Basics

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Basics

• An exploration of basic Christian doctrine by
  means of study of the newly-proposed EFCA
  Statement of Faith

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We believe in God's Gospel

• Our identity as the Evangelical Free Church of
  America is centered on Gods evangel, the gospel
  of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to give
  us eternal life. To God's glory, the gospel is
  the power of God for the salvation of all who
  believe. Our fundamental theological convictions
  are aspects of this gospel.

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1. Gods gospel originates in and demonstrates
the holy love of the eternal, triune God

• We believe in one God, Creator of all things,
  holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing
  in a loving unity of three equally divine
  Persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy
  Spirit. This one God, all-knowing and
  all-powerful, has, in love and grace, purposed
  from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and
  to restore His fallen creation for His own glory.

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2. Gods gospel is authoritatively announced in
the Scriptures

• We believe that God has spoken through the
  Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. They
  are the verbally inspired Word of God, without
  error in the original writings, the complete
  revelation of His will for salvation, and the
  ultimate authority that stands over every realm
  of human knowledge and endeavor. Therefore, the
  Bible is to be believed in all that it affirms,
  obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in
  all that it promises.

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3. Gods gospel alone addresses our deepest human
need

• We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His
  image, but they sinned through the temptation of
  Satan, corrupting that image. As a result, all
  humanity is alienated from God and under His
  wrath and can be rescued, reconciled, and
  restored only through Gods gracious work in
  Jesus Christ.

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4. Gods gospel is revealed in history supremely
through the Person of Jesus Christ

• We believe that Jesus Christ, Israel's promised
  Messiah, is God incarnate, one Person in two
  natures, fully human and fully divine, having
  been conceived through the Holy Spirit and born
  of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was
  crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from
  the dead, and ascended into heaven, where, at the
  right hand of God the Father, He is now our High
  Priest and Advocate.

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5. Gods gospel is accomplished through the work
of Christ

• We believe that Jesus Christ, as our
  representative and substitute, died on the cross
  as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our
  sins. His shed blood and resurrection are the
  only ground for salvation, and it is through
  faith alone in Christ that anyone is justified
  before God.

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Article 6The Doctrine of the Holy
Spirit(Pneumatology)
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Discussion at your table

• If the Trinity were only a duality (Father
  Son), how would the gospel purposed by one,
  accomplished by the other have spread?
• Read John 16.1-15. Why does Jesus send the Holy
  Spirit (the Advocate or Comforter)?
• Read John 3.1-8. When a person is born again, is
  that re-birth visible to others?
• Read Acts 2.38-39. When does a new believer in
  Christ receive the Holy Spirit?
• Read Ephesians 5.18. What does it mean to be
  filled with the Spirit?

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If the Trinity were only a duality (Father
Son), how would the gospel purposed by one,
accomplished by the other have spread?
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6. Gods gospel is applied and empowered by the
Holy Spirit
applied
empowered

• We believe that the Holy Spirit glorifies the
  Lord Jesus Christ by convicting the world, by
  regenerating sinners into union with Christ, and
  by indwelling, guiding, instructing, equipping,
  and empowering believers for Christ-like living
  and service.

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Article 6 of the Statement of the Faith
We believe that

• the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ
• by convicting the world,
• by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,
• and by indwelling,
• guiding, instructing, equipping,
• and empowering believers
• for Christ-like living and service.

Gods gospel is applied by the Holy Spirit
Gods gospel is empowered by the Holy Spirit
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the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ

• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• A person of the divine Trinity
• The Holy Spirit has long been the Cinderella of
  the Trinity. The other two sisters may have gone
  to the theological ball the Holy Spirit got left
  behind every time. But, not now.Alister
  McGrath, Christian Theology
• The Hebrew term, ruach, is translated as
• wind
• breath
• spirit
• The Greek term, pneuma, is similar in meaning
  (pneumatic, pneumonia).

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Read John 16.1-15. Why does Jesus send the Holy
Spirit (the Advocate or Comforter)?
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the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ

• But I tell you the truth It is for your good
  that I am going away. Unless I go away, the
  Counselor will not come to you but if I go, I
  will send him to you. --John 16.7
• He will bring glory to me by taking from what is
  mine and making it known to you. --John 16.14
• This is the Holy Spirits purpose to glorify the
  Lord Jesus Christ. J. I. Packer calls it a
  floodlight ministry.
• From article 6, the Holy Spirits work is
  directed at
• the world
• sinners
• believers
• ... relating the Spirits work to evangelism,
  conversion, and Christian living and discipleship

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by convicting the world,

• When he comes, he will convict the world of
  guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and
  judgment in regard to sin, because men do not
  believe in me in regard to righteousness,
  because I am going to the Father, where you can
  see me no longer and in regard to judgment,
  because the prince of this world now stands
  condemned. --John 16.8-11 (NIV)
• The god of this age has blinded the minds of
  unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of
  the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
  image of God. --2 Cor 4.4 (NIV)

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by convicting the world,

• faith comes from hearing the message, and the
  message is heard through the word of Christ.
  --Rom 10.17
• No one can come to me unless the Father who sent
  me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last
  day. --John 6.44
• It is written in the Prophets They will all be
  taught by God. Everyone who listens to the
  Father and learns from him comes to me. --John
  6.45
• Ask and it will be given to you seek and you
  will find knock and the door will be opened to
  you. Matt 7.7
• You will seek me and find me when you seek me
  with all your heart. --Jeremiah 29.13

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by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,

• From article 3 (the doctrine of humanity), what
  does sinners mean?
• From Jesus interview with Nicodemus In reply
  Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can
  see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
  John 3.3
• Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives
  birth to spirit. John 3.6 Regeneration a work
  of God within us!!
• The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its
  sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or
  where it is going. So it is with everyone born of
  the Spirit. John 3.8
• Jesus saved us through the washing of rebirth
  and renewal by the Holy Spirit -- Titus 3.5

What is sin?
go
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So, what is sin?

• By this act of disobedience in the garden, humans
  called in question the very nature and ordering
  of existence whereby they lived as creatures in
  utter dependence upon the grace and provision of
  their Creator.
• By this act, humans blasphemously withheld the
  worship and adoring love which is ever their
  proper response to Gods majesty and grace.
• Sin is that fundamental defect or missing of the
  mark that results when humans fail to trustingly
  center their lives on God.
• Mans sin lies in his pretension to be God.
  (Niebuhr).
• (from Evans, C. S. (2002). Pocket dictionary of
  apologetics philosophy of religion (Page 107).
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press and Wood,
  D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., Marshall, I. H.
  (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary.
  Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) (Page
  1105). Downers Grove InterVarsity Press.)

Rtn
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Read John 3.1-8. When a person is born again,
is that re-birth visible to others?
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by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,

• since you have been born again, not of
  perishable seed but of imperishable, through the
  living and abiding word of God --1 Pet 1.23
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
  creation. The old has passed away behold, the
  new has come. --2 Cor 5.17
• Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means
  anything what counts is a new creation.
  --Galatians 6.15
• Then the Lord said, My Spirit will not contend
  with man forever, for he is mortal -- Genesis
  6.3

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by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,

• This phrase above replaces "regenerate the
  believing sinner in the former SoF which
  appears to favor an Arminian position.
• The original framers wanted to create a
  statement that was consistent with both Arminian
  and Calvinist soteriology, but which required
  neither. That is the intention of this revised
  statement also.

--from the EFCA commentary on the SoF
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Read Acts 2.38-39. When does a new believer in
Christ receive the Holy Spirit?
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by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,

• Billy Graham recounts being confronted by a
  sincere southern revival preacher with a question
  as to when Billy was baptized with the Holy
  Spirit.
• Billy replied, The moment that I received Jesus
  Christ as my savior.
• The preacher replied, That couldnt be.
• Graham says, I have become convinced that there
  is only one baptism with the Holy Spirit in the
  life of every believer, and that takes place at
  the moment of conversion. All who come to know
  Jesus as savior are baptized with the Spirit the
  moment they are regenerated.
• What some people call the baptism of the Spirit
  may really be what the scripture calls the
  filling of the Spirit, which may take place many
  times in our lives after our conversion.
  

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by regenerating sinners into union with Christ,

• The regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in
  conversion is the same work that unites us to
  Christ.
• This act is often referred to as "the baptism of
  the Holy Spirit." This can be a controversial
  concept, and here we affirm that this
  Spirit-baptism refers to that work of God in
  conversion by which we are joined to Christ and
  so partake of all His benefits.

--from the EFCA commentary on the SoF
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by indwelling,

• I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you
  shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and
  from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I
  will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I
  will put within you. And I will remove the heart
  of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of
  flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and
  cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful
  to obey my rules. --Ezekiel 36.25-27 (ESV)
• Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one
  of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
  forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive
  the gift of the Holy Spirit. --Acts 2.38-39 (NIV)
• And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
  he does not belong to Christ. --Romans 8.9

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guiding, instructing, equipping,

• John 16.13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he
  will guide you into all the truth.
• Acts 13.2 While they were worshiping the Lord
  and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for
  me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
  called them.
• Acts 16.6-7 And they went through the region of
  Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the
  Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when
  they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go
  into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not
  allow them.

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guiding, instructing, equipping,

• This equipping includes the bestowal of spiritual
  gifts to every believer for the edification of
  the body of Christ.
• 1 Cor 12.7 Now to each one the manifestation of
  the Spirit is given for the common good.
• 1 Cor 12.4 There are different kinds of gifts,
  but the same Spirit.
• The NT lists gifts of the Spirit in three
  passages Romans 12.6-8, 1 Cor 12.8-10, and Eph
  4.11.

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and empowering believers

• John 4.13-14 Jesus said to the woman at the
  well, Everyone who drinks this water will be
  thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I
  give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I
  give him will become in him a spring of water
  welling up to eternal life. (NIV)
• Acts 4.31 After they prayed, the place where
  they were meeting was shaken. And they were all
  filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of
  God boldly.
• Eph 518-19 Do not get drunk on wine, which
  leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the
  Spirit.

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Read Ephesians 5.18. What does it mean to be
filled with the Spirit?
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and empowering believers

• Being filled with the Spirit suggests that at
  conversion I receive Him in full, not just in
  part.
• Then, as I come to understand more and to yield
  to Him more, I enjoy his fullness in my life more
  and more.
• Then, the question is not how much of the Spirit
  I have, but rather how much does the Spirit have
  of me?
• Billy Graham believes that God gives us strength
  of the Holy Spirit commensurate with the task.

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and empowering believers

• We must be careful that we do not seek the Holy
  Spirits fullness for selfish reasons, because
  the Spirits only purpose is to glorify the Lord
  Jesus Christ.
• Remember Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8.18-19 When
  Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying
  on of the apostles hands, he offered them money
  and said, Give me also this ability so that
  everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the
  Holy Spirit. Peter immediately rebuked him that
  his heart was not right before God.
• Not even one Bible character ever said, I am
  filled with the Spirit.
• This is a test of a Spirit-filled life Are
  people seeing in my life more of Jesus and less
  of me?

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for Christ-like living and service.

• For Christ-like living and service Two purposes
  for the Spirits sanctifying work in us.
• The theological concept of sanctification is
  rooted in the reality that God changes
  people.Erwin McManus
• Sanctification begins at conversion. It
  continues for the rest of our lives. It
  concludes when we go to heaven (glorification).
• While conversion calms one kind of storm, it
  raises another, which is to be lifelong.Horatius
  Bonar

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Read Ephesians 4.22-24.What does Paul mean by my
old self (or nature) and my new self (or
nature)?
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for Christ-like living and service.

• Ephesians 4.22-24 You were taught, with regard
  to your former way of life, to put off your old
  self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
  desires to be made new in the attitude of your
  minds and to put on the new self, created to be
  like God in true righteousness and holiness.
• In the new birth, we were given a new nature so,
  if we are born again, we have TWO natures the
  old nature (or self) from our first birth the
  new nature from our second birth. One is in
  Adam the other, in Jesus. By one, we are
  children of flesh by the other, children of God.

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for Christ-like living and service.

• Ro 715, 22-24 I do not understand what I do.
  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I
  hate I do. For in my inner being I delight in
  Gods law but I see another law at work in the
  members of my body, waging war against the law of
  my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
  sin at work within my members. (NIV)
• Galatians 5.17-18 For the sinful nature desires
  what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit
  what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are
  in conflict with each other, so that you do not
  do what you want. But if you are led by the
  Spirit, you are not under law.

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for Christ-like living and service.

• Once we are reborn, we can expect not only our
  relationship with God to be changed, but also our
  relationships with self, family, friends,
  co-workers, neighbors. Eventually, if I am
  obedient, I can expect a renewed disposition,
  emotions, principles, affections, goals, etc.
• But, when the old nature asserts itself, we may
  begin to doubt whether we have really been born
  again.
• We need to ask, Which dog am I feeding?

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for Christ-like living and service.

• Galatians 5.19-21 The acts of the sinful nature
  are obvious sexual immorality, impurity and
  debauchery idolatry and witchcraft hatred,
  discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
  ambition, dissensions, factions and envy
  drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
• True freedom consists not in the freedom to DO
  these things, but in the freedom NOT to do them.
  That is our true joy, gift, and peace.

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for Christ-like living and service.

• Galatians 5.22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is
  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
  faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
• Rom 12.1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in
  view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as
  living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis
  is your spiritual act of worship.
• Are we abiding in the Spirit, filled with Him,
  yielding to Him, walking with Him?
• Sanctification is not a question of how much we
  have of the Spirit, but rather how much the
  Spirit has of us.
• Galatians 5.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let
  us keep in step with the Spirit.

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for Christ-like living and service.

• Peters acts of service under the empowering of
  the Holy Spirit
• Acts 2.41 Those who accepted his message were
  baptized, and about three thousand were added to
  their number that day the day of Pentecost.
• Days later, after healing the beggar, Peter
  speaks again and then is brought to the
  Sanhedrin. Acts 4.4 But many who heard the
  message believed so the number of men who
  believed grew to about five thousand.
• Peter and John were arrested. Before the Jewish
  leaders, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
  said to them Rulers and elders of the people!
  If we are being called to account today for an
  act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked
  how he was healed, then know this It is by the
  name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
  crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that
  this man stands before you healed. Acts 4.8-10

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for Christ-like living and service.

• The Spirit-filled life is the normal Christian
  life anything less is abnormal and less than God
  intended for us.
• If we are open to it, we will grow spiritually,
  even through conflicts, turbulence, troubles,
  temptations, testings, and afflictions.
• The day is coming when all this work will be
  done, for we know that when he appears, we shall
  be like him, for we shall see him as he is. --1
  John 3.2

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Now... So what ?!?
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7. Gods gospel is now embodied in the new
community called the church

• We believe that the true church is composed of
  all those who have been saved by God's grace
  through faith and regeneration by the Holy Spirit
  and are thereby united together in the body of
  Christ of which He is the Head. This church is
  manifest in local churches, whose membership
  should be composed only of members of the true
  church. The two biblically-mandated ordinances of
  the church, baptism and the Lords Supper,
  visibly and tangibly express this gospel,
  strengthening our faith. They are to
  be celebrated by the church in obedience to
  Christ, but are not a means of salvation.