SUMMARY OF THE TRUTHS I BELIEVE
Statement of Faith
| Bible | The Bible is the Word of God, and its original manuscripts are free from errors and contradictions. It is the one and only infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy rule for faith and life. (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Tim 3:16). The Roman Catholic Apocrypha is not inspired scripture and is not part of the canon of scripture. Adam and Eve were actual people, as the Bible says. |
| God | God is the only Supreme Being with no gods created before or after Him in all of existence, in all places, in all time (Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 44:8, 1Tim 1:17). He has always been God and was never anything else (Psalm 90:2). He is Holy (Rev 4:8), Eternal (Isaiah 57:15), Omnipotent (Jer 32:17, 27), Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), Omniscient (1John 3:20); etc. He is Love (1 John 4:8, 16); Light (1 John 1:5); Spirit (John 4:24); Truth (Psalm 117:2); Creator (Isaiah 40:12,22,26), etc. He is to be worshiped (Gen. 24:26; Ex. 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25;Rev. 7:11). He is to be served (Matt. 4:10;1 Cor. 6:19; Phil. 3:7; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14). He is to be proclaimed (Matt. 28:19f.; John 14:15f.; Acts 1:8). |
| Trinity | The Godhead is three eternal, distinct, simultaneous persons — the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All three are in the Godhead.., yet there is only one God. (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5; Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; Matthew 3:17; 28:19; Luke 10:35; 2 Cor. 13:14). |
| Jesus | Jesus Christ is "The Word" who became a man. He added human nature to His divine nature. He is both human and divine, and, therefore, has two natures. Yet, He is one person, not two. (Phil 2:5-11; Col 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16;Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:1-3,14). Jesus will eternally remain as a man and intercedes for us eternally as a high priest after the order of Melchezedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:25). |
| Virgin Birth | Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived and born of the virgin Mary, (Luke 1:42). Mary ceased to be a virgin after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:25). |
| Resurrection | Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same body He died in, after being in the grave for three days. He was raised in a glorified, physical body (still retaining his crucifixion wounds). He ascended bodily into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. (John 2:19; 1 Corinthians 15; Luke 24:39). |
| Substitutionary Atonement | God the Father so loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word, became man, bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24), and died in our place, suffering the consequences of breaking the Law (1 John 3:4), which is physical death (Rom. 6:23) and spiritual death (Isa 59:2), that was due us (Isaiah 53:4-6). He became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). His sacrifice was a legal substitution for us (1 John 2:2; John 19:30; 1 Pet. 2:24). It was legal since sin is breaking God’s Law (1 John 3:4) and substitutionary since Christ took our punishment (Isaiah 53:4-6) and tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9). As a result, God’s justice was satisfied and Christian believers are released from eternal punishment (1 Pet. 3:18; Matt. 1:21; 25:46; Rom. 5; 1 John 2:2), and the debt that our sin brings against us has been cancelled (Col. 2:14). |
| Baptism | Baptism is an important action of obedience for a Christian and signifies a person’s identification with Christ. It is an outward manifestation of an inward reality of trust in the sacrifice for Christ, of conversion, and of identification with Christ. The act of water baptism does not save anyone. We are made right before God by faith (Rom. 3:28-30; 4:3,5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16, 21; Phil. 3:9; see also Acts 10:44-48). |
| Salvation | Salvation = being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. Salvation is obtained by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone (John 3:16) and not by our good works (Rom 3:20; Eph 2:8-9). One must be born again to be saved. We do not put on immortality until Jesus returns. Our reward is with Him, until then. We are still dying. We are not saved, yet. We are saved by enduring unto the end. No one is granted eternal life until the first and literal resurrection of the just. |
| Justification by Grace through Faith Alone | Justification is being declared legally righteous by God. This justification is received by faith alone without any ceremony/baptism (Rom 4:1-6), in the work of Christ fulfilling the Law in his earthly ministry (1 Pet 2:22), and his removing of sin by his sacrifice. Justification is a gift from God (Rom. 3:24) and is received apart from the works of the Law (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:21). |
| Regeneration | Regeneration is the work of God that occurs with faith. This regeneration means the person is made a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and is then able to resist sin and seeks to increase in sanctification before the Lord. Those thus regenerated do not seek to abide in sin, though they do fall into it, but war against it and repent of sin before the Lord. |
| Sanctification | Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ in all that we do, think, and desire and increases our ability to repent from sin — by God’s grace, (1 Thess 4:7; Eph 2:10; 1 Tim 4:4; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Tim 2:25). This process continues throughout the Christian’s life. |
| Christian Church | There is no one true earthly ecclesiastical body that is ‘the true church.’ Rather, the True Church consists of all true believers wherever they might be. |
| Church Officers | God calls qualified Christians to be ordained and to serve Jesus Christ in special leadership capacities, i.e. Elders, Deacons, Ministers of the Word, and Evangelists. The offices of pastor and elder are limited to qualified men who are called by God, recognized by the body, and who meet the biblical standard of eldership (Titus 1:5-9). Women are not to be pastors nor elders and are not to hold positions of authority in the Christian Church where that authority is exercised over men, (1 Tim 2:11-15; 3:11-13; Titus 1:5-9). |
| Rapture | The event where, upon Jesus’ return (The Day of the Lord), those who have died in Christ and those Christians who are then alive will be physically caught up to the clouds and meet the Lord Jesus in the air. We will then forever be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:16-5:2). |
| Second Coming | Jesus Christ will bodily and visibly return from heaven to earth with great glory and majesty. (Heb 9:28) |
| Spiritual Realm | There is a spiritual realm of angels and demons. Angels serve God and carry out his will. Demons are fallen angels (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6) who war against God and who will ultimately face eternal punishment (Matt 25:41; 2 Pet 2:4). |
| Spiritual Gifts | Paul says the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets” (Eph. 2:20). I conclude that all we need to know for salvation and sanctification has been given to us through the teaching of the apostles and prophets, and that this teaching is now found in the Scriptures. Now that God has spoken in the last days through his Son (Heb. 1:2), we don't need further words from him to explain what Jesus Christ has accomplished in his ministry, death, and resurrection. Instead, we are “to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” through the apostles and prophets (Jude 3). I believe God still heals and does miraculous things today, and we should pray for such. However, the gift of healing and miracles is no longer given to man. It's clear from Acts that the gift of tongues involves speaking in foreign languages (Acts 2), and Peter emphasizes in the case of Cornelius and his friends that the Gentiles received the same gift as the Jews (Acts 11:16-17). The word tongues (glōssa) denotes a linguistic code, a structured language, not random and free vocalization. The primary function of these gifts was to accredit the gospel message, confirming that Jesus was both Lord and Christ. They are no longer needed today. Cessationism is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the original twelve apostles. I am a cessationist. |
| Evangelism | We must teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, in every nation (Matt 28:19-20). Also, we are to refute false doctrines, false religions, and whatever else might contradict the word of God but we are to do this without insult (1 Pet. 3:15) if per chance God would grant them repentance (2 Tim. 2:25). |
| Kingdom Work | Part of being a Christian means to participate in expanding the Kingdom of God. Every Christian is to work for this end according to the gifts given him or her by the Lord (Matt 28:18-20; Rom 12). Not all are pastors, or evangelists, or teachers (Rom 12), but each Christian is expected to do his or her part to promote the gospel whether it be by prayer and/or teaching, and/or bearing and training children, and/or evangelism, etc. |
| Heresy | Any doctrine that deviates from the historical, orthodox, and biblical position of the Christian Church, throughout Church history, as judged from a Protestant perspective. There are heresies that are damnable (denying the Deity of Christ, denying Christ’s physical resurrection, denying justification by grace through faith, etc.). There are heresies that are not damnable (advocating women pastors; practicing polygamy, divorce for convenience sake, etc.) There are also teachings within Christianity that are debatable whereas differences of opinion are not heresy (eating or not eating meat, worship on Saturday or Sunday, etc.) See Rom 14:1-12. |
| Living | Christians are to live in peace with all men, suffering wrongs, false accusations, and misrepresentations with charity. Christians are not to kill (Matt 5:43-45, Matt 26:52, Gen 9:5-6). We are to promote the truth of Christianity by correcting false teachings and refuting error (2 Tim 2:25; 1 Pet 3:15). Christians are to live in the world as examples of godliness and are not to participate in the sinful passions of the world. |
| Creation and Evolution | God created the universe and all that is in it by his creative effort. God brought the universe into existence by the exertion of his will. Adam and Eve were real people, created by God just as Genesis says. I do not affirm macro evolution (the formation of life on earth from a single cell that evolved via natural selection over millions of years into the species all over the earth) or theistic evolution (that God guided macro evolution to bring humanity into existence). I deny them both. We did not evolve from other species into our present condition. God did not guide evolution of species by which humanity, the animal kingdom, or the plant kingdom was developed. The general theory of evolution is not scriptural and is a lie. |
