THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
By David J. Stewart
2nd John 1:9, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
There is nothing more important to Christianity than the fundamentals of the Bible—the Doctrine of Christ. A “doctrine” is simply a teaching. Doctrines are composed of words. Thus words are critically important. The great theological battles and debates of our generation are being fought over the meaning of words, whether it be the word “repentance” or the word “inspired,” the spiritual battle is raging.
God deliver us from deeper-life theologians who can quote the Bible, dissect it and expound upon it, but they never share the gospel with their neighbors and let the world die and go to Hell. On my website ministry, I aim to encourage everyone to be a soul-winner. Proverbs 11:30 says, “He that winneth souls is wise.” That's one Scripture that you won't hear often from the intelligencia crowd.
Granted, it is “God that giveth the increase” (1st Corinthians 3:7). Our part is to preach the gospel, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ Who died, was buried and rose again three days later for our sins (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).
Thus, it is critically important that we never stop ringing the bell of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, including the deity of Jesus, the virgin birth of Christ and His bodily, literal, resurrection from the dead. In an age when psychology is replacing Bible-preaching in our churches, and entertainment is replacing the power of God, the Doctrine of Christ cannot be stressed enough.
What is the “DOCTRINE OF CHRIST?” It is the doctrine that Jesus is the only way to Heaven—by His virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious (substitutionary) death, burial, bodily resurrection, ascension, High-priestly intercession, and coming again for us to take us to Heaven. The doctrine of Christ is the teaching of salvation alone in Christ, which is THE TRUTH about Jesus Christ, as taught in the Word of God.
The Doctrine of Christ includes, but is not limited to (as taught in the faithful King James Bible):
- The Godhead, often called the “Trinity” [i.e., one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) Who is composed of the 3 literal Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20; Genesis 11:7; Colossians 2:9; Matthew 3:16-17)]
- The Godhead became incarnate, i.e., became FLESH in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3,14; 1st Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9)
- Jesus is the only BEGOTTEN Son of God (John 3:16)
- Christ's deity, i.e., Jesus is Almighty God (John 1:1-3,14; John 10:33; 1st Timothy 3:16; Revelation 1:8)
- Christ's death, burial and bodily resurrection (1st Corinthians 15:1-4)
- Jesus' sinless life and perfection (2nd Corinthians 5:21; 1st Peter 2:21-22; Hebrews 4:15)
- Jesus' literal, physical, blood sacrifice for our sins (1st Peter 1:18-19; Hebrews 9:12,22-24)
- Christ's virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)
- Jesus' bodily ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:11)
- Jesus' bodily return at the Rapture for the saints (1st Thessalonians 4:17; Philippians 3:19)
These are all fundamental doctrines of the Bible-believing, Christian faith. The FOUNDATION of our Christian faith is JESUS CHRIST. The foundation has already been laid, so you cannot lay another foundation. The price for your sins have been paid in full. YOU ARE A SINNER, and unless you accept Christ's payment for your sins, you will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15).
Beware of the false teaching in most churches today, even many Baptist churches, which says that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; but you also have to stop sinning to get saved, and commit your life to Christ, surrendering fully to Christ's Lordship. This is like a passenger in a car giving the driver contradictory directions, telling the driver to turn right and left at the same time. Either salvation is by grace or it is by works, but it cannot be both. We learn this truth in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” An excellent book on the subject of salvation is titled, I NEVER KNEW YOU, by Michael Patrick Bowen. May I kindly say, “GRACE IS NO MORE GRACE” in every church that teaches the heresy of Lordship Salvation.
Please understand that I didn't know any of these doctrines when I got saved as a young teenager. All I knew was that I was a sinner and Jesus was the Savior. That's all I knew for years to come, until I gradually learned the Doctrine of Christ. You don't need to know all this to be saved; but if a person is taught these doctrines from the Bible, and they still deny them, then something is wrong. A saved person will not deny the Virgin Birth of Jesus if they've been taught so from the Scriptures.
“I've never seen anybody question the virgin birth, that could preach a warm sermon on the new birth. I never have! And if you can't preach on the new birth, you'll never get anybody born-again!” —Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982), from the sermon “Steps In The Degeneration Of Our Nation.”
THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST (by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980)
I was saved in my early teens. I had never heard of these doctrines, except that Jesus was the only Savior in Whom I needed to trust for salvation, to be forgiven of my sins. But years later when I was first taught these doctrines, I immediately knew they were true and accepted them as facts, because I was already saved and had the Holy Spirit dwelling within. I NEVER denied any of these Biblical fundamentals as a Christian, because the Bible teacher who first taught them to me used the Scriptures to prove them. A true believer will accept Biblical teachings; not strongly deny them.
Again, if you would have asked me if Jesus was God when I got saved, I wouldn't have known, because I hadn't been taught that yet from the Bible. But when someone showed me that Jesus was God, I got excited and wanted to learn all I could about my Savior. The Holy Spirit beared witness in my heart and said, that's true, Jesus is God almighty! I knew it was true because I saw it in the Word of God and the Holy Spirit said, that is correct. Amen!
Jesus is Almighty God!
I once spoke with a Catholic man about the deity of Jesus Christ. He immediately told me that he did not believe that Jesus was God. I quoted him some Scriptures as evidence of the deity of Christ; but he didn't care, he still maintained that Jesus could not possibly be God. I knew right there that he was as unsaved as the Devil. So you see, if you are truly saved, then you will receive THE TRUTH. John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
The King James Bible translators were very honest and scholarly in their work, even putting words in italics that they added to clarify the meaning in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. In John 8:24, the masculine pronoun “he” is in italics, which means the literal translation is...
John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM he, ye shall die in your sins.”
The Bible mentions I AM in Exodus 3:13-14...
Exodus 3:13-14, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Clearly, Jesus was claiming to be God. This is evidenced in John 10:32-33...
“Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
If you still want absolute solid proof of Christ's claim of deity, then read John 8:57-58...
John 8:57-58,“Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Here again we see that Jesus professed to be the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. Jesus is almighty God!!!
The Doctrine of Christ is Under Malicious Attack
Satan is a lying, backstabbing, deceiver (John 8:44; 10:10; Revelation 12:10). 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
To no surprise, the critically important word, “GODHEAD,” has been completely removed from the New International Version (NIV). The King James Bible teaches the Godhead in Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9. Since the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, the word “Godhead” is very important to maintain the Doctrine of Christ. Why would they remove this word anyway? The reason is because the Doctrine of Christ is OFFENSIVE to many unsaved religious people. Most religious cults, like Mormons and Christian Science followers, deny that Jesus is Almighty God.
It is not a coincidence that Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Words are important, every Word of God is essential. The translators of the NIV of the Bible, corrupted God's Word, removing 64,576 words! They removed Calvary, bottomless pit, regeneration, mercyseat, and a whole bunch more! People are starving spiritually from the NIV.
The NIV also perverts Philippians 2:6, teaching that Jesus is not God. Instead of correctly stating that Jesus “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”; the NIV states: “Who, being in very nature God, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD something to be grasped.” Whoa! The NIV translators literally perverted the Word of God 180 degrees out of context. I've had people try to argue with me that Jesus is not God based upon Philippians 2:6 from the corrupt New International Version of the Bible. It is so tragic and sad. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Scientology, Islam, Judaism, Freemasons—They all attack the deity of Jesus Christ, denying that Jesus is Almighty God. Seventh-Day Adventists teach a perverted doctrine, claiming that the archangel Michael is Jesus, similar to what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. There is a demonic occult connection between all mainstream religions today (part 2).
The Doctrine of Christ is critically important, exposing every false religion in existence. New Age crumbles into pieces if you shine THE TRUTH of God's Word upon it. The best way to expose darkness is to shine the light. The truth is the light! John 17:17 tells us that the Word of God is truth. In John 6:63, Jesus said that the Words He speaks are TRUTH and LIFE. In John 14:6 Jesus proclaimed to be the TRUTH, the WAY, and the LIFE. Amen and amen!
There is much heresy being spread around the internet, denying the Biblical doctrine of the Godhead. Some critics claim that the Trinity has its origins in many ancient pagan religions. But may I remind you that God said in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, LET US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness...” Notice that the Bible refers to God in plurality, using the words “us” and “our.” Even the Hebrew word for “God” in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God...” is plural, Eloheem.
We know from other Scriptures that there is only ONE God. For example: Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Thus we see that the doctrine of the Godhead (i.e., the Trinity) is taught throughout the Scriptures. Followers of Islam, including the Koran, accuse Christians of being “polytheists” (i.e., believing in multiple gods); but we do not. Biblical Christianity teaches that there is only one true God; but He exists in 3 Persons; namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Thankfully we don't have to understand the mystery of the Godhead to be saved, we just need to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bible teaches in Acts 16:30-31.
Also, carefully notice that the Bible only presents God as being MASCULINE. There is NO feminine aspect of the Godhead. The Bible speaks of God the FATHER, and of God the SON, and always refers to the Holy Spirit with the masculine pronoun “He” (John 16:8,13). Feminism is rebellion against the masculine authority of the Godhead, the Bible written in masculine gender, the husband, the father, and the man of God.
The God of the Bible is humanity's only hope. Acts 4:10-12 teaches that true salvation is found ONLY in the name of Jesus; hence, Jesus must be THE LORD in Isaiah 45:22. In fact, Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus, “THE EVERLASTING FATHER.” Colossians 2:2 speaks of “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” You don't have to understand Jesus or the Godhead to be saved; you just need to come as a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19), believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and trust upon His name (Acts 10:43).
It is imperative as Christians that we contend for the Biblical faith (Romans 16:17) and fight against the liars and deceivers (Titus 1:10-13)who have crept into our churches unawares. Jude 1:4, “For there are certain men crept in UNAWARES, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Most churchgoers have no idea that Rick Warren is an Illuminati plant, deceiving people; as is Max Lucado. They are both working relentlessly to gather all religions together under one umbrella of a one-world religion. Churchgoers are being led into the New Age doctrines, denying the power thereof (2nd Timothy 3:5) of the Gospel (Romans 1:16). The true Gospel is a miracle of God (John 1:12) in response to one's faith in the Savior (Galatians 3:26), for the forgiven of sins (Acts 10:43). New Age is turning salvation into a manmade experience, a mere feeling, and the truth of all men being guilty sinners deserving of eternal damnation in Hellfire is not mentioned (Romans 3:19-23; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Satanic New Age Movement
The mother of modern New Age occultism, Alice Ann Bailey (1880-1949), taught that Maitreya is Christ. She teaches that a great master and deliverer, a saviour is coming; but she is speaking of the Antichrist. How do I know? It's because all of her teachings deny the Doctrine of Christ. Bailey speaks vaguely so as to confuse naive people and make them think that the coming Antichrist is Jesus. Read the Satanic teachings of Alice Bailey for yourself (see text photo below). I make an issue of New Age, because it is becoming the foundation of the new evangelicalism (new religion) in our churches; which is based upon feelings and experiences, instead of the promises of God in the Scriptures. Hear are the Satanic LIES of the occultist writer, Alice Bailey...
SOURCE: http://www.aquaac.org/about/teacher.html
Notice in the above text photo that Alice Bailey diminishes Jesus Christ to being the same person as false prophets such as Bodhisattva, Lord Maitreya and Iman Madhi. She is of the Devil, denying the deity of Jesus Christ. 1st John 2:22 calls Alice Bailey a LIAR and an ANTICHRIST herself (for she is striving against the true Christ of the Bible).
In her writings below, Bailey speaks of “new energies pouring into our planet.” That is demonic teaching all the way. New Agers reject the Biblical teaching of an individual God, a Person with Whom we can communicate. Instead, they speak of the flow, and energy of the life force all around us, like in the heathen movie AVATAR. Concerning the coming Antichrist, the Bible teaches in Daniel 11:38 that “in his estate shall he honour the God of forces.” That is very interesting.
SOURCE: http://www.aquaac.org/about/about.html
The Bible says that the Antichrist will honor the GOD OF FORCES. That is exactly what New Age teaches, and the Bible condemns it as a false religion. Acts 4:10-12 teaches that salvation is found ONLY by faith in the precious name of Jesus Christ. New Age totally ignores the concept of sin. They totally reject the idea of man being inherently sinful. New Agers like Alice Bailey errantly teach that mankind can become “as gods,” just as the serpent deceived Eve in Genesis 3:5.
Search the Scriptures!
In John 5:39 Jesus commanded, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” Amen! The Bible testifies of Jesus. Revelation 19:10, “...worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Here we are commanded to worship God; not the Devil nor the Antichrist. Alice Bailey's mentor was Helen Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), who stated in her writings:
“Lucifer is the LOGOS in his highest, and the 'Adversary' in his lowest aspect — both of which are reflected in our Ego,” (The Secret Doctrine II; pg. 162).
Blavatsky even published a magazine in London in 1887 called, LUCIFER. She writes in one of her works that:
“Satan is the god of our planet, and the only god,”
SOURCE: The Secret Doctrine II; pg. 234
This is the truth behind the entire New Age Movement. Alice Bailey started a publishing house in 1922 called THE LUCIFER TRUST. A year later due to public outrage it was renamed LUCIS TRUST, and is the spiritual foundation of the United Nations today.
"No one will enter the New World Order unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation."
-David Spangler, Director of Planetary Initiative, United Nations
Satan can only deceive people who are woefully ignorant of the Words of God. If you SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES for the answers as Jesus commanded, then you will be prepared to ward off demonic attacks against your faith. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the Bible is our sword, our weapon to fight the Devil. Even Jesus Christ Himself used the Scriptures to defeat Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10). If Jesus needed to use the Scriptures, then why are churchgoers today buying all the New York Time's books on the Best Seller List? Max Lucado has written 2 books per year for over the past 22 years; and he promotes ecumenical unity between Catholics and Protestants, between unbelievers and believers. The Bible teaches for us to divide over truth, instead of uniting by error (2nd Corinthians 6:14-17).
I hope and pray that those who read this article will search the Scriptures concerning the Doctrine of Christ, and learn exactly Who our Lord Jesus Christ really is, because you'll be deceived if you don't. Mark 13:22, “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” Did you read that... TO SEDUCE, IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, EVEN THE ELECT. The elect simply refers to every born-again Christian. The Bible teaches that times will become so deceptive that even Christians would be seduced if it weren't for the Holy Spirit of God that seals (Ephesians 1:13), protects (John 10:28) and guides (John 16:13) them into all truth. Thank God for His wonderful Holy Spirit and the precious Words of God.
The doctor says, “I practice medicine.” The attorney says, “I practice law.” The Christian says, “I practice Christ!”
Conclusion
If you get a King James Bible and study its truths as a born-again believer, then you will see the truth as John 16:13 promises. Please read King James Bible PROOFS!
There are thousands of websites promoting mind, body and spirit teachings that are completely lacking of the Doctrine of Christ. They are websites published by heathens, psychologists, witches and New Agers. They are all Christ-rejecters, although they may vaguely mention some teachings of Christ to deceive others. Many churches today have fallen hook, line and sinker into the Devil's trap of allowing psychologists to enter the pulpit. Modern psychology is of the Devil.
I love the promises of God, for they are the power of God in a believer's life. It is the promise of God by which we are saved (2nd Peter 1:4). Romans 10:13 is a promise that WHOSOEVER calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved. That is the same promise found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Eternal life is a PROMISE from God to those who come to Him for forgiveness of sins by way of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a born-again experience nor a feeling that one has been born-again; but rather, being born-again is a miracle of God, where God honors His promise to save those who believe (John 1:12; 20:31).
| Jesus Christ Literally Arose from the Grave1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
(needful Windows Media sermons by Pastor Jeff Owens)
Ye Must Be Born Again! | You Need HIS Righteousness!