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Core Principles of the Christian FaithIndex
Part 1 — Introduction
Many of us like to distinguish between important and less important teachings within the Christian faith. For example, the way we dress when we go to church should be less critical than what we believe about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
But what are the necessities of the Christian faith? Well, let’s explore that together, shall we? I have found a little booklet on the internet called ‘99 essentials.’i This little book gives a good guide to explore these requisites for our faith. It will be a series in which we are going to find out and discuss what we as Christians ought to believe about God and His word, and Christianity overall.
I am going to tackle these essentials one by one, else the video is going to be way too long.
1. God’s Revelation
Which is divided in eight different kinds of revelations.
2. About whom God is
In this part, we will look at fifteen characteristics of God.
3. Creation
Eleven different aspects of what we see and experience and may believe in and about creation.
4. Fall
This episode will contain eleven principles about the fall.
5. Redemption
As you might have guessed, this part is going to be long as we will discuss 29 different facets concerning redemption.
6. The Church
Also, a longer episode because we are going to talk about 17 features which are essential for the Church.
7. Restoration
And finally, we will discuss the Biblical view on restoration. Only five points to talk about but certainly not less important.
Closing
I hope you, like I, look forward to this series. My prayer is that it will help you to understand Christianity better and that this series will encourage you in your faith.
More is coming soon, so stay tuned!
Let’s close with the words from 2 Peter 1:2
grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord
Endnotes
i The Gospel Project, 99 essentials, LifeWay Christian Resources, [internet] <https://gospelproject.lifeway.com/resources/> accessed 08-10-2024.
Part 2: God’s Revelation
What are the necessities of the Christian faith? Well, Well, that’s what we are exploring in this series. This is the second part in which we will look at what we believe about God’s revelation.
1. General Revelation
General revelation is how God shows Himself through the world around us and through our own conscience. The Bible mentions this in places like Psalm 19 and Romans 2.
While we can learn some things about God, such as His power and wisdom from the universe or our sense of morality, this knowledge is limited. It does not give us the full understanding needed to truly know God or achieve salvation. However, it does provide enough insight for us to be responsible for recognising and rejecting God’s truth when we choose to act against it.
Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse
2. Special Revelation
Special revelation is how God shows Himself to people through momentous events, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. This type of revelation helps us understand God’s nature, His desires, His purpose for the world, and His plan for saving humanity. It basically reveals who God is, and because of this revelation, we can have a personal relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ.
3. Inspiration of Scripture
The inspiration of Scripture means that God guided the human writers of the Bible to write down His message for people in their original texts. Sometimes, this guidance happened through dictation, where God spoke directly to the writers, like we see in the book Revelations, where Jesus spoke directly to John. More often, it occurred through the special influence of the Holy Spirit, working through the unique styles of the authors, making their writings truly the words of God.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
4. Inerrancy of Scripture
Inerrancy is the belief that the Bible is entirely true and free from errors in all its teachings, regardless of the topic. Accepting the Scriptures as inerrant does not exclude the biblical writers from sharing their human emotions and viewpoints. Neither does it exclude the use of rounded numbers. It also means that the writers could have used different styles of writing, even when they refer to the same event. That being said, the teaching of Biblical inerrancy affirms that Scripture is a reliable guide for salvation and is truthful in everything it states. In others words, Jesus wasn’t mistaking when He referred to Adam and Eve as the first humans.
5. Authority of Scripture
The Bible is the inspired Word of God and serves as His special message to people. It is the highest authority for Christians. Since it is true in all it teaches, Scripture provides wisdom and guidance on living a life that honours God. To accept the authority of Scripture means we must trust and follow God by believing and acting on His Word.
I dare say that the Bible is actually the highest authority for all humans, Christians and unbelievers alike. However, unbelievers do not accept it as such. Still, they all ‘steal’ from the Bible when it comes to morality and certain decisions they make, showing that they accept, albeit unwillingly, the authority of Scripture.
6. Clarity of Scripture
God provided His Word as the ultimate guide for life and faith. It is written clearly enough to be understood with the Holy Spirit’s assistance. This does not mean that everybody will completely understand the Bible the first time they read it. It does not suggest that every part is simple to interpret and explain, nor does it mean we won’t make errors in understanding. It means that we can understand God’s plan of salvation without having to listen to a guru. Not only that, but it also means that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, individuals can grasp the biblical text on their own by using proper interpretation methods.
7. Understanding Scripture
When we read the Bible we need the Holy Spirit to help us through understanding. God’s wisdom is infinitely greater than ours. On top of that, we have to deal with our sinful nature. This is why we cannot fully understand all spiritual truths by ourselves. When interpreting God’s Word, Christians do not depend only on human reasoning or a group of scholars, because we know they too are suffering from the same fallen nature as we do. Instead, we ultimately trust in the Holy Spirit’s work. God’s Holy Spirit is the one who brings light to the Scriptures in our hearts and minds.
John 16:15
All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he [the Holy Spirit] shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
8. Preservation of Scripture
God has revealed Himself to people through the Scriptures, which He inspired and ensured are without mistake. Throughout history, God has also directed events to keep the biblical text safe for future generations. Our faith in the preservation of Scripture is backed by research into how the Scripture canon was created and how manuscripts have been carefully passed down over the years.
Even though many unbelievers would like you to believe that the Bible has many mistakes because it is a ‘copy from a copy from a copy from a copy,’ their claim is without merit. The Bible has been scrutinised and researched more than any other old documents. God made sure that we have enough old copies to ensure that what we read in the Bible is the same as the original text.
Closing
This was the second part of this series. I hope it will help you to understand Christianity better and that this series will encourage you in your faith.
More is coming soon so stay tuned!
Part 3: About God
What are the necessities of the Christian faith? Well, that’s what we are exploring in this series. This is the third part in which we will look at what we believe about who and what God is.
You can go to my website or one of my video channels to see the other parts. I will put the links in the description of this video.
9. God is One
The Bible states that there is only one God. The famous text in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, also called the Shema, starts with “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” [Shem·a’ Yisra·el, Ado·nai E·loheinu, Ado·nai Eh’ad]
Throughout the time in the Old and New Testament the belief in one God was completely the opposite of the beliefs of the surrounding cultures. While many cultures worshipped multiple gods or focused on just one god among many, the Israelites understood from God’s own revelation that Yahweh, the Lord, is the only true God and that all others where fake.
10. God is One but Exists in Three Persons
The teaching of the Trinity is a core doctrine within Christianity. Straying from it means moving away from traditional Christianity.
The Bible teaches that there is only one God. Jesus confirmed it in Mark 12:29 when he answered a scribe: “The first of all the commandments is , Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” Later Paul repeated this in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, “there is none other God but one.”
But the Bible also shows that God is made up of three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully God—the Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (Philippians 2), and the Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). They are distinct from one another (Matt. 11:27; John 10:30; 14:16).
Again, this perfect unity among the three Persons is a core belief.
11. God never Changes
Who God is, and His qualities, as well as the moral principles He has established, never change. This indicates that God is devoted to His role. It also means that He is consistent throughout ages—yesterday, today, and forever. As Christians, we see God’s unchanging nature as a source of hope, because it sees to it that He will not alter His decisions or break His promises. This is why we can feel secure and at peace, because we know that the God who led us from darkness into His wonderful light will continue to guide us into eternity.
12. God is Holy
God’s holiness means He is different from everything He created. The Hebrew word for ‘holy’ signifies being ‘separate’ or ‘set apart.’ It also means that He is completely pure. God is not affected by any evil thing in the world. His goodness is flawless, and the moral guidelines in the Bible mirror His holy character. We are created in God’s image. As such we are invited to pursue holiness.
13. God Is Love
God is love, means that love is at the core of who God is. Perfect love exists fully within God. The doctrine of the Trinity is a perfect match with this idea. Let me explain. To be love, one needs to have someone to love. So, even before creation we can say that God was love. God’s love can be expressed to the Son and to the Holy Spirit because God is three Persons in One being. In other words, God can express his love among the three persons in the trinity. This is also the reason a Muslim will not be able to say that Allah is love. They will say that Allah gives love but because he is just one person, he can be never love himself as he did not have anything to love before creation. He had nothing to show his love to.
The love we experience among ourselves is just a faint image of the perfect love found in God. The most significant act of love from God to humanity is not about providing material things, but rather giving Himself through Jesus Christ, allowing us to be brought back into a relationship with Him.
14. God Is Gracious
God loves to give kindness to those who don’t deserve it.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God
His grace is most evident in the salvation He offers through Jesus Christ. Because of our sins, we do not deserve salvation; we have all turned away from God, and this means we deserve death.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yet, instead of abandoning us in our sins, God shows His grace by offering forgiveness and atonement through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
15. God is Merciful
Mercy is pointing to God’s kindness. His merci is shown when He does not give punishment for wrongdoing.
Titus 3:4-5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost
Both mercy and grace are gifts. A gift is something we receive for free and its is undeserved. In other words, we cannot earn mercy and grace. If they could be earned, they would not be true gifts any more, would they.
16. God Is Trustworthy
God is trustworthy, or faithful, because He always keeps His promises. We see His trustworthiness in how He fulfilled the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The apostle Paul emphasised that God is faithful to His word.
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
We embody God’s essence by honouring the promises we made with Him and with those around us.
17. God is Just
The moral standards set by God reflect His righteousness. We, humans, are moral beings, and we will be judged based on these standards.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
It would be unjust, or unfair, if God did not uphold His righteousness. It would mean He is not true to His own character. Because humanity has sinned and failed to meet God’s standards, He has chosen to provide a way for those who believe in Christ to be both just and justified.
Romans 3:25-26
God hath set [Jesus Christ] forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
18. God is Truthful
The Bible makes it clear that God is never untruthful. He shows us things as they truly are. We can trust everything He says because He stands behind the truth of His words. Our call to be honest and not to lie comes from the complete honesty of our Creator. Speaking the truth reflects the image of God, whose Son is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
19. God is Infinite
God’s infinity means He has no limits on His qualities and existence.
Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.
For example, God is infinite in space and time, meaning He is not limited by physical space and is not bound by time since He exists outside of it. God’s infinity also includes His complete knowledge of everything and His ability to accomplish anything according to His will.
20. God Knows Everything
The Bible tells us that God knows everything. This is what we also say that God is Omniscient. He possesses ‘perfect knowledge’, which covers all things—past, present, and future, including the choices made by His free creatures.
Job 37:16
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, The wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?
His understanding is complete, and since He exists outside of time, He has always known what will happen. Acknowledging God’s all-knowing nature, we recognise our limited understanding and place our trust in His wise and good choices.
21. God Is Omnipotent
God is all-powerful: there is nothing God cannot do so long as it does not contradict His own nature or law. God has power and authority over the universe He created, from the largest solar system to the smallest particle. Affirming that God is all-powerful does not mean that God do everything. He can not sin—since that would go against His perfect moral nature. As Christians, we rest in the belief that God, who has all power, a good God is. We gain great comfort by knowing that an all-powerful God is working for our good and joy.
22. God is Omnipresent
God’s omnipresence means He is present in every place and at every moment. Since God exists beyond time and space, He is not bound by their limits.
Acts 17:24
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands
He is with us no matter where we are and knows everything that happens; nothing is hidden from Him.
Psalm 33:14
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
God’s omnipresence helps prevent sin—because we realise that He sees everything—and it provides great comfort and hope for believers.
23. God is Transcendent
God’s transcendence means He is separate from and not dependent on the world He created. He is greater than we in His power, goodness, and purity. He is absolutely above all. This teaches us that God is naturally superior to us; His thoughts and actions are beyond our understanding. When God saves us, He helps us achieve our true purpose as humans; however, this does not mean we become God or lose the differences between God and people.
24. God Is Immanent
When we say God is immanent, we mean He is close and relatable to those created in His image, while still being completely different from everything else. Be careful not to confused the word ‘immanent’ with the word ‘imminence,’ which can refer to the timing of Jesus’ return to earth. Immanence means that God is not a distant figure, who just watches from His throne without engaging. Instead, He is a personal God who made people to have a close relationship with Him.
God’s presence is evident throughout the Bible. The written word of God shows His care and involvement in the world. Israel’s endurance in biblical times and the Incarnation of Jesus strongly demonstrate that God is active and present. He is actively “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). He is Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” highlighting His closeness, He is immanent.
Closing
This was the second part of this series. I hope it will help you to understand Christianity better and that this series will encourage you in your faith.
More is coming soon so stay tuned!
Part 4: Creation
What are the necessities of the Christian faith? Well, that’s what we are exploring in this series. This is the forth part in which we will look at what we believe and can know about creation.
You can go to my website or one of my video channels to see the other parts. I will put the links in the description of this video.
25. Creation out of Nothing
The Bible states that God made the universe—everything we can see and cannot see—from nothing This is what people refer to when they talk about ‘creatio ex nihilo,’ which is Latin. This means that before God created anything, there was only God. In the third part we already said that God is eternal, while everything else has a starting point. Thus, the eternal God governs all of His creation and is the only one deserving of worship. When we reject this teaching it will affect our understanding of God’s control and care over creation. Since God created from nothing, creation has significance and purpose, leading us to recognise the Creator.
26. The Goodness of Creation
In Genesis 1, God consistently stated that everything He made was good, even “very good” (1:31). It is considered good because God created it with a purpose—to show and reflect His good character. Thus, sin and evil should not be viewed as essential parts of creation but as distortions of it. Although creation has been damaged by sin, it remains good in God’s hands and continues to fulfil His purpose of revealing His glory in the world. We should recognise and strive to maintain the goodness of His creation (Gen. 2:15).
27. God’s Glory
God’s glory shows His work and how He reveals His perfect nature through what He does. It also shows His awesome reputation, which is one reason we should praise Him. Another meaning is the natural beauty of God, the intense brightness and splendour of His existence as He exhibits His qualities for everyone to see. The Bible says that people have “fallen short” of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) because we have turned away from the reason God made us—that is, to bring Him glory, to worship and to enjoy Him forever (the Westminster Shorter Catechism – 1. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever).
28. The Image of God in People
The image of God in people means showing God’s qualities in who we are, what we do, and how we connect with others. Jesus represents the true image of God. He reflects God’s qualities perfectly, He follows God’s will, and has a flawless relationship with the Father. The Bible talks about the image of God in people, even after we fell into sin, although our ability to reflect God correctly has been damaged.
29. God’s Plan and Human Action
God is in control of everything, including what people choose to do. Proverbs 19:21 tells us,
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail.
Although we may not fully understand it, God’s plan moves forward through the choices we make as moral beings. Even our wrong choices fit into God’s larger plan, like the crucifixion of Jesus, which was both part of God’s foreknowledge and the result of people’s bad decisions (Acts 2:23). Since we know that God works everything for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), we can trust that He will carry out His plan, even when we don’t see how it all fits together.
30. God’s Providence
Providence means God is actively involved in His creation. This includes how He keeps the world running, guides it, and cares for His people
Colossians 1:17 (see also Hebrews 1:3; Genesis 8:21-22)
and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Christians believe that the world and the universe depend on God and cannot exist without Him. They also believe that God personally intervenes in the world, influencing both nature and the events in human history.
31. Prayer and Providence
I often heard the question of why we should pray. After all, God is in charge and knows what will happen anyway. The Bible shows that while God has a plan for the world that He will carry out, prayer is a way He works to achieve His goals. Even though God knows the final outcome, the steps to reach that outcome often happen through and with prayer. In this way, it is correct to say that “prayer changes things.”
James 5:16b
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
God has assured us that He will act powerfully when we pray. He has shown that prayer is a tool for changing situations, not for changing Him, in line with His divine plan. This verse indicates that our prayers can influence our lives and the lives of those around us.
James 4:2-3 (CEV)
You want something you don’t have, and you will do anything to get it. You will even kill! But you still cannot get what you want, and you won’t get it by fighting and arguing. You should pray for it. Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.
32. The Problem of Evil
Many people claim that if God is all-powerful, all-loving, and knows everything, then evil shouldn’t exist in our world. They argue that since evil is present, God either doesn’t exist or isn’t good or powerful. However, obviously this argument against God has flaws. First, the anger we feel about bad things implies there is a ‘good’ moral standard, which only exists with God. Secondly, God might have a good reason, even if we don’t understand it, for allowing evil and suffering for a time. It is pretty boastful to think we know why God allows evil to happen. Based on what we know about God’s nature and intentions, Christians can trust that even in times of evil, God is working for our good (Romans 8:28).
Isaiah 55:8-9
The Lord says: “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.
God wants everyone to follow His commands for our benefit. However, He didn’t make us robots; we have the freedom to choose to obey or disobey, to believe or not, and to live in sin or seek forgiveness. Many times, like Adam and Eve, we pick our own path, which is why evil will persist until Jesus comes back.
33. Miracles
A miracle is an occurrence where God alters the usual course of nature or goes beyond natural laws to show His greatness or confirm His message. The Bible contains many accounts of miracles; signs and wonders often appeared when a prophet or apostle delivered God’s message to the people. Since we view God as all-powerful and actively engaged in our world, we believe He can and does perform miracles.
34. Angels
In addition to creating humans and animals, the Bible mentions other beings created by God—angels. These beings are also called ‘sons of God,’ ‘holy ones,’ ‘spirits,’ ‘principalities,’ and ‘powers’ in Scripture. The word ‘angel’ means messenger. This meaning highlights one of their main roles. Throughout the Bible, angels serve various purposes: They glorify God, fulfil His plans, and remind people that the spiritual realm exists.
35. Demons
Demons are angels who rebelled against God and now spread evil in the world (Job 1:6; Zechariah 3:1; Luke 10:18). They work against God and want to ruin His plans, as shown by Satan, their leader, who wants to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). While demons have some power, they are still under God’s authority and can only do what He allows them to do. Ultimately, all demons will be thrown into the lake of fire, which will be made for them at the end of time.
Closing
This was the fourth part of this series. I hope it will help you to understand Christianity better and that this series will encourage you in your faith.
More is coming soon so stay tuned!
