Christian Doctrine Test, CARM

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Answers to the Theological Test

1. How many gods are there in the universe?	A. One
The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God in existence, anywhere, any time, any place.
Isaiah 44:6 and 8 say, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. . . ⁹Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." See also, Isaiah 45:6; 14, 18, 21, 22.

2. The Trinity is . . .	C. One God in three persons
God is a trinity. God is three simultaneous persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though there is no single verse that establishes the trinity, it is derived from many.
There is only one God. Yet, the Father is called God (Phil. 1:2); Jesus is called God (John 1:1, 14; 8:58; Heb. 1:8); and the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3-4). See also trinity.

3. Jesus is. . .	A. God in flesh
Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He became a man in order to die on the cross.
Col. 2:9, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. John 1:1, 14, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. . . And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. . ." See also, Heb. 1:8; Phil. 2;5-8; John 8:58 with Exodus 3:14; Zech. 12:10.

4. How many natures does Jesus have?	B. Two
Jesus has two natures. He is both God and man.
Col. 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. See also Phil. 2:5-8; John 8:58 with Exodus 3:14; Heb. 1:8 and Jesus' Two Natures

5. The Holy Spirit is . . .	C. The third person in the Trinity
The Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son. He is not a force like radar. He is not merely an energy presence. He is, like the Father and the Son, God.
Acts 5:3-4"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? ⁴While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." See also the Holy Spirit

6. Sin is . . .	D. Breaking God's law
God has revealed His character and will in the Law. To sin is to offend God; it is to break His law.
1 John 3:4, Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. See also Rom. 3:20; 4:15; 7:7-13; James 2:9; 1 John 5:17;

7. Human nature is basically . . .	B. Sinful
The Bible reveals that we are sinners. Because Adam fell, we fell with him. We inherited his sinful nature. All of what we are, body, soul, spirit, mind, emotions, etc. is touched by sin.
According to God's word, the sinner (the unsaved), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14); is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23); does not seek for God (Rom. 3:11); is lawless, rebellious, unholy, and profane (1 Tim. 1:9), etc.

8. In what manner did Jesus rise from the dead?	B. In the same body he died in.
Jesus rose from the dead in the same body that he died in. It retained His scars. Though His body was resurrected and glorified, but it was the same body.
John 2:19-21, "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' ²⁰The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' ²¹But the temple he had spoken of was his body." Luke 24:39, "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

9. Hell is . . .	C. A place of eternal fire and torment
Many think hell is a state of mind, right here on earth, or that it simply doesn't exist. It does. The Bible tells us about it.
Mark 9:43, " 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out." Rev. 14:11, "And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." See also, Luke 16:19-31; 2 Pet. 2:4; Matt. 22:13; Jude 6, 23; Rev. 21:8.

10. Heaven is . . .	C. A place of eternal joy and peace with God.
Heaven is the dwelling place of God and of those who are saved through Jesus.
Psalm 20:6, "Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand." John 14:2, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. " See also Psalm 102:19; 123:1; Matt. 5:34; 2 Cor. 12:3,4

11. Salvation is . . .	D. Deliverance from the eternal consequence of sin: Damnation
Salvation is the act where God, through the atonement of Jesus, forgives a person of his sins. He is justified before God and saved from damnation.
Rom. 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, See also, Matt. 1:21; Heb. 2:14, 15; Rom. 5:9; John 3:17.

12. Salvation is attained by. . .	B. Grace through faith
Forgiveness of sins is not conditioned by anything that we do, but it is all a gift of God's grace through faith
Eph. 2:8, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Rom. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." See also, John 3:14-18.

13. The Devil is . . .	D. An angel who rebelled against God
The devil, also called Satan, was an angel who lifted himself in pride and rebelled against God. He is evil, wicked, a deceiver, and powerful.
2 Cor. 11:14, ". . . Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light . . ." John 8:44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." See also, Isaiah 14:12-20; Ezekiel 28:14-19

14. The Bible is . . .	A. The inspired word of God.
The Bible is authored by God, through men. They were inspired. The original documents were without error or contradiction.
2 Tim. 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. . . " See also, Rev. 22:19; Acts 17:11; and The Bible Page

15. The Rapture is . . .	C. The catching up of God's people into the sky.
It may sound odd. But the rapture is when Jesus returns to gather His people. Those who are alive when this happens will not see death, but will be changed.
1 Thess. 4:16-17, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." See also, 1 Cor. 15:51-53.

16. Adam and Eve . . .	A. Were the first man and woman created by God
They were created by God, lived in the Garden of Eden, are our ancient parents.
Gen. 2:20 - 21, "So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. ²²Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." See also, Gen. 1:26,27; Gen. 2:7; Rom. 5:12-14

17. How many ways are there to God?	A. Just one. Through Jesus
Unlike other men who have existed, Jesus was God in flesh. He said He was the only way to God. there are no other ways other than Jesus.
John 14:6, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 10:1, ""I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber." See also, Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5.

18. When you die . . .	B. You go to heaven or hell
Death brings us face to face with eternity. For those in Christ, heaven is the destiny. For those who reject Him, eternal damnation is the result.
Phil. 1:21-23, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far." 2 Cor. 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." See also, Isaiah 59:2; 2 Thess. 1:9; Gen. 3:19; 1 Cor. 13:12

19. Evolution . . .	B. Is not a viable option for Christians
Evolution is not the fact it is told to be. It is not consistent with the Bible. God created man; man did not evolve.
Gen. 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" Heb. 11:3, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." See also, Col. 1:16,17; Psalm 104:30; Gen. 1-2; and The Evolution Page.

20. Why did God create us?	C. To save us, love us, and have us love Him.
God's creation and our salvation were not just so we could live with Him. God desires fellowship and intimacy in a loving relationship with His people.
1 John 1:3, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." Rev. 21:3, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'" See also, John 10:27-28; John 3:16; Phil. 2:1,2.

     How did you do? Do you need to study more? Maybe you learned something here, or maybe even you disagree with something. If so, e-mail me and let me know.
     As I mentioned at the beginning of this test, there are some essential doctrines that if you deny them, you are not a Christian. It is one thing to make a mistake, learn, and accept them. That is alright. It is quite another to refuse to believe them.
     What are the essentials? Easy. The Bible tells us what they are. They are test questions number 3, 8, and 12.

3) Jesus is God in flesh;
8 Jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in; and
12) Salvation, or the forgiveness of sins, is by grace through faith. You cannot add anything to Jesus' finished work.

There are many extremely important doctrines in the Bible: the Trinity, resurrection, forgiveness, the virgin birth, etc. But the Bible itself declares that these three are essential. If you deny any one of the three then you are not a Christian.
If you would like to know more about these essentials, then please see The Three Essential Doctrines of Christianity

Remember the words of Paul to Timothy: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

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