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What do we believe?

16th March 2009

The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian movement which has 11 doctrines. These have been the basis for our faith and Christian example of the gospel since 1878.

Over the coming months we will explore these Biblically-based doctrines and what they mean for our lives today.

B.I.B.L.E

Doctrine #1: We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

The Bible is the source of all of our doctrines. It is divided into the Old Testament which consists of 39 books and the New Testament which has 27 books. The Bible has been written by approximately 40 authors who were guided by God to write. The stories of the Bible show how God deals with his people and how God saves us through Jesus.

A way to think about the Bible is: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E). In the Bible, we have all we need to know about how we should live this life of faith. It is a guidebook for life.

The apostle Paul writes, "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). God can and does use all Scripture to equip us to live this life of faith. God breathes life into the Word and it comes alive in us.

Consider Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". This helps us as we can read the Bible and find out things that can help us grow in our faith, help us find healing, and guide us like a map and compass.

Often in life we try and work things out without actually reading the instructions. But we when do that, we get stuck. It's only then that we check the manufacturer's manual (or the Bible) and find out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Check out our grow section for how others have grown from digging in the Bible.

The Godhead: 3 in 1

Doctrine #2: We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

Doctrine #3: We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

These two doctrines highlight the true nature of relationships. The Godhead is one God but three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost - and all three are united together. He is never alone, and so does not need us to be in relationship with him, yet it is the one thing that drives him to us the most. God is united in attitude and action, and seeks to reveal himself to us personally.

The apostle John wrote, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him" (1 John 4:16). If we truly believe this, then we should be seeing God at work everyday. So where have you seen love this week? How could you show love to others and allow God to work through you?

Because of his love for us, God came to earth to show that he is not distanced or removed from our everyday. The Message paraphrase says that Jesus moved into our neighbourhood (John 1:14). Think about that - love moved into our neighbourhood.

And who is this God of love? He is our creator. Out of nothing he spoke. He created life. He established time. He watches over all that happens. Our lives are in his hands.

This is the God that we worship because he loves and cares for us. Without him we would not be here. He provides our every need. His purposes never fail.

Solomon, a wise old king from the Old Testament, once wrote that "you have placed eternity in the hearts of man" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were created to worship, we are a worshipping people, and God is the only one we should be offering our worship to.

How does that affect me?

So why do you worship God? And how do you live out your worship? Worship is more than singing songs on a Sunday. It's a lifestyle. It means offering our whole lives (body, mind and soul) in awe of who God is and what he has done for us.

Think about that, and ask yourself:
In what ways am I growing by reading the Word of God?
How am I worshipping God each day?
If this is part of our beliefs, what difference does it make in my life?

In a few months I'll be back to have a look at the next 3 doctrines. Stay tuned!

Rusty Hodges Rusty serves on the territorial youth team as the Youth Inclusion Coordinator, where he works to help local youth groups and youth ministries connect with the poor and marginalised in their local area. Before joining the team, Rusty was a youth pastor for almost 5 years in Tuggerah Lakes.