The Basic Fundamentals

There are six chief doctrines, or teachings, that we hold to as Christians.  That will be the focal point of our time together today.  In understanding them, however, it is good to have a basic understanding of what the Bible is, what it contains, and how it applies.

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• The Bible is:

• The Word of God – The Bible does not simply contain the Word of God and, thus, depends upon the reader to discern what that Word of God is.  It is the Word of God and therefore the reader must submit to its authority.

• The inspired Word of God – God used men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write down His thoughts and words.

• Infallible – Because it is God’s Word, it is incapable of error.

• Inerrant – It contains no mistakes or corrections.  God got it right the first time.

• Authoritative – Jesus continually affirmed the Old Testament as well as claimed the same authority for Himself.  And just as God used the prophets of the Old Testament, so also did He use the apostolic witnesses to give us the New Testament.

• Reasonable – We are called to use our reason when it comes to the knowledge of language such as context, grammar, and logic.  But as it is God’s Word and it is God who acts, we must recognize that He does things that are beyond our capabilities of reason.

• The Bible contains:

• The Law of God – The Law shows us what we are to do and not to do.  There are three uses of the Law that we will discuss shortly.

• The Gospel – The Gospel shows us what God has done, and still does, in Jesus, for our salvation.

• The Bible is full of both Law and Gospel from beginning to the end.  Thus, there are times when the Law must predominate and there are times when the Gospel must predominate.

• The Law is to be proclaimed to all people, but especially to unrepentant sinners who have no sorrow for their sin.

• The Gospel must be proclaimed to sinners who are troubled by their sin.

• Sin – is humanity’s fallen condition.  We are turned away from God and unable to look to Him for security, meaning, and righteousness.  This inner sinful condition results in actual sins of thought, desire, word, or deed that are contrary to God’s will as summarized in the Ten Commandments.  These sins are manifested in two ways.

• Sins of Commission – The sins that we do.

• Sins of Omission – The good works we fail to do.