You can click here for the blog post that brought about this post. The context is doctrine/theology the average Christian should have a handle on after being a believer 10 years. The thoughts posed for discussion were as follows (With suggestions and texts included):
The verasity and authority of the Bible above all other religious writings…
The Trinity…
Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Titus 3:4-6; Galatians 4:4-6
The substutionary death of Christ…
The meaning of atonement…
Leviticus 1:4, 4:20; Galatians 4:4-5; Colossians 1:19-20; Hebrews 9:22
The meaning of imputation…
The necessity of the virgin birth…
Leviticus 22:20-21; Luke 1:26-38 (Since God was Jesus’ father, he did not have the sin nature of man. Thus he was perfect and sinless… therefore a perfect sinless sacrifice for sinful men. See next point.)
The truth that Jesus is the only way of salvation…
The ability to explain and defend the Biblical command to be baptized…
Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19; John 3:22-23 with John 4:1-2; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The importance of holiness in the life of a believer…
Leviticus 20:26; Matthew 5:48; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:14-16
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ…
Matthew 28:5-10; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:1-18; Romans 1:1-4, 6:5-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Ephesians 1:19-20
The sure return of Jesus Christ…
Matthew 16:27, 24:29-31… 36-44, 26:64; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 22:12, 20.
The ability to describe how God saved them (Their testimony) in 3 to 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes.
Foundation from Paul is found in Acts 26:1-32. There are three parts to his testimony: 1) His life prior to salvation (26:1-11)… 2) His conversion (26:12-18)… 3) His life since his conversion (26:19-32). It is easy to incorporate each of these into a personal testimony since every person who has been saved has these three elements in their life.
My Testimony: When I was 10 years old I was riding bicycles with a friend of mine who asked me, “If you died today would you go to heaven or hell?” I couldn’t answer him, so I immediately went home to talk to my mother who told me about Jesus and how he died on the cross for my sin of unbelief. We knelt beside my bed and I asked God to forgive me and save me. I can remember having a deep sense of peace and love I had never known. That night I began to have a hunger for reading Scripture and church. Several years later (At the age of 19) God called me into the ministry. After a time of working in the secular world, I attended seminary where I obtained first a Master of Divinity then a Doctor of ministry. I knew from early on I was called to preach and pastor. I have since served four churches as pastor… one as interim pastor… and about to begin serving another as their pastor (God willing).