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Twelve Fundamental Principles of Christianity

Page history last edited by pinkhamc@... 1 year, 9 months ago

The Underlying Precept of Christianity

 

Because we have free will and the only consciousness we know intimately is our own (1 Co 2:11), we often use our free will to choose to please our own consciousness over the genuine needs of someone Else's consciousness.  When we do, it is an affront to God’s Holiness. (See "One of my favorite Bible Verses and how it relates to the Twelve Principles," below for how this works.) He calls it Sin. A synonym might be "moral unholiness." Once you understand this, you are ready to progress to...

 

 

The 12 Fundamental Principles of Christianity

 

This list is a joint effort compiled in collaboration with of one of my dearest spiritual mentors, Rev William Wick (“The Rev,” as he is known fondly by Norwich students), who was my pastor before becoming the full-time Chaplain at Norwich University where he serves as one of the most dedicated and accomplished men of God serving on college campuses in this country. Yes, I am unabashedly biased!

 

1. God created the universe.
 
2. God is Holy.
 
3. Humans are morally unholy.
 
4. Holy and unholy do not mix.
 
5. God is Love.
 
6. Love for His creation inspires God to want us humans to know His Love now and experience it with Him for eternity.
 
7. 2-6 create a conundrum.
 
8. 1 gives God the right to solve that conundrum as He sees fit.

 

9. God the Father, requires us to become Holy by assuming the Holiness of God the Son (Jesus) through the action of God the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 

10. He does this by enabling our unholiness to die with Jesus on the Cross, thereby entombing it, and replacing it with Jesus’ Holiness, which permits us to rise through His resurrection as a new, Holy creation.

 

11. We can know this is true through the revelation of Himself in His creation, His inspired Holy Word, His incarnate Son, and His involvement in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

 

12. All the above combine to form a logical and consistent worldview.

 

There are three important characteristics of this list:

 

1) If we agree on these 12 (and we should if we claim to be Christian), these 12 seal our current and eternal relationship to the loving, Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe! All else pales in comparison!

 

Thus, if our churches and more importantly, our people, could realize the singular, overwhelming significance of these 12 principles, the divisive differences that arise within and between churches and the people that they consist of would be seen much more clearly for what they really are -- totally petty and UNimportant. As my first Adult Sunday School teacher, Michael Masoian, taught me, "We should agree to disagree agreeably." Or, as Richard De Haan states in his entry for Our Daily Bread on July 19th, 2004, "As believers, we need an awareness of our spiritual unity with other Christians. We need to focus on the fundamentals on which we agree--such as our love for the Savior who died for us--rather than bicker about lesser issues." Let's face it, this is NOT happening. John 17:20-23 is not what we are showing to the world, which is why the world is not showing interest in us or our message of truth.

 

2) There are 12 and the number 12 is Biblically significant. (Yes, we first came up with 10 and then had to add two more as we thought them through, so you might say we tried to come up with that number, but it wasn't our driving consideration.)

 

3) The list begins with "God created the Universe." This first principle clearly drives all the rest and for this reason, it should not come as a surprise that it is the subject of the first verses of the Bible.

 

If the above is too much detail for you, here is a simpler (earlier) version I just ran across in my notes:

 

There is only one fundamental issue:

 

God is Holy.

We are unholy.

God desires that we spend eternity with Him.

Holy and unholy do not mix.

Thus God has a problem.

God solved that problem by offering His Son’s Holiness as a replacement for our unholiness.

 

We need to accept His offer.

 

All other issues, be they secular or doctrinal, are not fundamental, and as issues go, they are a distant second to this one.

 

 

You might wonder why no Bible references are included so far. These principles are based on Biblical Truth, but to include Bible references would cause those not impressed with the Bible to turn away from reading and pondering the principles. In like manner, doing so for those impressed with the Bible, would cause them to take time to verify the references and turn away from reading and pondering the principles.

 

Assuming you are in the latter camp, you've had time by now to ponder the principles, so here are some of the verses behind them. This is a work in progress, so bear with me. I have them all identified in a Bible which is now so worn from use that it is sitting on my bookshelf. I need to search them out as time permits.

 

1. Genesis 1; Malachi 2:10.

 

2. Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2; Joshua 24:19; 1Samuel 2:2, Psalm 22:3, 71:19, 99:5, 119:68, Isaiah 6:3, 29:23; 1 Timothy 6:16; Revelation 4:8, 15:4.

 

3. Exodus 20; Job 4:17, 42:4-6; [Job in general-God could allow Satan to do this to Job because Job was not fully blameless (unlike God), thus Job needed to see God’s Holiness, compared to his unholiness]; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 6:3-4, 65:2-5; Mark 10:18; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:2-3, 4:22

 

4. Exodus 3:6, 19:21, 20:18,19, 24:9,17, 28:36-38, 31:13, 33:19-20, Leviticus 7:21, 10;10, 19:2, 21:6, 22:16, 22:32, 27:32-33; 1 Samuel 6:20, 2 Chronicles 7:2, Proverbs 1:10, Isaiah 2:19, 6:3-4, 33:14; Ezekiel 8:5-6, 43:10 (something in design); Habakkuk 1:13; Malachi 3:2; Matthew 17:6; Luke 2:9; Hebrews 12:14, 12:29; Revelation 21:27. If this is not enough for you, think of this analogy: suppose you had a glass of 100% pure water. If you added one ion of chloride to it would it still be pure? No. Likewise, the union of one unholy person with God would likewise make Him Unholy, an impossibility. Or think of this simple explanation given by Elizabeth Danyew to children in our church during Children's Message on the 25th of February, 2018, "God can't have that sin with Him in heaven."

 

5. Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 John 4:8,16

 

6. Psalm 136: 2,26; 1 Kings 10:9; Ephesians 2:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 1 John 3:16, 4:9-10; Jude 1:21

 

7. This is self-evident, but the Biblical reference for this is Numbers 35:33. Numbers 35:33 presents an extremely complex explanation which thoroughly addresses the problem of theodicy in a way no other author has considered, during which, God's Holiness is confirmed beyond doubt. This, too, is a project for future writing as I go through and classify the hundreds of references to this one verse that I have identified in that one, worn Bible referred to above.

 

8. This, too, is self-evident, but the Biblical reference for this is also Numbers 35:33. At the core of understanding this verse lies God's insistence that people must have free will to come to Him. More on this in future posts. Genesis 35:11 and Job 11:7 are good starting points, but Matthew 20:14-15 and 23 establish the validity of the principle.

 

9. Deuteronomy 14:2; Isaiah 62:12; Matthew 27:52; John 3:16, 17:17; Acts 9:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Galatians 4:19, 6:15; Ephesians 2:5-6, 4:23-24; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 7:26, 10:10,14, 12:10, 13:12, First Peter 1:15, 2:9. Romans 8:38-39 reveals the link between principles 9 and 5.

 

10. John 3:16; Romans 6:3-11, 10:19,22; 1st Corinthians 15:42-44; 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 5:21; Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 6:15; Ephesians 1:4, 2:10, 4:22-24; Colossians 1:27, 2:12-13, 3:1, 3:3-4, 3:10,12; Hebrews 2:11, 10:10,14; 12:10; 2nd Timothy 2:11; 1st Peter 2:24; (This should make us realize Jesus' suffering and death on the cross was for each of us, a very PERSONAL, private, and intimate agony.)

 

11. Creation: Romans 1:20; Psalm 104:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11. Holy Word: Matthew 26:54; Luke 24:32; 2nd Timothy 3:16. Incarnate Son: John 5:19-26; Hebrews 9:11-14; Involvement in our lives: Acts 9:31, John 10:10; 1st Thessalonians 1:5; 1st John 1:7-2:2, 4:12.

 

12. This statement stands by itself, but a Biblical confirmation might be Philippians 4:8.

 

 

Refs for Three Important Characteristics:

1-If we agree on these 12, all else pales in comparison: 

Titus 3:9-11: "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned." New International Version (NIV)

Romans 8:39: "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV).

 

 

One of my favorite Bible Verses and how it relates to the Twelve Principles

Verses 3 and 4 relate to our moral unholiness, because if we are honest with ourselves, we rarely obey them.

Verses 5 through 11 show us how to obey them as God set aside some of His Holiness to show us His Love by becoming flesh, and to give us the goal/example. Also see the Tree of Life under Witnessing Tools for a discussion of how C.S. Lewis takes the step that preceded this one.

 

Philippians 2:3-11New International Version (NIV) 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests but each of you

  to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the

  same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

  did not consider equality with God something

  to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
  by taking the very nature of a servant,
  being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
  he humbled himself
  by becoming obedient to death—
    even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
  and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
  in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
  to the glory of God the Father.

Footnotes: 

  1. Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
  2. Philippians 2:7 Or the form

 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

One of the most well-known moving passages in Paul’s writings is Philippians 2:3-11, known as the Kenosis Hymn (from the Greek word ekenosen, “he emptied,” v. 7). “He made himself nothing” above. (Not sure where I got this from. It is apparently not a direct quote, so it is possible I wrote it using a website or similar as my source.)

 

I’m pretty sure the following is my own wording, tho.

 

Etymology: e\ken\osis out-without-from\empty-emptying\the act of

 

The Greek word that we translate “emptied” is actually “έκένωσε.[i]” It is derived from the word “κένοω “keno-o,” to make empty, to abase, to neutralize[ii] I believe the “e” in front, as suggested above, means to “go out through” as it is used in the word, “exit.”


 

[i] Green, Jay P., Sr., 1988, Pocket Interlinear New Testament, Numerically Coded to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Book Houser. (p 534)

[ii] Strong, James, 1984, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, The Greek Dcitionary of the New Testament, Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson, Publishers. (p 41).

 

 

These Principles Rendered as the Message of the Cross

 

What follows is a letter to the editor published in the Northfield News on March 24th, 1994. I just (Oct 6th 2014) found it in my files.

 

   "Are you doing good? ... Well, what exactly is good?

 

   If we contrast goodness with what some despicable humans have done, we are doing good. After all, we haven't sent millions of Jews to their death, we haven't "slept" with hundreds of different partners, we haven't illegally gained millions of dollars in the drug trade. Sure, we are doing pretty good, ...or ... are we?

 

   How would you feel in the presence of Perfect Goodness, Perfect Holiness, Perfect Righteousness? Wouldn't that time you rationalized the use of the paperclip from work to hold together notes at home, wouldn't that time you pretended to know something to cover up your ignorance, wouldn't that time you wished you had a new car like your neighbor, wouldn't that time you thought how sexy someone looked and how you'd like to ...? Wouldn't all these times and countless more suddenly collapse on you and consume you in an overwhelming wave of guilt -- guilt revealed by the consuming brightness of Perfect Holiness?

 

   That's how God is. His Perfect Holiness would expose your sin ... which creates a problem for Him. You see, He loves you and He wants you to spend now and eternity with Him, but your seemingly little misdeeds and misthoughts would allow you to last only a moment in His presence. Your sense of guilt would be a million million times more intense than that time you let your parents down, or you betrayed a trust with your best friend, or you failed to rally to someone's side in his time of need.

 

   So how does God deal with this guilt problem? He provides the opportunity, through His Son, Jesus, for you to appear before Him guiltless.

 

   This Jesus took on the guilt of the entire world, past, present and future, died with that guilt on Him, left it in death and resurrected in Perfect Righteousness, so that you might have a choice. You can stand before God claiming you own righteousness or claiming the Righteousness of Jesus. You can choose to bask in God's Glory or to burn in it.

 

   Choose to bask in His Glory. This Easter Season, find a body of believers that proclaims this message and listen!

 

   GABRIEL HAS PUT THE TRUMPET TO HIS LIPS!

                                             Thoughts from an Upper Room"

 

Wisedrop, a Christian Fable February 11, 1990

 

Once there was a foolish drop of water. This drop of water was quite proud of himself. "After all," he reasoned, "I have drawn the molecules on my surface so tightly together that they present a formidable barrier and maintain me as a drop. I'm well protected. I can go anywhere." But then one day, this drop found himself in the presence of a heat source more intense than anything he could imagine.... He was vaporized instantly.

 

At about the same time, there was another drop of water. Now this drop was wise. She reasoned, "Sure, I have this fine skin of closely-packed molecules, but I know it's not enough. I need to be surrounded by a perfect reflector. One day she found that glorious reflector and immediately enveloped herself with it. Sometime later this drop also found herself in the presence of the same, intense heat source that vaporized the foolish drop. But the reflector wrapped around the wise drop returned each and every ray of heat to the source... and the wise drop lived!

 

Inspired by the 12 fundamental principles of Christianity, Daniel 3, and John 17:1-5.

 

Christianity is not for the Weak-Minded.

 

Because Christianity flies full in the face of our deepest-seated drive, the drive for self-promotion and self-preservation, it requires attention and thought on a constant basis to ensure we subjugate that drive to the redirected Christian focus of promoting and preserving others (Philippians 2:3-8).

 

Because Christianity flies full in the face of many sound appearing arguments from all worldviews outside Christianity, it requires attention and thought on a constant basis to ensure we recognize the vulnerable points in these arguments and help our opponents to see them and make sure the arguments don't cause us to stumble.

 

The GOSPEL in 25 Words

"Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son, died in your place to pay the penalty for your sin; by trusting Him you have salvation and life eternal."

 

This summary was provided by one of my wisest spiritual mentors, Reverend William Wick (The Rev), Chaplain, Norwich University. This is the same Rev Wick who worked with me to develop the “12 Fundamental Principles of Christianity.”

 

Return to Mentiscopia

 

Genesis 1; Malachi 2:10.

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