Three-Minute Theology: 66 Simple Lessons on Basic Bible Doctrines

By Dana L. Goodnough

Do you have three minutes? Why not expand your understanding of God! Three-Minute Theology is designed to help busy people find time to deepen their understanding about the major doctrines of the Bible. Inside youll learn about Gods attributes, the nature and work of Jesus Christ, the meaning of salvation, and much more. In sixty-six bite-sized servings you can strengthen your faith and build a foundation of truth. Each lesson will take no more than three minutes of your time to read. Topics that excite your interest will, of course, lead you into a deeper study of Gods Word. So go ahead, start your journey today. It only takes three minutes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490898544

Dana L. Goodnough

Dana L. Goodnough has served as a pastor at Pittsford Community Church near Rochester, New York since 1985. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Calvary Bible College (B.A.), Liberty University (M.A.), and Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., D.Min). Dana is also an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern Seminary and a Regional Minister within the North American Baptist Conference. He has a passion for biblical study and pastoral leadership. Dana and his wife Monica have been married since 1980 and love being parents and grandparents.

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Copyright © 2015 Dana L. Goodnough.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-9853-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9854-4 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/20/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

The Bible—God’s Holy Word

Revelation

Inspiration

Inerrancy

Infallibility

Illumination

Sufficiency

The Triune God

The Trinity

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

God’s Amazing Attributes

God is Self-Existent

God is Immutable

God is Infinite

God is Omniscient

God is Omnipotent

God is Omnipresent

God is Holy

God is Just

God is Good

God is Gracious

God is Faithful

God is Love

Jesus Christ our Lord

Jesus’ Deity

Jesus’ Incarnation

Jesus’ Impeccability

Jesus’ Crucifixion

Jesus’ Resurrection

Jesus’ Return

The Holy Spirit

The Indwelling Work of the Holy Spirit

The Baptizing Work of the Holy Spirit

The Filling Work of the Holy Spirit

The Empowering Work of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit World

The Nature of Angels

The Ministry of Angels

Satan

Satan’s Defeat

Demons

The Nature of Humanity

Created in God’s Image

Body, Soul, and Spirit

The Fall

Temptation

Sin and the Sin Nature

Such a Great Salvation

Salvation

Atonement

Redemption

Propitiation

Substitution

Your Position in Christ

Justification

Sanctification

Glorification

Regeneration

Reconciliation

Adoption

Seven Snapshots of the Local Church

The Church as a Body

The Church as a Building

The Church as a Bride

The Church as a Family

The Church as a Flock

The Church as a Grapevine

The Church as a Priesthood

The Future

The Rapture

The Resurrection

The Second Coming

Judgment Day

The Millennial Kingdom

Heaven, Hell, and Eternity

Preface

T heology! The word itself can either intrigue the mind or frighten the faithful who suspect it of unfathomable depths. Theology simply means the study of God. It’s a word that’s rich in possibilities for those who want to know God and His ways better, including those who want to live in practical conformity to God’s will.

Three Minute Theology covers the major doctrines of the Bible in short, bite sized pieces. Written originally to fit the time limits for Pastor of the Day radio messages on The Mars’ Hill Network in upstate New York, each lesson is brief and readable. In addition, each lesson cites the Bible as its authoritative foundation. It’s my desire to elevate God’s truth as discovered in God’s Word in the minds and hearts of God’s people.

I’m grateful for the support of Wayne Taylor, General Manager of The Mars Hill Network, for providing me with the opportunity to communicate these lessons over the air. I’m also grateful for the people of Pittsford Community Church where I serve as pastor, a church that values God’s Word and allows me time to write as a part of my ministry. I’m especially grateful for the loving encouragement of my wife, Monica, who has been my companion through Bible college, seminary, and nearly three decades of ministry.

Now, go ahead. Take three minutes and begin your personal journey in theology.

The Bible—God’s Holy Word

Revelation

T ake a look around you and you’ll be amazed at what you see. Nature is fascinating, from the tiniest seed to the vast expanses of space. Curious minds have for centuries gazed into the observable universe and discovered all kinds of laws, principles, and insights. But there are some things the human mind couldn’t possibly begin to discover, particularly things about God and His ways in this world. The telescope and microscope are inadequate tools for observing God. Instead, God must willingly make Himself known to us.

In fact, God has disclosed much about Himself to us through a process we call revelation. Through His acts of revelation, God has made known to us certain truths that we could in no way discover on our own. For example, we wouldn’t know that God is all-powerful unless He told us so. We wouldn’t know that He exists as three-in-one without His self-disclosure about His triune nature. We wouldn’t know that Jesus is God in the flesh unless God made that truth known to us through revelation. We certainly wouldn’t know that our salvation depends on His grace alone and is received by faith in Jesus Christ alone. These are revealed truths, truths that we couldn’t discover on our own. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

God has revealed Himself in various ways down through the centuries. At times He has spoken through dreams, visions, angelic pronouncements, and even direct, verbal communication to certain individuals. He spoke to Moses at the burning bush. He spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper.

God’s revelation isn’t limited, however, to special people at special times. God has revealed Himself to the whole world through His written Word, the Bible. First Corinthians 2:9-10 tells us, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. Then in verse 13 Paul says, This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. God has spoken through His Word. God’s Word is His self-disclosure to the world.

Aren’t you glad that God has revealed Himself to us? He has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible. I hope that you’ll read your Bible every day in order to get to know God better. In addition, God has revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to open the door for us to enter into eternal fellowship with God. He died on the cross so that we can live forever with Him in heaven. Why not turn to Jesus today? Put your faith in Him, and allow Him to help you understand God more and more.

Inspiration

I f you’ve ever read one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, listened to a violin concerto by Bach, or observed a painting by Rembrandt, you might have thought to yourself, These men were truly inspired. At the purely human level, inspiration refers to the heightening of personal skills or insights. An inspired artist inspires our minds and hearts. But when it comes to the Bible, inspiration reaches a whole new level.

According to Second Timothy 3:16-17, 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. When we describe the Bible as the inspired Word of God, we mean much more than the idea of human inspiration. The Bible is inspired by God. It is God-breathed. This means that the Bible is the written expression of God’s mind and heart. As such, the Bible speaks with authority. It teaches us God’s truth, rebukes our selfish attitudes, corrects our sinful acts, and trains us to live righteous lives.

But how did God produce an inspired Bible? Obviously He didn’t write it with His own hand. Instead, God used trustworthy authors to accurately pen His thoughts. Second Peter 1:19-21 tells us, And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. These verses inform us that God’s Holy Spirit carried the human authors along in a process we call inspiration. This process guarded the writings of these human authors from being merely the musings of men. Instead, what they wrote was and is the Word of God. As such, the Bible deserves our attention. After all, it’s a light that shines in a dark world. Frankly, we need all the light we can get. That’s why God has given us His written, inspired Word.

Because God has given us His Word through the process of inspiration, we can safely conclude that every word in the Bible carries divine authority. Jesus, in Matthew 5:18, said, I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is fulfilled. We can trust every word, even every letter, in the Bible to have the mark of God’s truth.

It’s amazing to realize that God’s inspired Word is readily available to each and every one of us today. Why not take your copy of the Bible off the shelf,