Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.’” (Matt. 22:29 NIV)

"Jesus said you can avoid errors by knowing two things: The Scriptures and the Power of God.

1. THE SCRIPTURES: The Word of God of both Old and New Testaments.

It is able to make you wise

“And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:15 NIV)

It is God-breathed and useful

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV)

“But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” (Gal. 3:22 NIV)

Jesus placed His seal of approval on the Scriptures

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17 NIV)

2. THE POWER OF GOD: Jesus as the God-Man demonstrated both the intrinsic and derived aspects of power. He proclaimed his power and authority as derived from the Father (John 5:27; 17.2; 5:16-23) He also demonstrated that his power was derived from his authority as the Son of Man and that the two were an inseparable testimony to his divine nature (Matt. 9:6-7; Luke 4:36; 9:1)

Greatness of the power of God

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (3 Cor. 4:7 NASB)

Surpassing greatness of His power

“And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Eph. 1:19-21 NASB)

The gospel is the power of God

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 2:16 NASB)

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 NASB)

God gives us power, love and self discipline

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

(2 Tim. 1:7 NLT)

 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15 ESV)

Psalms 136 proclaims that “God’s steadfast love endures forever” 26 times!

His steadfast love never ceases

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 22:23 ESV)

He faithfully keeps covenant and steadfast love

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9 ESV)

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17 NIV)

According to this verse, He is:

• King: A person or thing that is more important than all others. Ruler, sovereign, monarch, crowned head, emperor, prince, potentate, lord.

• Eternal: lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning. Everlasting, never ending, endless, perpetual, undying, immortal, abiding, permanent, enduring, infinite, boundless, timeless.

• Immortal: living forever; never dying or decaying. Deathless, eternal, everlasting, never-ending, endless, lasting, ceaseless, imperishable, indestructible, inextinguishable, immutable, perpetual, permanent, unfading.
• The only God: No one or nothing more besides Him; solely, exclusively. Solitary, lone, unique, exclusive, just one.

And according to this verse He deserves…

• Honor: high respect; esteem. Distinction, recognition, privilege, glory, kudos, cachet, prestige, merit, credit, importance, illustriousness, notability, respect, esteem, approbation.
• Glory: high renown or honor won by notable achievements. Renown, fame, prestige, honor, distinction, eminence, acclaim, praise, celebrity, recognition, reputation.
• For ever and ever: For now and all time in the future: Continuing without stopping.  Continuous, forever, permanent.
•  Amen: to take care, to be faithful, reliable or established, or to believe someone or something. “The promises of God are Amen” i.e., they are all true and sure. (2 Cor. 1:20)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Rev. 4:11 NIV)

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.” (Psalms 36:5-6 NIV)

 He created them

“So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Gen. 2:21 ESV)

They are His

“For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. (Psalms 50:10-12 ESV)

He is good to them

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 149:9 ESV)

He feeds them

“He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.” (Psalm 147:9 ESV)

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matt. 6:26 ESV)

“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds.” (Luke 12:24 ESV)

And you should be kind to them

“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.” (Prov. 12:10 ESV)

 Animals are included in the future 

 "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6-9 ESV)

They will all praise God  

 "And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13 ESV)

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!" (Psalms 147:7-12 ESV)

“For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” (Psalm 91:11 NLT)

He guards your going out and your coming in

“The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 131:8 NASB)

He dwells in uttermost parts

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalms 239:9-10 ESV)

His faithfulness shields you

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” (Psalms 91:415 NIV)

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12 NKJV)

Over the last few days I have shared  “We believe” foundational statements held by Bible believing evangelical Christians.

Here is another one

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the church.

You are the body of Christ

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27 NIV)

The church is His body

“God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” (Eph. 1:22-23 NLT)

"The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.” (Rev. 20:13 NLT)

Over the last few days I have shared  “We believe” foundational statements held by Bible believing evangelical Christians.

Here is another one

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment.

The dead shall be raised imperishable

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

 "O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:51-57 ESV)

Anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire

“And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:11-15 NLT)

“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31 NLT)

Over the last few days I have shared  “We believe” foundational statements held by Bible believing evangelical Christians.

Here is another one

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life.

You can only understand spiritual things with the Spirit

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Cor. 2:14 NIV)

Keep in step with the Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Gal. 5:16-18 ESV)

You receive power with the Holy Spirit

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)

The Spirit makes you “born again”

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” (John 3:5-8 ESV)

The Spirit of God dwells in you

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Rom. 8:9 ESV)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NIV)

Over the last few days I have shared  “We believe” foundational statements held by Bible believing evangelical Christians.

Here is another one

We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.

All have sinned

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.” (Rom. 4:23 NLT)

Forgiveness in Jesus Name

“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning  at Jerusalem’”. (Luke 24:46-47 NIV)

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 NLT)

All must appear before the judgement seat of Christ

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Cor. 5:10-11 ESV)

We are saved through the blood of Jesus

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Eph. 1:7 NIV)

We are saved through grace by faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9 ESV)

We are saved by His mercy

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made Heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7 NASB)