6. Humanity - God made humans, male and female, in His image. We were made for His glory and designed to enjoy a relationship with Him characterized by intimacy and trust. But, Adam and Eve chose to experiment with Satan's lies rather than follow the truth of God. Their rebellion infected all of us. Every human being is born alienated from God and with a compulsion to defy God's direction. So, we are headed for judgment, without the capability of changing our own situation. (Gen. 1:27; 2:7; 3:1-24; Ps. 14:1-3; Isa. 43:7; 53:6; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 1:18-20; 3:10-18, 23; 5:12; 6:23; Col. 1:16)

7. Spiritual Birth - Because of God's unfailing love, He took the initiative to rescue us. Sin requires death, which is why Jesus died on the cross. He was punished for our sins, satisfying the justice of God and opening His mercy to the guilty. When the Holy Spirit shows a person that the death of Jesus is the only satisfactory payment for sin, He also gives the power to turn from sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Those who turn from their sin and trust Jesus are completely forgiven and have eternal life. Jesus calls this experience being "born of the Spirit," and it marks the beginning of the Christian life. (Gen 1:26; 2:17; 3:19; 5:2; Psa 51:7; Prov 28:13; Ecc 2:11; Jer 17:9; Jn 1:12-13; 3:14-16; 5:24,30; 8:12; 10:26-28; Rom 3:19-20; 5:19; 8:1-17; 9:14-24; 2 Cor 5:17; 2 Thess 1:9; 2:13; Tit 3:5-7; 1 Jn 1:9; Jam 1:14; Rev 20:10, 14-15; 21:1-8)

8. The Church - The Church is people and includes everyone who has experienced spiritual birth through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ also come together to form local churches who worship, serve and grow together. We grow in relationship to God through the study and application of His Word, which also leads us to love one another. Jesus is head of the Church. The Church is to do the things Jesus gave us to do and help others learn about the Good News of forgiveness and life in Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:8; 2:41-42; Eph 2:19-22; 5:19-21; Col 1:18; Heb 10:23-25)

9. Cooperation with other Christians - The Church is founded by Christ and includes everyone who trusts and follows Him. Because of this, God wants Christians to be unified in truth and mission. The love of God is made visible as we love each other and work together. (Mt. 5:14-16; Jn. 13:34-35; 15:4-17; Eph. 4:25-5:2; Phil. 2:1-4; 1 Jn. 4:7-12)

10. How Christians should live - Christians have the privilege of living free of the control of sin that had us trapped before the Holy Spirit gave us new life. We can now make progress in living in a way that makes God happy, maintains our freedom and lets others know God does change lives! It is for our best that we learn to live what the Bible teaches. As we grow we will see God changing our character to be more like the character of Jesus. People around us will see that God really is good. (Jn 14:15, 23-24; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 9:6-13; Eph 4:13; Col 1:9-10, 28; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Jn 2:3-6)