Bible - The Bible is the one and only infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy Word of God, and that its original manuscripts are free from errors and contradictions. It is the one and only rule for faith and life. (2 Peter. 1:21, 2 Tim. 3:16).
Trinity - There is one God in whom there are three eternal, distinct, simultaneous persons -- the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All three are the one God, not three gods, and not one person who took three modes, offices, or forms. (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5; Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; Matt. 3:17; 28:19; Luke 10:35; 2 Cor. 13:14).
God the Father (aka. God, I Am) - God is the only Supreme Being with no gods created before or after Him in all of existence, in all places, in all time (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 44:8; 1 Tim. 1:17). He has always been God and was never anything else (Psalm 90:2). He is Holy (Rev. 4:8), Omnipotent (Jer. 32:17,27), Omnipresent (Psalm 137-12), Omniscient (1 John 3:20), Eternal (Isaiah 57:15); He is Creator (Isaiah 40:12,22,26); Love (1 John 4:8, 16); Light (1 John 1:5); Spirit (John 4:24); Truth (Psalm 117:2). He is to be worshiped (Gen. 24:26; Ex. 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 7:11). He is to be proclaimed (Matt. 28:19f.; John 14:15f.; Acts 1:8). He is to be served (Matt. 4:10;1 Cor. 6:19; Phil. 3:7; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14).
God the Son (aka. Jesus, Jesus the Christ) - Jesus Christ is the Word (God) who became a man/flesh. He added human nature to His divine nature. He is both human and divine, and, therefore, has two natures. Yet, He is one person, not two. He is both fully (100%) God and fully (100%) man. He is presently a man, one person, with two natures where one is wholly God and the other wholly man. (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:1-3,14). Jesus will eternally remain as a man and intercedes for us eternally as a high priest after the order of Melchezedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:45).
God the Holy Spirit (aka. Holy Ghost) -The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is fully God. He is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, has a will, and can speak. He is alive. He is a person. He is not particularly visible in the Bible because His ministry is to bear witness of Jesus (John 15:26).
Man's Condition - Man is fallen, corrupt, and wicked. Man believes in God by God's grace through faith (John 6:28-29; 15:5; Phil. 1:29), is unable to come close to God through his own efforts (John 6:44; Rom. 3:10-12) or understand the spiritual things of God on his own (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 8:7). Man cannot earn salvation by his attempt at good works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:1-6), or once saved does he maintain his salvation by his works (Gal. 3:1-3). Man deserves nothing but eternal punishment in hell and separation from the blessed presence of God for the sinfulness of not trusting in the redemptive sacrificial work of Christ on the cross (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 6:23). --(See "Substitutionary Atonement" Below.)
Virgin Birth - Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived and born of the virgin Mary, (Luke 1:42). Mary ceased to be a virgin after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:25).
Substitutionary Atonement - God the Father so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word, became man, bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24), and died in our place, suffering the consequences of the breaking the Law that was due us (Isaiah 53:4-6). He became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). His sacrifice was a legal substitution for us (1 John 2:2; John 19:30). It was legal since sin is breaking God's Law (1 John 3:4) and substitutionary since Christ took our punishment (Isaiah 53:4-6). As a result, God's justice was satisfied and Christian believers are released from eternal punishment (1 Pet. 3:18; Matt. 1:21; 25:46; Romans 5:1-21; 1 John 2:2;)
Resurrection - Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same body He died in after being in the grave for three days. He was raised in a glorified, physical body (still retaining his crucifixion wounds). He ascended bodily into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and rules heaven and earth. (John 2:19; 1 Cor. 15:1-58; Luke 24:39). Likewise, we Christians will be raised bodily from the dead and spend eternity with the Lord on the day of the Lord.
Salvation - Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. Salvation is obtained by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone (John 3:16) and not by our good works (Rom. 3:20; Eph. 2:8-9). We are chosen for salvation by God (2 Thess. 2:13).
Sanctification - Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ in all that we do, think, and desire and increases our ability to repent from sin, (1 Thess. 4:7; Eph. 2:10; 1 Tim. 4:4; 1 Peter. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:25). This process continues all of the Christian's life and is the result of salvation, not a cause of it, nor a contributing factor to it. Furthermore, the effort of sanctification does not maintain the believer's salvation.
