Our Faith As Christians, we are, above all, believers. We believe in the Bible, in God, in Christ, in the Spirit, and in God’s redemption a...
Our Faith
As Christians, we are, above all, believers. We believe in the Bible,
in God, in Christ, in the Spirit, and in God’s redemption and
salvation. Concerning the Bible The first item of our faith is that
the Bible is the Word of God. Concerning the Bible, the apostle Paul
says, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16a). The Scriptures
were written by godly men under God’s inspiration. We also believe
that the Bible contains the completed divine revelation. All aspects
of our faith are founded on the Bible and controlled by the Bible. We
accept what the Bible says in full, from Genesis to Revelation, and we
reject any thought of man that goes beyond what the Bible says. The
Bible is the true and objective gift from God that offers to us His
revelation concerning Himself, His full salvation, and His plan, or
economy, for man. Because the Bible is the Word of God, we believe in
its accuracy and maintain its infallibility.
Concerning God Of course,
the major topic of the Bible is God, and God is the object of our
faith. From the revelation of the Scriptures we believe that our God
is uniquely one yet triune. Although it is beyond our human
comprehension, the Bible clearly shows that God is at the same time
uniquely one (1 Tim. 2:5) yet distinctly three (Matt. 28:19). He is
eternally the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Three of the Divine
Trinity are distinct but not separate. Where the Father is, the Son is
also, as the Lord Jesus tells us in John 10:38, “...the Father is in
Me and I am in the Father.” The same mutual indwelling also exists
between the Son and the Spirit as well as between the Spirit and the
Father. Among the Three of the Trinity, the Father, as His name
implies, is the source of the Divine Trinity; the Son is the
expression of the Father; and the Spirit is the realization of all
that the Son is and has. But these fine points of our faith are not
mere theological difficulties. Because our God is triune, we have a
way to experience and enjoy Him. The apostle Paul clearly relates the
Three of the Trinity to the experience of the believers: “The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). According to the New
Testament, all Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are in the
believers (Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:27; John 14:17). Concerning Christ We
believers are called Christians because
we are men and women of Christ. Christ is the most wonderful Person in
the universe, and we are joyfully called by His name. Christ is
eternally God. In eternity past, before creation, He was God; He is
God now; and He will be God forever. And yet one day He became a man,
our Lord Jesus. Hence, Christ is both the complete God and the perfect
man. Without abandoning His divinity, He was conceived in the womb of
a human virgin, was born as a baby, lived a human life on earth, and
died a vicarious and all- inclusive death on the cross, thereby
accomplishing our redemption. But He did not remain in death. After
three days He resurrected to become a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor.
15:45b). The power of His divinity swallowed up death, and His
humanity was resurrected and glorified. Today He is both our Redeemer
and our life. He has ascended to the heavens and
is in glory, ever yet fully God but still fully man.
As such, Christ
is now the Author of our salvation and the Perfecter of our faith (Heb
2:10; 12:2). He is seated in the heavens, carrying out His heavenly
ministry and accomplishing God’s economy (Acts 5:31; Heb. 8:1-2). We
look to His imminent return, when He will come back with the kingdom
of God and reign over the earth in the millennium (Rev. 1:7; 11:15;
20:6). Concerning the Spirit The Third of the Trinity is the Spirit.
As the Father is the source of the Divine Trinity, the Spirit is the
consummation of the Divine Trinity.
All that the Father has and is, is
embodied in the Son; and all that the Son is, is realized as the
Spirit. For this reason, He is called the Spirit of reality (John
15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6). The reality of what Christ is and even of
what the Triune God is, is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit carried
out the incarnation of Christ (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20). Because He
bears to us the humanity, human living, and death of Jesus, He is
called the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7); and because the divinity and
resurrection of Christ are made real to us by Him, He is called the
Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). He is also called the Spirit of Jesus
Christ, indicating that He is the source of the bountiful supply to
the believers (Phil. 1:19). The Spirit of Jesus Christ is compounded
with His humanity and death and with His divinity and resurrection.
This Spirit is the Spirit of life and the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:2,
11). As the Lord Spirit, He transforms us by renewing us (2 Cor. 3:18;
Titus 3:5). The all-inclusive Spirit is our holy anointing
(2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27), as typified by the compound ointment
in Exodus 30:23-31. As such, He becomes a seal and a pledge to us
(Eph. 1:13-14). Daily the Spirit comforts us as our Paraclete (John
14:16-17), supplies us in our Christian walk, and intercedes for us
(Rom 8:4, 26). Such a Spirit was breathed into us as our life
essentially (John 20:22) and was poured out upon us as power
economically (Acts 2:1-4, 17). In the age of degradation, this
wonderful Spirit is intensified sevenfold as the seven Spirits of God
(Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6). Eventually, this intensified Spirit, as the
consummation of the Triune God, becomes one with the redeemed,
regenerated, renewed, transformed, and glorified church, which is His
bride, for the manifestation and expression of the Triune God in
eternity (Rev. 22:17). Concerning God’s Redemption and Salvation The
Triune God is indeed wonderful, but man falls far short of what God
intended him to be. Man has fallen and is hopelessly lost in sin. Yet
because of His great love for man, God in Christ came to redeem man to
Himself. Formerly, man belonged to God; but through the fall of our
first ancestors, all our race was enslaved to the devil and to sin,
and we came under the heavy demands of God’s righteousness, holiness,
and glory. We were absolutely unable to fulfill the requirements. But
Christ fulfilled all the requirements through His death on the cross.
This accomplished an eternal redemption for us, and this redemption is
the base of God’s full salvation. Because of Christ’s death, God
forgives sinners of their sins (Eph. 1:7), reconciles them, His
enemies, to Himself (Rom. 5:10), and justifies them by making Christ
their righteousness (Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30). Based on Christ’s
redemption, God regenerates the redeemed with His Spirit (John 3:5-6)
to consummate His salvation, that they may become His children (John
1:12-13). Now possessing God’s life and nature, the believers enjoy a
daily salvation in this age (Rom. 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:2; Phil. 2:12) and
the eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9) in the coming age and in eternity.
This salvation is a salvation in life (Rom. 5:10), not merely a
salvation from eternal punishment. The life that we enjoy in this
salvation is the Triune God Himself realized in Christ (1 John 5:20)
as the eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14). This is symbolized by the river of
water of life, flowing in the New Jerusalem, and by the tree of life,
growing in the river (Rev. 22:1-2), both of which are for the eternal
life supply of all God’s redeemed people. This is God’s full,
complete, and dynamic salvation. “So great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3)!
in God, in Christ, in the Spirit, and in God’s redemption and
salvation. Concerning the Bible The first item of our faith is that
the Bible is the Word of God. Concerning the Bible, the apostle Paul
says, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16a). The Scriptures
were written by godly men under God’s inspiration. We also believe
that the Bible contains the completed divine revelation. All aspects
of our faith are founded on the Bible and controlled by the Bible. We
accept what the Bible says in full, from Genesis to Revelation, and we
reject any thought of man that goes beyond what the Bible says. The
Bible is the true and objective gift from God that offers to us His
revelation concerning Himself, His full salvation, and His plan, or
economy, for man. Because the Bible is the Word of God, we believe in
its accuracy and maintain its infallibility.
Concerning God Of course,
the major topic of the Bible is God, and God is the object of our
faith. From the revelation of the Scriptures we believe that our God
is uniquely one yet triune. Although it is beyond our human
comprehension, the Bible clearly shows that God is at the same time
uniquely one (1 Tim. 2:5) yet distinctly three (Matt. 28:19). He is
eternally the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Three of the Divine
Trinity are distinct but not separate. Where the Father is, the Son is
also, as the Lord Jesus tells us in John 10:38, “...the Father is in
Me and I am in the Father.” The same mutual indwelling also exists
between the Son and the Spirit as well as between the Spirit and the
Father. Among the Three of the Trinity, the Father, as His name
implies, is the source of the Divine Trinity; the Son is the
expression of the Father; and the Spirit is the realization of all
that the Son is and has. But these fine points of our faith are not
mere theological difficulties. Because our God is triune, we have a
way to experience and enjoy Him. The apostle Paul clearly relates the
Three of the Trinity to the experience of the believers: “The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). According to the New
Testament, all Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are in the
believers (Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:27; John 14:17). Concerning Christ We
believers are called Christians because
we are men and women of Christ. Christ is the most wonderful Person in
the universe, and we are joyfully called by His name. Christ is
eternally God. In eternity past, before creation, He was God; He is
God now; and He will be God forever. And yet one day He became a man,
our Lord Jesus. Hence, Christ is both the complete God and the perfect
man. Without abandoning His divinity, He was conceived in the womb of
a human virgin, was born as a baby, lived a human life on earth, and
died a vicarious and all- inclusive death on the cross, thereby
accomplishing our redemption. But He did not remain in death. After
three days He resurrected to become a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor.
15:45b). The power of His divinity swallowed up death, and His
humanity was resurrected and glorified. Today He is both our Redeemer
and our life. He has ascended to the heavens and
is in glory, ever yet fully God but still fully man.
As such, Christ
is now the Author of our salvation and the Perfecter of our faith (Heb
2:10; 12:2). He is seated in the heavens, carrying out His heavenly
ministry and accomplishing God’s economy (Acts 5:31; Heb. 8:1-2). We
look to His imminent return, when He will come back with the kingdom
of God and reign over the earth in the millennium (Rev. 1:7; 11:15;
20:6). Concerning the Spirit The Third of the Trinity is the Spirit.
As the Father is the source of the Divine Trinity, the Spirit is the
consummation of the Divine Trinity.
All that the Father has and is, is
embodied in the Son; and all that the Son is, is realized as the
Spirit. For this reason, He is called the Spirit of reality (John
15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6). The reality of what Christ is and even of
what the Triune God is, is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit carried
out the incarnation of Christ (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20). Because He
bears to us the humanity, human living, and death of Jesus, He is
called the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7); and because the divinity and
resurrection of Christ are made real to us by Him, He is called the
Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). He is also called the Spirit of Jesus
Christ, indicating that He is the source of the bountiful supply to
the believers (Phil. 1:19). The Spirit of Jesus Christ is compounded
with His humanity and death and with His divinity and resurrection.
This Spirit is the Spirit of life and the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:2,
11). As the Lord Spirit, He transforms us by renewing us (2 Cor. 3:18;
Titus 3:5). The all-inclusive Spirit is our holy anointing
(2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27), as typified by the compound ointment
in Exodus 30:23-31. As such, He becomes a seal and a pledge to us
(Eph. 1:13-14). Daily the Spirit comforts us as our Paraclete (John
14:16-17), supplies us in our Christian walk, and intercedes for us
(Rom 8:4, 26). Such a Spirit was breathed into us as our life
essentially (John 20:22) and was poured out upon us as power
economically (Acts 2:1-4, 17). In the age of degradation, this
wonderful Spirit is intensified sevenfold as the seven Spirits of God
(Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6). Eventually, this intensified Spirit, as the
consummation of the Triune God, becomes one with the redeemed,
regenerated, renewed, transformed, and glorified church, which is His
bride, for the manifestation and expression of the Triune God in
eternity (Rev. 22:17). Concerning God’s Redemption and Salvation The
Triune God is indeed wonderful, but man falls far short of what God
intended him to be. Man has fallen and is hopelessly lost in sin. Yet
because of His great love for man, God in Christ came to redeem man to
Himself. Formerly, man belonged to God; but through the fall of our
first ancestors, all our race was enslaved to the devil and to sin,
and we came under the heavy demands of God’s righteousness, holiness,
and glory. We were absolutely unable to fulfill the requirements. But
Christ fulfilled all the requirements through His death on the cross.
This accomplished an eternal redemption for us, and this redemption is
the base of God’s full salvation. Because of Christ’s death, God
forgives sinners of their sins (Eph. 1:7), reconciles them, His
enemies, to Himself (Rom. 5:10), and justifies them by making Christ
their righteousness (Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30). Based on Christ’s
redemption, God regenerates the redeemed with His Spirit (John 3:5-6)
to consummate His salvation, that they may become His children (John
1:12-13). Now possessing God’s life and nature, the believers enjoy a
daily salvation in this age (Rom. 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:2; Phil. 2:12) and
the eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9) in the coming age and in eternity.
This salvation is a salvation in life (Rom. 5:10), not merely a
salvation from eternal punishment. The life that we enjoy in this
salvation is the Triune God Himself realized in Christ (1 John 5:20)
as the eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14). This is symbolized by the river of
water of life, flowing in the New Jerusalem, and by the tree of life,
growing in the river (Rev. 22:1-2), both of which are for the eternal
life supply of all God’s redeemed people. This is God’s full,
complete, and dynamic salvation. “So great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3)!
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.
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