100 Years Ago:  Reprint from Word and Work June 1920

1. Jesus Christ, Son of God. His Deity; His Messiahship; His Lordship. His death, resurrection, ascension, intercession; through whom, as their great High Priest, Christians pray to the Father and in whose name they serve. (John 1:41, 49; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Heb. 1:2; 4:14; Col. 3:17). The One whom God vested with all authority (Matt. 28:18) and whom He purposes in all things to have the pre-eminence. (Col. 1:16). Head over all things to the church. (Eph. 1:22).
2. The Bible as the inspired word of God. (1 Cor. 2:12-13; 2 Tim. 3:15-17). Infallible, indestructible, unalterable, authoritative. Guide to life and service. End of all controversy. (Isa. 8:20). Contains old covenant of law, set aside at the cross (Col. 2:14-16; Heb. ch. 8.) and the New Covenant of grace which took its place. (Heb. 10:9; 2 Cor. ch. 3).
3. Redemption of fallen man by the sacrificial and substitutional death of Christ “He died for our sins;” (1 Cor. 15:3) “Died for the ungodly;” (Rom. 5:6) “Gave himself a ransom;” (1 Tim. 2:6) “Having been once offered to bear the sins of many;” (John 1:7) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins.” (Eph. 1:7).
4. Justification by faith in the risen Son of God. (Rom. 5:1) Not by works of law (Rom. 3:20) ; not by morality, not by character, culture or works of charity, for in everyone of these all fall short. (Rom. 3:23). Not by goodness for no one is good enough. Salvation upon that basis would require absolute perfection, thus no one could be saved. But thanks be to God, “by grace are ye saved, through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8). All are therefore shut up to the one way of justification, that is “by faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:25) and the faith required is such as does not stop short of yielding submission to the Lordship of Christ,— of obediently committing one’s self to Him. This faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Rom. 10:17). “We preach Christ Jesus as Lord.” (2 Cor. 4:5).
5. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures. (1 Pet. 1:21; John. 14:26). He convicts sinners, quickens, seals, indwells, helps and comforts true believers; sanctifies and consecrates their lives, and is to raise their bodies. (John 3:3-6; 1 Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:11; Eph. 1:13-14). “Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Cor. 6:19). “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” (Rom. 8:9).
6. The Oneness of the Body of Christ. “There is one body and one Spirit, even as one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father.” (Eph. 4:4-6). This one body or church or bride of ‘Christ consists of all God’s called-out people—those who are living and those who have fallen asleep in Christ. Its one ness exemplified in the New Testament congregation, the Lord’s organization— the only one He has upon the earth (itself local). (Phil. 1:1, g.) The congregation of the New Testament gathered simply and solely in the name of Him who is the Head, in whose name its every member was baptized, and upon the ground of the oneness of the body, continuing “steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers,” Acts 2:41, 42) assembling upon the first day of the week, the Memorial Day, to keep the Memorial Feast. (Acts 20:7). “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is.” (Heb. 10:25). Free from all ecclesiasticism or denominationalism. To such every Christian properly belongs. The Lord designed no other.
7. The Return of the Lord. (John 14:1–3; Acts 1:11–12; 1 Cor. 11:26; 3:4; 17 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:18; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:1–3; Matt. 24:42) “In like manner;” “The Lord, himself ;” No one knows the day nor the hour: watch; be ready; wait for Him; look for Him; hope for Him. The dead in Christ then to rise—“they that are his at his coming.” (1 Cor. 15:23). Living Christians at His coming to be changed, translated so as not to taste death; (Heb. 11:5) “We shall not all sleep.” (1 Cor. 15:51). See also 1 Thes. 4:17; Phil. 3:21 and others. Question: What shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?” (1 Pet. 4:18) “Ye shall die in your sins: whither I go ye cannot come.” (John 8:22). “He shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel.” (2 Thess. 1:8). But bear in mind that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” He calls on the wicked to forsake their way and the unrighteous to forsake his thought, and to all to rise up and return to the Lord who will have mercy upon you and to our God who “will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:7). The coming of the Lord will then no longer be a dreadful fear but a blessed hope. “In an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Are you ready? “Blessed are they that wash their robes.” ( Rev. 22:14; 7:14)

 

-Stanford Chambers, June  1920