5 Things Every Christian Needs To Know From The Bible
By: Dr. Mike Jones
These 5 things have foundational importance to the faith. I’m not saying you’re not a Christian, if you don’t know them, but I am saying your walk with Christ will be greatly enhanced by understanding them, applying them, and keeping them daily before you. But, if you deny these 5 things, the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see if you truly are in the faith. Prove yourself, know that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.”
Most mature Christians know of these 5 things. They tell us how we can know about God and define our relationship with Him and His relationship with us. These 5 principles will also enrich your walk with the Lord, and impact every area of your life.
Here are the 5 biblical principles every Christian needs to know:
1. The Bible alone is the infallible truth for the church;
2. Our salvation has been completed solely by Jesus;
3. It is only by God’s grace that we obtain salvation;
4. Even though we’re saved by God’s grace, yet not without faith;
5. Because of who God is, and what He’s done, He alone deserves all glory.
These 5 principle doctrines make up the foundation of the New Testament Church. In the simplest form, the 5 are:
1. Scripture alone
2. Christ alone
3. Grace alone
4. Faith alone
5. Glory to God alone
The great Puritan Theologian Thomas Watson said, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to glorify Him forever!”
And what does it mean to glorify God – 4 things:
* Appreciation: To set God highest in our thoughts and to truly esteem Him (Psalm 92:8 – But thou, LORD, [art most] high for evermore.)
* Adoration or Worship: (Psalm 29:2 – Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.)
* Affection: God counts Himself glorified when He is LOVED
(Deuteronomy 6:5 – And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.)
* Subjection: This is when we dedicate ourselves to God and stand ready for service unto Him (Romans 12:1-2 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.)
As we close out the year of our Lord 2014, let us continue to seek Him while He is yet to be found.
(Adapted from my Teaching Things From The Bible, Every Christian Should Know: all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)