About Us

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. In other words, God speaks to us through it. Hebrews 4:12 and 1 Corinthians 1:18 talk about how the Word of God is powerful. Opening the Word was created by someone whose life was changed by opening up the Bible and reading it seriously. We are passionate about helping others learn to explore God's Word in order to experience its power and see for themselves the only source of truth.

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The goal of Opening the Word is to be a place where the curious can ask questions and where Christians can find tools to help them grow in their knowledge of the Word. However, the goal of this site is not just to give answers; it is to give tools and walk alongside people to help them find answers for themselves. Opening the Word connects the curious and hungry to others who can walk through their questions with them in order to find answers and/or grow deeper in their faith.


Statement of Faith

The Word of God

Scripture is the Word of God and God’s complete written revelation to man. The BIble, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, is made up of 66 books that were written by many authors over a period of thousands of years. Scripture was written by human authors but inspired by the Holy Spirit so that every word is inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed in the original manuscripts. The Bible was written originally in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic and has been preserved and translated by faithful Christians since it was written. The Bible is useful for guiding, training, and equipping the saints and making man wise for salvation. The Bible is applicable for Christians in any time period, and the meaning of the Word does not change over time, although it may be applied by different people or cultures in different ways. The process of understanding the meaning of Scripture involves interpreting it grammatically, historically, and literally.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:23, Psalm 19:7, Psalm 119:105, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Peter 1:21, Isaiah 40:8, Isaiah 55:11, 2 Peter 3:15-16, Matthew 24:35

The Trinity

God is one God, consisting of three distinct, co-equal persons including the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are fully, equally, and completely God. All three have existed since the beginning of time and are eternal. While each person of the Trinity is fully and equally God, they play different roles in God’s overall redemptive plan. There is not a good human way to explain the relationship of the Trinity, except to note that all three are distinct and yet all three are God. Scripture is clear throughout that God is one, and it is also clear that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all working. There are times, such as the baptism of Jesus, when all three are present at the same time and place. The Trinity is even noted in the Bible all the way back in creation, where the noun for God is used in the plural form.

Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:16-17, John 10:30, John 14:10, Luke 3:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 15:28, Isaiah 48:16, John 14:16

God the Father

God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. He is the creator of the universe and is sovereign over all creation. God the Father existed before creation and is eternal and never changing. God the Father exists co-equally with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God is perfectly holy, righteous, and just. All of creation exists to bring God glory, and he directs all things, according to his will, through creation and providence. God the Father is worthy to be worshiped. In order to make a way to be redeemed with mankind, God the Father sent his son, Jesus, to live a perfect life in order to die as a sacrifice to pay the penalty that could not be left unpaid by a just God. God the Father generously chose those whom he would save before the creation of the world. Nothing happens outside the care of God the Father.

Ephesians 4:6, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 John 4:14, John 4:24, Ephesians 1:11, John 3:16, James 1:17, Romans 8:32, Revelation 4:11

God the Son – Jesus Christ

God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the second person of the Trinity. Jesus exists co-equally with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus has existed from the beginning of time and is eternal and never changing. God the Son took on a full human nature, meaning he was fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, in Mary, born of a woman. Jesus had two whole and distinct natures, divine and human. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and died a sacrificial death on the cross so that all who believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life. He was buried and on the third day, rose again and is now seated at the right hand of the Father until he returns a second time to set up a millennial kingdom. Jesus is the only name by which one can be saved as he is the only mediator between God and man.

Colossians 2:9, 1 John 4:14, John 14:6, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:23, John 1:1, Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 13:8, Acts 4:12, Romans 5:8

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit exists co-equally with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit has existed from before the beginning of time and is eternal. The Holy Spirit is a divine person and has attributes such as intellect and emotions. Whereas God the Father is the author of salvation and God the Son was the means of salvation, the Holy Spirit is the agent of salvation, regenerating believers and sanctifying them into the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers, sealing them until glorification. The Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture and also administers gifts to the members of the church. A believer filled by the Spirit will produce fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit also helps believers to live as a new creation. The Holy Spirit was given to the church at Pentecost.

Ezekiel 36:27, 1 Corinthians 6:19, John 14:26, Romans 8:14, Genesis 1:2, Romans 8:26, Titus 3:5-6, Acts 1:8, 2 Peter 1:21, Ephesians 1:13-14

Creation

God created the universe and everything that exists within it out of nothing in a literal six day period. God created it all by his Word, and it was called “very good.” God is sovereign over all of his creation and has given humans dominion over the other animals and creatures. Adam and Eve were the first humans, created in God’s image and without sin. The sin of Adam and Eve, or the Fall, was the first sin of mankind and led to corruption of the entire human race and creation. All humans are now born with a sin nature and not able to follow after God by their own desire. Creation, itself, is also in a state of futility until the time when the new heavens and the earth are created as the old passes away. God’s divine nature and power can be seen in and through creation so that people are without excuse.

Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16, Romans 1:20, Revelation 4:11, Psalm 33:6, Exodus 20:11, Revelation 21:1, Genesis 1:27, Hebrews 1:10, Isaiah 42:5

Fall

The fall occurred when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At that point, sin and death both entered the picture, as the result of sin is both spiritual and eventually physical death. Prior to that point, the creation was “very good.” Therefore, all humans since Adam have been born with a sin nature. Humans do not become sinners because they sin, but rather humans sin because they are sinners. In fact, humans are totally depraved, meaning they are incapable of choosing and following after God by their own desire. It is only by the grace of God that one can believe in and follow Jesus. The Bible says that no one does good and that no one is righteous, not even one. Just as sin came into the world through Adam, the righteousness of God came into the world through one man, Jesus.

Genesis 3:6-7, Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12, Romans 3:23, Romans 7:18, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 5:18

Salvation

Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Someone is saved by repenting of their sin and believing in Jesus. Salvation is a gift of God and not something that can be earned and is not a result of any good works. There is only one path to salvation, which is through Jesus Christ. There is no other name, religion, or system that can save. Humans are totally depraved and incapable of choosing God on their own, yet God elected some to be saved before the beginning of time to believe and receive salvation. Once someone is saved, they are justified and they cannot lose their salvation. If a person appears to be saved and turns away from God, it is because they were not actually saved in the first place. When a person is saved, he or she receives the Holy Spirit, which works to sanctify the believer to become more and more like Jesus, resulting in a life of faithful obedience to the commands of Scripture. That process continues until the believer is glorified in heaven.

Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 4:12, John 6:44, John 3:16, Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:28-30, 2 Timothy 1:9, Ephesians 1:13-14

The Church

The church is a group of believers acting as a local expression of the body of Christ, of which Christ is the head. The church is not a building, but it is a group of people. A church is distinguished from other gatherings of Christians in (at least) these ways: 

The church exists to fulfill the Great Commission, to fulfill the Great Commandment, and to bring glory to God. The universal church is made up of all believers around the world, while the local church is an independent expression of the body of Christ. Each member of the church is given spiritual gift(s) that are to be used to edify and build up the church. Each member of the church has an important role to play and must be functioning for the church to be healthy.

Acts 2:42-47, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:29-30, Ephesians 3:21, 1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 12:10, 2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Romans 12:4-5

Ordinances

Baptism and communion are the two ordinances given to the local church. These ordinances are an important part of the life of the church and should be done consistently. Baptism is a testimony of a believer’s faith in Christ. Baptism, which should be by immersion in water, symbolizes the believer dying with Christ in death and rising with him in new life. Baptism does not save and should be done only by believers after coming to saving faith. This also means that baptism is not to be done with those, such as young children, who have not come to a saving faith of their own.

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper and is done as a way to commemorate what Jesus did on the cross and look forward to his return. Communion should be approached with humility and taken with proper respect and self-examination. There is nothing significant about the elements themselves, but they are representative of the body and blood of Jesus.

Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Acts 2:41, Acts 8:36-39, 1 Corinthians 11:28-32, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 1 Corinthians 11:26, Matthew 26:26-29

The Last Things

Jesus is going to return a second time. The first coming of Christ was to die as a sacrifice for sin, and the second coming will be to judge. The timing and circumstances of the return are only known by the Father, but Christians should be ready for Christ to return at any time. The return of Christ will be visible to all as he comes in the clouds. Jesus will return to the earth where he will defeat Satan and set up a millennial kingdom for 1,000 years. There, he will reign with the saints. After the 1,000-year period, the final judgment will occur, and God will set up his eternal kingdom where believers will dwell with him in the new heavens and a new earth.

Revelation 22:20, Hebrews 9:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Matthew 24:36, Revelation 1:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Acts 1:9-11, Revelation 20:4-6, Daniel 9:24-27, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53