Concerning Humanity

: Human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). This and the fact that Christ died for all gives to all human beings infinite value and worth. An individual person is worth more than all things material (Matt. 16:26). This means that no man or woman, boy or girl, regardless of color, culture, or condition of life should ever be used, manipulated, or treated as a mere means to some end. Furthermore, God has no favorites: he shows no partiality in his relation to or treatment of persons (Acts 10:34; Gal. 2:6; Col. 3:11). Therefore, his children should not show partiality nor be respecters of persons (James 2:1-9) for in Jesus Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor fe¬male (Gal. 3:28).

Concerning the Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures are in¬spired of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and are authoritative for the daily life of the Christian. Their authority stems not only from specific teachings but also from general principles permeating their tone and spirit. The authority of the Scriptures resides primarily and ultimately in the Person revealed in the Scriptures. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, is the Word and breathes life into the words of the Scriptures. The Bible explains how individuals can be and how persons are to live.

In regard to the latter there is a two-fold emphasis: the vertical or right relation to God and the horizontal or right relation to others. Examples of this two-dimensional emphasis are the Ten Commandments, which represent a summary of the basic moral law of the Old Testament (Exod. 20:1-17), love for God and mankind as the summary of the law and prophets (Mart. 22:23-40), and the relation of faith and works (Mart. 7:16, 20; Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26). When these two dimensions are mentioned together, the vertical is prac¬tically always stared first. A right relationship to one’s neighbor is a derivative of a right relationship to God. This is so inevitably true that one’s relation to his fellowman is proof of his relation, right or wrong, to God (1 John 4:20).

Concerning the Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit of Truth” was sent to teach us all things (John 14:26), to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit lives in the believer (1 Cot. 6:19). For the Christian, he is the inner, subjective source of authority (Acts 16:6-7; James 1:5) as the Scriptures are the outer, objective source of authority. Iris the resurrected Chyrist who speaks to us through the Spirit (Acts 1:2). The Spirit is our teacher (1 Cot. 2:13), the source of any spiritual power we may have (Acts 1:8; 10:38; Rom. 15:13). He is also the source of any gifts we may have (1 Cot. 12:4-12) and of the moral fruit of the Christian life (Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 5:9). We are to walk in the Spirit or where the Spirit leads (Gal. 5:25).

Concerning Christ.

Christ fully revealed the Father (John 10:30; 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:2-3). His initial invitation was (Mart. 4:19) and his continuing invitation is (Mart. 19:21), “Come, follow me.” Paul challenged Christians to be like Christ, calling them to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2), to have the same mind of humility that was found in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5-8), and to forgive one another as Christ had forgiven them (Col. 3:13). John says that if we claim that we abide in Christ, we should walk as he walked (I John 2:5-6), live as he lived. “We should try to be like him” (Eph. 5:1, NEB).

If we are like him, we will have a deep concern for peo¬ple, particularly the sorrowing, the suffering, the poor, and the moral and social outcasts of society (Luke 4:18; 7:19-23). We will have compassion for the multitudes, who are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd (Mart. 9:36). We will also have compassion for individuals who suffer (Mart. 20:30-34; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 7:11-15). Christ himself is served when we serve the needy (Mart. 25:31-46). Though we try diligently, however, we must admit that we are not yet perfect, we have not attained the level of practical righteousness that we should have; but we can say with Paul that forgetting the things that are behind, we press on toward the mark that is set for us in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12-14).