The Bible is God’s word. He used men to write down his message by inspiring them to know what to write. It is a combination of 66 books. The Bible was completed with the last book, Revelation. Scripture is another name for the writings in the Bible. Our beliefs and instructions come only from the Bible.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17
God is a real person. There is only one God. He describes Himself as having three parts, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, unchanging, honorable, just, and loving. God always does what is right. He created everything. God deserves our respect, admiration, obedience and love.
“God, who at various times and in various ways
spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,
whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the worlds;
who being the brightness of His glory
and the express image of His person,
and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”
Hebrews 1:1-4
The Bible describes sin as crossing the line and as missing the mark. God sets the boundaries and targets. Sin can be described as thinking or doing anything that God says is wrong. It is more than things that will send you to prison, like murder. Everyone sins. The problem is that sin separates us from God, now and forever. This separation has a name, death.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
The bad news is that sin continues to create problems for us even after we die. We will continue to exist because God made us in His own image. Sinners do not go to heaven to live with God. Sinners go to a place of permanent pain and punishment in hell. The worst news is that no one can do anything about sin to prevent this from happening.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
The good news is that God is all-powerful and is loving. We cannot do anything to help ourselves but He can and did. God came to Earth in the form of a man, Jesus. Jesus was Mary’s son but he did not have a human father. Mary’s husband, Joseph, was his step-father. Jesus was completely human and also fully God.
Jesus never, ever sinned. He did not deserve death. This made him able to take the punishment for every person, those living before, during and afterwards. Jesus did more then die for us. Jesus came back to life in three days. His resurrection conquered death.
What Jesus did can save us from going to hell. It is a free gift that he has for us. However, like any gift, we have the choice to accept or refuse it. If we accept it then he takes care of all of the rest and we do not have to worry about ever losing it. An all-powerful, all-wise God knows how to do things right the first time.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ”Romans 5:8
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13
The Bible has instructions for what we should do after we have accepted the salvation that Jesus offers. Many of the instructions deal with the way we live our life each day. Baptism is different in that it is done only once. It is a way of publicly demonstrating that you are saved, and that you intend to obey God.
Baptism must meet certain criteria to match the instructions in the scriptures. It would not make sense to make a public declaration of obedience and then disobey the instructions on how to make this declaration.
Proper Candidate
A person who is already saved. The act of baptism does not save. You have to ask Jesus for salvation.
Proper Reason
Baptism needs to be done for the right reason. For example, it should not be done only because your family or friends want you to. It is a statement that you want to obey God and describes your personal intentions.
Proper Method
The Bible teaches that baptism is done by putting your body completely under water. Immersion pictures Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Proper Administrator
The Bible states that the authority to baptize belongs to the church. It does not belong to individuals, with the one-time exception of John the Baptist. When the candidate asks the church for baptism, the church votes to approve the request. The church chooses an individual to physically perform the baptism. This is normally pre-decided and is usually the pastor.
But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Acts 8:12
As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water!
What prevents me from being baptized?"
And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said,
"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water,
Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away;
and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8: 36-39
The church is an institution that Jesus started while he was still here on earth. Like a school or franchise, there are many different, local churches. Each one must follow the instructions in the Bible to be a scriptural church. The church has a specific function or role.
The start of a new church is like the start of a new family. At the wedding, the bride and groom make vows or promises to each other. The family can grow as children are added. When a new church begins, a group of people who are already saved and baptized promise or covenant together to form a new church that will follow the teachings in the Bible.
When a person receives approval from a church to be baptized, the church also votes the accept this person as a member after the baptism. If a person was baptized in a different church and wants to join, the church will vote to accept this person as a member if the baptism met the scriptural requirements. This person’s membership will be removed from the previous church. If the church that performed the baptism does not follow the Bible teachings then the candidate will need to be baptized properly.
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20