Scholars Crossing Books The Works of Elmer Towns 1983 What The Faith Is All About Elmer L. Towns Liberty University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_books Recommended Citation Towns, Elmer L., "What The Faith Is All About" (1983). Books. 55. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_books/55 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Works of Elmer Towns at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. What the Faith Is All About Elmer Towns C O N T E N T S PART ONE 1. Understanding Introduction Christianity 2. Understanding Faith PART TWO 3. Revelation Understanding the 4. Inspiration Doctrine of the 5. Inerrancy and Canonicity Bible 6. How to Interpret the Bible PART THREE 7. Who God Is Understanding the 8. The Attributes of God Doctrine of God 9. The Law of God 10. The Work of God 11. The Trinity 12. The Father 13. The Names of God PART FOUR 14. The Preexistence Understanding the of Christ Doctrine of Christ 15. The Offices of Christ 16. The Virgin Birth 17. How Christ Became a Man 18. The Perfection of Christ 19. The Death of Jesus Christ 20. The Atonement 21. The Resurrection 22. The Ascension of Christ 23. The Present Ministry of Jesus Christ PART FIVE 24. The Person of the Holy Understanding the Spirit Doctrine of the 25. The Present Ministry of Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit PART SIX 26. The Nature of Man The Doctrine of 27. The Freedom of Man Man. 28. The Personality of Man 29. The Fall of Man 30. The Nature of Sin PART SEVEN 31. Conversion and Understanding the Regeneration Doctrine of 32. Our Position Salvation PART EIGHT 33. The Nature of Angels Understanding the 34. The Works of Angels Doctrine of Angels PART NINE 35. The Nature of Satan Understanding the 36. The Works of Satan Doctrine of Satan PART TEN 37. Demons Understanding the 38. Demon Activity Doctrine of Demons PART 39. The Nature of the ELEVEN Church Understanding the 40. Church Membership Doctrine of the 41. The Aims of the Church Church 42. Church Leadership 43. Church Government 44. The Ordinances of the Church PART 45. The Nature of Prophecy TWELVE 46. The Signs of the Times Understanding the 47. The Rapture Doctrine of Last 48. The Tribulation Things 49. The Millennium 50. The judgments 51. The Eternal Abode of the Unsaved 52. The Eternal Home of the Saved I N T R 0 D U C T I O N According to my research on church growth, I found that the greatest curriculum need of Christian education in the 80s is Bible doctrine written in the language of the people. Since a researcher ought to place confidence in the findings of his exploration, I determined to write a book on Bible doctrine for the average Christian. Also, my major in seminary was theology and I have taught that subject for over twenty years. A book on doctrine gave me an opportunity to put the results of my studies into print. First, I determined to write for contemporary Bible students, not for theologians. This meant I had to deal with the sophisticated and complicated issues facing modern Christians, without getting bogged down in ecclesiastical tangents or concerning myself with all the issues discussed in seminaries. I trust this is a simple book to understand as I have tried to explore the incomprehensible nature of God. It is still true that "profound truth is discovered in a simple expression." In the second place, I used selected theological words but tried to interpret them for the average layman by giving a biblical background, resulting in a definition. When the readers know correct theological terms, they have a basis for understanding the doctrine involved. In the third place, I have tried to make this book practical. Many times I have heard that theology dries up soul winning. Also it is said that theology may be true in the classroom but does not work in the church. I disagree with both of those statements. If doctrine is truly biblical, it will motivate the students to win souls for Jesus Christ. Also, if doctrine is presented correctly in the classroom, it is practical for the church. As a result, I tried to end each chapter with a practical section, applying the lesson to life. This book is adaptable for use in classes, in the Sunday school, or home Bible cells. There are fifty-two chapters, one for each week of the year. A daily Bible reading suggestion is tied to each chapter so that the serious student of Bible doctrine can cover every major doctrine in his daily devotional reading in one year. Finally, due credit must be given to two of my students at Liberty Baptist Seminary for their contribution to this manuscript. It is only coincidental that both are from Canada, but this fact only adds to my appreciation for their educational system. Mr. Douglas Porter worked on research and composition, while Miss Margaret Barr typed and retyped the manuscript. Mrs. Marie Chapman read the text critically to strengthen its contribution. May God use this book for its intended purpose. Elmer L. Towns ONE UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIANITY And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26 INTRODUCTION Someone has said, "Christianity is Jesus Christ." That embryonic answer is an adequate description, but the problem is that many people do not understand who Jesus Christ is. The popular conception of Christ is not always correct. Even in the Scriptures, individuals did not always properly understand Christ. To illustrate, observe the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the first Easter Sunday afternoon. They thought they knew Christ and were even discussing the events of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. But they were wrong in their understanding of him. When Jesus joined them and spoke to them, they did not recognize him because their eyes were blinded with unbelief (Luke 24:16, 31). These were his disciples who now were perplexed at the events of the morning. They had heard reports that someone had stolen his body or that he had disappeared. Obviously, these two disciples had apparent spiritual needs, just as many in today's world have needs. How Jesus met their needs, then, is an indication of how he meets needs today. Jesus began teaching these two disciples at the first books of the Bible (the Law) and surveyed Old Testament history to the last books (the Prophets). Some might think Jesus would have comforted them with a psalm or a devotional challenge. Instead, he met their needs by laying the foundation of biblical teaching. "He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). The basis of his ministry to them was doctrine. The verb for "teaching" is the same root from which we get the word "doctrine." The church has the same mandate today; our lives and ministry must be based on sound doctrine. But most people are afraid of the word "doctrine." The world thinks that doctrine is dusty and irrelevant, or hidden in old theology books. But biblical doctrine is as spiritually alive as a new born-again Christian. It is as practical as a growing Sunday school and as enjoyable as reading a favorite text. Christian doctrine is similar to the wrench in a plumber's toolbox-it is there to fix something. Those who just keep the wrench shiny are similar to the theologian who is always perfecting his doctrine but does not apply it to his life or ministry. Others deny the "doctrine- wrench" illustration by saying, "That sermon is good in theory [doctrine] but it will never work in life." They are wrong. When true doctrine touches life, it is always practical. The Bible and doctrine walk hand in hand with practical Christianity. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Therefore, the purpose of Bible doctrine is the communication of the gospel to people at a point of need. The first section of this chapter will deal with the topic: What is man's point of need? The second topic in this section is, What is communication? The third section is, What is the Gospel? The answer to these questions formulate the necessity and function of doctrine. CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE SPEAKS TO THE POINT OF NEED All doctrine begins with God and has its eternal existence in God, but there was no need of doctrine until God created man. As soon as man was created, a need existed. Man was made in the image of God, which means among other things that he had the ability to reason. His intellectual ability reflects the thought processes of God. Man also had emotions, as expressed in the feelings of love and hate, to mention just two. Finally, man was a volitional being who could decide his own fate. So, when Satan came and tempted, "Ye shall be as gods," man, who had the ability to make a moral choice, fell into sin. Sin produced the greatest need in man and doctrine is the channel through which God told how he would meet that need. Man is cut off from God. Not only Adam and Eve, but everyone from that time forth was excluded from God's presence.