Dever, Mark (2004), Nine marks of a healthy church. Wheaton: Crossway Books.
Mark 2: Biblical theology
Today people believe to be true simply what they desire to be true. (58)
One of the chief marks of a healthy church is a biblical understanding of God in His character and His ways with us … He is creating; that He is holy; that He is faithful; that He is loving; and that He is sovereign. (60)
The God of the Bible is a creating God
God is a creating God – creating the world and creating a special people in the world. (60)
Sound teaching in our church must include a clear commitment to the teachings of the Bible, even if those teachings are often neglected. (62)
The God of the Bible is a holy God
… God’s passion for holiness, it is within the context of His covenant with us – it is within the context of His commitment to having a relationship with us. (63)
… it is God’s own revelation to His people of how we can come to know Him, of how we can find our way to Him in spite of our sin. (64)
… it is God Himself who provides the way of access to Him as He forgives our sins. (65)
The God of the Bible is a faithful God
God is not only holy and just in His unwavering commitment to oppose and punish sin; He is also faithful to His promises … hope requires an atoning sacrifice, a propitiation to assuage the righteous wrath of God. (67)
Jesus Christ was the faithful fulfillment of God’s promise. (68)
The God of the Bible is a loving God
God keeps all of His promises because of His covenant love for His people. (69)
The God of the Bible is a sovereign God
… the hope of the whole world being put right, as God’s sovereign plan extends from Christ to His covenant people to creation itself. (71)
As Christians, we need to know that God will continue to care for us, and that His continuing care is based not on our faithfulness but on His. (72)
… pray for leaders in the church to have a biblical grasp of and an experential trust in the sovereignty of God. (73)
In the Bible we see God giving us His Word – His promises – and we respond to Him by trusting Him (75)
