Often people want to know what a Pastor believes about doctrinal issues. Good! Here are my answers to some regularly asked theological questions. Some of these are dogma, some are distinctives that separate one church (peaceably) with one down the road, and some are truly debatable issues that followers of Christ of good will can still disagree about!
What do you believe about the Bible?
It’s wonderful! Every statement below I have written myself, and will take correction from my brethren as they point out my errors from the Scriptures. But! That correction can only happen if there is an agreed-on standard that is fully true and fully authoritative. The Bible is the standard.
I was saved at a Church of Christ (Restoration Movement) and discipled in a Non-Denominational church. Both strongly believed the Bible was true & authoritative. I worship and serve at a Baptist church because of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000’s clear statement that the Holy Bible “...has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.” Any Church I serve at must hold to Scripture as the standard.
For a further fleshing out, I have read and fully agree with the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.
What is the gospel?
The gospel is good news! It encompasses the full story told from the first words of Scripture to its closing: the good creation of the Father, broken and ravaged by man’s sin, rescued by the life and death of his Son, and is being restored by the Holy Spirit into the new kingdom of God which will have no end.
The gospel is also the good news for individuals about what Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God Himself, has done to reconcile sinners to God through his life, death, and resurrection. When we as individuals admit to God that we are a sinner and repent of our sin, believe that Jesus Christ is both savior and Lord, and confess this, we receive his righteousness and the Holy Spirit as our guarantee of entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God.
What is the Trinity?
The Trinity is a shorthand term for our God, one essence in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. One God, three Persons, each person fully God. It is the central, core doctrine from which the very good news about God, the gospel, springs. Evangelism as an outpouring of God’s love, prayer as conversation, the Bible as knowable, authoritative preaching, effective missions, and even assurance of salvation are all dependent on the Trinity. It is the doctrine that underpins all true Christian theology, it is the sole doctrine which differentiates Christianity from every other world religion, and any denial of the Trinity is heretical.
Who is Christ and what did He do?
Christ is the title “messiah”, given to Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son of God, and our Lord. He is fully God, and fully man. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and buried. As the true head of the human race, by living a sinless life but yet paying the penalty for sin, death, Jesus was vindicated by God the Father and raised to new life on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. Raised in the flesh, he later ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will descend again one day to judge the entire earth and reign forever. All who bow their knee and declare Christ as the true & only Lord now share in his life, forever.
What does it mean to become a Christian?
To be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The followers of Jesus Christ – the disciples – were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). By the time Paul met with King Agrippa, it was common enough of a term that Agrippa asked “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” (Acts 26:28). Jesus means “deliverer”, and Christians put their faith in Jesus as their deliverer instead of their own works. Christ means “Lord”, and Christians also bow their knee to Jesus as their Lord instead of various idols. It is not, cannot be, one or the other: a Christian must follow Jesus as savior and Lord. God may, in his graciousness, allow a believer to progress in both through fits and starts, but there must be a progression. It is the role of the local church to seek this progression for all who come, but particularly for all members.
What is the Church?
The Church is a people, not a place, the blood-bought adopted family of God from every nation, tribe, and tongue, meant to display the Glory of God to the whole world.
But that’s probably not why you were asking. You’re likely looking for what I believe about the local Church! I am best suited to pastor in a fully autonomous local congregation consisting of professing, baptized believers, led by a plurality of leadership, served by deacons. I am looking to pastor in a Church voluntarily bound together through congregational authority for worship, discipleship, and proclamation of the gospel locally and to the ends of the earth, where each member is accountable to God, but also to one another through the Lord’s Supper.
How do I define expositional preaching and what it its role in the church?
There are many and varied definitions of expository preaching. I find this to be the clearest summation: The meaning of the passage is the meaning of the message. This way, the message does not spring from the mind of the preacher, but is directed, shaped, and guided by the Holy Spirit. I try to take that principle to a logical conclusion: I work the form of the passage into the form of the message. If the passage is didactic, the proclamation should lean didactic. If narrative, the message should be story oriented. God chose to put his words into those forms, and I want my message to fully reflect his form. Further, I believe that expository preaching should be the main “diet” of the preaching in the church, with other forms of preaching occasionally used as guided by prayer and the needs of the congregation.
What is my view on spiritual gifts of tongues, healing, etc.
All gifts given by the Holy Spirit are meant for the edification of the church (1 Cor. 12:7, 14:3-5, 12, 26). The same Scriptures that we believe ask us to continue the validity of pastoral leadership, the continuing celebration of the Lord’s table, and continuing baptism as a sign, ask us to believe that gifts of tongues, healing, etc., continue today for the edification of the Church.
Many believers have created a special category for these gifts as existing only in New Testament times to authenticate the biblical message and messenger and have ceased. In contrast to this view, my view is that the word of God says all spiritual gifts will continue until the Lord Jesus Christ returns (1 Cor. 1:4-9; 1 Cor 13:8-10; 1 Cor 14:1), and the word gives us clearly defined boundaries in the exercise of these gifts (1 Cor., chapters 12- 14). These boundaries are necessary because any gift can be misused to deceive the saints, even the gift of teaching (1 Pet. 2). We guard against false teaching not by denying its existence, but by fully embracing all of God’s word and using it to authenticate teaching. Likewise, we guard against false gifts not by denying spiritual gifts still exist, but by embracing all of Scripture, using the tests found in Scripture to authenticate the gifts. I can’t, like Paul, say I have spoken in tongues, but I won’t deny what is in Scripture.
What is my understanding of church discipline?
The gospel is what gives me an understanding of church discipline, both the need for it, and the process of it. Because of this, I have found the Ken Sande’s methodology in Peacemaker has been particularly helpful:
First, the aim is to give glory to God, not to play “gotcha” or make a false peace. Then, make sure to get the log out of my own eye. Once those are fulfilled, gently restore. I believe conflict is inevitable because of sin, and conflict is not necessarily bad as it exposes strongholds. When a conflict with a Christian brother or sister cannot be resolved in private, I will ask others in the body of Christ to help us settle the matter in a biblical manner. This is a vital and overlooked aspect of stewardship. The goal of all church discipline is restoration and reconciliation.
What will happen when Christ returns?
Bottom line: God wins. Christ’s return is going to be a personal, visible return. He will bring about his full kingdom, and end our current age. The dead will be raised and everyone will be judged by Christ once and for all eternity.