Patti Burris

There are basic Biblical doctrines that every christian needs to understand and BELIEVE in order to build a solid foundation to live out your christian life on. Without understanding these doctrines, you won’t know what christianity is all about. You won’t have that solid foundation that everything else you do as a christian is built on. You may practice christian disciplines, but without understanding the basic doctrines, you won’t know WHY you are practicing the disciplines. The basic Biblical doctrines give you the WHY and when you fully understand and BELIEVE the doctrines, then everything else you do as a christian makes sense. Below I have listed the basic doctrines we need to understand and BELIEVE to build a solid foundation as a christian:

1. There is only ONE God- 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:60, Isaiah 43:10-11, James 2:19
2. The Trinity- John 10:30, Colossians 2:9, 1 John 5:7, John 1:1, John 1:14
3. God IS love and loves ALL people- 1 John 4:16, John 3:16, 1 John 4:19, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1
4. God knows ALL things- 1 John 3:20, Psalm 139:4, Psalm 44:21, Hebrews 4:13, Job 37:16
5. God is all-powerful- Psalm 147:5, Jeremiah 32:17, Ephesians 1:19, Acts 26:8, Isaiah 43:13
6. God is everywhere- Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:9, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:23-24
7. God is sovereign- Psalm 135:6, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 29:10, Deuteronomy 10:14, Revelation 4:11
8. God is a spirit- John 4:24, Colossians 1:15, Genesis 1:2, Psalm 139:7, Job 33:4
9. God created ALL things- Isaiah 44:24, Colossians 1:16, John 1:3, Isaiah 42:5, Genesis 1:1
10. God has ALWAYS been God- Genesis 21:33, Psalms 90:2, Revelation 1:8, Deuteronomy 33:27, 1 Timothy 1:17
11. Jesus is God- John 1:1,2 & 14, Colossians 2:9, Isaiah 9:6, John 10:30, John 8:58
12. Jesus became a man and was sinless- 1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5, 1 Peter 1:19
13. Jesus has two natures: divine and human- John 1:1,2 & 14, Colossians 2:9, John 20:28, Mark 15:39, John 10:28
14. Jesus was born of a virgin- Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:34, Luke 1:27, Matthew 1:18
15. Jesus is the ONLY way to God the Father- John 14:6, Acts 4:11-12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Romans 10:9, John 3:36
16. The Holy Spirit is God- Matthew 28:19, Acts 5:3-4, 2 Corinthians 13:14, John 14:26, Acts 13:2
17. The Holy Spirit is not a force; He is a person- John 16:12-14, Acts 13:2, John 14:26, Romans 5:5, Romans 8:26
18. The church is the body of Christ- Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:24, Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 5:29-30
19. The church is called to make disciples- Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 4:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:2, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8
20. All people have sinned- Romans 3:23, 1 Kings 8:46, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:9, Psalm 53:3

This list of Biblical doctrines is the first twenty of forty found in a book written by Terry Goodwin called, “The Disciple-Makers Handbook.” Although, I could have come up with the list myself, it would have taken even longer than this did. I decided not to reinvent the wheel. I did however, decide to list 5 scriptures for every doctrine, instead of just one or two, as found in the book. This is not an exhaustive list of scriptures. For every doctrine listed, you can find many more verses than what I have listed. I encourage you to do your own research and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

I wanted to mention that Dr. Terry Goodwin is the founder of Sun Ministries in Hyde Park, St. Louis, Missouri. There are approximately 8 missionaries with Sun Ministries who have started cottage industries to train those who face obstacles to employment. They also do so many other things for Hyde Park and I will write an in depth blog post at a later date. For now, to order the book on disciple-making, click here.