What I believe

For any readers who would like to know my theological perspective,  this page provides a good idea of what I believe. My belief system is protestant, and I recognize teaching and preaching is a serious calling.  I am committed and loyal to a local church, though my association is a ‘state of mind’ (denominational membership is not important when sharing the gospel).  When we all get to heaven, there will be no denominations – only Christians.

We learn a lot as Christians, and regardless of your ecumenical background, its only when we systematically organize thoughts into writing that we can work out how to be consistent and correct while sharing the good news.

    1. I believe in one God, the creator of all things. He makes Himself known to us as Father, Son, and Spirit. (Matthew 28:19-20).
    2. I believe in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man. He became like us to show us what God is like and to teach us how we might have eternal life. (Matthew 1:20-25, 16:15-16; John 1:1-18).
    3. I believe in the Holy Spirit and that He is active in the world today. (John 14:15-18, 16:7-15; Romans 8:1-27).
    4.  I believe that only God can save us from being and acting as sinners.
    5. I believe that God’s Spirit desires to cleanse His people from the nature of sin, enabling them to live consistently above reproach. Our strength for living with integrity and love comes from His presence in us. (Matthew 3:11, 22:37-40; 1 John 4:1-18).
    6. I believe that God uses the Church to fulfill His plans for the world until Christ returns. (Matthew 28:1-20).
    7. I believe God can heal and we should pray for healing. I also believe that God can work through medical science. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; James 5:13-16).
    8. I believe that everyone will face the judgment of God with its rewards and punishments. (Matthew 25:31-46).
    9. A perspective opposed to salvation does not represent a believer. A non-believer is not in the same league with men and women with Godly perspectives ( Psalm 119:118 ; Romans 1:16 ).
    1.  I believe the Bible is the Word of God and tells us all we need to know about how to have eternal life and how to live with integrity. (2 Timothy 3:16).
      • I believe the books of the Bible were written by men and women over many centuries, under the divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit.
      • I believe the canonization, books, and words  of the Bible are confirmed by countless scholars, each of whom were selected by God through the church, to verify the content and veracity of everything that is written.
      • I believe there are contexts in the Bible where the details of a passage were written by men and women influenced by the knowledge and culture of their time.  Theology is defined by applying scripture to our culture, history and understanding. Thus, on matters non-essential to salvation, we need to adjust our perspective for  a clear understanding of the writers.
    2. I believe the Bible provides insight for everything that confronts us in life. 
      • The Bible provides truths learned  and proven by countless generations, and always, these are truths provided by God.
      • When we can choose to follow biblical teachings and make Godly decisions, we will live well. This is not the same as saying we will prosper or be healthy (consider the book of Job).
    3. I believe that prophecy is observable and confirm-able within scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21).  Women and men who claim to be prophets or speak words of prophecy will always be confirmed by their effectiveness (Deuteronomy 18:21-22 ) .

I read the Bible nearly every day, usually in digital format. There are multiple translations available, and I have no objections to whatever version people want to use, as long as the translation is prepared and approved by scholarly men and women with Godly perspectives. When there is dissension or disagreement on a passage, I will lean on the original languages as my arbiter and precede with the understanding that one’s education and background may create a certain perspective that may need to be adjusted in view of appropriate scholarship.

    • I believe in the Holy Spirit and that He is active in the world today. (John 14:15-18, 16:7-15; Romans 8:1-27)
    • I believe the Holy Spirit can enable us to live above reproach. Our strength for living with integrity and love comes from His presence in us. (Matthew 3:11, 22:37-40; 1 John 4:1-18) .
    • I believe anyone who receives Christ receives the Holy Spirit.
    • Infilling by the Holy Spirit may or may not come with visible attributes. He will be manifested in direct relationship to how much we let the Spirit lead.
    1. I believe in Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, who is both Creator God and man. He became like us to show us what God is like and to teach us how we might have eternal life. (Matthew 1:20-25, 16:15-16; John 1:1-18).
    2. I believe Jesus Christ was physically born of a virgin according to ancient prophecy.
    3. I believe Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day.
    4. I believe that Jesus is the only Messiah, foretold by prophecy, presented as King of the Jews but rejected; that he is equal with God yet humbled himself to the point of death, and that every knee will one day bow to him and declare him Lord.
    5. I believe that Jesus is coming again. (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
    1. Communion (aka Lord’s Supper) is a sacrament:   Jesus commanded us to do it  – so it should not be ignored.
    2. The details of the first communion can be found in Matthew 26:26-29.  There is a lot of symbology in fulfilling this action.  It is a reminder of actions fulfilled  during the passover seder, and it is also a way to remember the horrible agony Jesus endured on the cross.
    3. As a sacrament, believers are expected to participate in communion regularly.
      • A ‘closed communion’  service is limited to ‘members only’ -so it violates the intent of a sacrament for all believers.  My personal opinion: If anyone is excluded from communion that wants to partake, that church unit dishonors God.
    • Baptism is a sacrament:   Jesus commanded us to do it  – so it should not be ignored.
    • The purpose of baptism at its core is a demonstration to publicly affirm faith in Christ. (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:37-41). It can be understood as a visible acknowledgement that sin has been washed away, and as a symbolic rebirth from old life to a new life in Christ.
    1. God’s Will will always agree with what is written in scripture.
    2. I need to understand how God’s Will needs to work in my life (Ephesians 5:17). To do this, I will:
    3. Allow myself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
      • With this perspective, I can still be myself, and do what I can with what I have, knowing that sometimes it means I will suffer. Nevertheless, I will leave the results up to God (Psalm 37:4; 1 Peter 3:7;  1 Peter 4:19 ).
    4. Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
    5. Let God teach and empower me to do His will. (Psalm 143:10; Luke 22:42;Ephesians 1:11).
      • God completes what He wills. If I do not measure up in carrying out his will, the Lord’s will is still accomplished. 
    • ‘church’ can  refer to the physical building where people meet to worship  (a cross or steeple is not required).
    • ‘Church’ (capital ‘C’) refers to the universal body of all believers who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
    • I believe that God uses the Church to fulfill His plans for the world until Christ returns. (Matthew 28:1-20; Acts 2:37-41)
    • The purpose of the church includes
      • training, worshiping, praying,  preaching, teaching, fellowship, healing, encouraging, fasting, sharing  and supporting -in good times and bad.
      • People in the church are not perfect. We are on a journey together as sinners, seeking ongoing repairs.  We may not all be at the same place on the journey, so we need to help where we can and seek to disciple , or be discipled.

Hell is a place separate from God, where there will be suffering, weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Romans 2:9-11).  Needless to say, I do not want to be where God is not. Regarding heaven, I am not there yet, so I can only imagine, and I know my imagination is inadequate. Here is a list of things we can know from the Bible:

    1. There is an admission price to get into heaven, paid by Jesus Christ (John 14:5-7)
    2. It is a place, not a state of mind (John 14:2).
    3. What will we do there?
    • I believe there are powers, principalities, and a person (known as Satan), all of whom are not part of heaven . Each of these characters encourage us to turn away from God. Individually, it is man’s choice to not follow Satan’s encouragement. We need to understand Satan’s ways and decide not to follow him.
    • Man was created in the image of God, but with God’s image, we had a choice. We chose our own way, to not follow God, with the result that all people have sinned.
    • A man cannot perform works of righteousness to clear himself of his sin (Nothing we do will ever be good enough).
    • The only solution to remove the tarnish/stain of sin is to believe in Jesus Christ as the only one who saves us from sin.
    • Belief in Jesus Christ assures we will not be spiritually separated from God and thus, live with Him forever.

Jesus has declared that He will come again. Several signs are foretold of what to expect, though the exact timing is unknown. It is not important to me to take a stand with a pre- or post-millennial perspective. All that is important is that I stand watch and stand ready (Luke 12:35-48).

    1. The gospel will first be preached to the whole earth (Matthew 24:14).

    2. There will be a rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

    3.  Jesus returns with an army (Revelation 19:11-21)

I believe God saves us, when we make the choice to follow Him. The decision to follow God has 2 parts:

    1. Awareness. In a room where I have only lived in pitch black surroundings, I would have no understanding or awareness of light.  Without the light, I would  never know about the light in the first place. God reveals Himself just like a light seen under a door.  I do not have to check out the light, but at least He gives the choice to consider Him . His offer is not going to go away. He will never withdraw the choice of salvation while we live on earth.
    2.  Choice. It is up to each of us to respond to the light and go through the door He provides.
      •  Do I want what I am made aware of? An atheist or agnostic are examples of ‘no  response’ when they ignore the light provided. (Even so, my interest is to be compassionate toward these, not to condemn).
      • Do I choose to step into the light?
        • I have to decide if I prefer my own way, living in darkness, or the choice of a life I am not familiar with. When we have an awareness of God and an understanding of God, It is likely we will step into the light. Why would anyone choose to go back to darkness?
        • A decision to go back to (or remain in) darkness characterizes someone who is unwilling to understand the light. God gives us free will. He would never prevent our decision to remain in darkness (such a person remains lost). I am left with the question – why would a person in the light want to turn away from it? (I do not think they would want to turn back).