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Bible - I
believe the Bible, consisting of 66 books, to be the inspired Word
of God, without error, the revelation of His will for the salvation
of men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith
and life.
God - I
believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Jehovah God has always been and will always be the only
God. There were none before Him and shall be none after him.
The Father -
I believe that the Father created all things in heaven and on earth
through Jesus Christ. He created human beings out of a love for us and desires a
personal relationship with each of us.
Jesus - 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 lived a
sinless life and died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins
according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead
and ascended into heaven and He will come again as He promised to
judge the living and the dead.
Holy Spirit - I
believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men,
making them aware of their sin and the salvation available through
Jesus. He regenerates, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer
for godly living and service.
Man - I
believe that man was created in the image of God and sinless, but
fell into sin and is therefore lost and subject to judgment. There
is nothing man can do to save himself from this judgment, but he can
allow the death of Jesus to take the place of his own eternal
damnation by acknowledging Jesus Christ as Savior and accepting the free gift of
salvation.
Salvation - I
believe that the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of
Jesus Christ provides the only way of salvation for all who
believe. Furthermore, any who attach additional works of man as a
requirement for salvation are false in that they infer that Jesus'
redemptive work is insufficient in and of itself to save humanity
and that human beings somehow have the capability to save
themselves.
Accepting the Sinner,
Denouncing the Sin -
I believe that no sin is too big for God to forgive. Therefore, as
Christians we should be open and eager to share the Gospel with
everyone regardless of their sin or affliction. However, making
Jesus lord of our lives means striving towards holiness and turning
from our sinful ways. Therefore, while being open to all sinners,
Christians ought not accept, ignore, or promote any sin or sinful
lifestyle as permissible.
Non-Essential Elements
- I believe the
above tenets make up the basis of Christian faith on which all
Christians believe and agree. I
have intentionally omitted any
statements regarding areas of legitimate disagreement (i.e. baptism,
predestination, end times) on which agreement is not essential for
salvation.
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