CLASS 3/:
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES
In this Class, we will cover the following:
1. Supremacy of the Bible
2. Living in Two Worlds
3. What are Doctrines and why are they important?
4. Key Christian Doctrines
5. Christian Activism and Apologetics
6. Loveworld Exceptionalism, Expansionism and Perfectionism
1. THE SUPREMACY OF THE BIBLE
The Bible contains the Word of God, and will never be updated or go out of fashion. It is infallible, has no contradictions and is complete.
The Bible contains the Word of God which is described by our Man of God as follows:
“The Word is that message from God that reveals or communicates His works, will, thoughts, plans, purposes, and pursuits; to bring men into or promote fellowship with Him in love.
It is His message of truth with the content and power to build His image into the life of the hearers. Its content is the embodiment of Christ’s revelations, provisions, perfections and instructions.
It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction or training in righteousness” Pastor Chris - Jun 18, 2019 .
2. LIVING IN TWO WORLDS
As a Christian, you have been translated into the Kingdom of God. You are not in transit. You were successfully transported into God’s Kingdom the instant you received salvation. You are there now. Not when you get to Heaven.
Heaven is a part of God’s Kingdom and with a definite location, but while here on earth, you are in the part of God’s Kingdom established in the earth, and headed by Jesus, called the Kingdom of Heaven.
In this Kingdom, as with any Kingdom, there is a King and there are rules or a constitution to live by. Your knowledge of these will help you function most effectively and benefit most optimally in the blessings and provisions of the Kingdom in which you now belong.
Col 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”
But you may ask, “how come I still live in my house”? Because the Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom, and God is a Spirit.
But this doesn’t make it less real than the physical, in fact it makes it superior to the physical! Because the Spiritual pre-existed the physical, and gave birth to the physical and hence is greater than the physical!
You now live in two worlds, a spiritual world and a physical world. But as a member of God’s spiritual Kingdom, you have authority to dominate the physical world and not to be subject to its limitations.
Let us read the following scriptures for more light on this:
Jn 8:23 “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.’
Jn 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:”
Rom 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Jn 15:19 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
Col 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Heb 12:22 “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,”
We live in a new Kingdom, with principles that govern life in the Kingdom. The next segment discusses some of these which we call Doctrines.
3. WHAT ARE DOCTRINES AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
A Doctrine is a recognizable set of beliefs, teaching, values or instructions that are adhered to, believed, taught and practiced by a set of people.
In Christianity, our Doctrines are based on and revealed in Scriptures. We do not have doctrines or form doctrines from human beliefs, cultures, society norms, assumptions, mental or human experiences.
Our Doctrines are of God and provide us a sound, unshakable and tested pattern to follow, based on the infallible and indestructible Word of God.
Doctrines are transferable through teaching, through example and by being nurtured by those appointed of God to do so, not by just anyone (Phil 3:17, Phil 4:9)
Following the pattern given us in the scriptures also protects us from erroneous doctrines of men and devils (see 1 Tim 4:1)
4. SOME KEY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES
a. Doctrine of Righteousness
Rom 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.”
This is one of the most glorious statements in the scriptures.
And this scripture concisely puts side by side, what God made us with what God made Jesus for our sake. And this aptly communicates the Doctrine of Substitution.
If Jesus was successfully made sin for us, then we have been successfully made righteous! God did it!
Righteousness is a gift, Rom 5:17 “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”
Righteousness is a nature, the nature of God who is our Father, and hence we have same nature because we are His offsprings.
You can’t have more Righteousness than you received when you were bom again. Just as a human being can’t have more humanity from when he is a baby till adulthood. He was bom 100% human with the human nature. Same with you, when you were born again, you received the 100% nature of Righteousness.
Some have erroneously thought you can become righteous by deeds but the truth is you can only do righteous deeds when you are righteous by nature!
You are Righteous now and have the power and authority to do the right things, and reject the wrong things. It is in you. What you learn to do is walk in your nature of Righteousness which is walking in the Spirit. See Gal 5:16 “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
For the full message on this crucial teaching, a mandatory exercise before you can move to the next class is listening to the message “Understanding Righteousness”
b. In Heb 6:1-2, the Scriptures reveal some more fundamental doctrines as follows;
i. Repentance from Dead Works Heb 9:12-14
• It is essential for a Christian to realize that he is justified by faith and not by any thing that he did or does.
• In Heb 9:11-14, the writer lets us know that through the blood of Christ, we have our consciences purged from dead works to serve the living God.
• What are these dead works? Studying from verses 12-14 of the same chapter, we can see
references to sacrifices of old which were no longer required having been superceded by the perfect work of salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You can’t kill 100 cows to appease God to give you salvation. All you need is faith in what Jesus Christ has already done.
ii. Faith Towards God: Heb 11:1-6 Rom 1:17; 2 Cor 5:7.
• The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report”.
• The Christian walk is a life of faith. As God’s children, we walk by faith and not by sight. ‘Sight’ here means sensory perceptions. (2 Cor. 5:7).
• Before we got born again, we were led by our sensory perceptions, but now God wants us to change. He wants us to live by faith.
• The life of faith is not supposed to be a struggle. If you are a Christian, you already started out in that life. The Bible says in Romans 12:3 that God gave to every man the measure of faith, which is exactly all the measure you need, and then all you need is grow and make it stronger, by hearing the word and putting it to work.
iii. Baptisms
The word ‘baptise’ is derived from the Greek word ‘baptizo’, which means to ‘immerse completely into’.
a. Baptism of the Holy Spirit (the new birth): 1 Cor 12:13; Eph 4:4-5
• This is the Baptism into Body of Christ. This is what happens when a man is born again.
b. Water Baptism: Rom 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:21
• Baptism by immersion in water: This is one of the Sacraments of the Church. It is the complete immersion of one into water, and is an outward manifestation of what happens to a man when he is bom again, and baptised into Christ. It was commanded by the Lord Himself as a sign of faith, showing the world that we have believed and identified with His death, burial and resurrection.
iv. Laying on of hands:
The Laying on of hands is to impart or bestow a divine blessing, impartation of a supernatural advantage or benefit upon an individual. For example in Numbers 27:18-23, where Moses laid hands on Joshua. Deut 34:9 later records that Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses laid hands on him. We see other examples below of the laying on of hands:
• For healing: (Mark 16:18);
• For ministering the Holy Spirit
Acts 19:6);
• For impartation of spiritual gifts: (ITimothy 4:14);
• For ordination into the ministry: (Acts 13:1-3)
v. Resurrection from the Dead: John5:28-29; 1 Thess 4:13-16; 1 Cor 15:19
• In Rom 5:1 “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”.
• Death reigned until the obedience of Christ. Now Christ has abolished death 2 Tim 1:2-10 and has given us the power to choose life.
• In Christ Jesus, death cannot reign over us, but those who died in Christ have hope in the resurrection as the scriptures say in 1 Thess. 4:13-17.
• We believe in the resurrection of the dead because the word of God teaches us so. Man is a Spirit being and does not go to extinction when he dies. His spirit goes to his master - either God or the devil (Rom 6:16) but his body is buried and returns to dust till the appointed time. Jn 5:28-29, Heb 9:27
vi. Eternal Judgment
There are two types of judgment, one for believers and the other for unbelievers:
a. Christian Judgment for Reward: Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 3:11-16,1 Cor 4:5
Judgment Seat of Christ: The judgment seat of Christ is where Christians receive rewards for their deeds while on earth (1 Cor 3:13-15). Note that the Christian will not face the judgment seat to be condemned or judged. There is absolutely no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1).
b. Judgment of the Unbelievers for Condemnation: Rev 20:11-15
The Great White Throne Judgment: This is when the unbelievers will be judged for not accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Here the Church also will be present together with Christ to pass judgment on the them (1 Cor. 6:2-3).
c. Doctrine of Sanctification: Heb 10:10; ICor 6:19; IThess 5:23, ICor 1:30
This means ‘consecration’ or separation from others for a special use. It is two-fold:
• The first is the separation of the believer from the world when he gets born-again. This is instantaneous upon receiving Christ.
In this, God separated you from the world. He took you out of sin and all unrighteousness. “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God”. 1Cor 6:11, see also Heb 10:10, Jude 1:1.
The second is the continuous sanctification - spirit, soul and body - of the Christian unto God.
This is by the Word of God (Rom 12:1-2, Jn 17:17) and Ministry of the Holy Spirit affecting his whole being.
In this, the world is taken out of the believer. His mind is renewed. It’s like first taking a man out of the mud, and then taking the mud out of the man.
It is your personal responsibility to receive the word into you through study and meditation.
We have an abundance of Ministry Platforms to help you accomplish this.
More Scriptural references: 1Cor 6:11, IThess 4:4, 2 Tim 2:22
d. Doctrine on Holiness: 1 Cor 6:19; Heb 3:1
The presence of God is what confers holiness (for example in Ex 3:5). He lives in you, and that makes you holy. Your body is now the temple of the Holy Ghost who dwells in you. 1 Cor 6:19. Your Holiness has nothing to do with what you did, but what God did with you. God therefore wants you to live holy and present you body to Him as a living sacrifice for His glory (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 6:20)
e. Doctrine on Deliverance: Colossians 1:12-13
The word “deliver” means ‘to take out’ ‘to save’ ‘rescue from’, for example, from danger.
God delivered us out of the control and the dominion of darkness. We are now free from the power or authority of darkness, Col. 1:13.
Jesus made a public display of Satan’s defeat. He conquered and disarmed the power of darkness and spoiled them, that is, he took everything they had that was of value from them - Col. 2:15.
We “have been” delivered (past tense) out the domain of failure, fear, poverty, sickness, ... Not “will be” delivered. It happened already. God did not stop here, he also gave us authority over Satan and all his cohorts in the name of Jesus - Eph. 1:22, Phil. 2:9-11.
We now have the power of attorney to use his name, and in that name, we can cast out devils Mk 16:17. So a Christian does not need to be delivered from the devil, he is superior to the devil in the name of Jesus.
5. CHRISTIAN ACTIVISM AND APOLOGETICS
Apologetics refers to a systematic argumentative discourse in defence of the gospel or defence of a doctrine.
Activism is an activity that expresses active or vigorous action or confrontation on the side of a controversy or cause.
From the above we see that what the Church needs now to advance as we should is Activism. Jesus said in Matt 6:18 “...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” And the picture here is not of holding a stationary position but rather that the church will advance and satan can’t stop it!
This awareness and necessity of Christian Activism is one of the important areas our Man of God has brought into focus these past few years.
There is a place and requirement for Apologetics, but it seemed that the tilt to defence had gained so much, that actual activism had been relegated. And instead of forcefully advancing our position, Christians had become boxed into a corner of defending and explaining to the antagonists.
Activists control and dictate things, and we must not allow the Church to be at the mercy of the world system. So be passionate and take your place as an activist for Jesus. The message of life you have received is worth it. It is worth fighting for, living for and if necessary, dying for.
A necessary Study Material is the Message “Activism vs Apologetics”
6. LOVEWORLD EXCEPTIONALISM, EXPANSIONISM AND PERFECTIONISM
As a Member of the Loveworld Nation, and participator in the Vision of our Ministry, you immediately enter into very special graces given us, consistent with the Word of God, and the Mission the Lord has given us.
They are ideologies we have received and accepted. And as a member, your consciousness and acceptance of them will cause to walk in the unique blessings they carry.
a. LW Exceptionalism is the theory or idea that we are uniquely different in some way; it connotes a superiority of ideology and supremacy of calling, which also confers on us the burden and responsibility of leadership for the whole world.
b. LW Expansionism is the doctrine and endeavour of expanding our reach and influence through the relentless spreading of our message, we have that calling that Abraham had to take over the World and there are no limits for us.
c. LW Perfectionism: is the idea, doctrine and disposition to regard anything short of perfect and excellent as unacceptable.
ASSIGNMENT
1. Listen to the following Messages
Understanding Righteousness
3 Important Laws
Apologetics vs Activism
2. Write 3 Striking things you learned and which you will put to work, from each message.