Does Doctrine Really Matter?

The Following message "Does Doctrine Really Matter?" was preached by Pastor T.H. Moore. Bible Doctrine has been neglected and is deemed as unimportant in our land. May this message stir your heart and mind as we consider the importance of Bible Doctrine.

The Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Bible, as it is in truth, the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration in the original writings, and God's preservation of His pure words to every generation (2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 12:6-8). The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus (Received Text) of the New Testament are the texts of the original languages we accept and use. The King James Version of the Bible is the only English version we accept and use. The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.

The True God

We believe that there is one and only one living and true God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10) He is infinite, intelligent, perfect in spirit, and a personal being. He is the creator, preserver, and supreme ruler of the universe. (1 Kings 8:27; Acts 17:24-28; Psalm 139:1-6) He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and all other perfections. (love, power, righteousness, truth, etc.) We believe that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6) equal in every Divine perfection (John 10:30; 14:23; 17:5, 10) and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Ephesians 2:18; Revelation 1:4, 5)

The Father

We believe that he is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) and the Father of all who come to God through Jesus Christ. (John 1:12) We rejoice that He 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)

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2, Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-8, Galatians 4:4-5, Isaiah 7:14). The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice. Our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:3-5).

The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. As our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate (Acts 1:9-10, Hebrews 9:24, Romans 8:34, 1 John 2:1-2, Hebrews 7:25).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:13-14).

The sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing (1 Corinthians 13:8, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Hebrews 2:3-4, Mark 16:17-20, 1 Corinthians 1:22, 1 Corinthians 14:21-22).

Mankind

Man was created in the image and likeness of God. In Adam's sin, the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:22-23, Ephesians 2:1-3, 12). The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image. God is mindful of man, and Christ died for all of mankind; therefore, every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Psalm 8:4-9, Colossians 3:9-11).

The Way of Salvation

The clear message of salvation is "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21). Salvation is "by grace," plus nothing, minus nothing. Mankind is justified by faith and accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 1:12, 1 Peter 1:18-19). All the redeemed are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. Eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, John 10:27-30, Romans 8:1, 38-39, 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, 1 Peter 1:4-5, Jude 1-2).

The Church

The New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers. The church began with Christ and His disciples and was empowered at Pentecost. The Lord's work is to be done through the local church (Matthew 16:17-18, Matthew 18:15-17, Acts 9:31, Acts 15:41). The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament (Acts 14:27, Acts 20:17, 28-32, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 5:1-4).

We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, Acts 15:19-31, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16, 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13, 1 Peter 5:1-4).

The Ordinances of the Church

We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water and the Lord's Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-42, Acts 18:18, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Biblical Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (2 Timothy 3:1-5, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 14:13, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 John 9-11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1).

The Return of Christ

The "blessed hope" of our Lord's return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillenial, and pretribulational. He will rapture His church prior to the seven years of the Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return with His saints to establish His millenial reign on the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 3:10, Zechariah 14:4-11, Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:1-6, Psalm 89:3-4).

Our Eternal State

All of mankind will be bodily resurrected: the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46, John 5:28-29, John 11:25-26, Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). At death, the souls of the redeemed are absent from the body and present with the Lord, in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43, Revelation 20:4-6, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23, Philippians 3:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection when with soul and body reunited, they will appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and be cast into the Lake of Fire, not be the annihilated but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26, Matthew 25:41-46, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 20:11-15