MARKS OF THE CHURCH
The Church consists of all those individuals whom God has saved throughout the world. The marks of the Church in her individual congregations are those defining characteristics of the body of Christ throughout history.
These marks are, especially, the right preaching of God’s Word and the faithful declaration of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the discipline of her members, and her submission to Christ as her only true and rightful head. (1 Timothy 3:13; Matthew 16:19; 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
THE SOLAS OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Sola Scriptura
(By Scripture Alone)
The Bible is the sole written divine revelation, our only infallible rule for faith and life, and alone can bind the conscience of believers absolutely.
(Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16)
Sola Fide
(By Faith Alone)
Justification is by faith alone. By God’s free grace, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us by faith and is the sole ground of our acceptance by God, by which our sins are pardoned.
(Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16)
Solus Christus
(Christ Alone)
Jesus Christ is the only mediator through Whose work we are redeemed.
(John 3:16; John 14:6)
Sola Gratia
(By Grace Alone)
Our salvation rests solely on the work of God’s grace for us.
(Romans 2:4; Ephesians 2:8-10)
Soli Deo Gloria
(Glory to God Alone)
Salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, therefore to God alone belongs the glory.
(Isaiah 42:8; Colossians 3:17)
TULIP
The historic five points of Calvinism, simplified in the acrostic TULIP, distinguish Reformed theology at the key points of issue, but in no way exhaust the content of Reformed theology. These five points include:
T -
U -
L -
I -
P -
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
Total Depravity declares that all men are corrupted by the Fall to the extent that sin penetrates the whole person, leaving them in a state by which they are now by nature spiritually dead and at enmity with God. This results in the bondage of the will to sin by which the sinner is morally unable to incline himself to God, or to convert himself, or to exercise faith without first being spiritually reborn by the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:5, Romans. 5:12, Colossians 2:13, John 3:5-7).
Unconditional Election refers to God’s sovereign and gracious work of election by which, from all eternity, God determines to exercise saving grace to a particular group of people chosen from out of the mass of fallen humanity. God gives this saving grace according to the good pleasure of His will, and not according to some foreseen actions, responses, or conditions met by men. God’s election is based purely on His sovereign grace and not upon anything done by humans. The elect are brought to true repentance and saving faith by the work of the Holy Spirit. The elect receive special saving grace from God. The non-elect receive common grace, experience the common benefits of sun and rain, but in the end are passed over, remain in their sin, and receive the justice of God (Deuteronomy 7:6,7; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:8,9; John 6:44; Matthew 5:45).
Limited Atonement means that though the value and merit of Christ’s atonement are unlimited and sufficient to save the whole world and are offered to all who repent and believe, the efficacy of the atonement is applied only to the elect, and that, by God’s design. This means that in God’s eternal plan of salvation the atonement was designed to accomplish redemption for the elect and that God’s plan of redemption is not frustrated by the refusal of the impenitent to avail themselves of its benefits. In this sense all for whom the atonement was designed to save, will be saved (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Galatians 3:13; John 11).
Irresistible Grace refers to the grace of regeneration by which God effectually calls His elect inwardly, converting them to Himself, and quickening them from spiritual death to spiritual life. Regeneration is the sovereign and immediate work of the Holy Spirit, working monergistically. This grace is operative, not cooperative, meaning that those who are regenerate always come to saving faith, as they are made willing to come to Christ to Whom they most certainly flee and cling for their redemption. (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 8:30; John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:1-10).
Perseverance of the Saints means that those who are truly regenerate and truly come to saving faith will never lose their salvation. They may fall into manifold temptations and spiritual weakness, even into radical sin but never fully and finally because God, by His grace, preserves them. The intercession of Christ for the elect is efficacious unto eternity (John 3:16; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:35-39; 1 John. 5:13).
WELCOME TO UNITY OF FAITH
BIBLICAL ELDERS
Jesus promised to build his church (Matthew 16:18) and established Himself as its foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11). In Ephesians 4:8–11, the apostle Paul writes that church leaders are God’s agents in building the church as they equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
Biblically, the focal point of all church leadership is the elder. An elder is one of a plurality of biblically qualified individuals who jointly shepherd and oversee a local body of believers. The word translated “elder” is used nearly twenty times in Acts and the epistles in reference to this unique group of leaders who have responsibility for overseeing the people of God.
THE OFFICE OF ELDER
As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poim¯en) all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer (a) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1:6-9 are unmistakably parallel. In fact, in Titus 1, Paul uses both terms to refer to the same man (presbuteros in v. 5 and episkopos in v. 7). All three terms are used interchangeably in Acts 20. In verse 17, Paul assembles all the elders (presbuteros) of the church of Ephesus to give them his farewell message.
In verse 28 he says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to shepherd [poimaino¯] the church of God.” First Peter 5:1-2 brings all three terms together as well. Peter writes, “Therefore, I exhort the elders [presbuteros] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd [poimaino¯] the flock of God among you, exercising oversight [episkope¯o] not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God.” The different terms, then, indicate various features of ministry, not varying levels of authority or separate offices, as some churches espouse.