9 Marks of a Healthy Church

Who is God? What is God like?

Last Sunday - the importance of how we are taught. Today our concern is for what is taught.

9 Marks of a Healthy Church Biblical Theology!

God He is creating He is holy He is faithful He is loving He is sovereign

He is creating He creates the world and universe He creates a special people for Himself in the world.  The Bible is full of HIStory! (not a typo) Very specific, concrete, earthy revelation of who God is and what He is like. As we read the Bible we get to know what God is like and what it means to be God’s people.

He is holy God who is passionate about holiness. This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This is a problem for us because we are not holy. Sacrifice - sin is serious and it costs life. How we do church depends on how we understand God and ourselves.

He is faithful The paradox or riddle of the Old Testament. Exodus 34:6-7 God is holy and just in His unwavering commitment to oppose and punish sin, but He is also faithful to His promises of hope and redemption. He came to be the final sacrifice, so that you and I can have a restored relationship with God.

He is loving Romans 5:8 God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Our salvation has more to do with God than us. Our salvation shows us something very important about God. The God of the Bible is a God of amazing love.

He is sovereign Your kingdom come, Your will be done! Our hope extends beyond ourselves and exceeds what we could ever do in our own power. Our final hope is seen in the book of Revelation. It does not matter who sits on the earthly throne, God sits on the throne in heaven and He determines what happens in our world.

Biblical Theology This kind of theology is practical, it does make a real difference to how we live our lives. We need to know that God will continue to love and care for us, and that He will continue to do so, not because of our faithfulness but because of His faithfulness.

Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology How we think about God affects the way we live and what our church will be like. We must have a Biblical understanding of God. Our understanding of what the Bible teaches about God is crucial. We must try to understand God by His revelation to us, not by our ideas or wishes. We must never make God in our image!

What makes a really good church? Make sure our leaders and members understand who God really is. They need to have a Biblical and experiential grasp of the true God. Biblical Theology.