Tenet 1: There is one God (YHWH), who created, rules over, and sustains all things, eternally existing in 3 Persons: The Father, the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
God is all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect, holy (entirely unique), and altogether good.
Gen 1:1-2 - He created all things with God's Spirit present.
Gen 1:26 - He refers to Himself as "Us".
Deut 6:4 - He is YHWH, and He is one God.
Ps 25:8 - He is good and upright.
Ps 90:2 - He always was and always will be.
Isaiah 40:25 - He is holy and no one is like Him.
Matt 3:16-17 - He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Matt 5:48 - He is perfect.
Jhn 1:1 - Jesus is the Word of God and He was always with God and was God.
Jhn 10:30 - Jesus and the Father are one.
Rom 1:20 - His eternal power and Godhead are seen and understood from the creation of the world.
1 Tim 1:17 - He is eternal, immortal, invisible, and has all wisdom.
Heb 1:3 - The Son is the express image of God and upholds all things by the word of His power.
1 Jhn 3:20 - He knows all things.
1 Jhn 5:7 - The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit are one.
Rev 1:8 & Gen 17:1 - He is Almighty.
The Bible, in its original language (Old and New Testament) is God’s Word. It is inspired by God or “God-breathed”, communicating God’s message through various human agents for all. It is not made by man’s will or design, nor altered by man’s private interpretation. It is inerrant, infallible, completely true, unchanging, and without contradictions. All of the Bible reveals Jesus, who is the way to God. God’s Word is the authoritative, supreme declaration of truth, and is the basis of our faith and function.
2 Peter 1:19-21 – The Bible was inspired by revelation of God’s Spirit, not by man’s philosophy, and is confirmed through history.
Exodus 24:4 – The Bible is a record of God’s words from the beginning.
Joshua 8:35 – The Bible was preserved perfectly throughout generations.
Isaiah 34:16 & 40:8 – Not one promise from the Bible will fail, and God’s words are true forever.
Matt 5:17-18 – Jesus’ mission was not to abolish the Old Testament but to fulfill it. He affirmed the Old Testament prophecies were more trustworthy and sure than all things in the universe.
Luke 24:44-45 – All of the Old Testament reveals Jesus.
Heb 4:12-13 – The Word of God is alive and active, revealing all things, and even our own hearts.
Psalm 19:7-10 – The Bible is perfect, sure, right, untainted, and completely true.
John 17:17 – Jesus declared that God’s Word is truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – Every verse in the Bible is given by God to teach us truth, correct us, make our ways right, and equip us for every good work.
Deuteronomy 4:1-2 & 17:19 – The Bible is written for the good of all who obey God’s instructions. No one may add to or take away from God’s Word.
Romans 15:4 – All the things written in the Bible are for our learning and to give us a sure hope.
Romans 16:25-26 – The Bible reveals God’s mysteries to the world so that we may believe and obey God.
Revelation 22:19 – If anyone takes away from the Bible’s words, God will take every good thing away from them.
In the beginning, God made mankind in His image. He made mankind in a perfect environment to rule over, to serve, and to protect all the earth. But man chose to rebel against God and was thereby separated from God. Through man’s sin, man himself and the whole world were brought under God’s curse, becoming prone to corruption and death. All humanity thereby inherited a nature inclined toward evil. Despite all this, God never stopped loving mankind and never left them without hope of returning to Him.
Genesis 1:26-28 – God made mankind (male and female) in His image and gave them dominion over earth.
Psalm 8:4-6 – God is mindful of mankind. He both visits and cares for them. He made them lower than angels, but gave them glory and honor. He gave them responsibility over His handiwork.
Romans 5:12 – Sin entered the world through mankind’s sin and all men die because of it.
Genesis 3:17 – The earth was cursed because of mankind’s sin.
Romans 8:19-22 – All the earth is subjected to suffering because of mankind’s sin.
Romans 3:23 – All mankind has sinned and does not measure up to God’s perfect standard.
John 8:34 – Jesus taught that all who practice sin are slaves to it.
1 John 3:15 – Whoever hates their brother is a murderer.
Matthew 5:28 – Whoever looks at someone to lust after them is an adulterer at heart.
Romans 3:19-20 – God’s laws show us that all mankind is guilty before God and there is no good work we can do to save ourselves from God’s rightful judgment.
God’s Word became man, being born into the world through the virgin Mary and by the Holy Spirit’s divine power, and was named Jesus. He lived a perfect life of obedience to the Father and was sinless in every way. He offered Himself up as the final sacrifice to atone for our sins, once for all. He was tortured, crucified, buried, and delivered to hell. Three days later, He rose from the grave. He was seen by and spoke to many. Then, He ascended to the right hand of God.
By His sacrifice, He paid for our forgiveness. By His perfect life, He earned the right to eternal life. By His resurrection and ascension, He showed us the way to heaven. And He gives the free gift of eternal life to all who repent from sin and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.
1 Cor 15:1-8 – The gospel: Christ died for our sins, just as the Bible foretold. He was buried and rose from the grave the third day, just as the Bible foretold. He was then seen alive by Peter, the twelve apostles, by over 500 in one moment, and many others.
John 3:16 – God gave His Son Jesus as a gift of love to the world, so that all who believe in Him would not die but have eternal life.
Romans 10:9-10 - Whoever believes in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and by their mouth confesses Jesus as Lord will be saved.
Romans 6:23 - Though all sin earns us death, God freely gives eternal life in Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – You can not save yourself by good works. God freely gives salvation to all who believe.
John 14:6 – There is no other way to a right relationship with God except through Jesus.
1 John 4:9-10 – God showed us His love by sending His only begotten Son into the world to give us life. He sent Jesus to legally pay the fine for sin by dying in our place, even though we did not love Him.
Romans 5:8 – God showed His love for us when Jesus died for sinners.
John 8:24 – Jesus taught that we would die facing judgment for our sins unless we believe in Him as Messiah and Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – Jesus took on the penalty of all our sin so that we could be made whole and receive His rightful reward.
Romans 5:19 – By Adam’s disobedience, many were made sinners. By Jesus’ obedience, many are made righteous.
Romans 5:1 – Because we are justified by faith in Him, we have eternal peace with God through Him.
Mark 16:15-16 – Jesus commanded us to preach the gospel to the whole world. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Whoever does not will be condemned.
The heaven where God is enthroned is a literal spiritual place, full of incomparable glory and beauty, being devoid of death, sorrow, pain, or any kind of corruption. Jesus ascended to this heaven from earth after He was resurrected and was seated at the Father’s right hand. The spirits of all who place their faith in Jesus are brought into this heaven at their moment of death to live with God forever.
Mark 16:19 – Jesus ascended into heaven and sat at the Father’s right hand.
John 14:2-4 – Jesus ascended into heaven to prepare a place for all who believe in Him.
2 Cor 5:1-8 – For Christians, physical death means being spiritually present with Jesus in heaven.
Hebrews 12:22-24 – Believers in Christ are given citizenship in heaven, and are joined with believers throughout history, innumerable angels, and God Himself.
Revelation 21:2-4 – There will be no more crying, sorrow, or death in heaven. And God’s people will live with Him forever.
Revelation 21:23-27 – People who have been saved from all nations will bring their diverse glory and honor into heaven. God’s light will enlighten everything so no more sun is needed. Nothing imperfect or causing harm will enter there. Only those written in the Book of Life will be given entry.
Revelation 21:6-7 – The promise of heaven is for all who repent and believe in Jesus. They who do will be God’s children and will inherit all things.
Hell is a literal place created by God for everlasting judgment. Hell is devoid of God’s love and grace, where its inhabitants experience perpetual, unending suffering. Though God designed hell for the devil and his angels, hell is the rightful judgment and default consequence of all mankind who have sinned against God. Every man or woman who does not personally receive God’s gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ goes to hell at the moment of their death.
Psalm 9:17 – People from the entire world will go to hell.
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
Revelation 21:8 – The sins of mankind earn them everlasting suffering.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Matthew 25:41, 46 – The judgment prepared for the devil and his angels will be allotted to all the unrighteous.
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels... These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Revelation 20:12-15 – Anyone not written in the Book of Life (who accepted the gift of redemption Jesus paid for) will be condemned by all the works they have done.
“I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books... And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 – Those who don’t receive God’s forgiveness will be punished forever and separated from God.
“[I]n flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Mark 9:43-48 – Suffering experienced in hell is perpetual and is the result of our present sins.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where
‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”
Matthew 8:12 – There is everlasting darkness and sorrow in hell.
“[T]he sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
2 Pet 3:9 – God deals patiently with us, giving us space to repent so we don’t have to go to hell.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
John 3:18-21 – Whoever believes in Jesus confesses their sin and is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned to hell.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Jesus will return to earth, as promised. This time, He will come to judge and eliminate all evil, resurrect bodily all who received Him as Lord and Savior, restore all things to perfection, and rule over a new earth and new heavens forever.
Acts 17:31 – God gave evidence that Jesus will judge the world by raising Him from the dead.
“He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Matthew 16:27 – Jesus is returning with the Father’s glory and heavenly authority to judge all.
“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
John 5:28-29 – All people will be bodily resurrected, some to eternal life and others to everlasting condemnation.
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
John 6:40 – God’s will is that everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus will be resurrected to live with Him forever.
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – Those who have placed their faith in Christ, both the dead and living, will have their bodies raised anew to dwell with Jesus forever.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Colossians 3:4 – All who belong to Jesus will be with Him in His glory.
“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
2 Peter 3:10,13 – This day will come quickly at an unexpected time. The earth and heavens will be destroyed and God will create a perfect and incorruptible environment that will last forever.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”