Doctrines Christadelphians Believe and Teach
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That the Bible is the only
source now extant of knowledge concerning God and His purposes, and it was
given wholly by the unerring inspiration of God in the writers, and that
such errors as have since crept in are due to transcription or translation.
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That there is but ONE God,
the Father, dwelling in heaven, who, out of His own underived energy created
heaven and earth, and all that in them is.
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That Jesus Christ is the Son
of God (not "God the Son," a phrase not found in Scripture),
begotten of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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That God is omnipresent by
means of His spirit flowing out from His personal presence. This spirit
power is universal in upholding all things in the natural world. For the
performance of work that is supernatural and sacred the same spirit by
special concentration of the Divine Will becomes Holy Spirit for the holy or
sacred work determined to be done.
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That man is mortal; a
creature of the dust. Immortality is not a present possession, but will be
bestowed upon the worthy at the resurrection.
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That man in death is
unconscious, and depends upon a resurrection for a future life.
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That death came into the
world through the disobedience of one man. "Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, in whom all have sinned" Rom 5:12
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That as death came into the
world through sin, it can only be abolished through the righteousness of one
who was raised up in the condemned race of Adam, in the line of Abraham and
David, who though wearing the condemned nature was to obtain a title to
resurrection by perfect obedience, and by dying abrogate the law of
condemnation for HIMSELF, and all who should believe and obey him.
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That at the appearing of Christ
prior to the establishment of the Kingdom, the responsible (faithful and
unfaithful), dead and living of both classes, will be summoned before his
judgment seat "to be judged according to their works," "and
receive in body according to what they have done, whether it be good or
bad." 2 Cor. 5:10
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That the gospel concerns the
"Kingdom of God" (for the establishment of which Christ taught his
disciples to pray, and of which the prophet Daniel says, "the God of
heaven shall set up"), and the "Things Concerning the Name of
Jesus Christ," a knowledge and adherence to which are necessary for
salvation.
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That the Kingdom when
established will be the kingdom of Israel restored, in the territory it
formerly occupied, viz., the land bequeathed to Abraham and his seed (the
Christ), by covenant.
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That baptism into the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, after knowledge of God's plan, and a faithful walk
therein, is essential to salvation.
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In addition to the above
twelve doctrines it should be recognized that Christadelphians believe that
the Commandments of Christ (see Christadelphian Statement of
Faith) must
determine our behavior and attitudes in all aspects of our lives, and we
stress that it is increasingly needful to be governed by them in these
perilous last days of gross immorality. We therefore recommend that all
brethren of Christ give attention to these commandments and consistently use
them as their standard of conduct.
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