Answers to
common theological questions
we have received.
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What does Mars Hill believe about God?
What you believe about God changes everything. It affects how you love, work, live, marry, parent, evangelize, purchase, and worship.
At Mars Hill, we believe that God reveals himself to sinners and saves them for his glory. Theology is not obscure, abstract theories about the divine. Rather, theology is the study of a personal God and how he relates to his creatures.
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, who is infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity thinks, acts, feels, speaks, and relates because they are persons and not impersonal forces. Each member of the Trinity is equally God, which means that they share all the divine attributes.
We believe there is no one like God, no one equal to God, and no other God. God is just, merciful, holy, loving, all-knowing, jealous, all-powerful, patient, everywhere, eternal, unchanging, and not bound by time.
We believe that God reveals himself to everyone everywhere through general revelation, which includes creation and conscience. In general revelation, God has made known his power and divine nature, wisdom, majesty, justice, and goodness.
We believe God has supremely revealed himself to fallen humans through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe it is only through special revelation, God’s gracious self-revelation, that any of us come to a saving and transforming knowledge of God.
We believe Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity. Because God is holy and all humans are sinful and sinners, we need a savior who mediates between us and God. Religious rituals do not mediate between us and God—neither do the good works we do. Nobody else, except the God-man, Jesus Christ, serves as our mediator to God. There is no other name by which a man can be saved other than the name Jesus. (Acts 4:11). Hebrews 7:23-28 tell us that Jesus intercedes on our behalf and His sacrifice alone is sufficient to atone for sin.
We believe that every word of the 66 books of the Bible are divinely inspired. The Holy Spirit both inspired the writing of scripture and illuminates the meaning and understanding of scripture, and empowers the obedience to scripture. When rightly interpreted, scripture is centrally about Jesus Christ, as the only God and Savior, and eternal life. Additionally, scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
We believe that the scriptures alone are our only ultimate and inerrant authority for faith and practice. This doesn’t mean that the Bible is the only place where truth is found. It does mean that everything else we learn about God and his world, and all other authorities, are subordinate to the scriptures. The scriptures are the sole necessary and sufficient source of our theology.
We believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. We are neither saved by our merits nor declared righteous (justified) by our good works. We are justified solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit. We do not merit grace, or else it wouldn’t be grace. This means that God grants salvation without reference to our foreseen merits or achievements or even our faith. God’s election is the unconditional and unmerited nature of his grace.
Because of sin, not only did we inherit a nature that is in bondage to sin from Adam, but we also were born in sin. Therefore, we were enemies of God and lovers of that which was evil. We needed to be made alive (regenerated) so we can even have faith in Christ. All of this is grace that we don’t deserve. Because we didn’t earn or attain this grace, we cannot lose it. God graciously preserves us and keeps us. When we are faithless toward him, he is still faithful.
It is only by God’s grace that we may stand before Him because he mercifully attributes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and attributes to him the consequences of our sins, which were judged on the cross. The effects of this Gospel are many. According to the Heidelberg Catechism, our sole comfort in life and death is:
“That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches all this clearly: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ”
We believe that glory belongs to God alone. Sinners being saved by grace is all about God getting glory, not about people improving their lives and God just being a means to their end. Because of who God is and because he reveals and saves, the end goal of all of life is to give glory to God alone: “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). The Westminster Catechism says the chief purpose of our life is to “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
God’s glory and fame are to be our only ultimate ambition.
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What is Mars Hill’s position on emerging/emergent churches?
What is Mars Hill’s position on emerging/emergent churches?
First, it’s best to hear it straight from the pulpit, so here are some materials from Pastor Mark that should clear things up:
- Here is a sermon he delivered on the emergent church as part of the Religion Saves (and Nine Other Misconceptions) series in 2008.
- Also, here is a lecture Pastor Mark gave at the Convergence Conference, hosted by the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, in September 2007, where he goes into great detail explaining the emergent church movement, and his serious disagreements with some of its key leaders. He also explains, in fairly good detail, his connection to the movement early on before he disassociated himself due to theological differences.
All of this probably confirms your suspicions that what you hear from Pastor Mark is most certainly not what you hear from the some of the more popular leaders of the emerging/emergent movement. While Pastor Mark, and many of us at Mars Hill, hold dear our conviction to be engaged in culture to seek its redemption and the salvation of many lives for the sake of the Gospel, we also hold our Biblical principles even more dear, so as not to be compromised by the culture we engage in. It’s a very hard line to walk, but as you’ll hear Pastor Mark put clearly, we believe we would be less than faithful to our calling as Christians on mission for the Gospel if we did not walk it. -
Questions on Divorce and Remarriage
First, here are sermon notes (in pdf form) that Pastor Mark provided when he preached this sermon during the I Corinthians series in 2006. Next, here is the complete MH Position Document on the subject (also in pdf form).
Also, we’d recommend to any person who is married a recent book by Paul David Tripp (who is a frequent guest at Mars Hill), titled, “What Did You Expect?” Those having marriage “issues” can benefit greatly from this book.
Finally, if you go to the main Mars Hill site and type “marriage” into the search box in the upper right, you will find a huge amount of helpful information about Christian marriage from past sermons, talks, blog posts, the Resurgence, and Acts 29. In particular, the two sermons “Marriage and Women” and “Marriage and Men” both from 2009’s Trial series, are highly recommended.
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What are some of the resources you provide to teach people about biblical principles regarding marriage and gender roles?
Mars Hill elders provide an abundance of resources for people to plug into biblical ways of doing life. The below resources are a glimpse of what’s available.
MH Premarital Counseling Process
Men’s Training: Reverse Engineering (2006)
Man Factory (MH Resources for Men)
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Pastor Mark says that, if we have sexual desires, to “hustle up and get married.” If I have a lot of sexual sin, current and past (porn, same-sex attraction, etc.), what do I do?
Obviously, sex is an issue that affects us all, to one degree or another. In fact, when you go to the Mars Hill website and type “sex” into the search box, you will be presented with at least 26 sermons and lectures on the topic, in addition to countless blog posts and more on the subject.
First, does “hustle up and get married” apply to a person who is currently sinning sexually (homosexual, heterosexual, or otherwise)? No and yes. If you listen to the sermon, “Single Like Jesus,” you will hear that Pastor Mark says that it is not wise to get married at a time when a person is living in sexual sin. He makes the point that if you are currently having sex (heterosexual or homosexual) with someone you are not married to, you should stop doing that immediately. However, after you have been “sexually pure,” then get married because “it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” (1 Cor.7:9)
With porn, you are not forced to look at porn, but you choose to. You must simply choose to stop looking at porn. The fact that you find satisfaction in porn implies that you have chosen porn over Christ. In other words, porn has become an idol in your life.
God has put sexual desires in us to be expressed in marriage and, outside of marriage, sex is a sin (homosexual or not). These desires are very frustrating for most and that marriage is God’s design for holy sexual desires. Some people are blessed with the gift of chastity and do not experience the suffering of abstinence that others may.
As for a person who deals with homosexual desires the advice is still much the same: First, and most important, confess and repent. If you are in Christ, you have been given a new life. Your sexual sins are not what define you. You are a child of God. This means that you are no longer a slave to your sin but that you may put sin to death. If you say that you struggle with porn and homosexuality attractions, know that these sins must stop. You are not controlled by them, so turn from them and seek Jesus.
Does God want you to be married? Only God knows. Seek his will to be done through prayer, search your own heart. As taught in the above sermon, Paul also writes about the blessings of singleness. You may not be called to marriage, and it is not a sin to be single. However you may find that after you have put the sexual sin to death by repenting you may find a right desire for marriage. Then it would be time for you to “hustle up and get married.” Here are some more resources:
- “Porn Again Christian,” a free e-book by Pastor Mark
- A sermon on sexual sin
- Again, Redemption Groups are for people dealing with habitual sin.
- “How People Change,” by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp.
If and when God does give us someone with whom to pursue marriage, men and women are able to get beyond their sinful pasts by focusing on Jesus, by believing and living the Gospel, and on honoring the precious gift from God of a spouse. Couples need to be upfront with each other and confess their pasts well before they marry. As a solid Jesus-loving Christians, they then extended grace to each other and not holding the other’s past against them. It is forgiven and forgotten. Part of believing the Gospel of Jesus is believing that you are forgiven. Not only that, but you are cleansed. The theological name for that is expiation. Pastor Mark preached an entire series, called Christ on the Cross, on expiation and what was accomplished on the cross, including one sermon that specifically addresses this topic, “Jesus Died to Cleanse Our Filth,” along with sermon notes.
What you need to come away with is that your identity is in Christ and not your sins (filth) of the past. That is an important part of the Gospel. You are a new creature and not condemned to past sin; you can – and must – move on from it.
In particular, if you’re a guy, be sure to read the “Mars Hill Resources for Men” document. You will find a huge library of free material that will prove vital to you as a Christian man and husband. Do not neglect to view the sermon “Marriage and Men,” which you will find at the top of that list of resources.
You could also go through the entire Peasant Princess sermon series, and Mars Hill couples will go through the Premarital Counseling document as a couple as part of the premarital counseling process.
If you have more questions, please get in touch with a pastor directly.
*If you are in the military, there are additional resources through the Military Mission at Mars Hill. You can contact them at military@marshillchurch.org and request books, bibles, CDs, DVDs, etc. If you want to lead a Bible study group or community group using Mars Hill resources, just let them know. They will send you multiple copies of what you need.
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How do I become righteous in the eyes of God?
Let’s start with Ezekiel (Ezk 18:23 in particular). As we read Ezekiel 18, we are reminded of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5-7, Jesus proclaims what it takes to achieve the perfection and righteousness that God requires: He talks about hungering for righteousness, being meek, being merciful, pure in heart, being peacemakers, enduring persecution and still rejoicing, and being salt and light in the world. He continues to say that even if we get angry it is like being a murderer, or even if we lust, it is like committing adultery. He goes on and on about subjects like divorce, taking oaths, retaliating, loving our enemies, giving to the needy, praying, fasting, not being anxious about anything, not to judge others, obeying the Golden Rule. He even tells us that some of us will call him Lord and he will tell us that he never knew us. What a scary thought!
We compare Ezekiel 18 to the Sermon on the Mount because it also talks so much about righteousness. Notice that in Ezekiel 18 we see the word “righteous” mentioned six times and the word “righteousness” mentioned four times, all in one chapter. The verse that jumps off the page to me from Jesus’ words is Matthew 5:20: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. So, again, I see Ezekiel as an Old Testament version of the Sermon on the Mount in a more brief form.
The question then becomes, “How can we achieve the required level of righteousness?” We both know that we cannot reach that. We are like the disciples who asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, Lk 18:27) At that time, the disciples did not know what was to come. Jesus did know and he also knew what he was about to accomplish on the cross that would lead to a righteousness of God that could be imputed (transferred, exchanged, passed on) to man (believers).
So that you can fully understand what that means, we suggest you check out the following sermon, “Jesus died for Our Unrighteousness,” which Pastor Mark delivered during the Christ on the Cross series.
Even if you have already listened to this sermon in the past, listen to it again with a new mind set as you endeavor to reconcile Scriptures that at the present “seem” to contradict each other. It’s easy to think of the entire Sermon on the Mount was a contradiction of the mercy and grace of God, until we comprehend what Jesus was doing. He was demonstrating that none who heard him, and none of us now, can achieve that level of perfect righteousness.
When we see that, we must look for a Savior – that is the whole point!
Here are some words Pastor Mark provided along with this sermon: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Job asks one of the great questions of the Bible in Job 9:2: “But how can a mortal be righteous before God?” Indeed, the Bible repeatedly teaches that God is righteous (Ezra 9:15; Psalm 4:1, 7:9; 11:7; Isaiah 5:16, 45:21; Daniel 9:14). By righteous, scripture means straight, right, sinless, just, and lawful. Scripture also teaches that God made humanity in a state of sinless righteousness (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 7:29). However, humanity fell into a continual state of unrighteousness beginning with our father Adam in Genesis 3. Since Adam was our representative head and physical father, his sin has been imputed to us all (Romans 5:12-21). By imputation it is meant that his sin has been reckoned, transferred, or charged to everyone. In a sense, when Adam chose rebellion and war against God, we all did. In much the same way, when our president takes our nation to war, in a sense we are all at war, as he chooses as our representative head for us all. Consequently, everyone is conceived with an unrighteous sin nature (Psalm 51:5, 58:3) and subsequently lives a life marked by personal sin (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:10). This state of unrighteousness is the opposite of God’s nature and is marked by crookedness, wrongness, sin, injustice, and rebellion.
Human unrighteousness includes the frequent attempts to be righteous apart from God, which is the sin of self-righteousness (Romans 10:3, illustrated in Luke 18:9-14). Rather than being impressed at human attempts at righteousness, God harshly declares that our righteousness is as grotesque to him as a bloody tampon given to us as a precious gift (Isaiah 64:6a). Perhaps the people most devoted to pursuing self-righteousness were the Pharisees. Despite their great self-discipline and moral life, Jesus declared that unless our righteousness superseded theirs we would end up in hell along with them (Matthew 5:20). Therefore, no one can make him or herself righteous before the righteous God (Romans 3:10, 20).
Compassionate toward us, our eternal God, Jesus Christ, became a man. Because Jesus did not have an earthly father descended from Adam, he did not inherit an unrighteous sin nature and was the beginning of a new humanity as the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). Unlike the first Adam who sinned, Jesus lived a life of righteous perfection (Romans 5:12-21), resisting all temptations to sin (Hebrews 4:15), fulfilling all of God’s laws (Matthew 5:17), fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and dying as the only righteous man who has ever lived (Luke 23:47).
In his death, the righteous Jesus stood in place of sinners, paying the price for their sin, which is death (Isaiah 53:5-6, 12; Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). Subsequently, the only person who is righteous in God’s sight is Jesus Christ. But Jesus graciously imputes His righteousness like Adam imputed his unrighteousness to us (Romans 3:21-22, 4:4-6, 5:12-21, 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18).
Therefore, the answer to Job’s question is that an unrighteous person can stand righteous before the Righteous God not by their own works, but solely by trusting in the person and work of Jesus by faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 3:21-22, 4:3, 5, 24, 10:4; Galatians 3:6, 11; Philippians 3:8-9; Hebrews 1:4). Jesus alone is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), makes us new righteous people (Ephesians 4:24), and enables us to pursue righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11) and obey Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:3-4).
The words “righteous” and “righteousness” appear in the Bible over 500 times. The hope is that as you read through them you will see the pattern or theme that threads throughout the Bible. The Bible in its entirety all answers the question about why perfect righteousness is necessary to become part of God’s family, but Jesus is the only one who ever qualified. Therefore, we rely on his righteousness and not our own. So, there is no contradiction and it is a waste of time to look for contradiction. (See the last document.)
We’ll close with Ezekiel 33:11-16:
“Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.”
Resources
Predestination,” sermon from the Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions series
Predestination Scripture Pile.rtf
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How can I be assured of my salvation?
This is a question that comes up frequently, particularly among fairly new Christians who are still working on understanding the Scriptures. First, the very fact that this situation is bothering you is evidence that you are part of God’s family and need not fear loss of your salvation. You cannot lose your salvation. Look up Romans 11:29 and memorize it.
If you’re concerned about the “unforgiveable sin,” be sure to see Pastor Mark’s explanation on the topic.
As for your referring to Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-31, let me say that these are two of the most hotly debated portions of Scripture among theologians more astute and experienced than most all of us. Our suggestion would be to try to acquire or borrow a copy of the ESV Study Bible and read the commentaries that it gives on those two portions of Scripture.
The Mars Hill position on those passages would be that they describe persons who fall into one of the first three soils that Jesus describes in Luke 8:4-15. When you read that parable and the meaning that Jesus himself provides, you will understand that many people can “taste” the blessings of God and sometimes even appear to be “born again,” but in time it is revealed that they never were the “good soil.” The Apostle John in 1 John 2:19 explains those of the first three soils by saying, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they are not of us.”
The very fact that being one who does not remain is bothersome to you, reveals that you are saved. You want to remain in the body. Therefore, be assured and secure in your salvation. Check out the document, Assurance Scriptures, and rest in your own assurance. When you have time, turn in your Bible to 1 John 5 and then download and print this document. You will see that you can already identify with at least some of the evidences of your being a part of God’s family. As you mature in your faith, more and more of those evidences will become part of your life. We call that process “sanctification.”
Instead of worrying about your salvation, you need to move on to why God saved you. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. Verse 10 will indicate to you that he saved you for a purpose. As a new believer, you need to figure out what your Spiritual Gifting is and how you can fulfill Ephesians 2:10. When you have time, go to the Mars Hill website for the six sermons that Pastor Mark preached on spiritual gifts. As you listen, you most likely will discover which gift or gifts that God has blessed you with. When you begin to minister to others with that or those gifts, you will experience the joy and assurance that our Lord Jesus wants you to have.
Satan would want to put doubt in your mind. Tell him to get lost in Jesus’ name, because he has no right to your life. He is the father of lies and he or his demons are lying to you to weaken your faith. Flee from him and serve the Lord Jesus because he is your head pastor and top authority.
Resources
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Why does Mars Hill not have female pastors?
At Mars Hill, we hold to a complementarian (moderate) position where men and women are partners in every area of ministry together. All ministries are open to all qualified men and women with the singular exception of the office of elder (pastor). Scripture requires the office of elder to be a male-only (Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7). Women can serve as deacons, teach, lead worship, serve communion, be in full-time ministry, etc.
One one end of the spectrum on this issue would be the hierarchical position, which holds that women and men and created to operate in different spheres of ministry within the church. Women are not permitted to be an elder or deacon, serve communion, teach men, lead worship, pray or speak in the church service, etc. Women are directed to focus on building ministries for other women or children in such churches. On the other end would be egalitarianism, which holds that there is no innate distinction between the roles of men and women in the home or church. MHC does not hold either of these positions.
For more on complementarianism, be sure to read this post.
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