The Bible Our GuideThe Bible, Our Guide
The Bible | Human Nature | The Future of the Righteous | The State of the Dead | The Return of Christ | Jesus The King | The Kingdom of God | The Source of Sin | God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit | Faith in Jesus Christ | Taking up the Cross | True Baptism | The Christian Life | Resurrection and Judgment | The Glorious End
The Bible
If we claim to be Christians we should trust in the Scriptures as confidently as Jesus and his Apostles did:- Jesus
"...The Scripture cannot be broken" John 10: 35 - Paul
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3: 16 - Peter
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" 2 Peter 1:21
"The things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven" I Peter 1:12
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Human Nature
If we claim to be Christians we should admit that we are sinful and dying creatures, without hope of life save in Christ:- Moses
"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" Genesis 3:19 - The Psalms
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish"Psalm 146: 3-4 - Isaiah
"All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth" Isaiah 40:6-7 - James
"What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away" James 4:14 - Peter
"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" I Peter 1:24
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The Future Of The Righteous
If we claim to be Christians we should admit that our reward is to be looked for on the earth, not in heaven:- The Psalms
"But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace" Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5 - Jesus
"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth"Revelation 5:10 - Daniel
"The stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth . . . In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed"
"The greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High" Daniel 2:35, 44; 7:27 - The Psalms
"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men"Psalm 115:16 - John
"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" John 3: 13
- Peter
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you ... unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last time" ". . . and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" I Peter 1:4-5, 13 - Paul
‘For our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body"Philippians 3 : 20-21 (R. V.)
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The State of the Dead
If we claim to be Christians we should recognize that the grave is a place of unconsciousness, which only resurrection can bring to an end:- The Psalms
"For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psalm 6: 5 - Hezekiah
"For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth" Isaiah 38 : 18 - Peter
"David is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day ... For David is not ascended into the heavens" Acts 2: 29, 34 - Paul
"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable"I Corinthians 15: 17-19
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The Return of Christ to the Earth
If we claim to be Christians we should join all his early disciples in looking for his second coming:- Jesus
"The Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him"Matthew 25:31 - Angels
"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" Acts 1:11 - Peter
"And (God) shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you" Acts 3:20 - Paul
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God" I Thessalonians 4:16
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Jesus the King
If we claim to be Christians we shall be sure that our Lord Jesus Christ, on his return, is to be King over the earth:- Gabriel
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" Luke 1 :32-33 - Jesus
"Swear not ... by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King" Matthew 5: 35 - Jeremiah
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness." Jeremiah 23:5-6 - Zechariah
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives ... And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one" Zechariah 14:4, 9 - Paul
"Because (God) hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" Acts 17:31
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The Kingdom of God
If we claim to be Christians we can rejoice in the knowledge that God will establish His Kingdom in power over the earth.- Daniel
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" Daniel 2:44 - Jesus
"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever ... We give thee thanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken unto thee thy great power and hast reigned" Revelation 11:15,17
- The Psalms
"The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all" Psalm 103:19 (RV) - Daniel
"The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." "(His) dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom from generation to generation" Daniel 4: 25, 34
- Moses
"If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant . . . ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation" Exodus 19:5,6 - David
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our Father, for ever and ever. Thine, 0 Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine: thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all....... Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered" I Chronicles 29 : 10-11, 23 - Ezekiel
"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem and take off the crown . . . I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him" Ezekiel 21:25-27
- Zechariah
"And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son" Zechariah 12:10; see Revelation 1:7 - Jesus
"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out" Luke 13:28
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The Source of Sin
If we claim to be Christians we shall acknowledge that sin springs from the human heart, and find in mankind the "devil" who is at enmity against God:- Jeremiah
"The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" Jeremiah 17:9 - James
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" James 1:14 - Hebrews
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil". "But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" Hebrews 2:14; 9:26 - Jesus
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these things come from within, and defile the man" Mark 7: 21-23 - Paul
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" Galatians 5:19-21
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God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
If we claim to be Christians we shall, with Jesus our Lord, acknowledge the supremacy of God, the Father; we shall see in Jesus His obedient Son; and we shall see in the Holy Spirit His personal power:- Paul
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Timothy 2:5
"The head of Christ is God" 1 Corinthians 11:3
"And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all" I Corinthians 15:28
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" Ephesians 4:4-6 - Jesus
"My Father is greater than I" John 14:28
"The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do" John 5: 19
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love" John 15:10
"Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" Luke 22:42 - The Angel Gabriel
"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" Luke 1:35 - Peter
"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" 2 Peter 1:21
"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" Acts 10:38
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Faith in Jesus Christ
If we claim to be Christians we shall know that faith in Jesus is essential. A Christian must accept the true gospel before he can belong to Christ:- Jesus
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16
"For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" John 8:24 - Paul
"For (the gospel of Christ) is the power of God unto salvation to every one that behaveth: to the Jew first and also to the Greek". "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" Romans 1:16; 10:9 - Hebrews
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" Hebrews 11:6
- Paul
"But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel into you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" Galatians 1:8
- Jesus
"Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" Matthew 7:13-14
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Taking up the Cross
If we claim to be Christians we shall want to renounce the weakness and pride of our fleshly nature, and lay it down after the pattern of Jesus' death on the Cross:- Jesus
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" Matthew 16:24 - Paul
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who . . . humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" Philippians 2:5-11
"Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed" Romans 6:6
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me"; "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts"; "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14 - Jesus
"These are they which ... have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" Revelation 7:14
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True Baptism
If we claim to be Christians we shall know that we must obey the command of Jesus, to follow our faith by baptism:- Jesus
"Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness . . . And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water . . . and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" Matthew 3:15-17
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned" Mark 16:16
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" John 3:5 - Peter
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins"; "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized . . . and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" Acts 2:38,41-42 - Paul
". . .so many of you as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death" Romans 6:3-4
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The Christian Life
If we claim to be Christians we shall want to follow the pattern of Jesus' life, keep his commandments, remember his death, and keep unspotted from the world:- Jesus
"If ye love me, keep my commandments". "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another" John 14:15; 13:34
"Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" Matthew 26:52 - John
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world . . . For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" 1 John 2:15-16 - Paul and Jesus
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come" 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
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Resurrection and Judgement
If we claim to be Christians we shall know that one day we must stand before the Lord Jesus Christ as our Judge, to receive blessing or condemnation:- Jesus
"Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37 - Paul
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" 2 Corinthians 5:10 - Daniel
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" Daniel 12:2 - Jesus
"...and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth" Revelation 11:18 - Paul
"...There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust". "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled" Acts 24:15,25 - Peter
"They (who walk in the lusts of men) shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead" 1 Peter 4:5
- Jesus
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . . Then shall he say also to them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" Matthew 25:31-46
"It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire" Mark 9:43-48
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The Glorious End
If we claim to be Christians we shall look to the time when the earth will be perfected through the work of Christ, and filled with God's glory:- To Moses
"But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" Numbers 14:21 - Psalms
"Give the king thy judgments, 0 God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness . . . Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory" Psalm 72:1,18-19 - Isaiah
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" Isaiah 11:9 - Habakkuk
"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" Habakkuk 2:14 - Paul
"Then cometh the end, when (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 - Jesus
"And death and hell (the grave) were cast into the lake of fire". "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" Revelation 20:14; 21:3-4
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