Updated 5-13
Agape Bible Church
Basic Doctrinal Survey
Circle the letter that best describes your position on each doctrine.  Circle “true” or “false” on the T/F questions.  
If you have any reservations of any kind as you circle an answer, circle that entire answer.  
If you are undecided on a question, circle the number of that question and do not mark an answer.

1.	Jesus is God:   			Yes or No
The Holy Spirit is God:		Yes or No
The Father is God:		Yes or No

2.	How many Gods are there?
A.	1
B.	3
3.	How many persons are there in the Godhead? ______

4.	True or False?   Jesus is 1/3 of God.
5.	True or False?   The Holy Spirit is a person – a person who is a different person from the person of the Father (the three persons of the Trinity are distinct).
6.	True or False?   There is one God who reveals Himself sometimes as the Son, other times as the Spirit, and other times as the Father, but only one of those “modes” at a time.
7.	True or False? God exists eternally in that He never began and will always be in existence.
8.	Agree or Disagree? I believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.

9.	Is the following statement fact or opinion: “Christianity is true, and is therefore superior to all other religions.”  
A.	Opinion
B.	Fact 

10.	What is the difference between faith and presumption?

11.	I believe
A.	The Bible is correct in every doctrine it affirms, but sometimes mistaken when it speaks on other issues such as science or history.
B.	The Bible never really does address science or history.  All the points are spiritual ones, and so there are no errors even though certain statements are technically false from a scientific or historical point of view.
C.	The Bible contains no error of any kind.  All the affirmations are true, including the many historical and scientific ones.

12.	Final authority rests in
A.	What the Church determines to be the meaning of Scripture.
B.	What the individual Christian determines to be the meaning of Scripture.
C.	The actual meaning, which may or may not be understood by the Church or the individual. 

13.	True or False?  It is possible to figure out truths about God that have not been revealed in Scripture. 
14.	Agree or Disagree?  I believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
15.	 Agree or Disagree?  I believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate. 
16.	 True or False?   Jesus appeared to be a man, but He was not really 100% human.
17.	 Yes or No?  Are you open to the idea of universal salvation (every person will eventually end up in heaven)?

18.	Circle EVERY statement that is true and draw a line through any statement you regard as a false gospel.  
A.	Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.
B.	It is only by God’s grace that we are able to produce works that deserve salvation.
C.	God’s saving grace may be conferred through sacraments (you are saved by partaking).  
D.	Salvation is a free gift.
E.	There is nothing you can do to deserve heaven.
F.	Where there is no repentance there is no salvation.

19.	Agree or Disagree?  I believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service. 
20.	True or False?  I believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. 
21.	True or False?    Since the language about fire and torture in Hell is figurative, it may not actually be agonizing torment.  
22.	Agree or Disagree?  I believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of God. 

Circle ALL that are true:
23.	The fact that salvation is “by grace” implies
A.	There is nothing required of us in order to obtain salvation.
B.	There is something required of us to obtain salvation, but there is nothing we can do to earn it.
C.	We are commanded to have faith in Jesus Christ, however, this does not negate the fact that salvation is by grace alone.
D.	Because we are commanded to exercise faith in Christ, salvation is received based on only that one work, thus not by grace alone.   

24.	To be saved, it is required that a person have
A.	Faith plus obedience.
B.	Faith alone – even if there is no obedience.
C.	Only the kind of faith that generates obedience. 

25.	Repentance involves
A.	A change of mind, with or without a change in behavior.
B.	A reversing of one’s direction in life.

26.	True or False?  In order to be saved, a person must be willing to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

Circle ALL that apply.
27.	Saving faith involves:
A.	Knowing the claims of Christ
B.	Being convinced that they are true
C.	Entrusting your life to Christ by placing your eternal fate in His hands
D.	Entrusting your earthly life to Christ, and believing that His way is the best way

Circle ALL that apply
28.	When we confess Jesus as Lord at conversion, the term “Lord,” in that context, can be defined as
A.	King
B.	Master
C.	Owner

29.	Circle EACH statement you believe to be true.
A.	God already knows everything that is going to take place in the future.
B.	God ultimately controls all things – including the outcome of genuinely free decisions made by men of their own will. 
C.	While God is in full control of all events, there is no sense in which He is guilty of causing sin or doing anything either directly or indirectly evil.

30.	A person is saved by
A.	Praying the sinners prayer.
B.	Asking Jesus into his heart.
C.	Believing the Gospel.

31.	True or False?  I believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.
32.	True or False?  Those who have died in unbelief are now in a place of torment.
33.	True or False?   After the Second Coming, those who have died unregenerate will be sent to a place of eternal, conscious torment.
34.	True or False?   Homosexual behavior is always a serious sin.
35.	Yes or No?  I smoke or chew tobacco.
36.	Yes or No?  I use illegal drugs.
37.	Yes or No?  I drink alcohol for non-medicinal purposes. 
38.	Yes or No?  If the elders ask you to abstain from drinking out of concern for certain weaker brothers in the church, would you be willing?
39.	True or False?  Women ought to be submissive to their husbands.
40.	True or False?  Men are to be the spiritual leaders in the home.
41.	True or False?  It is sin for me to entertain thoughts of discontent with my spouse. 

42.	What is the greatest and most important commandment?

43.	Love for God is
A.	A matter of commitment and obedience regardless of emotions
B.	Involves commitment and obedience that spring from the emotions (desire for and delight in God).

44.	The command to love God means
A.	To serve and obey Him with full commitment, resulting in increased feelings of love for Him.
B.	To take (emotional) delight in Him resulting in obedience.

45.	“Love your neighbor as yourself” means…
A.	First learn to properly love yourself so you can learn to love others.
B.	All people already love themselves, and that self-love is the highest standard of love we know how to do.

46.	Emotions of love (desire and delight) are…
A.	Unimportant
B.	Desirable, but not essential
C.	Essential 

47.	True or False? Christians should seek joy.

48.	I believe…
A.	God is mostly disappointed in me
B.	God is mostly pleased with me

49.	True or False: Since God has already determined what He is going to do, prayer doesn’t actually have an effect on what happens.  It just brings us in line with what God was going to do anyway.

50.	List some things that will make your prayers more likely to be answered: 

Doctrinal Survey (Deacon Level)
1.	Concerning the accuracy of our modern day Bible I believe
A.	Since the originals are lost, we can’t really know for sure what they taught.
B.	While only the originals were inerrant, we can know with certainty what the originals taught regarding every major doctrine.

2.	Concerning the Canon (the list of books included in the Bible), I believe
A.	God still gives direct revelation to people today regarding doctrine not in Scripture (visions, prophecies, etc.)
B.	The Canon is closed – all sixty-six books of the Protestant canon are inspired, and nothing else.
C.	Not everything in the Bible is inspired.

3.	Which of the following represents your approach to interpretation:
A.	General revelation (science and human reasoning) and Special revelation (the Bible) are both God’s Word and are on equal footing. Therefore our knowledge from science helps us properly interpret the Bible.
B.	Scripture should be interpreted according to the normal rules of grammar and language first, and our understanding of science should be adjusted to fit that interpretation. 

4.	Concerning decision-making, I believe
A.	All decisions should be made on the basis of wisdom alone.
B.	Sometimes, in response to a prompting (a feeling that God is leading in one way or another that is not based on the normal process of using wisdom), we should choose an option other than the one wisdom would point us to. 

5.	If you believe in promptings, please describe how you determine when a feeling is the voice of God and should be given more credence than the normal decision-making process:

6.	Circle the best definition of “inspired”:
A.	The Bible is one of the great works of literature.
B.	The Bible writers were inspired men.
C.	Each of the words in the Bible was breathed out by God.

7.	Concerning “verbal” inspiration, I believe
A.	Not only are the general ideas and teachings God’s Word, but every word, every letter and even the grammar is inspired.
B.	The point of Scripture is to convey principles.  I believe all the principles are true, but it doesn’t matter if every letter or the grammar are inspired.  

8.	True or False?  We should not be concerned with doctrinal issues, as long as a person accepts Jesus.
9.	True or False?  God controls all things and only does good things. 

10.	Suppose someone had a child who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered a few years ago and is now angry at God for failing to prevent it. Which of the following is the most correct counsel?
A.	It is OK that you are angry at God. He understands. 
B.	It is not appropriate to be angry at God, because He had no control over that situation. In this world evil people operate by their own free will. However God will bring something good out of it.
C.	You are right that God could have prevented it, and since God only does good things, His decision not to prevent it was a good decision. It is wrong to be angry at Him.
D.	It is not appropriate for you to be angry at God, because He had nothing to do with it. He didn’t intend for that to happen, but He will bring good out of it.

11.	True or False?   The character & nature of each member of the Trinity is identical to the others (even though roles are different).  
12.	True or False?   God is Spirit.   

13.	How do we know for sure that Jesus is God? (Other people worked miracles or were raised from the dead).

14.	How is one filled with the Spirit?

15.	True or False? Christians should live for reward as a motivation.
16.	How does one increase his desire for and delight in God?

17.	How does one develop a greater love for others?

18.	Agree or Disagree?    I believe the miraculous gifts (tongues, miracles, healing, etc.) are intended to be a normative part of church practice today.
19.	True or False?    The promise of complete healing is offered to all believers in this life.

20.	When explaining the Gospel to an unbeliever, an explanation of God’s wrath over sin
A.	should usually be avoided, so the person isn't offended.
B.	is important for bringing the person to repentance. 

21.	Having been created in the image of God 
A.	Gives dignity to Christians.
B.	Gives dignity to all human beings.

22.	True or False?  Every human being who has ever existed will be resurrected and will live somewhere forever.
23.	True or False?  Scripture is not clear enough for us to be dogmatic about an eternal Hell.  Annihilation of the wicked is a possibility. 

24.	There are some adults in our day who never hear the Gospel or even the name of Jesus.
A.	If these are responsive to natural revelation, perhaps they may be saved without knowing specifically about Christ.
B.	If they are responsive to natural revelation, God may send a missionary, but if no one comes and proclaims the truth and they never hear about Christ, they will be lost eternally.  

25.	If you chose A, do you regard the need to send missionaries to be urgent?

26.	Sanctification refers to 
A.	An event occurring some time after conversion in which a person is brought to a point of maturity.
B.	A process that begins at conversion, continues throughout life, and is completed only in the next life.

27.	Yes or No? Do you believe you are saved now because before the foundation of the earth God decided to save you?
28.	Yes or No?  Do you believe you are saved now because you chose to accept the Gospel?
29.	True or False?   God sovereignly controls everything, yet humans have free will.  This is not a contradiction, but a paradox.
30.	True or False?   The elect are predestined (Eph.1:11), yet it is also true that a person is saved or lost based upon what that person decides (Ro.10:9). 
31.	True or False?   A person who has never heard the name of Christ may be able to be saved in some circumstances.
32.	True or False?   Every true believer will bear fruit (righteousness).

33.	Baptism is 
A.	Required in order for a person to be saved.
B.	Required
C.	Not required.

34.	I believe
A.	We ought to accept anyone who claims to have been born again as a brother in Christ.
B.	We must only accept those who embrace the essentials of the Gospel as true brothers in Christ.

35.	Church discipline should be carried out on
A.	Anyone who calls himself a believer.
B.	Only people who have agreed to be members of the church.
C.	No one at all because there are more effective ways of dealing with peoples sins, e.g., loving them.

36.	The biblical model of church government is
A.	Elder rule: authority rests in the elders.  Deacons serve by assisting the elders.  The congregation is submissive to the elders (pastors).
B.	Congregational rule: authority rests in the congregation.  Votes should be taken to make important decisions.

37.	True or False?   In some cases, we should rebuke or bind demons.
38.	True or False?   Mere sexual attraction toward the same sex (temptation not acted upon) is not necessarily a sin.
39.	True or False?  A fertilized human egg ought to be treated as a human being.
40.	True or False?  It is always wrong commit suicide even for people who are very old or in miserable condition.
41.	Yes or No?   I believe women may be elders.
42.	Yes or No?  I believe women may fill official roles teaching men in the church in some cases.

43.	Circle your view.
A.	Divorce is never permissible for the believer.
B.	A believer may divorce and remarry in the case of any act of adultery, or remarry if abandoned by his/her spouse.
C.	A believer may divorce and remarry only in the case of continual and hard-hearted adultery, or remarry if abandoned by his/her spouse.
D.	While divorce may be permitted for adultery, remarriage is never permitted.
E.	Divorce and remarriage is permitted in several other circumstances (such as physical abuse, etc.)

44.	Define love.

45.	How would you define the virtue of humility?

46.	If God is everywhere present, what does it mean when Bible writers speak of God being near to them or far from them?

47.	True or False? If you faithfully carry out the actions and commitments of love, the emotions of love will automatically follow.

Doctrinal Survey (Teacher and Elder Level)

1.	The King James Version is
A.	The only version we should use
B.	The best version because it is based on the best manuscripts 
C.	One among many good translations
D.	Good, but not quite as accurate as the modern translations

2.	Circle ALL that are true:
A.	Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.
B.	Mary was herself conceived sinless. 
C.	Jesus never committed any kind of sin.

3.	With which statement do you agree?
A.	Jesus Christ emptied Himself of His deity when He was born on earth, and received it back when He was raised from the dead.
B.	Jesus Christ emptied Himself of His deity when He was born on earth, and received it back when He was baptized.
C.	Jesus only technically stopped being deity for that one moment on the cross when the Father forsook Him.
D.	Jesus never at any moment gave up His deity.

4.	Christ’s payment on the cross 
A.	Paid only for the sins of the elect.
B.	Paid for the sins of all people.
C.	Was sufficient to pay for all sins, but covers only the sins of the elect (some aspects of the atonement are universal and others are limited to the elect).

5.	God created the world in 6 days. This means…
A.	Six 24-hour periods less than 10,000 years ago (“Young Earth” Creationism)
B.	Six undefined segments of creation millions of years ago (Progressive Creationism)
C.	An evolutionary process guided by God (Theistic Evolution)

6.	True of False?    There are scriptural warnings directed at genuine believers who are warned against total apostasy (becoming lost), and so we as believers must heed those warnings lest we risk eternal damnation.
7.	Yes or No?  Do you believe you are saved now because before the foundation of the earth God predestined you to be saved?
8.	True or False?  Every Christian, after he is saved, should seek the baptism of the Spirit.
9.	How could the death of one man be sufficient to pay the penalty for all men?

10.	In regeneration, man’s will is 
A.	Passive
B.	Active

11.	Justification, in the context of conversion, refers to 
A.	The declaration by God that a person is righteous on the basis of the legal imputation of Christ’s righteousness to that person’s account.
B.	An act of God that actually makes a person righteous in practice, not just in position.

12.	The Second Coming of Christ…
A.	could happen any moment – there are no remaining events that must take place before He comes.
B.	could happen in any generation, but there are some events that must first take place.
C.	already happened in the past.
D.	is definitely still a long way off.

13.	True or False?  Our resurrection will be “bodily” in the sense that the resurrection body will be a material one, but unlike our present flesh.

14.	Ethnic Israel 
A.	has been completely and permanently replaced by the Church
B.	has been set aside for now, but will all come to Christ in the future
C.	Neither 

15.	With which statement do you agree?
A.	The sins of the Old Testament people were paid for by the sacrifices.  Jesus’ death paid for the sins committed after the cross.
B.	Jesus’ sacrifice paid for all sins of all times, and no animal sacrifice ever paid for any sin.

16.	Jesus had
A.	Only one nature: His divine nature.  But He was two separate persons.
B.	One Divine nature for eternity past, but then added a second, human nature at the incarnation.  And He will exist forever with two natures.

17.	1 Co.15:44 states that Jesus’ resurrection body was spiritual.  Circle EACH interpretation of that statement that is within the pale of orthodoxy.
A.	Jesus’ resurrection body is made of flesh and bone that has the same composition as our flesh and bone.
B.	Jesus’ resurrection body is made of physical, corporal flesh and bone, but it is significantly different from ours.
C.	Jesus’ resurrection body was not physical at all.  It was spiritual – just as 1 Co.15:44 says.

18.	The blood of Jesus is the ground for our justification.  This means:
A.	The actual fluid is continually being poured out in heaven on our behalf.
B.	It is not the literal blood that saves us.  It is a figure of speech referring only to Jesus’ sacrificial death.

19.	True or False?  Water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation. 
20.	True or False?  The ordinances are a means of receiving saving grace.

21.	Baptism is 
A.	A picture of what takes place at conversion.
B.	A picture of one’s entrance into Christ (Acts 19:5, Ga.3:26,27 1 Co.1:13).
C.	A picture of the washing of regeneration (1 Pe.3:21, Acts 22:16).
D.	A picture of judgment 
E.	A picture of  burial and resurrection with Christ (Ro.6:3,4, Col.2:12).
F.	All of the above.
G.	A, B, C, & E.

22.	Communion is best described as
A.	A means of getting saving grace.
B.	A means of getting general grace.
C.	Primarily a memorial. 

23.	Circle the letter which most accurately describes your view of infant baptism:
A.	Infants ought to be baptized, so they can be saved.
B.	Infants ought to be baptized as an act of dedication only.
C.	Infants don’t have to be baptized, but it couldn’t hurt.
D.	Infants should not be baptized.

24.	When a person becomes a Christian
A.	He believes as a result of being born again.
B.	He is born again as a result of believing. 

25.	True or False? There is no difference between an elder and a pastor.
26.	True or False? The warnings about persevering through the Great Tribulation are for us.  We must prepare ourselves, so we will be ready.
27.	 True or False? After the Second Coming, Christ will set up a government on earth and reign over the earth for 1000 years.
28.	True or False?   A true believer can be demonized. 
29.	True or False?  A true Christian cannot embrace the doctrines of Free Masonry.  
30.	True or False?  Some unbelievers love God.

31.	How does one know if God is near?