Your attitude reflects your thinking. Your thinking determines your actions. What you think is who you are. Bible doctrine changes your attitude toward God and the world. Bible doctrine transforms your thinking so that instead of being oriented to satan’s secular world) you become oriented by the thinking of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:16). Arrogance is an attitude antagonistic to God….
A mediator reconciles the differences between two parties and must be equal in stature to both (Jesus Christ was God and true humanity – the hypostatic union). God chose Christ’s work (propitiation), and believers accept Christ’s work (salvation). By so doing, reconciliation is made and a contract is signed. At salvation this is the “seal or signature agreement of the…
The indirect, creative act of God through intermediate agents or means. All biological life, since the original creation of Adam, has been formed “mediately” through human procreation.
Love is a divine intrinsic attribute of God. God elected to share His love through creation, and through His Son at Calvary. Love is the character of God. There are three categories or basic areas of love: Area One love (agapé) is a response to the love of God, also termed “occupation with Christ” (Hebrews 12:2). If you do not…
God’s supreme support, provision, suffering, blessing, and judgment (discipline) for the believer during their lifetime. Reference also the Pre-designed Plan of God and Doctrine of Divine Decrees.
The term legalism is defined as striving to gain the approbation (attention or approval) of God, for salvation, by human good works. Legalism is the trend of mankind’s sin nature that makes futile attempts through human efforts to earn salvation, spirituality, or the approbation of God by some system of strict conformity to a code of conduct, ethics, religion, works,…
Lapsarianism means fall and refers to humanity’s fallen condition and the five decrees of God in eternity past, before He created anything. The five decrees are related to election and are often referred to as elective decrees. At any point in eternity past, God is. Before God created the universe and all that it contains, there was God the Father,…
The lake of fire was originally created for satan and fallen angels, but is also the destination of all unbelievers (Matthews 25:41). It is both literal and eternal.
During his incarnation (His earthly ministry in the flesh), Christ voluntarily restricted the use of His divine attributes, which include omnipotence – His power (and this action is called kenosis in the Greek). Reference our study on the Essence Of God for a detailed description of God’s attributes. Our wonderful Lord and Savior volunteered to become true humanity (but without…
Justification is a judicial act of vindication whereby God imputes His perfect righteousness to the new believer at the point of salvation (faith in the cross-work of Christ). God’s righteousness is imputed forever to every believer at the instant of faith in Christ (Romans 3:20-28), and we are justified and accepted forever, in God the Father’s eyes, as a result….
Justice is an attribute of God that describes God’s infinite and perfect fairness, whether in judgment or blessing.
This is God’s judgment or evaluation of believers only, and is based on the execution of God’s Pre-Designed Plan for the believer, or the failure to execute said plan. The purpose is to cleanse by fire all human good and separate human good from divine good. It is based on rewards or loss of rewards for all eternity (not salvation…
God’s integrity is based on His righteousness and His justice. God’s integrity is defined by His attributes which form His holiness. God’s righteousness is the principle of his integrity while His justice is the function of His integrity. Divine integrity is, therefore, infinite, perfect, eternal, unchangeable, and incomprehensible apart from God revealing Himself to humanity through Bible doctrine, creation, and…
Inspiration means God-breathed. God-breathed means the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed the human writers of Scripture so that without wavering their individual intelligence, literary style, personal feelings, or any other human factor, they wrote God’s complete and coherent message to humanity with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the absolute authority of divine authorship. God…
Inordinate desire is the lust to exalt oneself above others, without regard for them or God, and self-promotion, even if harm to others is necessary. This is a manifestation of the infestation of arrogance in humanity’s nature. Inordinate desire originated with lucifer who became satan at his fall in eternity past (Ezekiel 28:12-15). Inordinate desire becomes narcissistic, enamored with self-importance….
At salvation, the Holy Spirit permanently takes up residency in the church–age believer. The believer’s body is transformed into God’s temple for the simultaneous indwelling of Jesus Christ. Reference the term “Shekinah Glory.”
Incarnation refers to the time Jesus Christ lived on earth in Hypostatic Union.
There are various types of imputation from God. The imputation of sin imputed to all men; the imputation of righteousness imputed to all believers at salvation. Imputation is an action of God involving condemnation or blessing. Therefore, imputation is the function of God’s justice, which is a characteristic of God’s essence. (Reference our study on Divine Essence, and Romans 3:22-31;…
Example: Imprecatory prayer for justice because of antagonism, hostility, persecution, or terrorism directed toward those involved.
Virtue love emphasizes the character of the subject, rather than the object, as in Romans 5:8. God’s love is a manifestation of His divine character – it is who and what God is in His very being.