Volume 4
Plan, part 1: Faith
Introduction to Volume 4
In previous volumes of this series, we discussed God’s existence, His revelation in Holy Scripture, and His essential nature. God is not static, though, but He acts. He has a plan for all humanity and each individual separately. We dedicate this volume to the discovery of that plan.
In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul condenses God’s plan into three words: faith, hope, and love (1 Cor 13:13). As we will unfold in the following pages, these three terms outline well God’s intention for the human race.
Volume 5 will unpack the concepts of “hope” and “love,” known also as “eschatology” and “practical Christian living.” This volume investigates “faith.” In standard systematic texts, the topics covered here are the doctrines of humanity, evil spirits, sin, salvation, and the Church (in a theoretical sense).
We entitle part 1 of this book “Loss of Faith,” i.e., how humanity, which was created “very good” by God, fell into sin through unbelief. Part 2 reveals the “Object of Faith,” that is, to whom our faith is directed – the Lord Jesus Christ. In part 3, we highlight the “Result of Faith” – the acquisition of salvation.
According to God’s Word, the Lord created humans according to His image and likeness, as the crowning glory of His creative work. He made people as physical, spiritual, and social beings. Correspondingly, we will examine the human condition in all three of these dimensions. After discussing various theories, we will affirm the following truths: (1) human life begins at conception, (2) the terms “image” and “likeness” are synonyms, (3) the human soul is transmitted from parents to child, (3) God’s order for marriage consists of a bisexual union and lifelong commitment under the headship of the husband, and (5) asceticism is an unacceptable lifestyle. We will also devote attention to other aspects of a person’s social life, such as the biblical view of family, friendship, culture, and society.
Our chapter on Satan and demons will describe the fall of the great cherub, who became Satan and led a large contingent of angels in rebellion against the Lord. These fallen angels, now known as demons, participate in various deceptive and destructive activities in our world. We will outline these demonic activities.
As a result of the devil’s enticement, the first humans, Adam and Eve, sinned against God and incurred guilt before the Lord. Additionally, their human nature was corrupted and became sinful, while their bodies became subject to death. Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants the consequences of their transgression, that is, guilt, depravity, and death, which we now call “original sin.” Two chapters are devoted to the biblical doctrine of sin.
However, God did not leave humanity is this tragic state, but sent a Savior – His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In some unexplainable way, God joined all humanity with Christ so that His saving work would be effective for all who believe in Him. Accordingly, we will investigate in detail the believer’s union with Christ, which is the mechanism by which God communicates all the blessings of salvation.
With Christ as their representative before God, believers in Him are afforded forgiveness of sins through His sacrifice of Calvary, justification before God, and adoption into His family. Through faith-
Having been exalted to heaven, the Lord Jesus offers to believers participation in His supernatural ministry and in His authority over the devil and his works. Pentecostals and Charismatics accept the biblical testimony of an empowering experience after conversion that enables believers to fully participate in Christ’s power and authority, namely the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We must also not omit the corporate aspect of our union with Christ. Union with Christ includes union with others also in union with Him, that is, the Church. This volume will investigate the more theoretical/doctrinal side of the Church, while the next volume will deal more with practical life in the Body.
There exists a rival understanding of salvation and Christian living called “deification.” In chapter 7, we will demonstrate that this approach introduces serious distortions into the biblical teaching on our union with Christ and on the doctrine of salvation in general.
Finally, we will defend the position that we obtain salvation primarily through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. Repentance prepares a convert to turn to Christ for salvation, but faith appropriates Christ’s redemptive grace. Sacraments communicate no saving grace, but rather represent or symbolize the salvation received by faith. In particular, the Lord’s Supper is not literally the body and blood of Jesus, but rather symbolizes them.
In connection with receiving salvation, the questions arise of the fate of infants and people far from the gospel, since both groups are unable either to hear or understand the gospel. We support the idea that God extends salvation unilaterally to infants who die before the age of accountability, and that God will judge those who have never heard the gospel on the basis of their response to what they do know of Him.
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