The Good News

The Bible says that God created you, not for yourself, but for His own glory (Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-3; Revelation 4:11).

The Bible says that you are a sinner, a rebel against God (Romans 3:10-11; Isaiah 53:6), and that you have fallen short of glorifying God (Romans 3:23). Your sin separates you from God (Isaiah 59:2). Worse yet, you are guilty before the holy God and, because of your sin, justly deserving eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15).

The Bible says that, even though you are a sinner who's under the wrath of God (Ephesians 2:1-3), God loves you and has provided a way for you to be reconciled to Him (Ephesians 2:4-10). Because God loves you (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) and because He doesn't want you to perish for eternity (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9), He sent Jesus Christ to be your substitute. Jesus died for your sins, paying the penalty that you deserve (1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18). He was crushed for your sins (Isaiah 53).

The Bible says that you can be forgiven of your guilt. But that forgiveness cannot be earned; it is God's free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). You cannot earn a right relationship with God by doing good things or by being "religious." No church can give this to you. You must receive it personally and freely as a gracious gift. Grace is God's unearned kindness.

The Bible says that forgiveness of sins and a right relationship with God can be yours. You must simply turn from your sins (Acts 3:19; 17:30-31), and trust Jesus Christ alone as your Lord & Savior (John 1:12; Romans 4:4-5).

The Deity of Christ - Jesus is God

The New Testament abounds with proof for the deity of Jesus Christ. In eight passages, Jesus is described by the Greek word Theos (God): John 1:1-3; 1:18; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 John 5:20. Divine attributes, such as eternality (Isa. 9:6; John 1:1,2; Rev. 1:8; 22:13), omnipresence (Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13), omniscience (John 2:24,25; 21:17; Rev. 2:23), omnipotence (Isa. 9:6; Phil. 3:21; Rev. 1:8), immutability (Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8), and in general, every attribute of the Father is ascribed to the Son (Col. 2:9).

The New Testament also depicts Jesus as exercising Divine prerogatives and works: creation (John 1:3,10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2,10), providence (Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 17:2; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3), the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 9:2-7; Mark 2:7-10; Col. 3:13), resurrection and judgment (Matt. 25:31,32; John 5:19-29; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Phil. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:1), and the final dissolution and renewal of all things (Eph. 1:10; Heb. 1:10-12; Phil. 3:21; Rev. 21:5) (see: Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, p. 94, 95).

The New Testament also affirms the deity of Jesus in calling him Yahweh. Old Testament prophecies concerning Yahweh are quoted in the New Testament as being references to Jesus (compare Mal. 3:1 and Luke 1:76; Joel 2:32 and Rom. 10:13; Isa. 45:23 and Rom. 14:10). (Buswell, p. 104, 105). These examples are adequate to demonstrate that the New Testament contains a myriad of proof for the deity of Jesus Christ.

Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura: The Erosion of Authority

Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction. Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline. Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche's, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age.We must settle for nothing less than what God has given. The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.

Thesis One: Sola Scriptura

We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.

We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.

THE CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION
of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
April 20, 1996