John 1:14, John 14:6 Phil. 2:6-11, Heb. 1:3-4, Col. 1:15-20

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1 1. Who is God, and how has God revealed himself throughout human history? God is the eternal creator, sustainer, and sovereign Lord of everything. He is love. His knowledge and power are infinite. He is the one true God that has revealed Himself as three persons; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has revealed Himself generally to mankind through creation, and more specifically through other means. In the Old Testament God spoke in the form of dreams, prophets, angels, and at times He would speak to people directly. God then came onto the earth physically in Christ and spoke to man in that way. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came and now indwells believers. God speaks to man through His Spirit and through the Bible. Ex. 3:14, Rom. 1:20, Rom. 11:33; Matt. 3:13-17; Psalm 8:1-3; Heb. 1:1-2; John 16: What is your view of the Bible and its inspiration? What does the term inerrancy mean to you and do you believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures? I believe the Bible is completely God- breathed. It is literally the Word of God. Although humans wrote it, God gave them the inspiration to perfectly convey His words to man. Inerrancy means everything that the Bible says is right, true, and there are no errors or mistakes. God fully articulated everything He wished to reveal to us through the Bible, and He did so perfectly. I believe the Bible is inerrant. The Bible is without error and useful for preaching, teaching and rebuking. 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1: Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is God. He is eternal and preeminent to all things. He was born into human form through the conception of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary and walked the earth as both fully human and fully God. He lived a sinless life on earth, despite facing temptation, and was sacrificed on a cross for the sins of man. He conquered death and rose again, thus providing the only way to have relationship and eternal life with God. He now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and will return again one day to defeat sin and death. John 1:14, John 14:6 Phil. 2:6-11, Heb. 1:3-4, Col. 1: How would you describe the meaning of the atonement to an unbeliever?

2 Because God is perfect and without sin, and people are sinful, there is a separation between God and man. Atonement is what is needed to pay for those sins and bridge the gap that our sin has made. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid for our sins. It is through his sacrifice that humans are able to have a relationship with God and to be forgiven for sins. When we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus, we have access to God because of Christ s atoning death. Col. 2:10-14; Rom. 3:23-24, 6:23, 8:23-25; Heb. 9:15 5. Who is the Holy Spirit and what is his purpose and role in the life of the church and to the life of an unbeliever? The Holy Spirit is God. He regenerates our hearts, and fills and indwells us. The Holy Spirit guides us and helps us share the Gospel with nonbelievers. He equips believers and gives them spiritual gifts. To nonbelievers, the Holy Spirit draws them and leads them to Christ. He awakens and heals their hearts, transforms their minds, and makes them into a new creation. Ezk 37:14, Acts 1:4-5, 1 Cor. 12:7-13, 2 Cor. 3:17 6. What does it mean to be born again, and how does this happen in a person s life? To be born again is another way of describing salvation. It is a spiritual rebirth that takes place by repenting of sin and putting faith in Christ as savior and Lord. It means you have committed to a life that follows and submits to Christ. It means you have been redeemed by God and set free from the bondage of sin. It is also freedom from the consequences of sin, which is eternal death and separation from God. 1 Peter 1:3-5, 2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 5:1 7. Define your understanding of the biblical doctrines of election and the free will of man. With respect to the doctrine of salvation, would you describe yourself as Calvinist, Arminian or something between the two extremes? Election refers to God s role in our salvation. Numerous scriptures describe God predestining His people for salvation in Christ. I believe man finds his election is Jesus as God s chosen representative for the redeemed. God foreknew those who would place their faith in Christ. I believe every person has the free will to repent and believe in Christ or to reject Him. I believe God is fully sovereign and that I am saved because of him, but I would not consider myself a Calvinist. I would place myself between the two extremes. I believe we have free will to make decisions for ourselves, but I also believe

3 that we are too spiritually incompetent to ever choose God on our own. We need Him to convict us and make us aware of our sin and our need for Christ, but ultimately we have to decide what to do next. Eph. 1:4, Eph. 2:8-9, Rom 8:29-30, 1 Tim 2:4, Heb. 11:4, Rom. 9: How would you define the church? What are the purposes and functions of the church? Is the church necessary for a believer s growth and spiritual development? Why or why not? The church is the body of Christ. There are local congregations of the church, such as Apex Baptist, that meet as believers to be discipled and grow into the surrounding community to fulfill the great commission. Churches preach the Gospel and administer the ordinances. One does not need to be in a local church to know God and to walk with Him, but the Scriptures outline how important community is to a believer s growth and discipleship. I find it hard to imagine someone flourishing spiritually without being surrounded by a community of believers. Even God is made up of a holy community of three persons; the Father, Spirit and Son. 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:23, 2:18-22, 5:23-32; Prov. 27:17; Gal. 6: Please provide your basic approach to biblical eschatology, i.e. end- times theology. What do you consider to be the major components of a proper understanding of the end times? I believe eschatology is important because what someone believes about the end times can inform what he or she believes about the nature of God. In the grand narrative of scripture there is eventually a restoration that takes place for God s people and His creation. God has a plan to redeem His people, return to them and glorify them. Ultimately, sin and death will be destroyed and we will be in the presence of God for eternity. I do not have a particular stance in regards to pre or post tribulation or millennialism or anything else. I am looking forward to learning more about eschatology in seminary and to be able to have a better understanding when I am more knowledgeable in the area. Matt 24:29-31; 2 Peter 3:1-13; Rev. 21:4, Do you believe in the miracles of the Bible and do you believe God still performs miracles today? Explain. To both questions yes. I believe scripture is inerrant and that the miracles performed in scripture really happened. I also believe that God performs miracles today and that salvation itself is a miracle. I believe healings still

4 happen today and that any other miracles we see in scripture are fully within God s power to make happen. 11. What is your view of the role of women in the church? Do you believe a woman may/should serve as the Senior Pastor of a local church? Why or why not? I believe God uses women to lead within the church and should be empowered and encouraged to do so. However, the role of senior pastor should be limited to men according to the requirements outlined by the apostle Paul. While there is evidence of women working in ministry in the Bible, there are no examples of women pastoring local congregations. The requirements given by Paul should be viewed as prescriptive rather than descriptive. 1 Tim. 3:1-2, Titus 1:5-6, Acts 18: The Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 edition, serves as the general confessional statement of Apex Baptist Church. Are you in agreement with the doctrinal/scriptural principles set forth in BFM? If the answer is no for any specific area, please provide details as to why not. Yes 13. How do you feed yourself spiritually? Define/describe your personal growth plan as it pertains to your own discipleship journey? What means of spiritual accountability do you have in place to ensure personal purity and ministerial integrity over the long haul? I feed myself spiritually through daily readings of scripture and prayer. Since the start of 2015, I am reading through the entire Bible. I ve also set a few spiritual goals for the year. Since our church has recently chosen five values that represent our identity as a congregation, I picked out a couple of those values that I would like to grow in this year. The two I picked are ministry excellence and intimacy with Christ. I am also in a prayer group with two other staff members. We meet weekly and pray together. I want to establish more accountability systems around me to ensure purity and integrity. 14. Apex Baptist is an authentic community of believers worshipping God everywhere we go, becoming more like Him everyday, and serving everyone we meet. How does student ministry help the church fulfill its mission? Student ministry is vital to any church s success. I believe it is impossible for a church to be truly healthy if it lacks a thriving student ministry. From my experience, students bring an energy and a willingness to serve and grow

5 that can act as a catalyst for the rest of the church. Furthermore, with major middle and high schools within a close proximity to the church, student ministry is an essential key to reaching the lost in our area. If we disciple students successfully and show them how to be obedient to Jesus over everything else in their lives, then our church will fulfill its mission.