A Scripture-Governed Statement of Faith

The Scriptures—not this summary—are the final authority. Every teaching below is drawn from them, every conclusion of ours is marked as ours, and all of it stands open to be tested by them, as the Bereans were “examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

What we confess.

To us there is “one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31), who “has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2). He “died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3), was buried, and “was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:4). “God has made him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), and “This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back” (Acts 1:11).

How to read this statement. Not every line carries the same weight, and we mark the difference.

What Scripture plainly says is stated plainly, with no hedge.

Our conclusion marks what we infer from Scripture where it does not say it in so many words.

Some questions are not settled by a single plain verse. Section 15 answers each from Scripture and labels the answer. Where Scripture does not say, section 15 says so. We never make them a test of fellowship (Romans 14:1). Our conclusion is that salvation does not depend on reaching our answer to each question, but on believing the good news about Jesus (see the last question in section 15).

1. The Scriptures

We receive the writings from Genesis through Revelation as God-breathed Scripture, written through human authors. Jesus said that David spoke in the Holy Spirit, and Peter wrote that no prophecy of Scripture ever came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit. Scripture itself does not list its books, but Jesus spoke of what is written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, and Peter set Paul’s letters alongside the other Scriptures. Scripture cannot be broken and is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and to equip us for every good work. Therefore, all teaching must be tested by Scripture, interpreting each passage according to its context and in harmony with the whole biblical testimony, without adding to or subtracting from God’s words.

Deuteronomy 4:2; Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5–6; Mark 12:36; Luke 24:44–45; John 10:35; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:1, 20–21; 3:15–16; Revelation 22:18–19.

2. The One God

There is one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He alone is God, and there is no other. He is holy, righteous, merciful, faithful, and true. All things are from him, depend upon him, and exist for his glory.

Scripture declares “one God, the Father, of whom are all things” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus calls the Father “the only true God” (John 17:3), and after his resurrection he says, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17). At the end, “the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The Trinity. No verse says that God is three Persons, and no verse calls the Holy Spirit a third Person. Trinity, and Person in the creeds’ sense, are later terms. Our conclusion, stated plainly: the Bible does not teach the Trinity. Scripture names the one God as the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 17:3). Its holders confess the same words, “I believe in one God the Father Almighty” (Nicene Creed 1), and add, “In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons” (Westminster Confession of Faith 2.3). Encyclopaedia Britannica's article Trinity says that the doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies, and that it was only later in the fourth century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons; the same article holds that the New Testament established the basis for the doctrine. Those who hold it cite texts that read naturally their way (John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; Matthew 28:19). Section 15 answers how they are read.

The Word. Scripture testifies that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), that “All things were made through him” (John 1:3), and that “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14). Genesis tells how God created as “God said” (Genesis 1:3), and the psalm says, “By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6). Our conclusion: there is one God, the Father. The Word of John 1 is God’s own word, which became flesh in the man Jesus; it was not a second Person.

God says, “I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens” (Isaiah 44:24). Paul calls the Father the one “of whom are all things” and Jesus Christ the one “through whom are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Paul also writes of the Son, “For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth” (Colossians 1:16), Hebrews says God made the worlds through his Son (Hebrews 1:2), and Hebrews applies to the Son the words “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of your hands.” (Hebrews 1:10). Our conclusion: God created all things alone, by his word. The through him texts call that word by the name of the Son it became.

Genesis 1:1, 3; Exodus 3:6, 14–15; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 44:24; 45:5–6; Malachi 2:10; John 1:1–3, 14; 17:3; 20:17; Acts 17:24–31; 1 Corinthians 8:4–6; 15:28; Colossians 1:13–17; Hebrews 1:2, 8–12; Revelation 4:11.

3. Creation and Humanity’s Vocation

God created the heavens and the earth, and everything he made was very good. He created humanity male and female in his image, blessed them, and commanded them to be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over its creatures. God placed the man in the garden to cultivate and keep it.

Humanity was created for embodied life upon God’s earth, which he has given to them, and he has made them rulers over the works of his hands. God permitted the man to eat freely of every tree of the garden but commanded him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that he ate of it he would surely die.

Genesis 1:1, 26–31; 2:7–25; Psalm 8:3–9; 24:1; 115:16.

4. Human Disobedience, Sin, and Death

The serpent deceived the woman, and the man and woman disobeyed God’s command. God said to the serpent, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) To the woman God said that he would greatly multiply her pain in childbirth, that she would bear children in pain, and that her desire would be for her husband, and he would rule over her. To the man, because he had listened to his wife’s voice and eaten from the tree God had commanded him not to eat from, God said that the ground was cursed for his sake, that he would eat from it with much labor, and that he would return to dust. Now that the man knew good and evil, God sent him out of the garden, drove him out, and barred the way to the tree of life, so that the man would not reach out his hand, take from it, eat, and live forever. Sin entered the world through one man, death entered through sin, and death passed to all because all sinned.

All humanity is accountable to God. No person can overcome sin and death through personal merit. Creation itself was subjected to futility and awaits deliverance from the bondage of decay.

Genesis 3:1–24; Psalm 49:7–9; Romans 3:9–23; 5:12–21; 6:23; 8:19–23.

5. God’s Covenants and Promises

God did not abandon his creation or surrender his purpose for humanity.

God covenanted with Noah and every living creature never again to destroy the earth by a flood.

God promised Abraham offspring, a nation, the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and blessing through his offspring for all the families of the earth.

God covenanted with Israel at Sinai, making Israel his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. He gave Israel his commandments and set before the nation covenant blessings and curses.

God swore to David that his offspring would possess an enduring kingdom, house, and throne.

God promised a new covenant with the houses of Israel and Judah, including forgiveness of sins, his instruction written upon their hearts, the gift of his Spirit, and restored obedience.

Jesus declared that the new covenant was established through his blood.

God does not lie, forget his oaths, or revoke his calling. His covenants must be understood according to their stated recipients, promises, conditions, and purposes.

Genesis 8:20–9:17; 12:1–3; 15:1–21; 17:1–8; 22:15–18; Exodus 19:3–6; 24:3–8; Deuteronomy 28–30; 2 Samuel 7:8–16; Psalm 89:3–4, 28–37; Jeremiah 31:31–37; Ezekiel 36:22–28; Luke 22:20; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 6:13–18.

6. Jesus the Messiah

Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the offspring of Abraham, and the Son of David destined to receive David’s throne. He was conceived through the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, came in the flesh, grew in wisdom, and was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power. Luke ties the title Son to his conception by the Spirit: “Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). Peter says he “was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in this last age for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20).

Jesus also prayed, “Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5). He also said, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.” (John 8:58). We grant that John 17:5 reads most naturally as glory before the world, and John 8:58 as life before Abraham. Our conclusion is that Jesus came into existence when the Holy Spirit came on Mary (Luke 1:35). Our conclusion is that these sayings speak of what he had in God’s plan. Paul says grace “was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,” (2 Timothy 1:9); our conclusion is that it was given long before we existed.

He was tempted but did not sin. He is the one mediator between God and humanity, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the prophet like Moses, God’s faithful servant, Israel’s King, and the promised ruler whose dominion will reach the ends of the earth. He is not one of the angels: “For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father?”” (Hebrews 1:5). Isaiah says of the coming king, “His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jeremiah says of the righteous Branch raised to David, “This is his name by which he will be called: Yahweh our righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:6), and he gives Jerusalem the same name (Jeremiah 33:16), and God tells Moses, “I have made you as God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1). Isaiah uses mighty God of Yahweh a chapter later: “A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” (Isaiah 10:21). Our conclusion: they are throne names given to the son of David. Like “Yahweh our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16), they tell what God does through the one who bears them.

Exodus 7:1; Deuteronomy 18:15–19; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 9:6–7; 10:20–21; 11:1–10; Jeremiah 23:5–6; 33:16; Matthew 1:1, 18–25; 16:16; Luke 1:31–35; 2:52; John 8:58; 17:5; Acts 2:22; 3:22–26; 10:38; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:5; 4:15; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 4:2.

7. The Ministry, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus

Jesus proclaimed the good news of God’s kingdom, called people to repentance, taught with authority, healed the sick, expelled demons, forgave sins, and performed the works God gave him to accomplish. He confirmed God’s promises to the patriarchs and opened the way for the nations to glorify God for his mercy.

Jesus willingly gave himself for us. He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, gave his life as a ransom for many, bore our sins, and established the new covenant through his blood. He was buried, and on the third day God raised him bodily from the dead. He appeared to many witnesses and became the firstfruits of those who have died.

God exalted Jesus to his right hand and made him both Lord and Messiah. He reigns there until every enemy is placed beneath his feet, the last enemy being death.

Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Mark 1:14–15; 10:45; Luke 22:20; 24:36–49; John 5:36; Acts 2:22–36; Romans 15:8–12; 1 Corinthians 15:1–28; 1 Peter 2:21–24.

8. The Gospel and the Human Response

The gospel is the good news that God’s promised kingdom has drawn near through Jesus the Messiah: Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was raised from the dead, has been exalted as Lord and King, and will return to judge and reign.

God commands all people to repent. The apostolic response to the gospel includes hearing, believing that Jesus is the Messiah, repenting, confessing him as Lord, and being baptized in his name. Those who believe receive forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the hope of resurrection and everlasting life.

Salvation is God’s gift of grace and cannot be earned by human works. This grace does not excuse disobedience; it creates a people who walk in the good works God prepared for them.

Our conclusion: every believer is commanded to be baptized, without delay, and no one may treat it as optional. We are saved by grace through faith, and Scripture condemns unbelief, not a believer kept from water. Our conclusion: baptism is for those who hear the good news, repent and believe. Every baptism Scripture describes in detail follows hearing and believing, so we baptize believers and do not baptize infants. Our conclusion: we baptize with Jesus’ own words, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the name of Jesus in Acts means by his authority, and is the same baptism.

Our conclusion: believers are not under the Law of Moses as a covenant, so the weekly Sabbath does not bind them. They are bound by the law of Christ: love, and the commands Jesus and the apostles gave.

Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 24:46–49; Acts 2:36–39; 8:12; 10:34–48; 17:30–31; Romans 3:21–26; 6:1–11; 10:8–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–5; Galatians 1:6–9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 2:11–14.

9. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit promised by the prophets is poured out by God through the exalted Messiah. The Spirit dwells in every believer, leads them in obedience, testifies that they are God’s children, produces righteous fruit, distributes gifts for the common good, and empowers the assembly to bear witness to Jesus.

The Father gives the Spirit: “how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13). God first “anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38), and the exalted Jesus, “having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33), poured it out. Jesus commanded baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), and Paul names the three together in a blessing (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Scripture speaks of the Spirit in personal language: the Spirit teaches, speaks, and can be grieved (John 14:26; Acts 13:2; Ephesians 4:30). It also joins the Spirit closely to God’s power: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). It compares how God’s Spirit knows the things of God with how “the spirit of the man which is in him” knows the things of a man (1 Corinthians 2:11). Peter tells Ananias that he lied “to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3) and then says, “You haven’t lied to men, but to God” (Acts 5:4). No verse calls the Spirit a Person beside God or calls the three one God.

We say no more about the Spirit’s being than Scripture says. Our conclusion: the Holy Spirit is God’s own power and presence, God at work. It is not a third Person.

The Spirit is the first fruits and pledge of the promised inheritance. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to the mortal bodies of his people through his Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:25–28; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; 11:13; John 14:26; Acts 1:8; 2:16–18, 32–39; 5:3–4; 10:38; 13:2; Romans 8:9–17, 23; 1 Corinthians 2:11; 12:4–13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:16–25; Ephesians 1:13–14; 4:30.

10. Israel and the Nations

God chose Israel, and to Israel belong the adoption, glory, covenants, giving of the Law, worship, promises, patriarchs, and the Messiah according to the flesh. Jesus became a servant to the circumcised to confirm God’s promises to the fathers, while the nations glorify God for his mercy.

Through faith in the Messiah, Gentiles who were once far away are brought near, become fellow heirs, and are grafted among the covenant people. They must not boast against the natural branches. God has not rejected the people whom he foreknew, and his gifts and calling are irrevocable.

God’s purpose is to unite Jews and Gentiles in faithfulness to the Messiah while remaining true to every covenant promise he has made.

Genesis 12:1–3; Isaiah 49:5–6; Romans 9:3–5; 11:1–29; 15:8–12; Galatians 3:7–9, 26–29; Ephesians 2:11–22; 3:4–6.

11. The Assembly of the Messiah

Jesus is the head of his assembly, and his followers together form one body. The assembly is called to continue in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, mutual service, holiness, generosity, and care for those in need.

Believers are baptized into the Messiah and identify with his death, burial, and resurrection. In the Lord’s Supper, the assembly remembers Jesus and proclaims his death until he returns. Every gift is to be exercised in love for the building up of the body.

The assembly must proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, make disciples among all nations, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded.

Our conclusion: leaders have real authority to teach, shepherd and correct by the Scriptures. No leader, council or church may bind a believer to anything Scripture does not teach. Our conclusion: what the apostles taught binds every believer, and that teaching is now held in Scripture. No later teaching, however old, binds a believer unless Scripture teaches it.

Matthew 16:18; 23:8; 28:18–20; Acts 2:38–47; Romans 6:3–11; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 10:16–17; 11:23–26; 12:12–27; 13:1–13; Ephesians 4:1–16; Colossians 1:18; 2:16–17.

12. Faithful Discipleship

Those who love God and his Messiah are called to obey their commandments. Genuine faith expresses itself through love and produces good works; faith without works is dead.

Disciples of Jesus must love God, love their neighbors, love one another, and love their enemies. They are called to walk by the Spirit, speak truth, pursue holiness, practice justice and mercy, care for the poor, forgive others, remain faithful in marriage, reject sexual immorality, and overcome evil with good.

Obedience is not the price paid to purchase salvation; it is the necessary fruit of living faith and God’s transforming grace.

Our conclusion: a true believer can turn away from Christ in unbelief and be lost. No one and nothing outside can take a believer who keeps trusting him.

Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:43–48; 22:34–40; John 13:34–35; 14:15; Romans 12:1–21; 13:8–10; Galatians 5:6, 13–25; Ephesians 4:17–5:21; James 1:22–27; 2:14–26.

13. The Return of Jesus, Resurrection, and Judgment

The same Jesus who ascended into heaven will return in the manner in which he departed. His coming will be visible, powerful, and glorious. No one knows the day or the hour: “But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36). He will raise the dead, gather his people, judge the nations, and establish righteous rule. Jesus says he “sat down with my Father on his throne”, and he promises the overcomer a place “with me on my throne” (Revelation 3:21). Gabriel said, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32), and Jesus said that when the Son of Man comes in his glory, “then he will sit on the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31). Peter links God’s oath to David with the resurrection: God “would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne” (Acts 2:30). John saw a river “proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). Our conclusion: Jesus takes David’s throne at his return. Now he sits with his Father on the Father’s throne, at God’s right hand.

There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Those who belong to the Messiah will be raised imperishable and share in his kingdom. All people will stand before God’s judgment, and judgment will be rendered according to what is written. Satan will be defeated, and death—the final enemy—will be abolished. Immortality is something those who are Christ’s “put on” at the resurrection: “this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Between death and the resurrection. Scripture calls the dead “those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” and then explained, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11, 14). Of “a son of man in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3), the psalm says that on the day he dies “his thoughts perish” (Psalm 146:4). Jesus said to one of the criminals crucified with him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43). Paul wrote of “having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23), and that he was willing “rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). 1 Samuel 28:11–19; Psalm 6:5; 115:17; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Isaiah 38:18–19; Daniel 12:2; Luke 16:19–31; Acts 2:34; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 3:19–20; 4:6; and Revelation 6:9–10 are also read on this question. Our conclusion: the dead know nothing and sleep until the resurrection, when Jesus raises them. Scripture sets before us the hope of the resurrection at his coming, when “The dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The end of the unrepentant. Jesus says the condemned “will go away into eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46), Paul calls it “eternal destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), and John calls the lake of fire “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and Jesus said, “fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28). John’s vision says, “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:11). The condemned go “into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), and the devil, the beast and the false prophet “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Our conclusion: the lost are destroyed in the second death, a final end. The punishment is eternal because its result never ends. We teach judgment soberly, never as a threat.

Psalm 6:5; 115:17; 146:3–4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Isaiah 38:18–19; Daniel 7:13–14; 12:2; Matthew 10:28; 24:36; 25:31–46; Luke 1:32–33; 16:19–31; 23:39–43; John 5:28–29; 11:11–14; Acts 1:9–11; 2:30–36; 17:30–31; 24:15; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28, 35–55; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 3:19–20; 4:6; Revelation 1:7; 3:21; 6:9–10; 14:11; 19:11–20:15; 22:1–3.

14. The Restoration of All Things

Our final hope is not an everlasting disembodied existence. God has promised the liberation of creation, the resurrection of the body, and new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The holy city, New Jerusalem, descends from heaven to earth. God’s dwelling is with humanity. Death, mourning, crying, pain, and the curse will be no more. The river of life and tree of life appear again, God’s servants see his face, and they reign forever. The nations walk by the city’s light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.

The biblical story ends with redeemed people dwelling with God, possessing immortal embodied life, serving him, and reigning under Jesus the Messiah, for “They will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5). Paul wrote that “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21), and Peter spoke of “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). John saw that “the first heaven and the first earth have passed away” (Revelation 21:1), and Peter wrote that “the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Our conclusion: God will set this creation free and renew it through judgment, as the old world perished in the flood and yet remained.

Isaiah 11:1–10; 65:17–25; Acts 3:19–21; Romans 8:18–25; 1 Corinthians 15:50–55; 2 Peter 3:10, 13; Revelation 21:1–22:5.

15. Questions Answered

Some questions are not settled by a single plain verse. We answer each from Scripture as best we can, and label the answer. Our conclusion marks an answer we infer from the verses. Where Scripture does not say, we say so. Paul wrote “that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Our conclusion is that this applies here too. We never make any of them a test of fellowship. Paul wrote, “Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.” (Romans 14:1). Our conclusion is that this applies to these questions as well. Our conclusion is that salvation does not depend on reaching our answer to each question, but on believing the good news about Jesus (see the last question below). Some readers cite John 8:24 and 2 John 9 against this. Our conclusion is that the belief they require is the one John names, “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31), and that “the teaching of Christ” (2 John 9) is the confession that “Jesus Christ came in the flesh” (2 John 7).

Which books belong in Scripture. Our conclusion: Scripture is the sixty-six books, Genesis to Revelation. Jesus received the Hebrew Scriptures in their three parts, and Peter set Paul’s letters beside the other Scriptures (Luke 24:44). Read the other way: Hebrews 11:35; Jude 14–15. Confidence: Narrow for the New Testament list, Solid for the Old. Jesus received the Hebrew Scriptures in three parts. Scripture does not give a list of the New Testament books, as far as we can find. We receive the books the apostles and their circle wrote.

The authority of church leaders and teachers. Our conclusion: leaders have real authority to teach, shepherd and correct by the Scriptures. No leader, council or church may bind a believer to anything Scripture does not teach (Matthew 23:8). Read the other way: Hebrews 13:17; Matthew 16:19; 18:18; Acts 15:28; 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Confidence: Solid. Leaders’ duties and their limits are both plain; applying them case by case is our step.

Teaching handed down outside Scripture. Our conclusion: what the apostles taught binds every believer, and that teaching is now held in Scripture. No later teaching, however old, binds a believer unless Scripture teaches it (1 Corinthians 4:6). Read the other way: 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Timothy 2:2; John 21:25. Confidence: Solid. The apostles’ authority is plain; that none of it binds outside Scripture is our step.

Whether Jesus existed before his conception. Our conclusion: Jesus is a man, the Son of God, who came into existence in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. Before that he existed in God’s purpose and foreknowledge (Luke 1:35). Read the other way: John 1:1–3, 15, 30; 3:13; 6:62; 8:58; 17:5; Philippians 2:5–8; Colossians 1:15–17; Hebrews 1:10–12; Jude 5; Micah 5:2; Proverbs 8:22; Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13. Confidence: Narrow. Luke 1:35 is plain, but the texts listed read against us on their face, and we say so.

The Trinity’s texts, and what the Word of John 1 is. Our conclusion: there is one God, the Father. The Word of John 1 is God’s own word, which became flesh in the man Jesus; it was not a second Person (1 Corinthians 8:6). Read the other way: John 1:1; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:26. Confidence: Solid. One God, the Father, is stated outright; the reading of John 1:1 is our step.

The Son’s part in creation. Our conclusion: God created all things alone, by his word. The through him texts call that word by the name of the Son it became (Isaiah 44:24). Read the other way: Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:10; John 1:3. Confidence: Narrow. Isaiah 44:24 is plain, but Colossians 1:16–17 and Hebrews 1:10 press hard against us.

God said of Jesus. Our conclusion: where Scripture calls Jesus God, it gives him a title as God’s appointed king, as it called Israel’s judges gods. It never makes him the one God, who is his God (John 20:17). Read the other way: John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13; Romans 9:5; John 1:18; Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16. Confidence: Solid. John 20:17 and Hebrews 1:9 are plain; Titus 2:13 and Romans 9:5 allow the other reading, and we say so.

What Isaiah 9:6’s titles mean. Our conclusion: they are throne names given to the son of David. Like “Yahweh our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16), they tell what God does through the one who bears them (Isaiah 9:6). Read the other way: Isaiah 10:21. Confidence: Narrow. Verse 7 and Jeremiah 33:16 support us, but Isaiah 10:21 uses the same words of God.

God’s titles, Alpha and Omega, and worship given to Jesus. Our conclusion: God gave Jesus his name, authority and honor, so the words Scripture says of God are rightly said of him. Every knee bows to Jesus to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9; 2:10; 2:11). Read the other way: Revelation 22:13; 5:13; Hebrews 1:6; John 5:23; Philippians 2:10; Isaiah 45:23. Confidence: Solid. Philippians 2:9–11 and Revelation 21:22 say how; Revelation 22:13 remains the hardest text. See entry 6 for Hebrews 1:10.

Whether Jesus is Michael. Our conclusion: Jesus is God’s Son and a man, ranked above every angel; Michael is an archangel (Hebrews 1:5). Read the other way: 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 12:7. Confidence: Solid. Hebrews 1 and 2 set the Son apart from every angel.

What the Holy Spirit is. Our conclusion: the Holy Spirit is God’s own power and presence, God at work. It is not a third Person (Luke 1:35). Read the other way: John 16:13; Acts 5:3–4; Ephesians 4:30; Acts 13:2. Confidence: Solid. The parallels are plain; the personal language of John 14–16 is the remainder.

Whether a true believer can fall away for good. Our conclusion: a true believer can turn away from Christ in unbelief and be lost. No one and nothing outside can take a believer who keeps trusting him (Hebrews 3:12). Read the other way: John 10:27–29; 1 John 2:19; Philippians 1:6; John 6:39; Romans 8:39; 1 Peter 1:5. Confidence: Solid. The warnings are written to believers in plain words; the promises speak of outside force and of sheep that follow.

Whether the dead are conscious before the resurrection. Our conclusion: the dead know nothing and sleep until the resurrection, when Jesus raises them (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Read the other way: Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 16:19–31; Matthew 22:32; Revelation 20:4; 1 Samuel 28:11–19. Confidence: Solid. The plain statements are on our side; Luke 23:43 turns on punctuation, which we say openly, and in 1 Samuel 28 Samuel speaks after he was brought up, which presses against us.

Whether the lost suffer forever or are destroyed. Our conclusion: the lost are destroyed in the second death, a final end. The punishment is eternal because its result never ends (Matthew 10:28). Read the other way: Matthew 25:46; Revelation 14:11; 20:10; Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:48. Confidence: Solid. Destroy, death and destruction are plain; Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 are vision language, answered above.

What the Kingdom is now. Our conclusion: God’s Kingdom is present now in its King and his power, and believers are brought into it. It comes in full on earth when Jesus returns (Luke 11:20). Read the other way: Luke 17:21; 1 Corinthians 15:50. Confidence: Solid. Both halves are stated in plain words; joining them is our step.

When Jesus takes David’s throne. Our conclusion: Jesus takes David’s throne at his return. Now he sits with his Father on the Father’s throne, at God’s right hand (Matthew 25:31). Read the other way: Acts 2:30; 15:16. Confidence: Solid. Matthew 25:31 and Revelation 3:21 are plain; Acts 2:30 is answered by its own context. Peter “spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,” (Acts 2:31).

The thousand years. Our conclusion: after his return, Christ reigns with his raised people for the thousand years Revelation states. We take the number as given and count no dates from it (Revelation 20:4). Read the other way: Revelation 20:4. Confidence: Solid for the order: return, then reign. Narrow for whether the number is exact, which Scripture does not settle.

Whether the new earth is this earth renewed. Our conclusion: God will set this creation free and renew it through judgment, as the old world perished in the flood and yet remained (Romans 8:21). Read the other way: 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:1. Confidence: Solid. Romans 8:21 and Acts 3:21 speak of this creation set free and restored.

God’s promises to Israel, and whether the church replaces Israel. Our conclusion: God has not replaced Israel. Gentile believers share Israel’s hope, and Israel as a people will turn to Jesus in faith, at a time the Father has set (Romans 11:25; 11:26). Read the other way: Romans 9:6; Galatians 6:16; Matthew 21:43. Confidence: Solid. Romans 11:25–29 speaks directly; how and when is left with the Father.

Daniel’s fourth kingdom. Our conclusion: Daniel does not name the fourth kingdom. Rome fits best, because God set up his kingdom in the days of those kings, when Jesus came. No part of our teaching rests on the name (Daniel 2:44). Read the other way: Daniel 8:20–21, read as making Greece the fourth kingdom. Confidence: Narrow. The text leaves the kingdom unnamed; Rome is the best fit, not a stated fact.

The seventy weeks of Daniel 9. Our conclusion: the seventy weeks run to the Anointed One, who is cut off, and to the city’s destruction. Jesus placed that destruction in his hearers’ generation, and we find no verse that teaches a seven-year tribulation (Daniel 9:26). Read the other way: Daniel 9:27. Confidence: Solid against any seven-year scheme. Narrow on who makes the covenant, which the text does not settle.

This generation and Jesus’ time sayings. Our conclusion: This generation means Jesus’ hearers, and Jerusalem fell in AD 70, as he said. His return, the resurrection and the judgment are still future, after the times of the Gentiles (Matthew 24:34). Read the other way: Matthew 16:28; 10:23. Confidence: Solid. Luke 21:20–24 shows both the near event and the long interval.

The day of the return, and an unseen presence. Jesus will come again, once, publicly and visibly, and every eye will see him. No one knows the day or hour, so we set no date and teach no hidden coming (Matthew 24:36). Read the other way: 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Confidence: Strong. Jesus said in plain words that the Father alone knows the day. That is the definite answer.

Who the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2 is. Scripture does not say, and this can not be settled. The definite answer it gives is that lawlessness is held back until its set time (2 Thessalonians 2:7; 2:6). Read the other way: we know of no verse that names it; readers name the Roman state, the Spirit, the church, Michael, or Paul’s preaching. Confidence: Strong that Scripture leaves it unnamed. Of the matters Scripture leaves unsettled here, this is the only whole question. The others are parts of entries 17, 21 and 23.

The 144,000. Our conclusion: the 144,000 are sealed from Israel’s tribes, as John heard. They belong to God’s people, beside a great multitude which no man could count (Revelation 7:4). Read the other way: Revelation 7:9 with 5:5–6, read as one group first heard and then seen; and readings that limit heaven to the 144,000. Confidence: Narrow. The text names Israel’s tribes, but Revelation 5:5–6 shows a heard-then-seen pattern.

Whether baptism is necessary for salvation. Our conclusion: every believer is commanded to be baptized, without delay, and no one may treat it as optional. We are saved by grace through faith, and Scripture condemns unbelief, not a believer kept from water (Acts 2:38). Read the other way: Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:16; John 3:5. Confidence: Solid. The command is plain, and so is salvation by faith; Acts 2:38 and 22:16 join them in the normal case.

Infant baptism. Our conclusion: baptism is for those who hear the good news, repent and believe. Every baptism Scripture describes in detail follows hearing and believing, so we baptize believers and do not baptize infants (Acts 8:12). Read the other way: Acts 2:39; 16:15, 33; 1 Corinthians 1:16; 7:14; Colossians 2:11–12; Matthew 19:13–14. Confidence: Solid. Every detailed case in Acts follows faith; the household texts are answered by their own context.

Which words are said at a baptism. Our conclusion: we baptize with Jesus’ own words, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the name of Jesus in Acts means by his authority, and is the same baptism (Matthew 28:19). Read the other way: Acts 2:38. Confidence: Solid. Jesus’ command is plain; we know of no verse that records a spoken formula, and we say so.

The Sabbath, and which commands bind believers. Our conclusion: believers are not under the Law of Moses as a covenant, so the weekly Sabbath does not bind them. They are bound by the law of Christ: love, and the commands Jesus and the apostles gave (Colossians 2:16; 2:17). Read the other way: Exodus 31:16; Matthew 5:17–18; Hebrews 4:9; Genesis 2:3; Mark 2:27. Confidence: Solid. Colossians 2:16 and Romans 14:5 speak to days directly; which other commands bind is answered by the apostles’ teaching.

Days Scripture does not command, such as Christmas and Halloween. Our conclusion: each believer may keep such a day to the Lord or not keep it, fully assured in his own mind, and no one may judge another over it. A thing once used for idols is not forbidden for that alone, as Paul allowed meat from the market. But no one may worship another god, or worship God in the ways the nations served theirs, and no one may teach such a day as God’s command, nor teach its avoidance as God’s command where Scripture does not command it (Romans 14:5; 14:6; 14:13; 1 Corinthians 10:21; 10:25; 10:26; Mark 7:7; Colossians 2:21). Read the other way: Exodus 32:5; Deuteronomy 12:30–32; Jeremiah 10:2–5; Galatians 4:8–10; 2 Corinthians 6:14–17; Ephesians 5:11; 1 Kings 12:32–33; 1 Corinthians 10:28–29; Acts 15:29. Confidence: Solid. Scripture never names these days. Romans 14:5–6 speaks of days without naming them, and Colossians 2:16 of the Law’s feast days; applying them to days Scripture does not command is our step, with 1 Corinthians 10:25–26 for things once used for idols. Scripture plainly forbids worshipping other gods, sorcery and consulting the dead, on any day (1 Corinthians 10:20–21; Galatians 5:20; Isaiah 8:19). Deuteronomy 12:30–31 is the hardest text; our step is to draw the line at worship itself, not at things once used in it.

Whether salvation depends on these questions. Our conclusion: salvation depends on believing the good news about Jesus and remaining in his teaching. It does not depend on settling every question in this document (John 8:24). Read the other way: John 8:24; 1 John 2:23; Galatians 1:9. Confidence: Solid. John 8:24 and 2 John 9 name what is required; Romans 14:1 shows that not every question divides.

What Scripture does not say. Scripture does not say who the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2 is. It does not give the day of his return, so we set no date. It does not say who makes the covenant of Daniel 9:27. It does not say whether the thousand years are an exact count. It does not give the day of Jesus’ birth.

“The secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Deuteronomy 29:29; John 8:24; 20:31; Romans 14:1–5; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 2 John 7, 9.

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Revelation 22:17)

“Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)