"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in
His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

1. There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29), who exists eternally (Psalm 90:2) in three Persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus Christ is fully God (John 8:58) and fully man (Hebrews 2:14-18).  

2. The Bible is the God's Word, breathed out by Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is without error (Psalm 19:7-11), never changes (Psalm 119:89-90), and sufficient for both eternal salvation and living godly lives (2 Peter 1:3-4).   

3. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created mankind, both male and female, in His image. God completed His work of creation in six days, and He said it was "very good." On the seventh day, He rested. (Genesis 1-2) 

4. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and made them stewards of His creation, telling them to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:27-28). He gave them one command, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but after Satan came to Eve in the form of a serpent, they disobeyed (Genesis 3). The sin of the first man, Adam, is imputed to his descendants, who are born needing salvation from sin (Romans 5:12-21).   

5. We have all, like sheep, gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). God, who is rich in love and mercy, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to make atonement for the sins of those who believe and trust in Him for eternal salvation (John 3:16). Jesus died on the cross, was crucified, died, and was buried, but on the third day He rose again from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). After He appeared to many people, He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-10), where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews 1:3, 10:12).

6. Salvation is a free gift of God's grace, received by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus fully paid the penalty for the sins of believers. NO human works are required for salvation, nor can our works possibly earn our salvation, which is based solely on the completed work of Christ. Even faith is a gracious gift of God. God's people serve Him in gratitude for His blessings, and their good works are evidence of saving faith. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

7. Jesus Christ will visibly return to close human history and usher in the eternal state (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7), where believers will live forever with Him, while unbelievers, Satan, and his demons will suffer eternal torture (Revelation 20 - 22).

© 1991, Christian Discernment Publications Ministry, Inc.
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