So…what do I believe? What does my belief statement look like?
I. I believe in the Inspiration of the Bible
I believe the Holy Scriptures, composed of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, are the verbally inspired Word and Revelation of God. I’m open to us not having a perfect canon–maybe we have too many books–but we have what is necessary. The Bible is inerrant, infallible and God-breathed. Divine inspiration applies to the original autographs and though there is not a preserved text today, we are always getting closer to the original text with our multifaceted versions.
If you want a label, I believe in verbal, plenary, innerant inspiration.
Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Luke 24:13-28; John 16:12-16; Psalm 12:6-7; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 138:2.
II. I believe in the Trinity
I believe in the Triune God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-coequal and coeternal. Each has His individual identity and separate responsibilities for the purposes of redemption, yet perfectly united as three Persons in One. Although the term “Trinity” doesn’t occur in Scripture, it does teach it
If you want a label, I’m Trinitarian who agrees with the filoque.
1 John 5:1-8; John 16:7-18; Matthew 28:19}}; Genesis
1:26.
III. I believe in the deity and the virgin birth of Christ
I believe in Deity of Jesus Christ. He is the only begotten, virgin born Son of God, the second Person in the Blessed Trinity, God the Son, God manifest in the flesh, two natures, the God-Man.
1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:1-14; John 14:9; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 10:36.
IV. I believe in blood atonement
I believe in the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, and all must be born again or be forever lost.. The Lord’s atonement was not limited with respect to whom God’s salvation is offered. His shed blood is sufficient for all sin and, therefore, “whosoever will” may believe and be saved to the uttermost. Also, the text “with His stripes we are healed” speaks of God’s remedy for the sin-sick soul through the suffering and substitutionary sacrifice of the Lamb of God, and is not referring to the healing of the body.
In other words, I don’t agree with Calvinism’s particular redemption even if I agree with the language of substitution..
Hebrews 2:9; John 6:44-69; John 3:16-18; Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 7:22-25; Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 53:4-6
V. I believe in the physical, bodily resurrection of Christ
I believe in the physical resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He ascended bodily into the heavens and is now at the right hand of God as our Mediator, Priest, and Advocate. In the same way he left he will return.
Acts 3:12-26; John 20; Hebrews 9:24; 1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 1 John 2:1.
VI. I believe in the premillennial Second Coming of Christ
I believe in the Rapture-the personal, premillennial,
and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “in the air.” This has been the “Blessed Hope” of every born-again believer in the Church Age. At that time He will receive to Himself the resurrected bodies of those who have “died in Christ” and also all those who are presently alive and “in Christ.” I hope in a pre-tribulational return but I’m not sure that is textually supportable.He will surely come “with His saints” seven years after the man of lawlessness makes a treaty with Israel to execute judgment upon the ungodly nations before the inauguration of His earthly millennial reign at His second coming to the earth but that could mean as they meet him after the seven in the air. The Lord will cast the anti-christ and the false prophet into the lake of fire, send Satan into the abyss and establish His earthly kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ will reign one thousand years, thus literally
fulfilling the covenant promises made to a believing remnant of Israel through the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. After the earthly reign of one thousand years, He will bring all the unsaved dead to the judgment of the Great White Throne and all who stand before that Throne will be cast into the lake of fire forever. Satan will also be cast into the lake of fire.
I’d say I’m a premilennialist, a post-tribulationalist, and a dispensationalist of the progressive dispensationalist order.
{{1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:6-10}}; {{1 Corinthians 15:50-55}}; {{Acts 1:11}}; {{Titus 2:13}}. {{Jude 14,15}}; {{Matthew 25:31-46}}. {{Isaiah 11:1-16}}; {{Revelation 19:19-20; 20:1-6}}. {{Revelation 20:11-15}}; {{Matthew 7:21-23}}. {{Revelation 20:10}}.
VII. I think Satan really exists
I believe that Satan is real. I believe a lot that we think about Satan, we might have incorrectly assumed but I do think certain things are spot on. He is actively opposing the cause of Christ on every hand and is the arch enemy of every true believer. His warfare incorporates the deception of mixing error and truth as well as that which is flagrantly vile and evil. He marshals a host of fallen angels that can also serve to deceive the unsuspecting by “transforming themselves into…apostles of Christ [and] ministers of righteousness…” These false spirits can influence the unfaithful servant to say helpful and even true things and can also themselves energize ones to do the miraculous. Therefore, every experience and teaching must be examined in light of the Word of God to determine its true source.
{{2 Corinthians 11:1-15}}; {{2 Peter 5:8-9}}; {{Revelation 12:9-10}}; {{Matthew 4:2-11}}; {{John 8:24}}. ({{2 Corinthians 11:31}}). ; {{1 John 4:1}}.
VIII. I believe in a real Heaven to be embraced and a real Hell to be shunned
I believe that Heaven is a real place of eternal blessedness prepared by God for those whose garments have been “made white” through faith in the shed “blood of the Lamb.” Hell is a real place of eternal suffering for those whose names are not written in the “book of life.” I don’t think that there is an intermediate state in which a person atones for sins.
John 14:1-6}}; {{Revelation 7:13-17; 20:11-15; 21:22-27}}; {{2 Corinthians 5:1-10}}; {{Luke 16:19-31}}.
IX. I believe in a Biblical Creation and historic fall of Man with an actual Adam
I believe God created all things in a time frame of six
days and am willing to entertain some concepts of what that means. I think that Creative Days (with gaps between the days) might be the best way that this actually panned out to integrate with science but that the text isn’t concerned exactly with all those specific details. I believe that the concept of the evolution of Man so that there is not a historical Adam is contradictory to the teaching of Scripture. Man was created by a direct act of God and subsequently fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. I believe in the universality and exceeding sinfulness of sin. In Adam all have been plunged into the corrupting sickness of sin leaving man in its bondage and operating under their own authority. Man, subsequently, of his own accord chooses to sin following the corrupt nature within.
{{Romans 5:12-21}} {{Ezekiel 18:4}}; {{Romans 3:10-26; 6:23}}; {{Psalm 51:5}} {{Genesis 1-3}}.
X. I believe in Justification by Faith alone
I believe that man is justified on the single ground of faith in
the shed blood and bodily resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The all-sufficient and completed work of Redemption accomplished through His death and resurrection is fully appropriated at the moment in time by those who receive by faith the free gift of salvation offered in the one true Gospel. The adding of works, baptism, sacraments, or any other condition placed upon man in order to obtain God’s gift of salvation by faith alone in the finished work of Christ results in “another gospel”
{{Romans 5:1}} {{Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 1:6-10}}; {{Romans 1:16}} {{1 Corinthians 15:1-4}}; {{John
5:24}}; {{Ephesians 5:8}}.
XI. I trust in Eternal Security
I believe in the eternal security of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Once a lost sinner has become a “new creature in Christ,” he can never lose that new relationship in the family of God which is based upon God’s imputed righteousness and not his own. The life that God imparts to the believing sinner is not “eternal life” if it can be terminated. Sin in the life of the believer affects his fellowship with the Father not sonship. All who are truly born of the Spirit and who continue in sin will be dealt with by the chastening hand of God. All who are in Christ are sealed unto the day of redemption and will be glorified. We are to “work out” our salvation not “work for” our salvation. Texts used to teach one can lose his salvation are speaking of loss of reward, not the loss of salvation or the right to be called a child of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21}}; {{John 10:25-29}}. 1 John 1:5-10; Hebrews 12:6-13 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. {Philippians 2:12}}. {{1 Corinthians 3:8-15}}; {{2 John 8}}; {{Revelation 3:11}}; {{Romans 8:29-30}}; {{1 Timothy 1:12}}; {{Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30}}.
XII. I believe in The Holy Spirit within the Body, which is the Church, of Christ
I believe all regenerated people are baptized into the Body
of Christ by the Holy Spirit the moment they receive Christ as their Savior. The Holy Spirit indwells all who have been born again from above. Also, the baptism of the Spirit is not a separate event apart from the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit upon believing on Christ unto salvation. The Church which is Christ’s Body consists of all those who, in the present dispensation, truly believe having pinned their faith and trust on Jesus Christ the Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:13}}; {{1 Corinthians 10:32}}; {{Ephesians 2:13-18}}. {{Acts 15:6-11}}; {{Galatians 3:2,14}}; {{Romans 10:13-17}}; {{Romans 8:9}}. {{Romans 8:14-27}}; {{James 1:18}}; {{John 1:12}}; {{1 Corinthians 1:2}}; {{Matthew 16:16-16}}.
XIII. I believe in some level of separation
I believe that all Christians are first to be separated wholly unto the Lord, and as a necessary result, they must be:
1) Separated from sinful practices. They are to be holy, even as He is holy, and this desired behavior will often be diametrically opposed to the course of this present age.
2) Separated from apostasy and unbelief. A believer must not be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” thereby being identified with unbelief by association in worship.
1 Peter 1: 13-16}}; {{1 Corinthians 6:19-20}}; {{Romans 12:1-2}}; {{1 John 2:15-17}}.{{2 Corinthians 6:14-18}}; {{1 Timothy 6:3-5}}; {{2 Timothy 2:19-22; 3:1-5; Amos 3:3
XIV. I have ideas about The Local Church and Its Mission
I believe God has ordained the ministry of local, independent, indigenous assemblies of believers to accomplish His work in this dispensation extending from Pentecost to the Translation of Christ’s Body at His appearing. I believe even though those assemblies are independent, they should be in active fellowship to maintain discipline and discipleship. The church’s membership is to be composed of regenerated, baptized believers. The two ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism by immersion, and the memorial of the Lord’s supper until He returns. The church is to be missionary and evangelistic in spreading the Gospel into all the world while simultaneously exemplifying Kingdoms under the rule of God. It is to strive together for the faith of the Gospel, proclaim and maintain purity of doctrine and practice, and worship and serve the Lord in “spirit and truth.”
I come from the Plymouth Brethren tradition so you might notice a lot of that in this paragraph.
Acts 2:41-47; 20:17-32; Matthew 28:16-20; Ephesians 4:11-16;1 Corinthians 11:23-34, Romans 13; 1 Corinthians 7.
XV. I think we should be doing good works
I believe that all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should maintain good works. Works will determine the reward or loss of reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ before which every Christian will stand.
2 Peter 1:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; 3:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18-29; 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11.
XV. I think men and women have a God-given calling in their nature.
I believe that since we’re made in the image of God we have been built, since creation, with fundamental roles. Those roles don’t change our status as human beings. Men and women are equal in value but differ in responsibility: and in marriage that’s where we will find our greatest joys.
This makes me a complimentarian.
Ephesians 5, Gen 1, Gen 2, Col 3
2 replies on “Belief Statement”
Thanks for your page. As regards 1 Pet 2:24 and Is. 53:5, I disagree with you. Please keep an open mind and download the free book – the best on Biblical healing, from:
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll14/id/255896
Get in touch with the John G. Lake Ministries (www.jglm.org). If we were already healed at the whipping post, then why did Jesus need to go to the Cross? Because, the wages of sin is not stripes, but death. Also, we were dead in our trespasses. A dead person cannot be healed – they must be revived. So those verses are not speaking about spiritual healing – but physical and soul-level. Jesus’ body was broken for our healing and then his blood was shed for the remission of our sins. Blood flows only after the body is broken.
God bless you brother!
First – What is your belief (or view) in regards to Free Will?
Second – I personally believe any government that governs by coercion is evil. That only private governance models are morally acceptable b/c one can choose it freely or leave it freely. Now the rules within a private governance model can be forced if one agreed to them (if you were not coerced to do so). AND that you can leave it any time but will still have to make right any contractural obligations (voluntarily) agreed to. This system of belief is known as Voluntaryism that has many Christian, Agnostic, Atheists, and other Religious adherents. That said, what is your belief (or view) of government in regards to my stated belief (Voluntaryism) and do you believe it scripturally – good, wrong, or possible (meaning indifferent to what model is used)?