The Bible
The
Bible is too wonderful to be the work of unaided men; we believe
its writers were inspired by God, whom it reveals. It contains all
we need to know about God and His dealings with mankind, and is
the only certain source of knowledge of such things. The Bible is
the basis of our beliefs, and the basis of the existence of the
Christadelphian community. We encourage each other to read portions
of the Bible every day.
If
you would like to consider some of the evidence for believing the
Bible to be reliable, please click here: The
evidence
What
the Bible tells us
God
created the universe and everything in it. Man was made in the image
of God.
Having
been given free-will, all men fail to live up to God's perfection
and are sinners in his sight. (Since men are held fully responsible
for their sin, the Bible "Devil" cannot be a supernatural
agent of sin, but is a figurative term for any source of evil or
temptation, particularly that within mankind.)
Death
is God's punishment on mankind for sin; it is the natural end of
a man (not an automatic gateway to a better or spiritual existence).
God
offers men and women forgiveness of sins and salvation from death
through faith in Jesus Christ. No-one can earn salvation; it is
a gift of God.
The
birth of Jesus came about by the operation of God's Holy Spirit
(the power of God) on the virgin Mary, so that he is Son of God
and also Son of Man, and was able to show divine attributes although
he shared our human nature. (However, the common idea that Jesus
is "God the Son" and part of a "Trinity" of
"three persons in one God" we do not find in the Bible.)
Although
Jesus suffered temptation like the rest of mankind, he lived a perfect
life, culminating in his death on the cross as a sacrifice for the
sins of the world.
God
raised Jesus from death. Many of his disciples saw him after his
resurrection. Later, he ascended to heaven, leaving his disciples
the task of preaching the gospel to others. To help them in this
work, they were given the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them.
God's
promises to the fathers of the nation of Israel that their offspring
should inherit the earth and bring blessings to all nations are
still relevant. The great offspring of Israel is Jesus Christ. Those
who put their trust in Jesus will receive a share in the fulfilment
of those promises.
Believers
must first symbolically associate themselves with Jesus' death and
resurrection by baptism (total immersion in water); then they must
show their faith by trying to live according to the teaching of
Jesus and his apostles.
The
re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, their repossessing
the whole of Jerusalem in 1967 and the continuing tension in the
Middle East suggest that the return of Jesus to the earth will be
soon.
Jesus
will return to the earth as the Jews' Messiah and the Christians'
King. He will take over world government and establish the Kingdom
of God on earth.
Those
"in Christ" who die before his return will be raised from
death when he comes; until then they are "asleep".
At
his coming, Jesus will judge both those raised from death and those
still living. Some will be punished with eternal destruction; the
faithful will be rewarded with eternal life and share in the Kingdom
of God.
During
the "Millennium" of Christ's reign, his immortalised disciples
will help in bringing justice, righteousness and peace to the whole
world. Finally, the perfected kingdom will be handed over to God,
the Father.
If
you would like details of a free course to help you read and understand
the Bible for yourself, please click here: Bible
Course
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