What and why.
Edify Ministries seeks to build up the body of Christ by helping believers, as individuals and groups, know God’s Word and practice it in daily life.
Productive Bible teaching and discussion require certain “ground rules.” If they are too detailed, then only a few will feel free to participate. If the “ground rules” are too loose, then the group becomes bogged down in elementary discussions and more advanced study can not take place. Edify Ministries attempts to minister at intermediate and higher levels, therefore the statements below serve as a doctrinal baseline.
Necessary agreements
1. That there exists only one God, who is the creator and absolute sovereign of all things both perceived and unperceived (physical and spiritual). God operates as three distinct persons, called the Trinity, and individually known as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
2. That the sixty-six books of the Bible are the divinely inspired, completely inerrant in the original autographs, and are the only authoritative message of God to man, which message is conveyed by the very words of the text.
3. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and is at the same time fully God and fully man.
4. That all mankind, not only as a race, but also as individuals, have rejected God (sinned against Him). That salvation is individual, and requires acceptance, by grace through faith, of God’s provision for reconciliation with Himself. This provision is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
5. That this salvation by grace through faith alone is the exclusive means of obtaining eternal life.
6. That God can and does actively intervene in our universe by way of what we call miracles. Two notable examples of these are the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, and His resurrection.
7. That the goal of the Christian life is to become more and more like Jesus Christ.
8. That accountability for the Christian life should be through one’s local church leaders.
9. That all persons will be resurrected, the saved to everlasting blessedness in the presence of God, all others to everlasting punishment, especially separation from God.
10. That Christ will physically return to this earth in blessing on those who are His and in judgment upon all others.
