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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 first 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!
