Apostolic Faith Bible Study

©1999 by Word Aflame Press

Lesson 1: The Word, the Gospel, and the Doctrine

To fully understand the Bible, it is necessary to know a few basic facts about it. First, let us look at the four divisions of the New Testament.

1. The Four Gospels:

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

These biographies of Jesus Christ were written by four witnesses of Jesus' ministry. They record the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The four writers recorded some of the same happenings, but they recorded many that are individual to each book as well.

2. Acts (Actions of the Apostles)

The history of the early church is recorded in the Book of Acts - events leading up to the Day of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the first preached message of the church age, and several examples of churches being established.

3. The Epistles

The books of Romans through Jude are letters written by the apostles and other leaders to churches and people who had already received the salvation experience. They explain how to grow in God, they warn of false prophets, and they discuss the resolution of problems in the church.

4. Revelation

This is a book of prophecy written in symbolic form. For example, in one place a pale horse represents death; in another, a woman represents a false church. This book is hard to understand without first studying the rest of the Bible. A new convert would be advised to begin Bible study with the Book of Acts or one of the Gospels.

The Importance of the Word

In order to please God, we must obey His Word. We can only obey the Word of God if we have first studied it so that we know what it says. Thus, the Word of God is of utmost importance.

Read Matthew 15:8-9

People in today's society boldly proclaim that they will worship God any way they see fit, and God will have to accept whatever worship they give Him. So it was in the days of Jesus, and here we find His response to this attitude. "In vain" means literally "to no effect."

In the days of Adam, Cain tried to worship God in a way other than offering a blood sacrifice, which God specified, and his offering was rejected (Genesis 4:1-7). It was true in the time of Jesus, and it is still true today. We must worship God in the manner He specifies.

Read John 17:17-20

Here Jesus specifies that we are to believe on Him through the apostles' words. Where do we find their words? In the Bible.

In a confusing world where everyone preaches something different, how do we know what the truth is? God's Word is truth!

Read I Peter 1:22-25

We find in this passage of Scripture that we purify our souls by obeying the truth, and we are born again by the Word. The Word, preached to us by the gospel, shows us how to be born again.

Read John 4:23-24

To be a true worshiper of God, we must worship Him both in Spirit and in truth. As we have seen, God's Word is truth (John 17:17). Along with the true teachings of the Bible, we must also have the Spirit. Likewise, we must not settle for just having the Spirit; we need to have the true teachings of the Word.

The Importance of the Gospel

Let us look at some verses of Scripture along the importance of the gospel.

Read Romans 1:16

How do we get salvation? By obeying the gospel, for the gospel is the "power of God unto salvation." If we want healing, we need the healing power of God. If we want salvation, we need the power of God to salvation. God could have chosen any way He wanted to save mankind, and He chose the gospel!

Read II Thessalonians 1:7-10

Many people begin to attend church to escape the wrath of God. However, this passage lets us know that we must know God and obey the gospel to avoid His wrath.

Some people believe that the gospel was just for the apostles' time, but verse 10 shows that the same gospel the apostles taught is the gospel that is going to be believed in the last days.

According to the Bible, the gospel of Christ is indispensable to our Christian life.

The Importance of Doctrine

The word doctrine comes from the Greek word didaskalia , which means "instruction" or "teaching." It does not mean "opinion," as some believe. Doctrine is extremely important in our Christian walk with God, as the following verses of Scripture show.

Read II Timothy 3:14-16

Some people say, "I don't have to change because the Bible tells me to continue in the things I have learned." But if we understand the Bible, we realize that Paul is telling Timothy to continue in what Timothy has learned. God is no respecter of persons, so it only makes sense that we should continue in what the apostle Paul taught Timothy. (See Timothy 3:10.)

Read I Timothy 4:13-16

Remember that this entire book is a letter from the apostle Paul to Timothy. In this passage, Paul clearly tells Timothy to give attendance to doctrine. He also tells him that doctrine will save him (Timothy) and those who hear him.

Read Romans 6:17-18

This book is a letter from the apostle Paul to the Romans. In it, he explains that they were made free from sin because they obeyed the doctrine that the apostles delivered to them. Once again, God is no respecter of persons, so we need to obey that same doctrine.

Read II Timothy 4:2-3

The apostle Paul prophesies of a time when men will not endure sound (complete or whole) doctrine. Instead, they will hire a preacher who will "tickle their ears," or preach what they want to hear.

We should be careful not to follow a preacher just because he sounds good or tells us what we want to hear. Instead, we should look for one who teaches sound apostolic doctrine.

Additional Scriptures on the Word

Here are some additional verses of Scripture about the Word with points we must understand in order to be successful in our walk with God.

Read II Peter 1:20-21

We've all heard people say, "I have my interpretation, and you have yours." But the Bible says that the Scriptures are of no private interpretation. The Bible means what it says!

Read II Peter 3:15-17

The apostle Peter points out that the apostle Paul wrote letters "according to the wisdom given unto him." He is letting us know that there are things in the Bible that take wisdom to understand, so it is possible to twist the Scriptures to our own destruction.

If we find something in the Bible that we do not understand, we should keep obeying what we do understand and wait for a fuller understanding of the rest. We should not let the deeper things make us fall from our steadfastness.

Beware of False Prophets

Read Matthew 7:13-24

When the Bible speaks of sheep, it generally refers to God's people. "Come to you in sheep's clothing" means that false prophets will come as ministers of God. In today's terminology, they would be called preachers of the gospel.

How can these false prophets be detected? Jesus said we can know them by their fruits, or their actions. If they call on the name of the Lord but do not do His will, they are false prophets.

Many people will follow the teachings of these false prophets, sincerely believing that they have a place in heaven. But they will be terribly deceived. Jesus will call them "workers of iniquity" even though they thought they had done wonderful works in His name.

Whoever hears Jesus' sayings and does them is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock. Where do we find the sayings of Jesus? In the Word of God.

Read II Corinthians 11:13-15

The apostle Paul warns the church about false prophets. They pretend to be apostles of Christ, but Paul calls them "deceitful workers."

Read II Timothy 3:13

The apostle Paul warns that evil men and seducers will deceive and will be deceived. Even if they were deceived and sincerely believed what they were teaching and even if they did not realize their error, the would still be wrong. We should not hate them or wish them ill, but we certainly should not follow them.

Read II Timothy 3:1-7

The days we are living in are perilous to our spiritual walk. Some people have a form of godliness (they belong to some kind of religion), but they "deny the power" of God to work in man's life today. They may get involved in theological discussions and possess an incredible amount of knowledge about the Bible, but they never come to the simple knowledge of salvation.

Read Matthew 15:14

Jesus compares some Pharisees to blind men. We can use the same comparison to the false prophets of our time. No matter how much the people following them believe in their teachings, they are all going to fall in the same ditch.

Read Galatians 1:6-12

Even in the apostles' day, some people were trying to change (pervert) the gospel.

Paul emphasized that if a man, or even an angel from heaven, preaches any other gospel than that which the apostles preached, he is accursed. False prophets will arise in our day, preach a message different from what the apostles preached, and bring upon themselves the curse of God.

Read Colossians 2:8-9

We must beware of philosophies and traditions of men. If we allow ourselves to believe something a man says instead of what the Word of God says, then we are "spoiled." The word "spoil" here has the connotation of being defeated or robbed, as in "the spoils of war." In a sense, it means that we could have our salvation stolen from us because we believed men's philosophies instead of the Bible.

Read Romans 3:4

If a man says something that disagrees with the Bible, the man is wrong, and the Bible is right.

Lesson 1 Worksheet

1. Jesus prayed not only for the apostles but for the people who believed on Him through their what?

a) offerings

b) words

c) feelings

2. What is the purpose of the gospel?

a) to provide entertainment

b) to provide salvation

c) to provide diversion

3. In the last days, Jesus is coming back in flaming fire   and taking vengeance on whom?

a) those who do not have insurance

b) those who do not obey the gospel

c) those who are not deceived

4. What is the result of our heeding the doctrine?

a) we will be saved

b) we will become proud

c) we will become political leaders

5. No scripture is of any what?

a) private interpretation

b) religious significance

c) godly inspiration

6. How did Jesus say that we can identify a false prophet?

a) by they way he looks

b) by the fruit (actions)

c) by the size of his congregation

7. To what did Jesus liken a man who hears his sayings and does them?

a) a man who builds his house on the beach

b) a man who builds his house on a rock

c) a man who builds his house in a forest

8. Even an angel from heaven can be cursed for doing what?

a) not dressing like a sheep

b) blowing a trumpet

c) preaching a perverted gospel

9. What did the apostle Paul call false prophets?

a) misled souls

b) derelicts

c) deceitful workers

10. In Colossians 2:8, what does the word "spoil" mean?

a) ferment

b) defeat or rob

c) mold

Apostolic Faith Bible Study

©1999 by Word Aflame Press  

Lesson 2: Salvation According to the Word

This lesson deals with what the Bible has to say about the most important topic of all - our salvation. The following are some questions we will try to find biblical answers to in this lesson.

1. What does it take for a person to be saved?

2. Is believing the only thing we must do to be saved?

3. Are there actual examples of people "getting saved" in the New Testament?

4. Is there more than one aspect to biblical salvation?

Words of Jesus Concerning Salvation

Read Luke 19:10

Jesus Christ Himself told us that the purpose of His coming to this earth was the salvation of man. Each person on earth is responsible to make sure His sacrifice was not in vain for that person's life.

Read John 3:1-18

This is one of Jesus' first references to salvation. Let's look at it in detail. For on thing, we see that we absolutely must be born again of the water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.

In verses 15 and 16, we see that belief is also fundamental to our salvation. Please note that unless believing somehow incorporates being born again of the water and the Spirit, we have a direct contradiction in the Word of God, and the Bible does not contradict itself.

The Great Commission

The final instruction Jesus gave His apostles is known as the great commission, which is recorded in three of the four Gospels. Upon examination, five different aspects to the great commission are found. The first four are steps to salvation. The fifth is the result of receiving the "power from on high."

1. Belief (mentioned once)

2. Repentance (mentioned once)

3. Baptism (mentioned three times, including Luke's comments on "remission of sins," which we will see later is referring to baptism)

4. The promise of the Father/power from on high

5. Miracles and signs

Read Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus instructs His apostles to teach people to do the things He has commanded them. Notice that in verse 19, He says to baptize in the name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. So we see that we must use a name when baptizing. Father is not a name, and Holy Ghost is not a name. These are only titles, or ways in which God is manifested. Then what is the name in which we are to be baptized? The name of Jesus!

Read Mark 16:15-20

Here we find belief, baptism, and miraculous signs mentioned. Notice that one of the signs is speaking with tongues, or speaking in a language other than one's native tongue.

Although some people say that speaking with tongues is of the devil, such an erroneous belief is not found in the Bible. In fact, Jesus Himself said that those who believe shall speak with new tongues. In I Corinthians 14:39, the apostle Paul said, "Forbid not to speak with tongues."

Read Luke 24:44-53

Jesus gave his apostles understanding, so we can be sure that when they said something they knew what they were talking about.

Repentance and remission of sins are also listed here in Luke's recording of the great commission.

We shall see later in this lesson that the "promise of my Father" refers to the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Message on the Day of Pentecost

Read Acts 2:36-42

This is the very first message preached in the new church age to sinners in need of salvation. We see here that Peter included repentance, baptism (notice a name is mentioned), and the receiving of the Holy Ghost.

Although some say that the Holy Ghost was only for the apostles, that view is not biblical. Acts 2:39 states that the promise is for generations to follow.

How are sins remitted? By baptism in Jesus' name. Notice that both a birth of the water (baptism) and the Spirit (Holy Ghost) are mentioned in this passage.

Now let's look at each of these aspects individually. The fact that the Bible stresses one aspect in one passage does not negate the other passages. Each aspect in indispensable to our salvation.

Belief

Read John 7:38-39

Jesus talks about believing and receiving the Holy Ghost. Here He adds that we must do it according to the Scriptures. He makes it clear that the "rivers of living water" of which He speaks refer to the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost.

Read Romans 10:8-17

Some people say this particular passage of Scripture is the only one that really counts in the whole Bible and that none of the other passages really mean anything. Let's see what we can gather from a verse-by-verse examination.

Verse 8

Paul begins by quoting the Old Testament. He says that the word is in their mouths and hearts, which is the word of faith that the apostles preach.

Verses 9-10

The apostle Paul explains what parts the heart and mouth play in salvation. A person believes with his heart and confesses with his mouth unto (sometimes translated as "until") salvation. He says that a person shall be saved by this (when it is fulfilled as he further explains later), but he does not say a person is saved only by belief and confession.

Verses 11-13

He goes back to the Old Testament and quotes more Scripture.

Verses 14-15

Paul says that a person cannot call on or believe in the Lord until he hears the gospel preached by a man sent of God.

Verse 16

Paul ties "obeying the gospel" to "believing our report." If we really believe, we will obey the gospel. When seen in its true light, this passage does not contradict the passages of Scripture we read about obeying what the apostles preached. Instead, it actually confirms them.

Verse 17

Finally, he sums it all up by saying, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Remember, Paul began in verse 8 by saying he was speaking of the word of faith that the apostles preach

Read Romans 1:16

Paul said that the gospel of Christ is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." What do we believe? The gospel. If we want to be saved, we must believe the gospel.

Read Mark 1:15

Again we see the importance of repentance and the necessity of believing. Believing what? The gospel. The above two verses go hand in hand with the one we read about believing on Jesus according to the Scriptures (John 7:38).

Read Hebrews 11:6

This shows us that we must have faith to please God.

Read James 2:17

We must have works along with our faith for it to be effective. (Read the rest of James 2 to get a fuller understanding of this truth.)

Read II Thessalonians 1:7-10

Notice in verse 8 how Paul ties in knowing God with obeying the gospel, not just believing in it.

In verse 10 we see that what the apostles preached is the same thing that has to be believed in the last days when Jesus comes to be glorified with all those who believe the apostle's testimony.

We see from the above verses of Scripture that believing is indeed a necessary aspect of our salvation. The second aspect is repentance.

Repentance

Read Matthew 3:1-2

The first thing John the Baptist preached concerning Jesus was repentance.

Read Luke 13:3

Jesus Himself preached repentance and stressed it very strongly.

Read II Peter 3:9

We find here, about thirty years after the death of our Lord, that repentance was still being preached. Peter shows us that to come to repentance is to avoid perishing; therefore, repentance is necessary to salvation.

Baptism

Read I Peter 3:20-21

In this passage Peter compares the saving of Noah and his family by water during the flood to our being saved by being baptized in water.

According to Acts 2:38, we are to be baptized "for the remission of sins." To have our sins remitted is to be released from the guilt or penalty of sin. Remission of our sins is possible because Jesus paid the penalty by His death on the cross.

Read Matthew 3:13-16

Some say, "I don't need to be baptized." But here we see that Jesus Christ Himself was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Who are we to say that we do not need to be baptized if He, who was perfect, was baptized?

Read Acts 22:16

This verse records the instruction of Ananias to Saul of Tarsus. Saul became the apostle Paul, the man who wrote much of the New Testament.

Here we also find that baptism washes away our sins.

Read Acts 4:10-12

Remember that in Matthew 28:19 we saw that we were to be baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? What was that name? Verse 12 states that the only name by which we can be saved is the name of Jesus Christ.

Read Romans 6:3-5

This passage shows the actual role baptism plays in our salvation. It allows us access into His death and therefore into His resurrection. Notice that we will be raised in the likeness of His resurrection only if we have first been planted in the likeness of His death.

Read Galatians 3:27

Saying that we have "put on Christ" is another way of saying that we have taken on His name or have been joined to His family.

The verses of Scripture above show that baptism in Jesus' name is essential to our salvation.

Holy Ghost

Read Acts 1:4-8

This is another glimpse of the last earthly moments of Jesus Christ. He makes it evident here that the "promise of the Father" is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is evident that at this time they had not yet received it. He also points out that to receive the Holy Ghost is to receive power.

Read Acts 2:1-8

This passage records the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. Notice that verse 4 records that they began to speak with other tongues when they were filled with the Holy Ghost.

Read Acts 2:14-18

Peter begins the first message of the new church age by quoting Joel 2:28. God had planned to pour out His Spirit even back in Joel's time, and what happened on the Day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of his prophecy.

Read Isaiah 28:11

This is another Old Testament reference to the Holy Ghost.

Read Ephesians 1:13

The believers in Ephesus received the Holy Spirit after hearing the truth of the gospel and believing it. This shows the connection between believing and receiving the Spirit.

Read I Corinthians 6:19

True Christians must have the Holy Ghost dwelling in them.

Read Romans 8:9-11

This passage shows how vital receiving the Holy Spirit is to our salvation. Verse 9 states that unless the Spirit of God dwells in a person, that person is none of His.

Note: The terms "Holy Ghost," "Holy Spirit," "Spirit of God," "Spirit of the Lord," and "Spirit of Christ" are synonymous terms that refer to one and the same Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). (See Genesis 1:2; Matthew 3:11; Luke 11:13; Acts 1:5; Acts 2:4; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 1:13; I Thessalonians 4:8; I Peter 1:11.)

Examples

We have seen that belief, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost are all part of salvation. Now let's look at some places in the Bible where people actually experienced salvation for the first time to see if they followed these guidelines.

The Samaritans

Read Acts 8:6-17

Notice that in verses 6-8, people were healed, they received joy, and they had demons cast out; yet they had not received the Holy Ghost. People may say, "I have the joy of the Lord, so I must have the Holy Ghost." Or, "I was healed, so I must have the Holy Ghost." Or, "I received the Holy Ghost when I repented." However, none of these things are identifying signs of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

Some people claim that people receive the Holy Ghost as soon as they believe; others, as soon as they are baptized. But this Scripture passage shows that the Holy Ghost does not automatically come at either of these times. In verses 12-13, the people believed and were baptized. Yet, they did not receive the Holy Ghost at that time.

Healing, joy, deliverance, belief, and baptism are all separate and distinct experiences from receiving the Holy Ghost.

Note in verse 16 that the people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Saul of Tarsus

Read Acts 9:17-18

This passage relates the conversion of Saul, who was renamed Paul and became a great apostle. Notice that he was baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost just like everyone else in the New Testament church. God is no respecter of persons. Everyone follows the same plan to be saved.

Although these two verses do not specifically record that he spoke in tongues, we can be assured that he did so because in I Corinthians 14:18, the apostle Paul said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all."

Cornelius

Read Acts 10:44-49

Note that Cornelius was a just man who feared God (Acts 10:22), fasted, and prayed (Acts 10:30); yet he did not have the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius and his household while Peter was preaching. How did Peter know they had received the Holy Ghost? Because he heard them speak with tongues (verse 46).

After they had received the Holy Ghost, Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. We know that Jesus is the name of the Lord. (See Matthew 9:28; Acts 4:33; Acts 7:59; Acts 9:5; II Peter 1:11.)

The Philippian Jailer

Read Acts 10:30-33

In this passage a jailer asked Paul and Silas what he had to do to be saved. His first step was to believe in Jesus Christ. In verse 33, we see that Paul baptized him that night, so Paul obviously taught him about baptism.

John the Baptist's Disciples

Read Acts 19:1-6

The apostle Paul met some of John the Baptist's disciples in Ephesus. When he found that they had not heard about the Holy Ghost, he asked them how they had been baptized. When he found that they had been baptized by John the Baptist and not in the name of Jesus, he reminded them that John the Baptist had told his converts that they were to believe on one who would come after him; that is, on Jesus Christ.

After Paul had explained this, John's disciples accepted this deeper truth that was revealed to them and wanted to be re-baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. After being baptized, they received the Holy Ghost when Paul prayed for them. Again, the sign that they had received the Holy Ghost was that they spoke with tongues.

Lesson 2 Worksheet 

1. According to John 3, we must be born again of what two things to enter the kingdom of God?

a) flesh and blood

b) water and Spirit

c) goodness and light

2. What is the only name in which people were baptized in the Bible?

a) Jesus

b) John the Baptist

c) Peter

3. Can we please God without faith?

a) yes

b) no

4. Faith is dead without ______.

a) good intentions

b) knowledge

c) works

5. God does not want us to perish. Instead, He wants us to come to what?

a) knowledge

b) repentance

c) riches

6. What is the sign of receiving the Holy Ghost?

a) being baptized

b) speaking in tongues

c) believing

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