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“In the essentials, Unity; in the
non-essentials, Diversity; in all things, Love.”
This statement begs the
question...
“What are the Essentials?”
At Rockland, we embrace Christianity as Absolute Truth revealed by God through his inspired written Word and in history, particularly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We define the essentials as the basic tenets that are clear, indisputable, and necessary to Christian faith. The non-essentials are issues of Christian doctrine that are subject to interpretation, which are debated by dedicated students and disciples of the Word of God.
The
Essentials
The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God's redemptive acts, culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters to which it speaks. It is self-attesting, and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. In a pluralistic age that affirms religious and moral relativism, the Living Word of God stands out as Absolute Truth, which transcends all human imagination and rationalization.
2 Tim 3:16-17 -
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Isaiah
55:8-11 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Romans 1:16-17 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
Psalms 119:9-11,105 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
On this sure foundation we affirm these additional Essentials of our faith:
1. There is one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To God be all honor, glory, and praise forever!
[Revelation
1:8; Exodus 20:2-3; Ephesians 4:4-6; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 4:10 ]
2.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh through His miraculous
conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth.
He who is true God became true man, united in one Person forever.
He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, just as foretold
in the Scriptures. On the third day He rose bodily from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, where He is now our personal Lord and
Mediator.
[Fulfillment:
John
3:16; John 1:1-14; John 14:6-7; Acts 4:12; John 6:35-59; Colossians 2:9-10;
Luke 1:26-38; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 26:63-64; Philippians 2: 5-11;
1 Corinthians 15:3-5; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 8:1-2]
[As
Prophesied: Isaiah
53:1-12; Psalms
22:1-31]
3. Being estranged from God and condemned by sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the gift of God's free grace through Christ’s sacrificial death, not our good deeds.
All humans have an intrinsic goodness in that we are created in God’s image, and as such, we have moral capacity and free will to make real moral choices. That image is tarnished, however, by our predisposition to sin, which is ultimately rooted in self-centeredness and rejection of God and his perfect will. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Those who invite Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior are born of the Holy Spirit, become children of God, and become heirs of eternal life. Christians acknowledge that Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death is the sole basis for their salvation, through which sinful human nature is redeemed into the perfection demanded by a loving, holy, and righteous God.
[Psalms 14:1-3; Isaiah 64:5-7; Proverbs
16:25; Romans 3:21-26; John 14:6-7; Romans 6:23; 1 Timothy
1:15-16; Matthew 5:48; Ephesians 2:1-9; Romans 3:10-20; Titus
3:3-7; Psalms 51:16-17; Revelation 3:20; Colossians 1:21-23; Galatians 2:15-16; Galatians 4:7;
Acts 15:11]
4. The Holy Spirit is fully God and fully personal.
The Spirit’s primary purpose is to bear witness to Jesus Christ. Not only was the Holy Spirit active in the processes of creation and revelation, but He shares in sustaining the universe. In particular, the Spirit instructs and guides us into all truth, convicts us of our sin, draws us into personal relationship with Christ Jesus, and makes us more Christ-like as we allow Him to dwell in our hearts.
The Spirit empowers us and imparts spiritual gifts to us so that we might serve God and His people more effectively. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as our personal Counselor and Comforter.
[John 14:16-17,26; John 16:6-15; Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 4:6-7; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians
12:1-11]
5. The true Church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, are united together in “the Body of Christ.”
The Church finds its visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship and genuine care are maintained.
[Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:22-25; Acts 20:28]
6. Just as He ascended into heaven, Jesus Christ will come again to the earth - personally, visibly, and bodily - to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
[Acts 1:10; Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12-13; Acts 3:19-21; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 22:20]
7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations.
Obedience to this “Great Commission” requires total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us." He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service.
[Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 9:35-38; Matthew 10:6-9; Romans 10:14-15; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8]
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