 4:11-13). These gifts exalt Christ by growing and edifying Christ’s Body of believers.
The Gifts Are Still Active Today
We believe all gifts mentioned in Scripture are still at work today for two reasons:
- According to 1 Cor. 13:8-10, since ‘that which is perfect’ (Jesus Christ) has not yet returned, that which is in part (the gifts) still remain. We know only ‘in part’ (1 Cor. 13:9) and the church therefore needs all the gifts as times become darker. Scripture commands, “Wherefore, brethren, be zealous to prophesy; and forbid not to speak with tongues” (1 Cor. 14:39).
- There is no mention in Scripture of the gifts ceasing.
However, today the office of the apostle (sent one) does not carry the same authority as the apostles seen in Scripture. The foundation of the church and the revealing of God’s truth was accomplished through apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:19-20, Eph. 3:5). Further, an apostle was an eye witness of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1) and had authority to write Scripture, which is now finished. No personal revelation is ever to be held with the same authority as Holy Scripture.
We are admonished to have discernment, testing the spirits (2 Pet. 2:1, 1 Jn. 4:1-6) and testing prophecies (1 Cor 14:29). All things must be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40), for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33).
And in an age of self-seeking deception, we must always honor the gift giver above the gift.
Communion
Communion is the holy ceremony of partaking of Christ’s body and blood in remembrance of His sacrifice: “‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” (1 Cor. 11:24-25).
Communion is Holy
Communion is a holy, sacred act not to be taken lightly or disrespectfully. One must examine their true intentions lest they drink judgment upon themselves (1 Cor. 11:27-29). God will punish those who partake in communion wrongly with sickness and even death (1 Cor. 11:30).
Communion is Symbolic
When Jesus said in John 6:56, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him”, He was giving a spiritual metaphor of true communion with Himself, not encouraging people to cannibalize Him. In a similar manner, Christ said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” yet He did not mean He is a literal vine. Therefore, we believe communion serves as a spiritual symbolic remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, but it is Christ alone who saves and who is the means of a person’s redemption, not whether they are given communion (Eph. 2:8). Communion will be taken until Christ’s return, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).
Baptism
In Greek, ‘baptism’ is baptizo meaning, ‘to submerge, cleanse, bathe.’
Four Baptisms
There are different baptisms clearly defined in the New Testament:
- John's baptism unto repentance (Mk. 1:4)
- The baptism of fire in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11)
- The symbolic baptism into Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4)
- The baptism into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13)
Baptism is a Public Declaration of Faith in Christ
Christian baptism is associated with the name of Jesus and is often preceded by receiving the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues (Acts 2:38, Acts 19:5-6). Baptism is not a physical purification from sin but rather establishes a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism is not a requirement for salvation because we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9, Acts 16:31, Tit. 3:5). Nonetheless, baptism is an important public declaration of our faith in Jesus and should be taken seriously by every believer.
Should Babies Be Water Baptized?
Infant baptism is found nowhere in Scripture. All of God’s commands to be baptized are predicated upon an individual’s repentance and faith (Matt. 28:19, Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16). Jesus said of children, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:14). Our just and merciful God takes His little ones to heaven without our need of religious ritual, as King David affirmed regarding his child who died because of his sin (2 Sam. 12:23).
Worship
Scripture commands us to worship the Lord with music, heartfelt songs, and thanksgiving to God (1 Chr. 16:29, Judg. 5:3, Ps. 33:3, Ps. 50:23, Ps. 100:4, Col. 3:16).
Worship Wholeheartedly
Worship is a condition of the whole heart (Ps. 111:1). Scripture says to make "melody to the Lord with your heart” (Eph. 5:19). Jesus calls us to worship God in Spirit and truth (Jn. 4:24), for God is never interested in mere lip service: “These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me” (Is. 29:13).
Styles of Music
Various stringed, percussive and wind instruments were used in all forms of musicality before our Lord (Ps. 150:3-5). Scripture describes three types of music believers should edify each other with: “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19).
A psalm, in the Greek psalmos, literally means the striking of the chord; a sacred ode. Thus, this music is always accompanied by instruments (specifically, making sound from three or more notes). A hymn (hymnos) is a sacred song but does not have to involve instruments. Finally, spiritual songs (pneumatikos ōdē) is a song defined as 'not carnal'. When the Church seeks to sound like the world in order to attract the world, she becomes carnal. However, when God-given creativity is stifled, the Spirit is grieved. Therefore, Christians should sing new songs unto the Lord (Ps. 96:1) without being stuffed into a category of traditional church songs. The end result should be to Glorify Christ while never straying from His Word.
Musicians should train to be skilled and play unto the Lord with joy (Ps. 33:3). Worship is a powerful way to enter God's presence (Ps. 22:3) and the Holy Spirit must have freedom to lead, as He does in all other areas of our lives (Rom. 8:14, 2 Cor. 3:17-18) - this includes with song and melody.
Therefore, we believe part of wholesome worship to our Lord includes paying close attention to song lyrics. Sadly, many modern songs exalt one's self through false, man-centrist ideology rather than focusing on our Holy, Eternal God. Worse yet, false doctrine, trance-like induced melodies, rote repetition and worldly influences saturate many modern worship songs while the rest often suffer from a lack of excellence.
Leadership
Christ centered leadership begins with Christ as the head of the body and the chief cornerstone of salvation (Col. 1:18, Acts 4:11). God sets apostles, prophets, teachers and pastors into the church to equip and guard it against schism (1 Cor 12:28, Eph. 4:11). Leaders watch over the souls of the congregation (Heb. 13:17) and are held to a higher standard of judgment (Jas. 3:1). They should never lord over God's flock in a domineering way but lead by example (1 Pet. 5:3). All members of the body of Christ are to be submitted under Christ and submitted to each other (1 Pet. 5:5).
Elders
Every Ekklesia must have set elders: “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord” (Acts 14:23).
1 Timothy 3 explains the requirements for elders (which include both bishops and pastors) and deacons, in part as being blameless, the husband of one wife, self controlled, ruling his house well, not given to wine, holy, just, devout, patient, and above reproach.
Deacons
The expectations for elders differ from those of deacons in a critical way: elders are described as men who are “able to teach” while deacons are not required to teach (1 Tim. 3:2).
What About Female Leaders?
Throughout Scripture, God always established male priests - this doesn't change in the New Testament (Nu. 27:15-19, 1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6). Priests, Pastors, Elders and deacons are always mentioned as men, we never see female leaders in these positions. This conforms to Scripture's clear teaching on headship: "I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Cor. 11:3)
However, women are encouraged to participate in other ministry positions of service such as praying and prophesying (1 Cor. 11:5), teaching alongside their husband (Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18:26), teaching other women (Tit. 2:3-5), and helping in service needs (Rom. 16:1-15).
In conclusion, Scripture is clear: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Tim. 2:12-14).
Church Discipline
Achan’s hidden sin affected all of Israel; the Lord said, “O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you” (Jos. 7:13). The Christ follower must realize unrepentant sin affects the entire body of believers, making us all prone to spiritual attack and less effective in the ministry God desires.
Four Types of Punishment
For this reason, God lays out various judgments for unrepentant sin within the church: chastisement, public rebuke, excommunication, and finally, sickness and death.
- Chastisement: we should take courage from the Lord, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). The heart of the Christ follower should be sensitive to God’s Word and Spirit, grieving over sin, leading toward Godly repentance, not worldly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-10). “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:31).
- Public Rebuke: when a person refuses to judge themselves and repent, it is necessary for public rebuke, especially when false teaching is promoted. Paul rebuked Peter to his face publicly and then wrote about it for everyone throughout history to read (Gal. 2:11). Paul called out Demas for forsaking the faith (2 Tim. 4:10) and encouraged Timothy: “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear” (1 Tim. 5:20).
- Excommunication: Jesus prescribes a process dealing with unrepentant sin in Matthew 18:15-17: first, go to the person privately, if he won’t listen take two or three witnesses, if he refuses to repent, bring the case before the church body and finally, if there’s still no repentance, excommunicate the offender. When dealing with grievous sexual sin in church, Scripture commands: “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). Scripture summarizes, “you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people” (1 Cor. 5:11). God has called us to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18) and no person while alive is too far gone to be restored by Christ. The man excommunicated in 1 Corinthians was restored to fellowship in 2 Corinthians 2:7, “you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” Our God is a redeeming, restoring and loving Father and our hope is always for reconciliation!
- Sickness and Death: there comes a time when God judges His people severely. Sickness can be useful in bringing about repentance: Nebuchadnezzar was driven to madness by God until he “blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever” (Dan. 4:34). Christ wrote to the church in Thyatira, “I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds” (Rev. 2:22). Those who abuse communion by partaking in an unworthy manner are made sick and can even die (1 Cor. 11:30). And God judged Ananias and Sapphira with death in church (Acts 5:1-11).
It is important for believers to remember, judgment from God - even when severe - is still gracious, keeping us from the wrath to come upon the world: “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor. 11:32).
Israel
God’s covenant with Israel extends to the people and their land; it is His holy nation (Gen. 15:18, Gen. 28:13-14, Ex. 19:6). Through Israel, the Gentiles are blessed, “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is. 49:3).
The Jew and Gentile
The Church and Israel are both part of God’s redemptive plan through Christ (Jn. 10:16, 1 Cor. 15:3-4). The Gentiles are united in the promise of Christ, have been grafted in to the nourishing root of the olive tree and are partakers of God's family alongside the Jew, since Christ has broken the wall of hostility between them (Eph. 3:6, Rom. 11:17, Eph. 2:11-22).
The Same, Yet Distinct
In Christ, the Jew and Gentile are the same (Rom. 2:28-29), for there is neither Jew nor Greek but all are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28).
However, the Church has not replaced the physical aspect of Israel, for God established a real, eternal covenant with her: “‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers’” (Jer. 33:20-21). This covenant established by God is still active today.
Paul pleads, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is this, that they might be saved” (Rom.10:1). In describing the Gospel, Paul distinguishes it between Jew and Greek: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Rom. 1:16). In Romans 11, Scripture explains God's plan of salvation for the Jews: “I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid…” (Rom. 11:1a). Further stated in verses 25 and 26, after "the fullness of the Gentiles has come in… all Israel shall be saved.” This is yet to be fulfilled and is a specific promise to the Jew separate from the Gentile. In the meantime, unbelieving Israel is an enemy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, further proving the Church has not replaced Israel: “Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:28-29)
Thus we see both the unity of the Jew and Gentile in Christ and the distinction of God's covenant plan between Israel and the Church, regarding God’s end-time purposes.
The kingdom of Heaven
Throughout the New Testament, the word kingdom refers to the rule of Christ in the hearts of believers, since Christ’s kingdom is not of this world at this time (Lk.17:20-21, Jn. 18:36). Scripture confirms this kingdom is spiritual stating, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15:50), for it is a matter “of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
Christ's Authority
Popular modern teaching claims God is without authority on the earth and must use man for His kingdom purposes, thus the believer is constantly encouraged to exercise their authority to ‘win back’ what was lost in the garden by Adam’s sin. Yet all authority comes from Christ who alone won back the kingdom from darkness, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15) and holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Jesus testifies of Himself that He is the resurrection and life, fully God while walking on the earth (Jn. 11:25, Jn. 8:58). Thus, He is able to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5-9, Lk. 7:48) and has all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
Christ alone contains and grants His all-powerful authority to believers who submit under His command in childlike faith, enabled to do His work on earth making disciples, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead (Matt. 18:1-5, Matt. 16:19, Lk. 10:19, Matt. 28:19, Matt. 10:8, Lk. 10:9, Acts 1:6-8).
Jesus marveled at how the Roman centurion grasped this principle of authority by being under authority (Matt. 8:5-13), likewise as we humble ourselves under Christ, we can be His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). One day, we will judge the world and rule with Christ as kings and priests in His physical coming kingdom to the earth (1 Cor. 6:2, Rev. 3:21, Rev. 11:15-18, Rev. 19:11-16, Rev. 5:10, 1 Thess. 3:13).
The Responsibility of the Christian
Marriage and Family
God created mankind in His likeness with two genders, male and female (Gen. 1:27). God established the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman for life (Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:4-5).
Divorce
God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16) and condemns adultery (Ex. 20:14). Even though divorce was allowed in the Old Testament, Jesus explains it was only granted because of the “hardness of hearts” (Matt. 19:8). Adultery is an allowable reason for divorce as well as abandonment by an unbeliever (Matt.19:9, 1 Cor. 7:15). Scripture repudiates unlawful divorce and polygamy (Matt. 19:2-9, Mk. 10:8-12, 1 Tim. 3:2, Tit. 1:6).
Sexuality
All sex outside of the covenant of heterosexual marriage is sin, including all forms of lust which is heart adultery (Ex. 20:14, Matt. 5:28, Eph. 5:3, Heb. 13:4, Jude 1:7, Rev. 21:8). Homosexuality is clearly condemned as sin (Lev. 18:22, Lev. 20:13, Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 1 Tim. 1:10, Jude 1:7). God desires His people flee sexual immorality and honor Him with our bodies (1 Cor. 6:18, 1 Thess. 4:3-5). There is radical forgiveness and Grace for all sexual sin when the person repents (1 Jn. 1:9, 2 Cor. 2:7) and “because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2).
Gender Roles
Scripture depicts different roles for men and women (Gen. 3:16-19, Deut. 22:5, 1 Cor. 11:3-15). The husband is the head of his wife, but must love and cherish her as the weaker vessel, laying down his life for her as Christ did for the church, providing for his family in every way (Eph. 5:20-33, 1 Pet. 3:1-7, 1 Tim. 5:8). The woman is to respect her husband (Eph. 5:33) and learn from older women “to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Ti. 2:4-5)
Children
Children are a blessing from the Lord (Ps. 127:3-5); Jesus loves children, “Let the little children come to me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Scripture indicates babies and little children who die prematurely go to heaven (2 Sam. 12:23, Mk. 10:13-16). Jesus gives severe judgment to those who mistreat children saying, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6).
Abortion
Abortion is clearly condemned by the scriptures because life begins at conception and we are commanded not to murder (Matt. 19:18). Before Jeremiah was born, God called him (Jer. 1:5) and Psalms 139:13-16 declares, “You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, 14 and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. 15 Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together out of human sight, 16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything about me.”
Parents
God commands children to respect, honor and obey their parents (Eph. 6:1-4). Parents must train and teach their children God's values, using correction when necessary but not being overbearing (Deut. 6:7, Prov. 22:6, Prov. 22:15, Eph. 6:4). Everything must be done in love (1 Cor. 16:14).
Neighbors
Love Others
Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:31) and “Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). However, love is not doing what people want or being tolerant of their views but rather, love "speaks the truth" (1 Cor. 13:6). The greatest love we can show our neighbor is to speak God’s Truth to them while exposing the darkness (Eph. 4:15, Eph. 5:11). Love radically reaches the lost even while hating the garment stained by sin (Jude 1:23).
Preach the Gospel
Christ followers are called to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations (Mk.16:15), not merely witnessing to people but rather, training and mentoring them in discipline to follow our Lord (Matt. 28:19-20).
Minister Reconciliation
God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation as ambassadors for Christ, pleading for people to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:19-20).
Be a Productive Member of Society and Honor the Government
It's God's will for us to be productive members of society, understanding “whatsoever you do, do it from all your heart, as unto the Lord, not unto men” (Col. 3:23). We should work hard, help the weak and not steal (consider that this also means not stealing productive time from your employer!) (Acts 20:35, Eph. 4:28). Christ followers must be law-abiding citizens, honoring governmental authority and doing their best to live peacefully with all people, and even paying taxes (Rom. 13:1, 1 Pet. 2:13, Rom. 12:18, Rom. 13:6-7). However, when the government oversteps God's laws, Christ followers must obey God more so than mere men (Acts 5:29).
Christ followers should use all means provided them of enacting Godly leadership, laws and judicial powers in society. In America, the least Christians can do is vote but becoming active in understanding governmental policies, school boards and local leadership positions is greatly encouraged. That which affects our freedoms to worship, preach, witness and lead our children in Godliness, should never be minimized.
Therefore we pray for our leaders: “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4).