There are three things that define the true Church:
1. Apostolic Doctrine
2. The Pentecostal Experience
3. Christian Lifestyle
The Spirit draws but Doctrine Holds! (2 Timothy 3:14-16/ KJV) says, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
(Acts 17:1-12/ KJV) says, “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4 And some of them believed, and consorted (joined) with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed;”
There is GREAT value in studying the Bible, the Word of God! Jesus even challenged us in (John 5:39) to “search the scriptures.” The Word reveals “the way” to salvation and eternal life. It is the final authority for faith and morals, Doctrine and lifestyle. It is basically plain, meant to be understood, and meant to be read and obeyed by all.
Tonight, we will begin our journey with the first thing that identifies us as His church: Apostolic Doctrine
There is one God. There is ONLY one God. This doctrine is central to the Bible message, for the Old Testament and the New Testament. The belief in only one God is called monotheism, which comes for two Greek words: monos, meaning alone, single, one; and theos, meaning God.
Anyone who does not accept monotheism can be classified as one of the following:
1. an atheist—one who denies the existence of God
2. an agnostic—one who asserts that the existence of God is unknown and probably unknowable
3. a pantheist—one who equates God with nature of the forces of the universe
4. a polytheist—one who believes in more than one God
The most popular polytheistic group would be trinitarianism (trinity). Within the ranks of trinitarianism, one can discern two extreme tendencies. On the one hand, some Trinitarians emphasize the unity of God without having a carefully developed understanding of what is meant by three distinct persons in the Godhead. On the other hand, other Trinitarians emphasize the three-ness of the trinity to the point that they believe in three self-conscious beings.
Trinitarianism defined is the belief that there are three persons in the one God—namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, each being co-equal, co-eternal, and of co-essence. The concept of three persons in one God was gradually introduced into Christian theology in the second and third centuries and became the predominant view of Roman Catholicism. Trinitariansim continues to be the official position within the vast majority of Christian denominations.
However, true Monotheists believe in one God and that the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in Jesus Christ. They believe that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are manifestations, modes, offices, or relationships that the one God has displayed to man.
In the twentieth century, those who believe in both the indivisible oneness of God and the full deity of Jesus Christ frequently use the term Oneness to describe their belief. They also use the terms One God and Jesus Name as adjectives to label themselves, while opponents sometimes use the misleading or derogatory designation “Jesus Only.” However, Oneness believers do NOT deny the Father and Spirit, but rather see Father and Spirit as different roles of the One God who is the Spirit of Jesus.
Having surveyed the range of human beliefs about the Godhead, let’s look at the Word of God—the Bible—has to say about monotheism (Oneness).
“Old Testament Teaching of the Oneness” includes but is not limited to:
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9/ KJV) says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”
The Ten Commandments begin with “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3/KJV)
(2 Samuel 7:22/ KJV) says, “Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
(Psalms 86:10/ KJV) says, “For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.”
(Isaiah 43:10-11/ KJV) says, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
(Isaiah 44:6, 8, 24/KJV) says, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God… 8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any… 24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;”
(Isaiah 45:5-6, 18, 21-22/ KJV) says, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else… 18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else… 21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
(Isaiah 46:5, 9/ KJV) says, “To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?... 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.”
(Zechariah 14:9/ KJV) says, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
The Old Testament speaks of God in terms of being ONE. Many times the Bible calls God the “Holy One” but NEVER the “holy two,” the “holy three,” or the “holy many.”
“New Testament Teaching of the Oneness" includes but is limited to:
Jesus emphatically taught (Deuteronomy 6:4) calling it the first of all the commandments. For example, (Mark 12:29/ KJV) says, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
(Romans 3:29-30/ KJV) says, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.”
(1 Corinthians 8:4-6/ KJV) says, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
(Galatians 3:20/ KJV) says, “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.”
(Ephesians 4:4-6/ KJV) says, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
(1 Timothy 2:4-5/ KJV) says, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
(James 2:19/ KJV) says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
(Revelation 4:2/ KJV) says, “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
God is absolutely and indivisibly ONE! His eternal nature contains no essential distinctions or divisions. All names and titles of the Deity such as God, Jehovah, Lord, Father, Word, and Holy Spirit refer to one and the same being. Any plurality associated with God is only a plurality of attributes, titles, roles, manifestations, modes of activity, or relationships to man.
God’s oneness is emphasized throughout the entire Bible. God is NOT defined by or limited to an essential threeness. The Bible nowhere speaks of God as a “trinity” or as “three persons” but often calls Him the Holy One.
The whole Bible teaches a strict monotheism. God’s people have always been identified with the One-God message. For example, God chose Abraham because of his willingness to forsake the gods of his nation and his father and to worship the one true God (Genesis 12:1-8). God chastised Israel every time she began to worship other gods, and polytheistic worship was one of the main reasons that God finally sent her into captivity (Acts 7:43). The Savior came to the world through a nation (Israel) and through a religion (Judaism) in which the people had finally purged themselves of polytheism. They were thoroughly monotheistic.
Today, God still demands a monotheistic worship of Him. We in the church are heirs of Abraham by faith, and this exalted position demands that we have the same monotheistic faith in the God of Abraham (Romans 4:13-17). As Christians in the world we must NEVER cease to exalt and declare the message that there is ONLY ONE true and living God!
1 comment:
You sound one of those Apostolic Preachers!
Good Job.
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