People often have difficulty expressing what they believe. Instead of having a verifiable belief system based on godly principles, too many Christians embrace a few vague ideas they have picked up from others. But Peter tells us always to be ready to give a reason for what we believe. (1 Peter 3:15) Therefore, we want to be sure that we have a solid knowledge of scriptural truth. Let's consider a list of biblical topics that should be a foundational part of your belief system.

Bible

    The Bible is God's unfolding revelation of Himself. It is His Word to the human race, explaining His intervention in history and nature, and His arrival in this world as the God-man. In keeping with 2 Timothy 3:16, we refer to the Scriptures as the inspired Word of God, or as "God-breathed," which means the Lord chose individuals to record what He spoke to them. Since He who gave the Word is more than able to protect it from error, the Bible we have today is as reliable as when it was originally recorded. The Word of the living God was given to us so that we might grow in our relationship with Him. This is our instruction book for life and the final authority for what we believe.

Godhead

    Although the specific term "Trinity" is found nowhere in Scripture, the truth of the tri-une God appears throughout the Bible. Our one God consists of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are characterized by the same attributes—they are eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and immutable—but each person has a different function.

    Many passages of Scripture reveal a three-part Godhead. For example, the Spirit of God hovers over the water in Genesis 1:2, and later God says, "Let Us make man in Our image . . . " (v. 26). Who is "Us" if not the Trinity? It is certainly not angels, because they are not creators.

    Jesus likewise indicates three persons comprise the Godhead: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth…" (John 14:16-17) Later He admonishes His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

    The heavenly Father is the eternal and absolutely holy Creator God. He has control over every single thing, and, as apostle Paul says, He "causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). However trying our circumstances are, He works to make them turn out for our good.

    God the Son is Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself human flesh and walked among men. Jesus never questioned His own divinity, instead affirming that "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). He came to Earth for the specific purpose of dying on the cross—His death was the substitutionary payment-in-full for our sin-debt. (1 Peter 3:18) God the Father cannot look upon sin (Psalm 66:18); consequently only a perfect, holy sacrifice could atone for it before Him. Today God the Son sits at the right hand of God the Father and makes intercession for us.

    God the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer from the moment of salvation. Through Him, we have our spiritual gift(s) and the empowerment to do the work God chooses for our life. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms the life of the believer and brings forth good things. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Satan

    Ezekiel 28:12-15 tells us God created Satan as a beautiful and eminent angel. He is real. The Devil so desired to be like God that he rebelled against the Creator, who subsequently cast him and his co-conspirators to Earth. Here he has chosen to set up a counterfeit kingdom in order that he might reign as the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan uses deception and division to ensnare believers; he also desires to keep unbelievers away from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, thereby destroying them. As the source of all sin, he instigates pain, sorrow, and death. But his insidious motives are often disguised in counterfeit religion and empty philosophy. When Satan speaks, he accuses and deceives. He condemns, antagonizes, and confuses us in an attempt to bring doubt and despair into our life.

    But as Christians, we have no cause to fear Satan. This is true for two reasons. First, "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). We are under the protection of the Holy Spirit; nothing that God does not allow can happen to us, and we know that He permits only those circumstances—no matter how bad they seem—that He can turn for our good. Second, all of us who have read Scripture have seen Satan's obituary. It is in Revelation 20 where he is thrown into a lake of fire, eternally punished for his rebellion toward Almighty God. (v. 10)

Man

    God created man in His image in order to love us and fellowship with us. We are also privileged to glorify and serve Him. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, man's relationship with the Creator changed. At the same time, man's very nature became corrupt so that each of us is born with our will inclined away from God. Consequently, we are separated from our holy, perfect heavenly Father. But God provided for man's sin with His redemptive plan—the sacrifice of His Son.

    No man can earn God's forgiveness or acceptance. It is a lie of Satan that any of us can substitute good works for the grace of Christ. Whatever "goodness" we have and whatever works we perform, they amount to nothing more than filthy rags, in terms of meriting salvation. (Isaiah 64:6 NIV) But redemption works in our life to change our nature and bend it back toward God.

Salvation

    The simplest definition of salvation is the gift of God's grace, whereby He provides forgiveness for our sins. Throughout the Old Testament, God's faithful people brought animal sacrifices to His altar in order to atone for their sins. These blood offerings foreshadowed the once-for-all sacrifice that was to come. Jesus Christ, whom John the Baptist rightly called the Lamb of God, died on a cross as a substitute for us. That is, at the time of the Savior's death, God the Father placed all the sin of mankind—past, present, and future—upon Him. So our sin-debt was paid in absolute fullness. Now we are sealed in the Holy Spirit and eternally secure.

    Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; it is not something we receive based on our behavior. (Ephesians 2:8-9) People who are saved do good works as an extension of their changed nature. The Lord said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). However, God gave mankind free will—we have a choice to receive the gift of grace or to reject Jesus Christ. No matter what you believe about God or how good you try to be, if you reject His Son, you have chosen not to receive the gift of God's salvation.

The Church

    The church is the whole body of Christ—believers from every part of the globe. It has nothing to do with being Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, or part of any other denomination. If you have trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, you are in the body of Christ, and God is your heavenly Father. Followers of Jesus are to express love for one another—encouraging, helping, and praying for fellow believers. Our conduct should be in keeping with the One we call Lord and Master of our life.

    We meet in local groups to serve the Lord. The clear work of the church is to reach out and bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In addition, we instruct believers so that all may grow in relationship to God.

    Within the church, we practice two scriptural ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism by immersion is a picture of what happens to every single person who is saved: we have put to death our old life and have risen to walk in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit. Our character, conversation, and conduct are different because we have a new spirit—we are born again. Baptism does not save you; instead, you express obedience to Jesus' call when you are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:20)

    Likewise, the Lord's Supper is not an optional idea, but it, too, is an expression of obedience. When we participate in Communion, we rejoice in the blood of the new covenant between God and His children. Instead of an animal sacrifice, there is one perfect sacrifice. When we receive the elements representing Jesus' body and blood, it is a time to celebrate our forgiveness. Even more than that, we commemorate the Lord's resurrection and joyfully anticipate His return.

    Every one of these issues is an essential part of the Christian's belief system, and they are all found in one place—the Word of God. As His children, we own the most precious book ever written. If we know what it says, we will know what we must believe to live for His glory.

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