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Some definitions, according to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1965 edition:
Fundament: the base on which a structure is erected; an underlying ground, theory or principle
Fundamental: basic; primary; based upon the original source or principle; radical
Protestant: Christian churches deriving from the Reformation and affirming justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible
Evangelical (evangel from Greek root meaning gospel or good news or bringing good news): emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual; protestant
Obeying Jesus’ command to his followers:
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
“All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
Go, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the world.”
Amen.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
-John 3:16
The Bible—God’s word—His testimony to man—His revelation—tells us everything we need toknow for abundant life and salvation—and is 100% true and reliable (infallible)—the standard by which we weigh and measure all other statements (Isaiah 8:19-20)—a written record, more reliable than oral transmission (Isaiah 30:8; see also 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:16-21)—the Bible is the bedrock of fundamental Christianity, the authoritative source of our belief and doctrine, resorted to in all disputes over truth and error
God—God is, and God created everything else that is (Genesis 1:1, Revelation 4:11)—He is Almighty and rules (Psalm 99:1-2)—He is to be feared by all (Psalm 33:8-9)
Man—God created man male (Adam) and female (Eve) in His own image (Genesis 1:27)—God created Adam from dust and Eve from Adam (Genesis 2:7)—God created man (male and female) good and perfect (Genesis 1:31, Ecclesiastes 7:29)—because we derive our life/being from God, we are accountable to Him, He has the right to command us—God gave a commandment to Adam and Eve, if disobedient “you will surely die”—tree of life, tree of knowledge of good and evil, a test of obedience (Genesis 2:16-17, Exodus 15:25-26, Deuteronomy 8:2)
Satan—at this time, in the garden, an enemy appeared—the serpent, now known to us as the devil and Satan (Revelation 12:9)—he lied to Eve, “you shall not surely die…you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5)—he is a murderer from the beginning, there is no truth in him, he seeks to destroy (John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8)
Sin—Eve believed the serpent and disobeyed God’s command, Adam followed her lead—they realized and were ashamed of their nakedness, covered themselves with fig leaf aprons and hid from God (Genesis 3:6-13)—God made them robes of skins to cover themselves with, God is merciful (Genesis 3:21)—this disobedience or breaking of God’s commandment is sin (1 John 3:4)
Judgment—sin brings judgment upon the sinner—God pronounced judgment and a curse on each one: the serpent would crawl on his belly and eat dust, the woman would be dominated by her husband and have pain in childbirth, the man would only eat by the sweat of his brow and the labor of his hands and the earth would bring forth thorns and thistles for him, both Adam and Eve would go back to dust, from which they had come (Genesis 3:14-19)—they were driven out of the garden God had planted for them to live in and barred access to the tree of life, “lest they eat and live forever” (Genesis 3:22-24)—all mankind is descended from Adam and Eve and born sinful (Genesis 3:20, Romans 5:12)—we live and die once (Hebrews 9:27), and are judged according to what we have done in this life and are rewarded accordingly (2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Psalm 62:12, Colossians 3:23-25, Revelation 20:12)—there is a resurrection to judgment and a second death, from which there is no resurrection (Revelation 20:12-14)—all this subjects us to the desperate need of a savior
Savior promised—seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent (that’s how you kill a snake) —Genesis 3:15—this promise spoken in the midst of the judgments being pronounced, God is merciful
Earliest history of man—Adam and Eve had children—Cain committed the first murder, killing his brother, Abel (Genesis 4:1-10)—the earth eventually became so filled with wickedness, God destroyed everything and everyone that breathed (except Noah and his sons and their wives, 8 people—because Noah was obedient to God) with a flood that went higher than the tops of the mountains (Genesis 6:5-9:17)—God put the rainbow in the clouds to remind Himself of His promise never again to destroy all flesh with a flood (Genesis 9:8-17)—Noah and his wife, his sons and their wives, are the common ancestors of all mankind (Genesis 9:19) —while all the earth is of one language, they decide to build a city and a tower and prevent being scattered over the face of the earth (Genesis 11:1-4)—God comes down to see what they are doing, decides it’s not a good plan and scrambles their languages, dividing them and scattering them over the face of the earth (Genesis 11:5-9)—nations develop from these families, tribes and tongues [languages]
God chooses a man and makes His own nation—God calls out Abraham to obey Him and become a great nation to bless all the inhabitants of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3)—Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, is renamed Israel and his 12 sons become the twelve tribes of Israel, God’s nation—God chooses Moses to give His law to Israel, and, through Israel, to the world (Exodus 20:1-34:28, Leviticus, Deuteronomy)
Old Testament—refers to the Mosaic covenant with the nation of Israel, contains the books Genesis to Malachi, encompassing the history of man and of the nation of Israel up to that time—rendered old by the new testament in Jesus Christ when Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world
Jesus, Salvation—God’s Son, the promised seed, born of a virgin (Luke 1:30-35)—sinless, to be sacrificed for sin as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world and restore man to intimate fellowship with God, as when Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden (John 1:29, 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 7:27, Genesis 2 & 3)
New Testament—the entire history of Jesus as Savior, born to die for our sins, and what that means to each of us, how we should walk in the light of that truth—term comes from Jesus’ own words: ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." (Luke 22:20)—Messianic covenant, in contrast with Mosaic covenant which used blood of animals and could not cleanse from a defiled conscience, blood of Son cleanses all and completely (Hebrews 10:1-18, Acts 13:38-39)—fulfills God’s promise to Israel of a new and better covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)—fulfills God’s promise to Adam and Eve of the bruiser of the serpent’shead
What good news??—this is why Christians celebrate Christmas: God has given us a Savior, and, in him, peace (Colossians 1:21-23), the forgiveness of sin, deliverance from God’s wrathful judgment—Emmanuel, or ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23)—expectation of perfection restored:
The wicked destroyed: Psalm 37:9, 20, 38; Malachi 4:1; Revelation 21:8
The end of pain, death, sorrow, sickness: Revelation 21:3-5, 2 Timothy 1:10
Satan cast into eternal torment: Revelation 20:10, Matthew 25:41
New heavens and new earth filled with righteousness: Isaiah 65:17-19, Peter 3:13
The meek inherit the earth: Psalm 37:9, 11, 29; Zephaniah 3:12-13
Jesus rules in peace forever: Psalm 72, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-9
The influence of fundamental Christianity in America:
American government was unique as a political form, being the first attempt by fundamental Christians to create a national government based upon the fundaments of Biblical Christianity:
One Sovereign God, Ruler and Creator, Lawgiver and Judge
One Son of God, Jesus, Savior of all men and King of all
One Bible, God’s Word and Law, equally binding upon all men
All men created equal and equally accountable to God, equally
in need of the Savior
Laws of man must not be in conflict with the laws of God
(The following quotes found in America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations, William J. Federer)
One of the first acts of the Continental Congress was to delegate to the Committee of Commerce the task of importing 20,000 Bibles to supply the shortage in the colonies, because “The use of the Bible is so universal and its importance so great…”
George Washington: “…The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity…With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles….” (Farewell Address)
Abraham Lincoln: “…Both [Union and Confederate] read the same Bible, and pray to the same God…” (Second Inaugural Address)
Joint Resolution of the 97th Congress of the United States of America:
WHEREAS the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation and people;
WHEREAS deeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our Nation;
WHEREAS Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States;
WHEREAS many of our great national leaders—among them Presidents Washington, Jackson, Lincoln and Wilson—paid tribute to the surpassing influence of the Bible in our country’s development, as in the words of President Jackson that the Bible is “the Rock on which our Republic rests”;
WHEREAS the history of our Nation clearly illustrates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the Scriptures in the lives of individuals, families, and societies;
WHEREAS the Nation now faces great challenges that will test this Nation as it has never been tested before; and
WHEREAS that renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and a people:
NOW THEREFORE, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is authorized and requested to designate 1983 as a national “Year of the Bible” in recognition of both the formative influence the Bible has been for our Nation, and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
Thomas P. O’Neill Strom Thurmond
Speaker of the House President of the Senate—Pro Tempore
Approved,
October 4, 1982
Ronald Reagan
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