Pentecostal Foundation

01/11/24

Introduction

The Assemblies of God, have strong convictions about the Bible and its declaration of God’s
design for the human race.

We firmly hold that the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments are:
• Verbally inspired by God
• revelation of God to mankind
• the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct
• (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21)

Biblical truths were given greater emphasis in our ministry of bringing the lost to Christ.
➢ The Foundational (or Cardinal) Doctrines:
▪ Jesus is
1. Savior
2. Baptizer in the Holy Spirit
3. Healer
4. Soon returning King

➢ These four points are treated as the doctrines of:

1. Salvation
2. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
3. Divine Healing
4. The Second Coming of Christ

➢ “Cardinal” means something is so important that we cannot do without it.

• These four truths are essential to the empowered ministry for which Pentecostals
are noted.

A concise summary of where people look to find authority for their beliefs given by
William W. Menzies, author of Bible Doctrines: A Pentecostal Perspective (Menzies 1993,17)
1. Human reason
2. Church
3. God’s Word
Lesson 1

The Holy Bible: Our Foundation for Faith

➢ The Bible is the Word of God:

▪ This provides us with the firm foundation we need for building our lives and our
belief system.
▪ Every doctrine must be measured by it.
▪ This foundation can never be changed or destroyed.
“Heave and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”
(Matthew 24:35)
God’s Word will stand—as will the doctrines built on it,

in spite of cultural, political, or philosophical attacks.

▪ Biblical truths must be learned if we are to see God’s dynamic work in the
lives of those who, we witness.

I. The Need for Sound Doctrine

▪ To know the importance of sound doctrine
… Paul uses the words four times in his letters to young pastor,
Timothy:
1. He refers to lifestyles contrary to sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:10)
2. He proclaims the absolute need for sound doctrine
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2
Timothy 4:3)

… He repeats the importance of sound doctrine in the pastor’s ministry to

young pastor, Titus:

1. “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught,
so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those
who opposes it” (Titus 1:9)
2. “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus2:1)

➢ What is Doctrine?
▪ Means “something taught” or “teaching and instruction”
 ➢ What is Christian Doctrine?
▪ A framework of fundamental biblical truths arranged in orderly form.
• Bible scholars:
… study the entire Bible to determine all it says about a particular subject.
… arrange those biblical statements into a comprehensive statement on a subject.

• There are four that stand out as the foundational doctrines of the Assemblies of God
and other Pentecostal groups.
• Salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
• The Holy Spirit and His dynamic work in Spirit-filled Christians
• Divine healing as part of the atonement
• The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

The systematic study of doctrine also protects us from unbalanced and wrong
interpretation of Scripture.
… A single verse can be taken out of the entire Bible context and applied
improperly.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
… Emphasis should be on all Scripture, we must consider all the verses and
passages in Scripture dealing with the subject being studied.

▪ Comprehensive study leads to sound doctrine.

… Only when we know everything the Bible says about how we should live
can be taught and trained in righteousness and be properly equipped for
doing God’s work.

The Four Cardinal Doctrines

➢ How the four foundational or cardinal doctrines relate to other Bible doctrines?
▪ The Assemblies of God Statement of the Fundamental Truths contain sixteen
points.
▪ The preamble to the statement adopted in 1916 says, “This statement of the
Fundamental Truths is not intended as creed for the church, now as basis of
fellowship among Christians, but only as a basis of unity for the ministry
alone. (Menzies 1993, 11)
 ▪ This Statement has to be recognized as the guideline:
… for our faith and practice
… for what we believe
… how we are expected to live

▪ The Statement of Fundamental Truths

1. The Scripture Inspired
2. The One True God
3. The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ
4. The Fall of Man
5. The Salvation of Man
6. The Ordinances of the Church
7. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
8. The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
9. Sanctification
10. The Church and It’s Misson
11. The Ministry
12. Devine Healing
13. The Blessed Hope
14. The Millennial Reign of Christ
15. The Final judgment
16. The New Heavens and the New Earth

➢ What is the difference between Doctrine and Theology

• Doctrine literally means “teaching or instruction”
• Theology means “the study of God” or our understanding of God and His
relations with humankind
… Related words and often used with the same meaning.
• Their distinction:
… Theologians – one who specializes the in study of theology.
… Theology is the thought of the individuals.
… Doctrine is the recognized thoughts of the church.

II. The Value of Doctrine in the Life of Believers

➢ Doctrine is
a. A series of road signs on our discipleship journey. (John 8:21-32)
 • Doctrine is extremely important.
… It is God’s instruction or teaching for the greatest good of His people.
… He has spoken through His Son Jesus and inspired writers of the Old and New
Testaments
We must obey the doctrine delivered to us, but we cannot obey it completely
unless we first understand it. (Romans 10:17)

b. A safeguard against error (2 Peter 2:3)

• Our eternal salvation could depend on right understanding of biblical doctrine.
… Peter warned against false teachers who from greedy motives:
1. exploit unsettled Christians with untrue stories
2. Seduce unstable persons with their deception (v. 14)
Our doctrine must be solidly based on the Bible, God’s inspired Word, for our
spiritual well-being.

c. The basis for our conduct and behavior (Romans 2:14-15)

• Strong doctrinal beliefs are absolutely essential for the full development of
strong Christian character.
• The stronger the belief, the more trustworthy and upright the character will be.
• Every individual has a conscience created by God.
A vital part of Christian doctrine:
… God’s standard of love
… Respect for each other

d. The basis of our service to God and others. (Matthew 28:18-20)

• Jesus left His disciples after three and a half years being with them.
… Those years with the Twelve had been years of preparation.
The messenger is as important as the message.

… The example of the messenger must match the words of the messenger.

… After the truths of the doctrine had changed the lives of the messengers, the
commission was delivered.
We cannot share our faith successfully until we can tell others about it.
“Always be prepared to give … the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter
3:15)

III. Confronting Alternative Belief Systems

1. Natural Law versus Righteous Living
Many still reject the Bible as moral authority and choose natural law. Unfortunately,
there is no single source that defines natural law.
• Natural law believers
a. They believe that all persons have access to natural law through human
reason.
b. They teach that one knows right from wrong by observing realities of the
physical world.
c. They even declare that natural law is better than biblical definitions of
right and wrong, making biblical revelation unnecessary.
The Bible does acknowledge natural law.
• It is part of God’s law (Romans 2:12-15)
• Natural law does not provide salvation
- It serves only to condemn the sinner and direct him or her to Christ as the
Creator of nature.
- It cannot serve independently as a substitute for God’s revealed law.

2. Human Philosophy
This belief system is based on the assumption that all people are basically good and
human reason can tell the difference between right and wrong behavior.
• They conclude that there is no afterlife.
• They deny the existence of a God to whom humans are accountable
- No rewards or punishment after a person dies
• Each person becomes a rule or standard to him-or herself.
• No need for an external guide to right belief or behavior.
Human reasoning, no matter how trained and perfected is no match for God’s
wisdom. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
- One of Satan’s greatest accomplishments is influencing and darkening the
minds of those trained in human wisdom
▪ We must stand firm and put on the whole armor of God! (Ephesians 6:12-13)

3. Friends and foes of the cross

• Christian belief has many varieties
- An identifying characteristics of a cult
… They believe that one must be a member of their church in order to go
to heaven
- They claim to be the only church that teaches the true plan of salvation
We must not be misled by groups that claim to be Christian, but add other
requirements besides faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
 • There are religions that oppose Christianity, sometimes persecuting and even
killing Christians.
… Even when Satan uses other religious beliefs to attempt to destroy Christianity,
God is still on the throne. He is faithful and His promise will always be true.
(Hebrews 13:5-6)

IV. The Holy Bible: The Basis for True Doctrine

We must be like noble Bereans who “examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11)
• Search the Scriptures on their own to verify the truths that the ministers are
sharing.
The minister’s task is to teach new ideas, but to encourage followers to drink at
the Fountain of Life for themselves.

➢ God’s Inerrant Word

• The only book in the world that is inspired by God.
• The Holy Spirit is the divine Author of the Bible using willing human instruments
He chose. (2 Peter 1:21)
Divine inspiration applies fully to all of the 66 books (historical, poetical, doctrinal
and pastoral)
• Every word is inspired and without error in the original manuscripts.
Inerrant means “free from error,”
- Infallible means “incapable of error”
▪ The Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God calls the
Bible “the infallible rule of faith and conduct…and superior to conscience and
reason.” We believe that the Bible is both infallible and inerrant.

➢ The importance of believing in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible

• The Bible is God’s Word to sinful humans. He Himself must be true and
infallible—without error.
• It records historical and scientific events with the same infallible authority with
which it treats doctrine and practice.
The whole framework of Christian faith rests on the inerrancy of the Scriptures.
▪ The inspired Word will stand true and without error.
▪ The reliability of the Bible has been proven beyond and reasonable doubt.

To God be the Glory!