8 Foundational Doctrines of the Christian Faith: By Dr. Elmer Towns

30 Dec 2023 Comments Off on 8 Foundational Doctrines of the Christian Faith: By Dr. Elmer Towns

Knowing the eight Foundational Doctrines of the Christian Faith will help you to understand the basics of your faith so that you can stand strong and securely state your position to those who question your faith. Here is a summary of these eight major doctrines. WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT…

1. THE BIBLE. The Holy Spirit Guided human authors so that what they wrote in Scripture is accurate and without error…Ultimately, the real value of the Bible is realized in our life as we apply the Scriptures to Life.

2. GOD. Our view of God will impact the way we live…God is defined as Spirit, a person, life, self-existent, unchanging, unlimited by time and space, and a unity….God consistently works out His eternal plan by guiding and overseeing all things by His wise and holy purpose.

3. CHRIST. Jesus was in fact God incarnate in human form. He is the second person in the Trinity who came to live among us, die for us, and resurrect that someday we might be able to live with Him forever.

4. THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is not merely a force, but has all the attributes of personality and is also God as the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit’s work brings us to Christ and salvation, equips us for ministry, empowers us for service, and produces spiritual fruit in our life.

5. PEOPLE. People are unique beings. Contrary to the evolutionary view of origins, the biblical view of people identifies them as unique from animals, created in the image and likeness of God. People have both a physical and metaphysical aspect — body and soul or spirit. Because of our ancestral parent’s failure to obey God, sin was introduced into the human experience — causing the need for reconciliation to God our creator.

6. SALVATION. The single most significant experience in life is that involved in receiving the salvation provided by Christ on the Cross. This experience involves conversion, regeneration, justification, and sanctification and grants us eternal life with Christ.

7. THE CHURCH. Jesus instituted the church as a means of Christians assembling together to encourage and help one another in the Christian life and to enable them to be more effective in reaching out to others. In summary, the “ekklesia (Greek for church) is a group of “called-out ones” established for worship, instruction, fellowship, and evangelism.

8. ESCHATOLOGY (END TIMES). Eschatology literally means “the study of last things.” The doctrine of eschatology can be divided into two themes: “personal eschatology” which is the study of God’s final judgements and the eternal state — heaven or hell — and “prophetic eschatology” which is the study of the second coming of Christ and the various events related to His return.
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Dr. Elmer Towns is the former Vice President of Liberty University, which he co-founded in 1971 with Dr. Jerry Falwell. Dr. Towns has been a popular Sunday school teacher, college, and seminary professor for decades.

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