ESV Global Study Bible :: The Great Truths of the Bible

The Great Truths of the Bible

Matthew Ebenezer | India

Central to the Bible are the truths it teaches. In this essay we will consider the biblical teaching of some of the core doctrines of the Christian faith—revelation, Scripture, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, humanity, salvation, the church, and the end times.

Revelation

Any discussion of religion normally deals with the matter of revelation. How does God make himself known? If God did not reveal himself to humanity, we would be left with mere speculation about him. It is only when God says something about himself that we come to know who he truly is. There are different understandings about God. Atheists deny the existence of God, and agnostics are indifferent as to whether he exists or not, or believe such knowledge one way or the other cannot be achieved. Deists believe that God is so transcendent that he is uninterested in the affairs of the world. Polytheists worship many gods. Pantheists say that "all is God."

Over against these worldviews, the Bible teaches that there is one triune God who is known partially though inadequately through nature or general revelation, and who makes himself adequately known to humanity through "special revelation"—which refers mainly to the Word of God inscripturated (the Bible) and the Word of God incarnated (Jesus Christ).

General revelation.

God's general revelation is his disclosure of what he is like to all peoples at all times. This revelation is both external to humans and internal to them. Externally, first, the Bible says that God's creation shows forth his glory continuously (Ps. 19:1-2). While creation does not speak audibly, nevertheless "their voice goes out through all the earth" (Ps. 19:4). Second, God reveals himself not only through what humans observe outside themselves in the created world but also through what they find inside themselves. Humanity is conscious of the existence of a Creator. This includes moral conscience, which all humans possess. But this consciousness of God or "awareness of divinity," taken together with the external dimension of general revelation, is insufficient to supply full saving knowledge of God (note Acts 4:12).

General revelation cannot, by itself, give humans a clear understanding of God's nature, attributes, purposes, and will. While conveying some of God's wisdom, goodness, and power, general revelation cannot give humanity hope of deliverance from sin. Moreover, humanity's sinful constitution and depravity reacts negatively to this partial knowledge of God by suppression of the truth of God's existence (Rom. 1:18-19), by ingratitude (Rom. 1:20-21), and by idolatry (Rom. 1:25; 2:22-23). General revelation does, however, have value. First, along with the doctrines of common grace and the image of God, it explains the commendable qualities of non-Christian faiths. Second, it accounts for humankind's general consciousness of God (Acts 17:27-28). Third, it reveals God's power and divinity (Rom. 1:19-20). Fourth, it forms the backdrop of special revelation, which in turn helps us to understand the general revelation of God more fully.

Special revelation.

Against a backdrop of general revelation, which comes to all people at all times, God also reveals himself to particular people at particular times. God has communicated this special revelation in three ways—through his Scripture, through his Son, and through other extraordinary divine interventions.

First, God reveals himself through the Bible. The Bible is God's very Word. It is the holy and inerrant account of a saving message from heaven, telling us who God is, who we are, and what God has done through history for us and for our salvation. Second, God reveals himself through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's incarnate Word. He is God-in-the-flesh, the utterly unique God-man, fully divine and fully human. In and through Jesus we see what God is like (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3), yet we also see what humanity was created to be like—and, for the regenerate, what they are destined one day to become (1 Cor. 15:20-23; 1 John 3:2). Third, God has revealed himself down through history in other particularized ways, including: miracles, such as the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:1-31) or the calming of a storm (Mark 4:35-41); visions, such as those of Daniel (Dan. 7-8) or Peter (Acts 10:9-23); theophanies, in which God manifests himself to a person or people at a particular time and in a particular place, such as to Moses (Ex. 33:17-34:8) or Elijah (1 Kings 19:9-18); and direct words, such as were spoken to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob throughout Genesis, or to Paul (Acts 16:9).

Special revelation can be compared to eyeglasses, helping us see more clearly the meaning of general revelation. While general revelation gives us a true but hazy understanding of God, special revelation brings this vision into focus, showing us in a clearly defined way God's character, purposes, and saving plans for his people. With general revelation, all humanity is aware of God and has enough knowledge to be rightly judged by him. With special revelation, humanity is given a clear message of salvation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, handed down to us through the inspired and inerrant Word of God.

Scripture

The sixty-six books of the Bible make up the Christian "canon"—the specially demarcated, unique Holy Scriptures which give us God's very Word. The Protestant Bible is comprised of the Jewish Scriptures as its Old Testament, and the apostolic writings recognized by the early church as its New Testament. The church did not endow any authority on the New Testament writings; it rather acknowledged and received these books as what they were—the Word of God. Faithful Christians around the world receive the Bible today as the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and clear Word of God. Let us consider each of these in turn briefly. Because the reliability and authority of the Bible is dealt with more fully in another essay, we will give only a brief description here of Scripture's inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, and clarity.

The "inspiration" of the Bible refers to its being "breathed out" by God himself (2 Tim. 3:16). The men who wrote the Bible were inspired in the sense that they were crucially influenced by the Holy Spirit as they wrote, such that their writings, so influenced, became sacred and authoritative. The doctrine of the Bible's inspiration arises from the Bible itself. Old Testament writers were frequently asked to write what the Lord commanded them (Ex. 17:14; 34:27; Num. 33:2; Isa. 8:1; 30:8; Jer. 25:13; 30:2; Ezek. 24:1-2; Dan. 12:4; Hab. 2:2). The formula "Thus says the Lord" or "the word of the Lord came to me" indicates the prophetic consciousness of the divine origin of prophecy (e.g., Ex. 5:1; Jer. 36:27, 30; Ezek. 26:7; 15; 19; 27:1; 28:1; 11; 20; 29:1). In the New Testament, Paul speaks explicitly of all Scripture being "God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16; note also 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 13:3). Hebrews cites Old Testament quotations as words of God or the Holy Spirit (Heb. 1:5; 3:7; 4:3; 5:6; 7:21). Peter equates Paul's writings with Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16).

Another word that describes Scripture is "inerrant." This means that the Bible is completely true; it is utterly "without error" in its original writings, whether the Bible is speaking about matters of faith and practice or, more broadly, describing the world in which we live (Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 16:17; John 10:35). While the word "inerrant" was not widely used until recent centuries, the conviction it expresses has been that of orthodox Christians down through the history of the church. Because it is inspired and thus is from God himself, "who never lies" (Titus 1:2), the obvious corollary is that the Bible is exhaustively true. The word "inerrant" can be honestly, confidently, and truthfully applied to the Bible as we have it today, as the Bible's own witness to itself makes inescapable.

Scripture is often referred to as "infallible," which is close in meaning to "inerrant" (indeed, the two are often used interchangeably). Infallible means "not capable of making a mistake or an error." Infallibility has a longer historical pedigree than inerrancy, however, and has been taken to refer to the Bible as opposed to the Roman Catholic teaching of the infallibility of the pope. Both inerrancy and infallibility underscore the absolute authority of the Bible in all it says. The Bible is from God; it is his own Word to us; it must be reverently received as such.

Finally, the Bible is clear. This is not to say a child will understand it as easily as an adult, for clarity here does not negate the need for learning, growth, and maturation in understanding. Moreover, because the Bible is written by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is necessary for healthy understanding and reception of what the Bible says (1 Cor. 2:10-16). Yet when the Bible is not understood, this is the fault of the human reader, not the divine author. Although the Bible does contain things hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:15-16), it is written in a manner that is readily understood by any believer who approaches it in a spirit of healthy submission, prayerful reverence, and glad obedience to its authority.

God

Who God is.

Genesis 1:1 affirms the fact of God's existence. Through the course of the history of redemption we learn more and more of who God is. God is one (Deut. 6:4). God is triune, one in essence existing in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:30; 2 Cor. 13:14). The three persons are equal in power and glory, yet perform distinct roles in redemption—the Father orchestrating, the Son accomplishing, and the Spirit applying salvation. The three persons of the Trinity exist in perfect harmony and they delight to carry out their mutually commissioned tasks, eager to love and glorify one another.

The doctrine of the Trinity slowly unfolds down through the history of redemption and thus in Scripture, which records that history. The full revelation of the Trinity comes in the New Testament. The demonstration in the New Testament writings of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together, team-style, for our salvation clarifies what was always true in the Old Testament era but seen only in a shadowy way. The Trinitarian revelation of God reaches its climax in the prophesied incarnation, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, who on his ascension sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers (John 14:15-31; Acts 2:32-33; compare Ezek. 36:26-27).

What God is like.

While the Scriptures, in order to accommodate our limited understanding, often describe God in human terms as having eyes (Gen. 6:8; 2 Chron. 16:9), ears (1 Sam. 8:21), or hands (Ps. 8:6), God is Spirit (John 4:24). Similarly, when we read of God being grieved or that he regretted his actions (Gen. 6:6; compare 1 Sam. 15:11, 29), it is language used to accommodate God's revelation to our human finitude. This language shows that he is a personal, living God, who thus speaks (Ex. 6:2; 20:1), hears (Gen. 21:17; Ex. 2:24), answers (Ps. 65:5; 99:6), delivers (Gen. 32:11; Ex. 3:8), disciplines (Lev. 26:18, 41-43), and stands in covenantal (promise-bound) relationship with his people (Gen. 9:9; 15:18; Jer. 31:31; Luke 22:20; 2 Cor. 3:6).

God has attributes or qualities that we classify as either incommunicable (unique to him) or communicable (shared by humans). God's incommunicable attributes include his independence or aseity (Ps. 33:11; Isa. 40-48; John 5:26), immutability (Ps. 102:27; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8), infinitude (Ex. 3:14; Job 11:7-10; Ps. 145:3), eternality (Ps. 90:2; 102:12), and omnipresence (1 Kings 8:27; Ps. 139:7-10). His communicable attributes (those he shares with us) include wisdom (Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 2:7), goodness (Ps. 36:6; 104:21; Matt. 5:45), love (1 John 4:7-12), holiness (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 57:15), righteousness (Ps. 99:4; Isa. 45:21), and mercy (Ex. 34:6-7). No absolute distinction should be drawn between God's incommunicable and communicable attributes. While even God's incommunicable attributes are to some degree shared by humans, and even God's communicable attributes are only imperfectly shared by people, the distinction is a useful one. For the distinction reminds us of the great distance and difference between God the Creator and creaturely humanity, as well as of the unique likeness between God and humanity by virtue of humans being created in his image and glory.

How God has acted.

After creating a perfect world, in which humanity rebelled and rejected their maker, God started over with Noah. Then, after the human race had been scattered due to their own prideful folly, God chose Abraham and his descendants to be the family through whom he would bless the world. Even this chosen family, however, knew failure more frequently than success. After spending four hundred years in Egyptian slavery, Israel was led by Moses to the land God had promised to Abraham. Yet God's people proved hard-hearted time and again—idolatrous, fickle, untrusting of the Lord, and far too ready to mingle with foreign peoples and worship their gods. After warning the people repeatedly through the prophets, God exiled Israel, though with promises of bringing them back—which he did toward the close of the Old Testament age.

Down through history, then, God continued to show both judgment and mercy, yet all along his mission was to restore his world to the way it was meant to be. This was brought to climactic achievement when he sent his own dear Son into the world (John 3:16-21; Gal. 4:4-5). Jesus Christ succeeded where both Adam and then Israel had failed (Matt. 3:13-4:11; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth, inaugurating the new age longed for by the Old Testament saints (Mark 1:14-15). Through his death and resurrection he freely provides forgiveness from, right standing with, and adoption by God, as well as a new heart and the presence of the indwelling Spirit, to all who are united to him through trusting faith (Rom. 4:1-8; 6:1-4; 8:9-11). And one day Jesus will return to earth to bring a final eradication of evil, judgment of all, resurrection from the dead, and true restoration of this world (1 Cor. 15:12-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 1:7-10).

Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the Savior of all who believe in him, the Lord of history, the Judge of all humanity, and the most precious gift the world has ever known. After looking at various names the Bible uses of him, we will consider his person, his offices, and then his life. (We will focus on his work when we come to "Salvation" below.)

His names.

Several names of Jesus carry special weight and significance. The name "Jesus" itself is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua," meaning "God saves" (Josh. 1:1; Zech. 3:1). "Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Messiah," which means "the anointed one." As kings and prophets in the Old Testament were anointed with oil, Christ too was anointed for the offices of prophet, priest, and king by the Spirit's visible presence at his baptism, where the Father audibly attested him as his Son (Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11). The term "Son of Man," by which Jesus most often referred to himself, comes from Daniel 7. It refers to a heavenly figure who is given "dominion and glory and a kingdom" (Dan. 7:14; note Matt. 26:64). The phrase "Son of God" regularly refers to Jesus' kingly status as the long-awaited Son of David, the Messiah (Matt. 1:1; 9:27; John 1:49; 11:27). It is also used on occasion, however, to speak of Jesus' deity (Matt. 14:33; John 5:19-26). Finally, while the ascription "Lord" (kurios) can at times be used in the New Testament simply as a respectful form of address (thus its rendering as "Sir" in Matt. 27:63), it is also used as a term of the highest possible exaltation of Jesus (John 20:28; Rom. 10:9). Indeed, at times, in calling Jesus "Lord" the New Testament draws on the very passages in the Greek version of the Old Testament in which kurios describes Yahweh (e.g., Deut. 6:4 in 1 Cor. 8:6). It is not surprising, then, that the New Testament sometimes explicitly calls Jesus "God" (Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13).

His person.

The first few centuries of the church saw many doctrinal challenges. Preeminent among these was the relationship between Jesus' humanity and his deity, both of which are fully upheld in the Bible. Already in apostolic times, false teachers were saying that Jesus was only pure spirit and not a real man. John's reply was that Jesus was indeed a real person and not a ghost or a spirit (1 John 1:2-3; compare John 20:24-29). Later they taught that Jesus was only a man on whom the Spirit came at baptism and left him before the crucifixion. When a faction in the church taught that Christ was a created being, the matter was settled at the Council of Nicea (a.d. 325), which declared, on Scriptural basis, that Jesus was fully God, of one substance (i.e., one single being) with the Father. The question regarding his natures was finally decided by the Council of Chalcedon (a.d. 451), which declared Christ "to be acknowledged in two natures, unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably, the distinction of natures being... preserved, and concurring in one person."

His offices.

We now consider Jesus from another angle—that of his threefold ministry role. Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the three Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, and king. Christ is the promised prophet of Israel (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:23); people recognized him as a prophet (Matt. 21:11, 46; Luke 7:16), and he spoke of himself as one (Luke 13:33). He displayed the qualities of a prophet: bringing messages from God (John 8:26-28; 12:49-50), foretelling future events (Matt. 24:3-35; Luke 19:41-44), and exercising unique authority (Matt. 7:29). His prophetic ministry continues through the preaching of the Word today, through which he himself by the Spirit speaks to his people's heads and hearts. As priest, Christ is not only the final priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 5:5; 7:23-8:7), he is also the final sacrifice (1 Cor. 5:7) and even the temple itself (John 2:19-22). Christ sums up the entire priestly system—the who, the what, and the where. As our priest, Christ also makes intercession for us (1 John 2:1; see John 17:9, 20). Finally, Christ is king over his people (Luke 19:38; Eph. 5:5), as well as over the universe (Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:27).

His life.

Christ's coming was prophesied immediately after humanity's fall into sin (Gen. 3:15), and then throughout the Old Testament—including, for example, the virgin birth (Isa. 7:14), the place of his birth (Mic. 5:2), and his sufferings and death (Isa. 52:13-53:12). And "when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal. 4:4-5). Jesus grew in favour with God and with men (Luke 2:52), and upon reaching the age of thirty or so he began his public ministry, which lasted three years. This ministry was marked by the preaching of the kingdom of God and by miraculous signs and wonders that heralded it (Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:14-15). Yet Jesus also revealed to his disciples his impending suffering, death, and subsequent resurrection (Matt. 16:21; Mark 10:32-34). In Jerusalem he was arrested, tried, and found guilty of blasphemy (by the Jews) and sedition (by the Romans). He died the death of a common criminal on a Roman cross. On the third day, as he had prophesied, he arose from the grave. He ascended into heaven in full view of eyewitnesses (Acts 1:6-11). The church awaits his second coming with eager anticipation (Rev. 1:7; 22:20).

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, who is of one substance with the Father and the Son, and thus equal with them in power and glory. Some names for the Holy Spirit are the "Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11), the "Holy Spirit of God" (Eph. 4:30), the "Spirit of his Son" (Gal. 4:6), and, the "Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9). These all reinforce the intimate triune relationship of the Spirit with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is tasked with applying in and to the cosmos the accomplished work of the Son, as orchestrated by the Father, especially with respect to our salvation (Rom. 1:4; Heb. 9:14).

The Spirit in the Old Testament.

At creation, the Spirit hovered "over... the waters" (Gen. 1:2) and fashioned the heavens (Job 26:13). In the Old Testament, the Spirit repeatedly came upon people chosen by God for particular tasks such as prophecy (Num. 24:2-3; 2 Chron. 15:1-2; 20:14-17), protection and deliverance of other believers (Num. 11:17; 27:18; Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 1 Sam. 16:1-3; Isa. 11:1-5), carrying out skillful work (Ex. 28:3; 31:1-5), and producing purity in the faithful (Psalm 51; 139). The presence of the Holy Spirit will mark the coming Messiah (Isa. 11:2-9; 42:1-4; 61:1-2; compare Luke 4:18) and will be poured out on God's covenant people (Ezek. 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-32).

The Spirit in the New Testament.

The New Testament gives a fuller understanding of the Holy Spirit. He is mentioned in every book except 2 and 3 John. The Spirit is closely associated with events prior to Jesus' incarnation (Luke 1:15, 41), as well as his conception and birth (Luke 1:35; 2:25-27), baptism (Matt. 3:13-17), temptation (Matt. 4:1-11), the beginning of his ministry (Luke 4:14-21), his ministry itself (Matt. 12:28), and the post-resurrection empowering of his disciples (Matt. 28:19; compare John 20:22-23; Acts 1:8). In John's Gospel, which is richly Trinitarian from start to finish, Jesus calls the Spirit the Paraclete—that is, "Counsellor," "Comforter," or "Helper" (John 14:16; 26; 15:26; 16:7). The Holy Spirit delights to call attention to Christ (John 15:26; 1 Cor. 12:3).

The Spirit's activity in the church.

Jesus' departure from this world inaugurated the Spirit's coming (John 16:7). The Spirit plays a crucial role in convicting the world (John 16:8-11), granting new birth to sinners (John 3:1-8; Titus 3:5-6), giving the Scriptures to the church (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21; Heb. 10:15-17), illuminating the minds of believers (John 16:12-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Cor. 3:12-18), empowering believers for authentic obedience (Ezek. 36:26-27; Gal. 5:16-25), assuring believers of their adoption (Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6), assisting believers in prayer (Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18), and guaranteeing their future redemption and resurrection (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit mediates Christ's presence in the church (Gal. 4:6; 1 Pet. 1:10-11). Acts records the prophesied outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4; compare Joel 2:28-32). The visible signs (Acts 2:2-3) and the miraculous enabling of the disciples to speak in other known languages (Acts 2:4, 7-11) marked the establishment of the New Testament church with the promised gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). The Spirit is the source of the gifts of ministry enjoyed by the church (1 Cor. 12:4-13; Heb. 2:4). On a corporate level, the Spirit also is instrumental in bringing about the renewing and revival of the church.

In short, the work of salvation accomplished by Christ (John 19:30), is carried out by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the end-time gift long anticipated by the Old Testament prophets (Isa. 44:3; Joel 2:28-29). He applies the Savior's redemptive work by bringing people to repentance and faith through the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:12-17), softening and renewing the wills of otherwise hardened sinners to receive God's free grace (Titus 3:5-6). These rescued ones will subsequently cooperate with the Spirit in the life-long work of growth in godliness (2 Pet. 1:3-11).

Humanity

The story line of the Bible follows the pattern of creation, fall, and redemption. We will allow these three categories to inform our account of humanity.

The creation of humanity.

The Bible teaches that God created humanity in his own image (imago dei). The image of God is crucial to understanding who we are. Precisely what it means to be made in God's image has been debated historically, but it can be said confidently from Genesis 1-2 that it consists at least in personality (exercising the mind), moral responsibility and conscience (exercising the will), and creational governance (exercising rule). Thus to be made in the image of God refers both to what we are and to what we do.

Humanity is set off from the rest of creation because "the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature" (Gen. 2:7). The name "Adam" (Gen. 2:20) is Hebrew for "man" and can be used by the biblical writers as a proper noun for a person, a common noun for a male, or as a generic term for male and female human beings. The creation of man (the male) is followed by the creation of woman, whom Adam names "Eve," meaning "life-giver" (Gen. 3:20). The unique act of God breathing into humanity the breath of life ensures that all humans have "an awareness of divinity," though some vainly and foolishly suppress this truth (Rom. 1:18-21).

The fall of humanity.

The sin of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden resulted in both "spiritual death," an immediate separation from God and loss of fellowship, and "physical death," a degeneration of the body leading to cessation of bodily life. The fall did not eradicate the image of God in humanity (note Gen. 9:6); it did, however, corrupt the image of God, affecting not only Adam and Eve but all those descended from them, for whom they acted representatively (Rom. 5:12-19). Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden. In cursing the serpent, God, in his sovereign grace and mercy, announces the ongoing battle between "the seed of the serpent" and "the seed of the woman" (Christ), and declares the coming victory of the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15).

Sin is seen spreading like wildfire throughout subsequent chapters of Genesis, as Cain murders Abel and Lamech boasts of his polygamy (Genesis 4). Yet God's grace appears in Seth's birth, after Abel's death. Despite the spread of sin, the Bible clearly indicates a godly line, the line of Abel and Seth (Gen. 4:25-26; 1 Chron. 1:1-4; Luke 3:36-38) alongside the ungodly line, the line of Cain. Genesis 5-6 introduce righteous Noah. Genesis 6:5 describes the pathetic condition of the world: "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." God punished this wicked generation with the great flood, saving Noah and his family (2 Pet. 2:5). The post-flood rainbow (Gen 8:21; 9:13) is a promise that God will never again destroy the earth by a flood. God's covenant with Noah includes enhanced provision for man's sustenance, and protection for God's creation (Gen. 9:3-5). After the flood, man's relationship with God continued to deteriorate (Gen. 9:20-22), culminating in the pride-fueled building of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Soon Abram (later Abraham), from the godly line of Shem (Gen. 11:10-32), appears. God's redemptive purposes will be fulfilled through his seed, the promised Savior, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16).

Sin and redemption.

The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, introduced sin into the human race. This is known as "original sin." With the exception of Jesus Christ, who was conceived supernaturally and lived his entire life in full dependence on the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38), no human being has been unstained by original sin. Sin affects the entire human person—thought, will, intentions, body. Humanity's nature is fully depraved; this does not mean that all humans are as bad as they can be, but that sin has corrupted their nature to such an extent that they are incapable of doing anything truly good. Humanity's good works are prompted from selfish reasons and not done in obedience to, or love for, God (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 7:18; 8:5). Sin causes us to rebel against God (Rom. 3:23), estranging us from him (Isa. 59:1-2) and plunging us into darkness and death, out of which we cannot extract ourselves, so that we stand in desperate need of God's sovereign grace (Eph. 2:1-10). We are sinful subjectively (sin renders us defiled) and objectively (sin renders us guilty). The Bible describes and portrays sin in many ways, but at heart sin is always the desire to be God, worshiping oneself and being worshiped by others.

Despite continued rebellion, God in his great mercy reaches out to humanity with the gracious salvation of the gospel. While we will address salvation below, it is worthwhile to note here the relation of redemption to the image of God. The New Testament speaks of believers in Christ as having "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Col. 3:10; compare Eph. 4:22-24). One aspect of Christian salvation is therefore restoration into the image of God, the image in which Adam was created in Eden but which has become defaced in us through sin.

Salvation

The message of the Christian gospel is, at heart, a message of salvation. We will briefly consider here the necessity, basis, results, and process of this salvation.

The necessity of salvation.

Salvation is necessary because of sin. The weight and horror of sin has ineradicably separated humanity from God, placing us under his righteous wrath. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, human beings lack the original righteousness that their first parents possessed at creation, and are born with a corrupted nature. Further, this sinful principle resides in the heart of all human beings and pollutes their whole being (Prov. 4:23; Matt. 15:19-20; Luke 6:45). All human beings, descending from Adam, have inherited this sin, and along with it we are also guilty of actual transgressions. That is, we are sinful by heredity and we are sinful by choice. The human predicament is of the utmost seriousness and cannot be fixed by way of any self-generated resources. Deliverance from the outside is necessary.

The basis of salvation.

The center of all of human history is the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that, through Jesus' death and resurrection, sinners can be restored to a right relationship with God. Scripture draws from many walks of life to speak of this atoning work. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament, along with the ritual of the tabernacle and the priestly service, prepared the way for the atoning work of Jesus Christ in his sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. On the cross, Jesus propitiated (turned away) the Father's righteous wrath. The sacrificial system had taught the seriousness of sin and the need of reconciliation with a perfectly holy God. These rituals found their fulfillment in Christ—the perfect prophet, the final high priest, and the sufficient sacrifice (Heb. 3:1-6; 4:14-9:10; 9:11-10:18). The Passover took on new significance, becoming the Lord's Supper that symbolized the perfect sacrifice of the lamb of God who provides spiritual deliverance.

God in his sovereign will decreed in eternity the salvation of humanity through the work of his Son (Rev. 13:8). This will has been and is being fulfilled through the incarnation, life, mission, death, and resurrection, ascension, and current intercession of Jesus Christ. The atonement through Christ was motivated by God's own good pleasure (Isa. 53:10; Luke 2:14; Eph. 1:6-9), his love for the world he had made (John 3:16), and his justice that ensured that his righteous demands are met (Rom 3:24-26). The atonement of Christ was substitutionary, meaning that he was a substitute for his people, meeting the demands of the law that sinful man could not meet. He took our sins (Isa. 53:6; John 1:29; Heb. 9:28) and gave his life on our behalf (Mark 10:45; Gal. 1:4).

The results of salvation.

The New Testament uses a variety of metaphors, drawn from various spheres of life, to describe the glorious blessings of the gospel. Justification is the law court metaphor and describes being acquitted and counted righteous before God (Rom. 5:1; Titus 3:7). Sanctification is drawn from the ritual side of Judaism and refers to being made holy (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 4:3). Redemption is the slave market metaphor, describing being bought by God and set free (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 14:3-4). Reconciliation is the relational metaphor, teaching that believers are no longer estranged from God but have become his friends (Rom. 5:11; 2 Cor. 5:18-19). Other images of salvation are adoption, the familial metaphor (Rom. 8:15; 1 John 3:1-2); washing, the physical cleansing metaphor (1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:4-7); purchase, the financial transaction metaphor (1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Pet. 2:1); liberation, the imprisonment metaphor (Gal. 5:1; Rev. 1:5); and new birth, the physical generation metaphor (John 3:3-7; 1 Pet. 1:3).

Each of these must be understood in terms of the Bible's "already" and "not yet" framework. That is, by virtue of Christ's first coming and atoning work, believers already, by faith, enjoy each of the blessings just listed. Yet while Christ has decisively inaugurated the long awaited new age, this new age has not come in finality, perfection, and open manifestation—that awaits his second coming. For this reason the New Testament can speak of the blessings of salvation as being ours now and yet also something for which we wait. For example, we have been adopted (Rom. 8:15), yet we also eagerly await adoption (Rom. 8:23).

The process of salvation.

The Bible teaches that believers are elected in eternity (Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 2:9), but called in time (Rom. 10:14-17), through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables the believer to respond to the gospel in faith and repentance (John 3:6-8; 6:63; Acts 13:48; 1 Cor. 1:23-24; Rom 8:30). The Spirit convicts them of their sinful condition, illuminates their minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renews their wills to receive Christ. They are thereby enabled to enjoy the blessings of forgiveness of sins and eternal life offered freely in the gospel (Ezek. 36:26-27; 2 Tim. 1:9; Acts 2:37-39; 26:18; 1 Cor. 2:12-14; John 6:44-45). The process of salvation should remind believers of what they were (Eph. 2:1-3), what they are (2 Cor. 4:16), and what they shall be (Rom. 8:18; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 21:3).

The Church

The church is the community of Christian believers. The Greek word ekklesia, translated "church" in the New Testament, means "called out" and thus by inference "called out people" and so "assembly." It is commonly used for Christian believers (never for a building). The word is used to describe (1) all true believers, whether in heaven or on earth (Eph. 1:22; 3:10; 21; 5:23; Col. 1:18, 24); (2) a local church or churches (Acts 5:11; 11:26; Rev. 22:16); (3) a house church (Rom. 16:5, 23: 1 Cor. 16:19); and, (4) the Old Testament assembly of the people of God (Acts 7:38; and more than 100 times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament). True believers constitute the church of God. The church is therefore primarily an organism, and secondarily an organization with discernible administrative structures. The mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission by preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:16-20).

The image of the church as "the body of Christ" is a powerful reminder of the identity of the church. It is an organism in which true believers are organically related to each other. When one member suffers, the whole body suffers (1 Cor. 12:26). The idea of "communion" or "participation" in the Lord's Supper further illustrates the church's identity: we enjoy intimate fellowship with Christ when, focusing on him in faith, we partake of the elements (1 Cor. 10:14-17; compare John 6:51-54). A further implication of the church as the body of Christ is that when the church suffers, Christ suffers (see Acts 9:4).

Sacraments.

A "sacrament" (from the Latin sacramentum, meaning "mystery") is a Christian ceremony instituted by Christ as a special sign of believers' union and communion with him. The Protestant church recognizes two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. While some churches have several sacraments, only these two practices (1) were instituted by Christ, (2) were commanded by him to be continued, and (3) have unique spiritual significance as divinely ordained means of grace (Matt 28:19-20; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-29). The sacraments are visible signs through which our faith is strengthened as we "see" the gospel. They are also provisions for the benefits of the gospel to be secured to the believer (Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 10:1-4). Both practices have Old Testament antecedents; baptism was foreshadowed by circumcision (Col. 2:11-12; compare Genesis 17), and the Lord's Supper was preceded by the Passover (Matt. 26:26-28; compare Ex. 12:1-13). Both baptism and the Lord's Supper thus remind believers of the great deliverance granted to them by the Lord (1 Pet. 3:20-21; compare 1 Cor. 10:1-4). The efficacy of the sacraments depends on their faithful use; they should be accompanied by the Word, which explains the signs.

Organization of the church.

Christ is the head of the church and gives it its authority (Matt. 23:10; Eph. 1:15-23; 2:20; 5:23-24 ). The church, according to Ephesians, is made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (Eph. 4:11-12; compare 2:20). Some of these offices were temporary and others permanent. The ordinary offices of the church seem to be elders (1 Tim. 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-8) and deacons (1 Tim. 3:8-13), for whom there were stringent qualifications. Paul appointed "elders" in the churches he established (Acts 14:23). A related word is "overseer," which refers to what this person does: ruling, superintending, or overseeing. In Acts 20:17-28 the words "elder" and "overseer" are used interchangeably, with the admonition that these leaders are to "care for" or "feed" (from which we get the word "pastor") the church of God (Acts 20:17-28). Protestant churches exercise roughly three forms of church government: churches governed by bishops (Episcopal); churches governed by representative elders (Presbyterian); and churches led by entire congregations (Congregational).

The End Times

The Bible not only describes the past and makes sense of the present but also prepares us for the future, what theologians refer to as "eschatology," meaning "last things." Specifically, we are taught that at some point God will bring history to a close with a series of climactic events such as judgment, resurrection, and restoration of the natural order. While on the one hand we today are already living in what the Old Testament called "the end of the ages" (1 Cor. 10:11), it is also true that the Bible teaches us much about the very end of human history.

Old Testament teaching.

The Old Testament uses different words to describe the last days, such as the day of "the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 2:12), "the day of the Lord" (Isa. 13:6; Ezek. 13:5; Joel 2:1; Amos 5:18), "the day of his coming" (Mal. 3:2; see 4:5), and "that day" (Amos 8:9). This day was viewed as a day of salvation for Israel and punishment for their enemies (Isa. 13:11). The prophets often reinterpreted popular expectations, saying that Israel would be punished along with its enemies (Jer. 9:25; 46:28; Amos 2:1-8). This punishment will take place in history (Amos 5:18; Joel 1:15) and in a final event (Joel 3:14, 18; Zeph. 3:11, 16; Zech. 14:9) in which God will establish his kingdom (Isa. 2:2-4; Hos. 3:5). The Old Testament hope consisted of various expectations, such as the arising of a final Davidic king (Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Jer. 23:5-6), the coming of a heavenly "Son of Man" (Dan. 7:13-14), and the suffering of a chosen servant (Isa. 52:13-53:12). At the same time, however, it is ultimately God himself who will come to save his people (Isa. 26:21; Joel 3:16; Zech. 14:5; Mal. 3:1-2). These tensions are not resolved until the New Testament and the coming of Christ.

New Testament teaching.

The New Testament describes the last days in terms of Jesus' second coming. This return of Christ was (1) predicted by the Lord himself (Matt. 16:27-28; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27), (2) announced by the angels after the ascension (Acts 1:11), and (3) recorded by the New Testament writers (1 Thess. 4:15; James 5:7-8). The certainty of Christ's second coming is not doubted by true believers, even though it is scoffed at by unbelievers (2 Pet. 3:3-4, 9-10). This coming will be in person (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18), and it will draw believers, both the dead and living, to him (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 John 3:2). At Christ's return all the dead will be raised, some to everlasting torment and some to everlasting life (Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). Knowing about the second coming should make us vigilant in holiness (2 Pet. 3:11), productive in activity (Matt. 25:14-28), earnest in fellowship (Heb. 10:25), and confident in hope (1 Thess. 4:16-18).

Jesus teaches us that, while several things must take place before he comes again (Matt. 24:4-14), believers should also be ready because he may come at any time (Matt. 24:43-44; James 5:9; 1 Pet. 4:5). Also, no one knows when Jesus will return, so it is futile to speculate, and those who claim to know when he will return are giving false testimony and should not be heeded (Matt. 24:36). Christ's second coming will (1) vindicate decisively and openly his kingship and lordship (1 Cor. 1:7; Titus 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:7; 13; 5:1); (2) complete the gathering and glorification of the church (Rom. 9:19; 23; 11:25-32); (3) bring a judgment of the believers with regard to stewardship and faithfulness (Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:9-15; 4:5) and a judgment of unbelievers with regard to eternal punishment (Matt. 13:41-42, 49-50; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15); (4) destroy evil once and for all (1 Cor. 15:23-28; 2 Thess. 2:3-10); and (5) establish the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21:1-22:5). The return of Christ is a source of great hope for believers, fueling resolution and faithfulness in the difficulties of life in this fallen world.