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Concise Bible Doctrines

Copyright © 1983, 2006 by Elmer L. Towns

Published by AMG Publishers
6815 Shallowford Rd.
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421

Previously published under the title What the Faith Is All About?

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in printed reviews, no part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means (printed, written, photocopied,
visual electronic, audio, or otherwise) without the prior permission of
the publisher.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, King James Version.

Print ISBN: 978-0-89957-695-4

ePub ISBN: 978-1-61715-138-5
Mobi ISBN: 978-1-61715-139-2

First printing—July 2006

Cover designed by Market Street Design, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Interior design and typesetting by Reider Publishing Services,
West Hollywood, California
Edited and Proofread by Gina Bucy, Sharon Neal, Dan Penwell,
and Rick Steele
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CONTENTS

Preface ix

PART ONE
Introduction 1
1. Understanding Christianity 3
2. Understanding Faith 12

PART TWO
Understanding the Doctrine of the Bible 21
3. Revelation 23
4. Inspiration 31
5. Inerrancy and Canonicity 41
6. How to Interpret the Bible 50

PART THREE
Understanding the Doctrine of God 57
7. Who God Is 59
8. The Attributes of God 68
9. The Law of God 75
10. The Work of God 84
11. The Trinity 93
12. The Father 101
13. The Names of God 107

PART FOUR
Understanding the Doctrine of Christ 115
14. The Preexistence of Christ 117
15. The Offices of Christ 124
16. The Virgin Birth 129
17. How Christ Became a Man 137
18. The Perfection of Christ 144

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4 | CONTENTS

19. The Death of Jesus Christ 152

20. The Atonement 160
21. The Resurrection 168
22. The Ascension of Christ 176
23. The Present Ministry of Jesus Christ 184

PART FIVE
Understanding the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit 191
24. The Person of the Holy Spirit 193
25. The Present Ministry of the Holy Spirit 200

PART SIX
Understanding the Doctrine of Man 209
26. The Nature of Man 211
27. The Freedom of Man 218
28. The Personality of Man 226
29. The Fall of Man 234
30. The Nature of Sin 241

PART SEVEN
Understanding the Doctrine of Salvation 249
31. Conversion and Regeneration 251
32. Our Position 261

PART EIGHT
Understanding the Doctrine of Angels 269
33. The Nature of Angels 271
34. The Works of Angels 280

PART NINE
Understanding the Doctrine of Satan 287
35. The Nature of Satan 289
36. The Works of Satan 296

PART TEN
Understanding the Doctrine of Demons 305
37. Demons 307
38. Demon Activity 313
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CONTENTS | 5

PART ELEVEN
Understanding the Doctrine of the Church 321
39. The Nature of the Church 323
40. Church Membership 330
41. The Aims of the Church 339
42. Church Leadership 346
43. Church Government 354
44. The Ordinances of the Church 363

PART TWELVE
Understanding the Doctrine of Last Things 371
45. The Nature of Prophecy 373
46. The Signs of the Times 380
47. The Rapture 388
48. The Tribulation 394
49. The Millennium 401
50. The Judgments 408
51. The Eternal Abode of the Unsaved 415
52. The Eternal Home of the Saved 422
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PREFACE


A
ccording to my research on church growth, I found that the
greatest curriculum need of Christian education in the twenty-
first century is Bible doctrine written in the language of the peo-
ple. Since a researcher ought to place confidence in the findings of his
exploration, I determined to write a book on Bible doctrine for the aver-
age Christian. Also, my major in seminary was theology and I have taught
that subject for over twenty years. A book on doctrine gave me an oppor-
tunity to put the results of my studies into print.
First, I determined to write for contemporary Bible students, not for
theologians. This meant I had to deal with the sophisticated and com-
plicated issues facing modern Christians, without getting bogged down
in ecclesiastical tangents or concerning myself with all the issues dis-
cussed in seminaries. I trust this is a simple book to understand as I have
tried to explore the incomprehensible nature of God. It is still true that
“profound truth is discovered in a simple expression.”
In the second place, I used selected theological words but tried to
interpret them for the average layman by giving a biblical background,
resulting in a definition. When the readers know correct theological
terms, they have a basis for understanding the doctrine involved.
In the third place, I have tried to make this book practical. Many
times I have heard that theology dries up soul winning. In addition, it’s
said that theology may be true in the classroom but does not work in the
church. I disagree with both of those statements. If doctrine is truly bib-
lical, it will motivate the students to win souls for Jesus Christ. Also, if
doctrine is presented correctly in the classroom, it is practical for the
church. As a result, I tried to end each chapter with a practical section,
applying the lesson to life.

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8 | PREFACE

This book is adaptable for use in classes, in the Sunday school, or

home Bible cells. There are fifty-two chapters, one for each week of the
year. A daily Bible reading suggestion is tied to each chapter so that the seri-
ous student of Bible doctrine can cover every major doctrine in his daily
devotional reading in one year.
Finally, due credit must be given to two of my students at Liberty
Baptist Seminary for their contribution to this manuscript. It is only
coincidental that both are from Canada, but this fact only adds to my
appreciation for their educational system. Mr. Douglas Porter worked on
research and composition, while Miss Margaret Barr typed and retyped
the manuscript. Mrs. Marie Chapman read the text critically to
strengthen its contribution.
May God use this book for its intended purpose.

Elmer L. Towns
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PA RT

ONE

Introduction
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1

UNDERSTANDING
CHRISTIANITY
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
—ACTS 11:26

INTRODUCTION
Someone has said, “Christianity is Jesus Christ.” That embryonic answer
is an adequate description, but the problem is that many people do not
understand who Jesus Christ is. The popular conception of Christ is not
always correct. Even in the Scriptures, individuals did not always prop-
erly understand Christ. To illustrate, observe the two disciples on the
road to Emmaus on the first Easter Sunday afternoon. They thought they
knew Christ and were even discussing the events of Jesus’ death, burial,
and resurrection. But they were wrong in their understanding of him.
When Jesus joined them and spoke to them, they did not recognize him
because their eyes were blinded with unbelief (Luke 24:16, 31).
These were his disciples who now were perplexed at the events of the
morning. They had heard reports that someone had stolen his body or
that he had disappeared. Obviously, these two disciples had apparent
spiritual needs, just as many in today’s world have needs. How Jesus met
their needs, then, is an indication of how he meets needs today.
Jesus began teaching these two disciples at the first books of the Bible
(the Law) and surveyed Old Testament history to the last books (the

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4 | CONCISE BIBLE D O CTRINES

Prophets). Some might think Jesus would have comforted them with a
psalm or a devotional challenge. Instead, he met their needs by laying the
foundation of biblical teaching. “He expounded unto them in all the scrip-
tures the things concerning himself ” (Luke 24:27). The basis of his min-
istry to them was doctrine. The verb for “teaching” is the same root from
which we get the word “doctrine.”
The church has the same mandate today; our lives and ministry must
be based on sound doctrine. Nevertheless, most people are afraid of the
word “doctrine.” The world thinks that doctrine is dusty and irrelevant,
or hidden in old theology books. However, biblical doctrine is as spiri-
tually alive as a new born-again Christian is. It is as practical as a growing
Sunday school and as enjoyable as reading a favorite text.
Christian doctrine is similar to the wrench in a plumber’s toolbox—
it is there to fix something. Those who just keep the wrench shiny are
similar to the theologian who is always perfecting his doctrine but does
not apply it to his life or ministry. Others deny the “doctrine-wrench”
illustration by saying, “That sermon is good in theory [doctrine] but it
will never work in life.” They are wrong. When true doctrine touches life,
it is always practical.
The Bible and doctrine walk hand in hand with practical Christianity.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doc-
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Therefore, the purpose of Bible doctrine is the
communication of the gospel to people at a point of need. The first section
of this chapter will deal with the topic: What is man’s point of need? The
second topic in this section is, What is communication? The third sec-
tion is, What is the Gospel? The answers to these questions formulate the
necessity and function of doctrine.

CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE SPEAKS

TO THE POINT OF NEED
All doctrine begins with God and has its eternal existence in God, but
there was no need of doctrine until God created man. As soon as man
was created, a need existed. Man was made in the image of God, which
means among other things that he had the ability to reason. His intellec-
tual ability reflects the thought processes of God. Man also had emotions,
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UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIANITY | 5

as expressed in the feelings of love and hate, to mention just two. Finally,
man was a volitional being who could decide his own fate. Therefore,
when Satan came and tempted, “Ye shall be as gods,” man, who had the
ability to make a moral choice, fell into sin. Sin produced the greatest
need in man and doctrine is the channel through which God told how
he would meet that need.
Man is cut off from God. Not only Adam and Eve, but everyone from
that time forth was excluded from God’s presence. The Scriptures teach,
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
This included every child who was born in the line of Adam and Eve,
since “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; . . . so
death passed upon all men, for all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
Man’s sin is classified into three aspects. First, anything less than
God’s perfect holiness is sin. Sin is similar to an arrow falling short of the
target. It does not attain to the perfect standard. Therefore, no person
born into the world measures up to God’s perfect standard.
Rebellion is the second aspect of sin, usually translated “transgres-
sion.” Sin is the breaking of God’s law, either volitionally or ignorantly.
God prohibits the worship of idols, but man sins when he worships a
wooden statue or something more precious to him than God. He has
transgressed God’s commandment.
The third aspect of sin is inherent wickedness or moral impurity.
This is described as filth or uncleanness and is abhorred by God, who is
pure and holy.
The result of sin is that it blinds the sinner (2 Cor. 4:3, 4; Eph. 4:17).
Usually man does not recognize that he is a sinner and that he is cut off
from God. Therefore a sinner needs the gospel communicated to him at
his point of need, to reveal to him that he is a sinner.
Man becomes his own point of reference. When Satan promised Eve,
“Ye shall be as gods” (Gen. 3:5), he fulfilled that promise. As a result, each
man today is his own standard of measurement. Each has become the
focus of the circle in which he lives. A wise man once observed, “There
is some divinity in us all.” By that he meant that each man justifies his
own actions and thinks that everything he does is perfect, or at least
almost perfect.
The Fall of man has created an upside-down condition. Instead of
man’s placing God on the throne, man sits there in supreme ignorance
that he has usurped the place of God. Doctrine teaches man that God
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must be placed on the throne and only when man understands God’s
nature and program can man begin to get his problem solved.
Man suffers alienation and isolation. Too often it has been said that
sin is punished after death. That is only part of the picture. People also
suffer the consequences of sin in this life. Sin results in isolation or alien-
ation from God. Spiritual death is the ultimate form of isolation from
God. As a result of man’s sin, he needs eternal salvation to bring him into
fellowship with God. But there is a second problem. Modern education
speaks of “felt needs,” those problems we are aware of, and “ultimate
needs,” usually the problems that are real but unexperienced. The “ulti-
mate need” is salvation for man to be rejoined to God from whom he
was cut off. But let us not forget the “felt need,” the deliverance from the
affliction in this life that also springs from our sin.
Isolation from God may not be a felt need, but severe depression is
an experience that needs immediate help. To this person, the doctrinal
message of fellowship with God may not be enough, but it is the foun-
dation of all ministry to that person. Since man is a social creature, his
problem of isolation may be the root of many of his other mental or psy-
chological problems.
The answer to isolation is that God took the initiative with man.
“When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son” (Gal. 4:4).
Again, we read “God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son” (Heb. 1:1, 2).
Man is filled with anxiety. Any life that is separated from ultimate
authority is like a boat without an anchor; it is drifting. A person may be
anxious because he does not have all the answers to the questions raised
by others, or even the questions asked in his heart.
Every person has within his heart a need, something missing that
only God can fill. He knows that something is missing but he usually
refuses to identify it as God. He looks for answers elsewhere and does not
find any. He becomes his own point of reference, but he makes mistakes
and is aware of his own stupidity.
People are anxious because they have a problem keeping their emo-
tional lives together. God should function in man’s immaterial nature,
but the vacuum created by his absence produces anxiety. “Anxiety” is
another word for fear, depression, jealousy, or any other condition that
keeps man in an emotional disequilibrium.
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Man searches for meaning. Because man is isolated and affected by

sin in every part of his life, the lack of meaning in life becomes a felt
need. Those who are slaves to drugs know that narcotics do not lead to
happiness or meaning. The same can be said for wealth, fame, or even
success.
Many people do not know where to go or how to get where they
want to go. But they want to go somewhere. They are like a fine-tuned
car that has a full tank of fuel but is without direction or purpose. Others
are bewitched or have dropped out of the human race. They have no
drive or no desire. They are like a car without fuel, without a battery, and
with a rusting engine. Both have problems with meaning—they have not
found the secret in life. They need the revelation of God that gives his
purpose for which men should live.
Man marches inevitably toward death. We are frightened when we see
a young friend struck down with cancer, and yet thousands die annually
of some form of cancer. We experience the same fear when a child is
killed or we hear of a young son who is missing in war.
The threat of death is all about us. Then we look within our decay-
ing bodies and realize death is our enemy. We are spirits that want to rise
above the limitations of the body. Yet we see dimly because our eyes are
wearing out. Our arms ache because of arthritis. Even the thirty-year-old
feels the inevitable rising tide of age when a younger man takes his place
on the team.
The Bible teaches that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and
the ultimate need of man is a means of overcoming the power of death.
A little boy was standing next to his father on the front seat of their
Mercedes Benz. The father had given his son everything. Then the little
boy asked, “Does everyone have to die?” The father thought a moment
then answered, “Yes.” The young son pondered that answer, then blurted
out, “Even if they are lucky?”

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN

DOCTRINE IS COMMUNICATION
The word “communicate” actually means “to have in common.” When
we communicate with a friend, the two of us have something in com-
mon. Language is the usual means of communication. Though much of
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8 | CONCISE BIBLE D O CTRINES

human communication is nonverbal, language difficulty is the most sig-

nificant cause of communication failures.
God communicated to man in many ways, but the greatest was
through Jesus Christ. Christianity is a relationship between God and
man, based on the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Now, every person who is saved has a living relationship to God. Those
Christians who allow their relationship to God to affect their whole per-
sonality prosper.
Christians are expected to reach out in relationships to other people—
to the unsaved in soul winning and to other Christians in fellowship.
Every man is potentially a loner, but he can reach out of his shell for
meaningful relationships when he has a full understanding of the rela-
tionship between God and himself. It takes strength to reach another per-
son. The ultimate strength is in Jesus Christ who forgives our sins, gives
us meaning in life, and gives us strength to rise above our circumstances.
The record of God’s communication to man is the Word of God. But
it is more than a history of how God has reached out to man. It is the
basis of man’s communication with God today. Since the Bible is the
communication of the gospel to people at their point of need, then it
must be rational and logical. God reveals himself as rational and logical.
Since the Bible teaches that man is made in the image and likeness of
God, we may conclude that human beings are rational and logical, and
that the channel of communication between God and man proceeds in
a logical and rational manner.
When God speaks to man (revelation) it will follow rational and log-
ical means. We can conclude that God is not illogical nor does he do fool-
ish things. When man seeks God he cannot forsake his God-given
intellect, nor can he find God by seeking the Lord in foolish ways. The
channel of communication between God and man runs in both direc-
tions, and Christianity must always be rational. That does not mean we
will understand all the Bible nor does it mean God will reveal everything
to us. But it does mean that God will never ask us to violate our minds
to be Christians.
When the gospel is presented to us, it must be communicated to us
so that we understand it. (That does not mean the content is changed
but that the method of expressing it is revised.) Since we are rational
and logical beings, the gospel must be communicated to us in a rational
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UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIANITY | 9

manner. This means that the gospel must be systematic in content and
presentation. From this we get the term “systematic theology.” However,
this book uses the biblical term “doctrine” instead of the word “theology.”
Several steps are taken in making doctrine systematic and logical.
First, we must look at all of the facts on every topic of doctrine. We begin
by looking at biblical content, but we also include truth (not conjecture)
from any and every source: biology, history, sociology, and philosophy.
As an illustration, when we are studying the nature of God we must con-
sider all the facts of God that are taught in the Bible concerning the
nature of God. But we also include all information concerning him that
we learn from nature.
Second, we must classify the facts into a consistent whole. This
means that the verses that deal with the holiness of God must be corre-
lated with those that teach the justice of God. Then we write the results of
our study into statements that give a total picture of the person of God.
Finally, we must analyze all of our statements, making sure they are
consistent, so that we do not contradict ourselves.
In addition, we analyze them to make sure our statements corre-
spond to the reality of the world and the people who live here. The result
is doctrine. Now we must express it as simply and clearly as possible, so
that others will be able to understand the total revelation of God on each
subject.
The final step in communication between God and man is worship.
Since man is spiritual he has an innate desire to worship someone. The
problem is that man, the worshiper, has invented his own ways to wor-
ship God or has created his own gods to worship. God recognizes this
weakness and commands that we should have no other gods before him
(Exod. 20:3).
However, the obvious question remains: “Which worship is correct?”
Actually, this book is not an apologetic answer to the philosophical ques-
tions of man. The answer to true worship is found in what Jesus told the
woman at the well. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must wor-
ship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God must be worshiped
according to truth, which is biblical doctrine. But to worship God by cor-
rect doctrine is only part of worship. The worship of God must also be
an expression of the deepest feelings, a sincere mind, and the honest
heart of man, which is what is meant by worshiping him in spirit.
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THE CONTENT OF CHRISTIAN

DOCTRINE IS GOD’S GOOD NEWS
We have talked of man’s need and God’s method of communication to
him. Now we come to the content of the gospel, or what must be believed
to solve man’s problem. God meets the need of man on this basis. The
word “gospel” means “good news” and is usually applied to mean the good
news of salvation. The gospel is the first message of good news that God
gave to sinful man. After Adam and Eve sinned, the Lord came walking
in the cool of the Garden looking for man. Even though man had hid-
den, God, who knows all things, knew where Adam was hiding. God took
the initiative. God wanted to save Adam—that is the good news.
Moreover, the good news (gospel), which is doctrine, grows out of the
first encounter of God and man after man had sinned.
The gospel has two aspects, a proposition and a Person. The average
church member thinks of only one concept, that the gospel is a propo-
sitional statement of faith. Many people miss Christianity because they
think it is belief in a historical statement.
The gospel—a proposition. The basis of good news is the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. This message is best expressed in these words
of Paul: “I declare unto you that gospel which I preached unto you, . . .
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”
(1 Cor. 15:1–4). The gospel message is simply the death, burial, and res-
urrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. Those who deny the reality of these
truths deny the foundation of Christianity. This gospel must be affirmed
in our doctrinal statements. For a person to be saved, mere mental agree-
ment to a propositional statement is not enough.
The gospel—a Person. The gospel is more than a proposition; it is a
Person—Jesus Christ. A person’s becoming a Christian involves more
than giving mental assent to the fact of the death, burial, and resurrec-
tion of Jesus. The gospel enters our lives when Jesus Christ enters our
hearts. “But as many as received him [Christ] to them gave he power to
become the sons of God” (John 1:12).
By definition we have said that the purpose of doctrine is the com-
munication of the gospel to people at their point of need. We commu-
nicate doctrine not only by writing, but also by speaking it in words. The
gospel is a Person—Jesus Christ. Therefore, to be doctrinally correct, we
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UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIANITY | 11

must know the content of Christianity and be in right relationship to

Jesus Christ.
A few years ago when the street people were converted, they were
called “Jesus people.” They claimed to have a deep relationship to Jesus
Christ, but many of them ignored doctrine. On the other extreme are
some orthodox churches that correctly teach the Word of God, but their
legalistic approach to Christianity has squeezed an emotional or spiri-
tual relationship to Jesus Christ out of the church. Both extremes are
unbiblical. A person must be correct in his relationship to the person of
Jesus Christ. And correct words are the vehicle that expresses a man’s
doctrine. One cannot have Christianity without Christ; and the revela-
tion of Christ is the substance and content of doctrine.

CONCLUSION
This doctrine book is written to communicate doctrine for the modern-
day Christian. It is written to the head and to the heart. Sound doctrine
proves itself sound if it can be related to the needs of man.

DAILY READINGS
MONDAY Romans 3:10–26
TUESDAY John 3:1–18
WEDNESDAY Romans 5:1–21
THURSDAY Hebrews 11: 1–6, 32–40
FRIDAY Matthew 28:1–20
SATURDAY 1 Thessalonians 4:1–18
SUNDAY Revelation 19:1–21