A pillar is a structural member of a building that carries its weight. Most buildings are usually made up of one form of pillar or the other. The weights of the building are usually carried by the pillars so that little or no stress is transferred to the foundation of the building. The 6 Pillars of Christianity however talks about some basic teachings upon which Christianity stands. For any believer to grow in God and in the things of the kingdom, these teachings or pillars are very fundamental, and we are going to be examining them in this teaching.

Hebrews 6:1-3 gives us a fundamental background about these pillars. It says:

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.”

From the passage above, there are six pillars upon which Christianity rests. Although, apostle Paul opined from those verses that it is necessary that we move on from those teachings unto other matters of the kingdom that would bring about our perfection, however, I also believe that if believers don’t get these basic teachings, if they don’t understand it, there is no way we would ever move on to that perfection. Because the journey to perfection must begin from a solid footing. If there is no solid footing, there can never be any perfection.

So, the six pillars upon which Christianity rests according to that passage above are:

1. Repentance from Dead works

2. Faith toward God

3. The Doctrine of Baptisms

4. The Doctrine of laying on of hands

5. Resurrection of the dead

6. Eternal Judgment

REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS

In the New Testament, there are three types of works that the Bible recorded. They are: Good works, Evil works and Dead works. Good works are works that we do and are pleasant in the sight of God. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” In John 10:32, Jesus answered them and said “Many good works have I shown you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me.?” In Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” So, these examples have clearly shown to us that God is not against good works. In fact, Ephesians 2:10 shows us that God has created us for good works, and not the other way around.

The second type of works recorded in the New Testament is known as Evil works. Evil works are otherwise known as the works of the flesh, and Galatians 5:19-21 gave us a load down of what they really are. The Bible says:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The above mentioned categories are evil works, and the Bible makes it clear that those who practice such will not inherit the kingdom of God. They can never even smell perfection so to say, not to even talk of attaining it.

The third type of works mentioned in the New Testament is dead works! Even from the name, its meaning is not far-fetched. Dead works are works that are dead! They are works that do not have any life in them whatsoever. Usually, they are works done out of pressure, not because you really want to do it; but because you are compelled to doing it. That becomes a dead work. An example is when your pastor asks you to sow certain amount of money to the work of God. Although, deep down within you, you don’t feel like sowing that money, but you still went ahead to sow it, probably so that you can still be in the “good books” of your pastor. What you just did is a dead work, and it is not acceptable before God.

Now, how many people are doing one thing or the other today simply because their pastor told them to do so; but deep down inside them, they are not interested in doing them. They are not doing those things willingly, but they are still doing it anyway.

Repentance from sin is not only what believers should do, believers should also repent from dead works. Although, dead works does not really appear to us, so to say, to be sin. They are harmless. But isn’t it important to repent from whatever we think we are doing in the name of the LORD, but which is not acceptable by Him? Of course, repentance is also key in the aspect of dead works too. That is why Hebrews 9:14 tells us: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Do you notice that Scripture, and what it said? It says the blood of Christ is capable of cleaning your conscience (KJV says “PURGE”) from dead works to serve the living God. Because, dead works is about the conscience. Although it appears you are doing something, everyone can see that you are doing it. But deep down in your conscience; you are not doing that thing. That makes it an internal matter; and the Bible says to repent from such ways and have your conscience purged so that you service can be acceptable to the living God.

Listen To Podcast: The 6 Pillars (Doctrines) of Christianity (Part 1)

Listen To Podcast: The 6 Pillars (Doctrines) of Christianity (Part 2)

FAITH TOWARD GOD

Faith is directed towards God and not towards things or man! In fact, the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:5 tells us “Thus says the Lord: “cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” Faith is absolute trust in God and not in man. It is not faith toward the government, or some institutions, or some philosophies of men, or some ideas that are not emanating from the word of God. It is not faith toward your pastor or your parents. Faith is always toward God and God alone. The question then is: Why is faith toward God?

1. Because He is the author and finisher our faith (Hebrews 12:2). God is the source of our faith and so, we must direct it toward Him if we are ever going to please Him.

2. God cannot be pleased without faith (Hebrews 11:6). People who don’t direct their faith towards God would find it very difficult to please Him.

3. Faith in God brings about His promises concerning us to come to pass (Numbers 23:19). Each and every time we look to God to come through for us in certain areas of our lives, it is out faith in Him that brings about the results of what we are trusting Him for.

THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS

There are two kinds of baptisms in the New Testament. The first is Baptism by water and the second one is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. These two baptisms are important for a New Testament believer. When a believer is baptized in water, it symbolizes three things. (a) They die with Christ to their old self. Apostle Paul made this point clear in Galatians 2:20 when he wrote “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” So, a person who has been baptized is simply dead to his or her old self and therefore, he or she is alive unto God in his or her spirit.

(b) A person who is baptized in water rise with Christ to become a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” As the person is raised back up from the water, it is believed that the person is raised back into newness of life.

(c) Water baptism incorporates a believer into the family of God. It is like your “Naming Ceremony” so to say, welcoming officially into God’s family. Let us read the Book of Romans 6:1-11 to corroborate all that we have said.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As a matter of fact, part of the instructions that Jesus gave His disciples before departing the earth finally was that they should go and make Disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). That shows us the importance of water baptism to a believer in the New Testament.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the same as water baptism. We know of this difference when John the Baptist predict that there was going to be a baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 3:11, John said “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” So, John made it clear to the people from there that his baptism (which of water unto repentance) is different from that that Holy Spirit would bring about. Jesus also spoke about it in Acts 1:5 that “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And in the book of Acts chapter 2, from verse 1-4, the Bible documented how the disciples eventually were baptized in the Holy Spirit, confirming the words of Prophet Joel in Joel 2:28, John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11 and Jesus Christ in Acts 1:5.

The questions then is: Is baptism in the Holy Spirit meant for some select few in the body of Christ? Because I have met believers who have that erroneous belief that since they aren’t speaking in tongues yet, they believe the Holy Spirit who inspires speaking in tongues, is probably not meant for them. Also, must a believer speak in tongues to indicate that he or she has been baptized in the Holy Spirit? These two questions we will answer reading the following Bible passages. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, apostle Paul wrote:

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

The passage above answers the question that Holy Spirit baptism is not meant for some select few in the body of Christ, but everyone, whether they are Gentiles or Jews or Greeks.

Regarding the second question, in Acts 19, apostle Paul meant certain disciples, and this was what transpired in that meeting.

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all.”

Speaking in tongues for believers is not totally optional as the advantages of it is much more than its disadvantages. When you speak in tongues, the Bible says you have direct access to God (1 Corinthians 14:2), you build up yourself (Jude 1:20). So, speaking in tongues is actually a plus for believers, and it is an evidence of the in-filling of the Holy Spirit.

THE DOCTRINE OF LAYING ON OF HANDS

“Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

Deuteronomy 34:9

In the Bible, anytime hands is laid upon someone, something is usually transmitted. And we can see this in many instances in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament. An instance in the Old Testament is documented in the book of Leviticus 16:20-22. The Bible says:

20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”

Each time this is done, the sins of the people is automatically placed upon the goat which in turn was sent away into the wilderness. Also, in the New Testament, we saw Jesus also laying hands on the sick. In Luke 4:40, the Bible says: “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.” This was the example of Jesus and it simply tells us that the power of healing can be transferred through the laying on of hands. Also in Mark 16:28, Jesus told His disciples “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Buttressing the point that healing power can be transferred through laying on of hands.

No wonder apostle Paul admonished Timothy not to lay hands suddenly on any man lest he partake of their sins (1 Timothy 5:22). If the Holy Spirit is not giving you the green light to lay hands on anybody, you don’t do it.

RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

There is a difference between being raised from the dead and resurrection of the dead. There are quite a number of examples in the Bible of folks who were raised back to life from the dead. But Jesus was the only account of resurrection. What then is the difference between the two? Jesus Account of Resurrection Makes it Possible for everyone who believes in Him to also experience same. John 11:25 tells us “Jesus Said To Her, “I Am The Resurrection And The Life. He Who Believes In Me, Though He May Die, He Shall Live.” He Who Is resurrected never dies again because they would be given an immortal body.
But a man who is raised back to life would still die eventually. That is why many of those who were raised back to life eventually still died at their appointed time.

What is Death?

Death simply means cessation of life. It is a period when a man or a woman ceases to exist in this realm. But a man may die physically, which is something that would happen at some point, but there is a component of man that does not die. That component of MAN that does not die is his spirit. So, when a man dies physically (ceases to exist in the physical realm); what then happens to his spirit? In Ecclesiastes 12:7, the Bible says “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” So, at death, your spirit goes back to God.

But there is going to be a resurrection, both for the unjust and the just. Daniel spoke about this as far back as we could remember. In Daniel 12:2, the Bible says “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Jesus also spoke about it in John 5:28-29, it says: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

So, at resurrection, the spirit of man is given an immortal body which would allow us reign with Christ forever and ever. 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 tells us “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

ETERNAL JUDGMENT

Whether we like it or not, everyman will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and be judged for whatever they have done in this life. This is very important for us to note as believers. This is why apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 that “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

Who is then going to do the judging, because judgment are usually passed by a judge. John 5:22 tells us who the judge would be. It says: “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,.” Jesus is the one that will judge the world. Someone may ask: Why Jesus? Why not God Himself? The answer is because Jesus has seen it all, he knows our frailties. He knows our falls and our shortcomings. The Bible says “we do not have an high priest who is not touched by the feelings of our infirmities.” For thirty-three and half, He lived on the earth, and so, He knows what it feels like to be human. He is the one who will judge all things.

What then would be the parameters for the judgment? Because in a court of law, there must be something or basis upon which the judge would pronounce his or judgment. What are the facts and the evidences that would be considered against us before we are judged by God?

(a) Our works. Ecclesiastes 12:14 tells us: “For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

(b) The words of our mouth. Matthew 12:36 tells us: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

(c) Our acceptance or rejection of the word of God. John 12:48 tells us “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

(d) Everything done in secret. Luke 12:3 tells us: “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.”

(d) Our ways of life. Ecclesiastes 11:9 tells us: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart,
And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.”

I believe you have been blessed!

[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]