In preparing my statements of beliefs I have
used several sources, including the Trinity
Bible Church Statement of Faith (where my
family attended a few years ago and where
I last served in ministry), Calvary Chapel’s
Statement of Faith (where we attended and
served for 5 years), The Baptist Faith and
Message and numerous Web sites. Throughout
this text I try to use “He” with a capital
‘H’ to represent God, and “he” with a lowercase
‘h’ to represent Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
This is not meant to be disrespectful, but
to adhere to a more classical, standard style
of Biblical reference which I think is more
poetical in form.
I believe that all statements of faith and
doctrine must be grounded 1) in the person of Jesus Christ, 2) Scripture, and 3) the love of God, in Christ. In this document
I have created 2 sections for each topic.
The first section is titled “From My Heart”,which
is a short version of where I stand. The
second section is titled “My Official Statement”
and it delves into the topic in greater detail.
At the end of each section I have also included
my Scriptural support references for all
of the points I have made in both sections
for that topic. Here are my core beliefs:
A) The Bible is the Word of God, and as such
is without error (how we allow the Holy Spirit to interpret
His Word within us is an altogether
different
question).
B) Jesus, the second person of the Trinity,
the Word (God) incarnate, the only
begotten
Son of God the Father, is Lord. He
lived
a perfect, sinless life. He laid down
his
life as a flawless, acceptable, and
pleasing
sacrifice for my sin and the sin of
the world
when he died on the cross. On the third
day,
God raised him from the dead as King
of Kings
and Lord of Lords. He is seated at
the right
hand of the Father and is our advocate,
high
priest, and friend.
C) All those who call upon the name of the Lord,
through faith given as a gift from
the Holy
Spirit, will be saved.
Bible
From my Heart: I believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word,
perfectly prepared and presented to all of
creation. How? I do not understand how He
used flawed humanity to create a perfect
product. But I do believe that the same being
who is able to speak light into existence
and cause dust to become a living being is
capable of perfectly using light and dust
to communicate without error.
Furthermore, I believe that He is the only
one capable of protecting it, interpreting
it, explaining it, and empowering it. Our
job as His children is to listen and obey.
What amazes me is that God still chooses
to use imperfect humanity to assist in protecting,
interpreting, explaining, and relaying it
to others. Why? I cannot comprehend the ‘why’
but strive to accept it by humble faith that
God really loves us and wants such a deep,
personal relationship with us that He makes
it so through the new covenant established
by the blood of Jesus, which enables the
Holy Spirit to live inside of us and lead
us into all truth.
My “Official” Statement: I believe that “all scripture is given by
inspiration of God”, by which I understand
that all sixty-six books of the Bible are
inspired in the sense that men of God “were
moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very
words of Scripture. I believe that Jesus’ many references and
quotes to Scripture prove that the written
words were the very words of God, without
error. I believe that this divine inspiration
extends equally and fully to all parts of
the writings – historical, poetical, doctrinal,
and prophetic. I believe that all the Scriptures
center about the Lord Jesus Christ in His
person and work in His first and second coming,
and hence that no portion, even of the Old
Testament, is properly read or understood,
until it leads to Him. I also believe that
all Scriptures were designed for “teaching,
rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness
so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.”
I also hold to the Baptist Faith and Message
position regarding Scripture:
“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely
inspired and is God's revelation of Himself
to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine
instruction. It has God for its author, salvation
for its end, and truth, without any mixture
of error, for its matter. Therefore, all
Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
It reveals the principles by which God judges
us, and therefore is, and will remain to
the end of the world, the true center of
Christian union, and the supreme standard
by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious
opinions should be tried. All Scripture is
a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the
focus of divine revelation.”
The Bible - Supporting Scriptures: Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Joshua 1:1,
7-8; Psalms 19:7-10; Ecclesiastes 3:11-15;
Isaiah 40:8; 55:10-11; Jeremiah 36:1-32;
Matthew 5:17‑18; Mark 12:26, 36;
Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 1:1,
14; 5:39; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff; 4:25;
Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17;
Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2
Peter 1:19-21
Person & Work of Christ
From my Heart: I believe Jesus, the one born of a virgin
and is the only begotten Son of God, is God
incarnate, the 2nd person of the Trinity (as found in Matthew
28:19). He is the one through whom all things
that were made were made, the one who holds
all things together, the Lamb of God who
was slain for the forgiveness of Sin, the
one raised from the dead who now holds all
authority, power, glory and honor and is
sitting at the right hand of God the Father.
I believe Jesus is the one who will return
one day to take all his followers with him
to Heaven and that every knee will bow, and
every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!
Jesus is my Lord, the manifestation of true
humility, selfless service, and love. And
I believe that Jesus loves me, because the
Bible tells me so.
My “Official” Statement: I believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah
of the Old Testament, the fulfillment of
prophecy, and the instrument of God’s redemptive
plan for mankind. The work of Jesus, the
Christ, was to demonstrate God’s love towards
us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ
died for us.
Before time was, Jesus is God. He has always been. He is the very
Word of God who was clothed in humanity.
On this earth he was fully God and fully
man. He was tempted in all ways, but he did
not sin. He is the radiance of God’s glory,
and the exact representation of his being.
Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Living
God, and yet he and the Father are one. There
is only one God. However, He is three distinct
persons having precisely the same nature,
attribute, and perfection, and share in their
worthiness to receive all glory and honor
and wealth and praise and homage and faith
and obedience and love. This is a divine
mystery – God in three persons, blessed Trinity.
In Heaven the work of Jesus was to be the
implementation force involved in creation.
All things were created by him, and in him
all things hold together. He was the Lamb
of God chosen before the foundations of the
earth to take away the sin of a creation
not yet made by laying down his own life.
On earth the work of Jesus was to be our
peace, and make us (Jews and Gentiles) one
with the Father destroying the barrier, the
dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing
in his flesh the law with its commandments
and regulations. His purpose was to create
in himself one new man out of the two, thus
making peace, and in this one body to reconcile
us to God through the cross, by which he
put to death our hostility. He came and preached peace to those of us
who were far away and peace to those who
were near. For through him we all have access to the
Father by one Spirit. Through his perfect,
sinless life he demonstrated that he was
the Lamb of God without defect who was able
to be the sacrifice to be offered once for
all Sin. Through his voluntary, substitutionary
death on the cross he atoned for all Sin.
Through his resurrection he proved that he
is God.
The result of the work of Jesus, in Heaven
and on the earth, is that Jesus is the complete,
comprehensive, quintessential example for
how all mankind should live. Single men should
strive for the holiness and commitment to
ministering to others that Jesus demonstrated.
Married men are to show love to their wives
as Christ demonstrated towards his bride,
the Church, while continuing to grow in the
lessons of holiness and commitment to ministering
to others. Single women should focus on sitting
at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching
and implementing what they have heard. Married
women are to demonstrate the love and service
of Christ to their husbands and teach single
women and young married women how to do the
same. Children should strive to grow in wisdom,
stature, and favor with God and all mankind
(not the same as friendship with the world,
but as examples of Godliness, righteousness,
and excellence in word and deed). It is through
the work of Jesus that young and old, male
and female, single and married all find the
way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus said that he did not come to be served,
but to serve. He was God, and he washed his
disciples feet, and stated that we all are
to do the same for one another. Accordingly,
since there is no male or female, Jew or
Gentile, free or slave in Christ, husbands
should serve their wives and learn from them
in Christ just as wives are to serve and
learn from their husbands. And we are all
to serve one another as if serving the Lord.
Person & Work of Christ - Supporting
Scriptures: Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.;
Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17;
8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19;
Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46;
John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50;
13:13; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22;
20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-6,20;
Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34;
10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2;
8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21;
Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 2:11-18;
3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians
1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18;
1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14;
Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28;
12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1
John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9;
Revelation 4:10-11; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8;
19:16.
Salvation
From my Heart: Anyone who confesses with their mouth that
Jesus is Lord, and believes in their heart
that God has raised him from the dead shall
be saved. There is no other person or name
given by which anyone can be saved or may
be able to enter into eternal fellowship
with God the Father than Jesus. Saved from
what? From the spiritual penalties of sin
(this does not mean that we can or will avoid
the natural consequences of sinful acts,
although God’s grace and mercy still abound).
The wages of sin is death (on earth death
may be a meaningless life, disease, carnage,
physical death, etc.; the Bible describes
the second death as a “lake of fire”), and
eternal separation from God in a very real
Hell.
My “Official” Statement: I believe that the redemption of humanity
has been accomplished solely by the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was chosen
before the foundations of the earth, and
was made to be sin and made a curse for us,
dying in our place and stead; and that no
feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no
sincere efforts, no submission to the rules
and regulations of any church, nor all the
churches that have existed since the days
of the Apostles, can add in the very least
degree to the value of the blood, or to the
merit of the finished work accomplished for
us by him who united in his person true and
proper deity with perfect and sinless humanity.
I believe that due to sin, no one can enter
the kingdom of God unless they are born again;
and that no degree of reformation, however
great, no attainments in morality, however
high, no culture, however attractive, no
baptism or other ordinance, however administered,
can help the sinner to take even one step
toward heaven; but a new nature imparted
from above, a new life implanted by the Holy
Spirit through faith in Christ is required
for salvation, and only those born of the
Holy Spirit shall become children of the
Living God.
I believe that salvation expressed in the
heart of a believer through confession of
the Lordship of Jesus and belief in his being
raised from the dead by God the Father (regeneration)
is instantaneous. Some define stages after
regeneration as justification, sanctification,
and glorification. I do not disagree, but
believe a better concept is to consider everything
after one is born again as the process of
growing and maturing in an eternal, ever
developing, intimate love relationship with
the fullness of God, in Christ, through the
Holy Spirit.
Salvation - Supporting Scriptures: Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26;
26:28; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32;
John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 3:7-18; 5:24;
10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11;
16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-17;
2:4; 3:23‑25; 5:6-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39;
10:9-10,13; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20;
2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 2:20;
3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22;
Philippians 3:4-9; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.;
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Titus 2:11-14; 3:5
Hebrews 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 1:18;
2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6 2:11;
Revelation 5:1-14; 21:1-22:5
Security of the Believer
From my Heart: Once saved, always saved. He who began the
good work in those redeemed will be faithful
to complete it. All believers are to work
out their salvation with fear and trembling.
We are not to fear losing the free gift which
we did nothing to earn in the first place,
but we should have fear and tremble at the
realization that our works demonstrate our
state of redemption and new birth in Christ.
We are saved by faith alone. And yet, faith
without works (e.g. the fruit of the Spirit)
is dead.
My “Official” Statement: I believe that, because of the eternal purpose
of God toward the objects of His love, because
of His freedom to exercise grace toward the
meritless on the grounds of the propitiatory
blood of Christ, because of the very nature
of the divine gift of eternal life (through
faith, and that not of ourselves, lest any
one should boast), because of the present
and unending intercession and advocacy of
Christ in heaven, because of the immutability
of the unchangeable covenants of God, because
of the regenerating, abiding presence of
the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who
are saved, all true believers everywhere,
once saved, shall be kept saved forever.
I believe that God is a holy and righteous
Father and that, since He cannot overlook
the sin of His children, He will, when they
persistently sin, chasten them and correct
them in infinite love, having undertaken
to save them and keep them forever, apart
from all human merit; He, who cannot fail,
will in the end present every one of them
faultless before the presence of His glory
and conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus
Christ the Lord.
I believe it is the privilege, not only of
some, but of all who are born again by the
Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed
in the Scriptures, to be assured of their
salvation from the very day they acknowledge
him as savior; and that this assurance is
not founded upon any fancied discovery of
their own worthiness or fitness, but wholly
upon the testimony of God in His written
Word and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Security of the Believer - Supporting Scriptures: Isaiah 40:8; 55:10-11; Matthew 7:15‑27;
John 10:28; 14:16-17; 17:11; Romans 8:28-39;
1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:1,
6-8; Ephesians 5:25-27; Philippians
2:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 6:4-9;
7:25, 10:22; 1John 2:1-2; 5:13; Jude
1:24
Holy Spirit
From my Heart: The Holy Spirit is the third person of the
Trinity. Fully God, he convicts us of sin,
righteousness, and judgement, and is the
most revered person of the Trinity as indicated
by Jesus. He is the Comforter and the one
who leads us into all Truth. He is never
divisive or disorderly, but instead works
with mighty power in love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control.
The Holy Spirit is the giver of gifts from
God, even today. The gifts he gives do not
– cannot - mark salvation and are not given
to save, but to empower the saved. The Holy
Spirit himself is given to the believer as
the guarantee of salvation, not the gifts
he gives. I believe that his gifts are meant
to a) bring glory and honor to God, b) be tools of unification, edification, as
evidenced by the powerful manifestations
of the fruit of the Spirit, and c) train believers in how to sustain a true,
deep relationship and disciple-walk with
God.
I believe that just as God is infinite the
spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit wants to
give are infinite. Scripture tells us to
eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially
the gift of prophecy to strengthen, encourage,
and comfort the body of Christ. Having been
involved in a few charismatic fellowships,
I personally do not hold to most Pentecostal
traditions, but I do not call into question
the salvation or heart for seeking God of
the leaders of such movements.
My “Official” Statement: The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of the
one true God. He is the third person of the
Trinity. He exalts Christ. He inspired holy
men of old to write the Scriptures. Through
illumination he enables men to understand
truth.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth
from the Father and Son to convict the world
of sin, reveal righteousness, and judgment,
and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for
ministry all who believe in Christ; I believe
the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in
Jesus Christ at the moment of regeneration,
and that he is an abiding Helper, Teacher,
and Guide. He cultivates Christian character,
comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual
gifts by which they serve God through His
church. His presence in the believer is the
guarantee that God will bring the believer
into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
He seals the believer until the day of final
redemption. He enlightens and empowers the
believer and the church in worship, evangelism,
and service.
Holy Spirit/ Spiritual Gifts Supporting Scriptures: Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Psalms 139:7ff.;
Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18;
3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12;
3:29; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:10; 24:49; John 4:24; 6:63; 14:16-17,26;
15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38;
4:25-31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44-47;
13:2; 15:28; 16:6-7; 19:1-6, 11-12; Romans 8:5-6,
9-11,14-17,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 10‑14;
3:16; 6:19-20, 12:3-11,13, 27-31; 13:1-14:40;
Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy
3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; Hebrews 9:8,14;
2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:1-3, 13; 5:6-7;
Revelation 1:10; 22:17
The Church
From my Heart: The church is the present body of Christ
on this earth, his hands serving those in
need, his feet walking in paths of righteousness,
and his lips speaking the gospel to a hurting
and dying world. The church is the undivided,
non-denominational Bride of Christ, a mystery
to be sure. One day, he will present a radiant
church, his Bride, before himself without
stain, wrinkle, or blemish because of the
sanctifying work he is faithfully completing
in her by the washing of the Word through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
My “Official” Statement: I believe that all who are united to the
risen and ascended Son of God are members
of the body and bride of Christ, the Church,
which began at Pentecost, and includes all
of the redeemed of all the ages, believers
from every tribe, and tongue, and people,
and nation, regardless of membership or non-membership
in the organized churches of earth.
Since we have all been baptized by the same
Spirit, I believe that we have become one,
one body that is Christ’s, whether Jews or
Gentiles, male or female, slave or free.
And having become members one of another,
I believe that we are under solemn duty to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace, rising above sectarian differences,
and loving one another in Christ, as Christ
loved us.
At the local level, a church is an autonomous
local congregation of believers professing
Jesus Christ as their Lord, associated by
a covenant in the faith and fellowship of
the gospel. Such a church is governed by
obedience to Christ, Biblically exercises
gifts of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrates
a desire, plan, and action to extend the
gospel to the ends of the earth by the law
of Christ’s love.
The Church - Supporting Scriptures: Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 5:11-14;
8:1-3; 9:31; 11:26; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30,
41; 20:28; Romans 16:4-5, 16; 1 Corinthians
1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 6:4; 9:13-14; 12:28; Ephesians
1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,20-21; 5:22-32;
Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 2
Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; 5:16-17;
James 5:13-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation
2-3; 22:16.
Eschatology & Second Coming of Christ
From my Heart: I personally agree with the Baptist Faith
and Message statement regarding the end times:
“God, in His own time and in His own way,
will bring the world to its appropriate end.
According to His promise, Jesus Christ will
return personally and visibly in glory to
the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ
will judge all men in righteousness. The
unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the
place of everlasting punishment. The righteous
in their resurrected and glorified bodies
will receive their reward and will dwell
forever in Heaven with the Lord.”
There is too much fighting and division within
the church on this topic. This is not a “salvation
entrance exam” topic. I personally hope for the rapture of believers before the
days of tribulation Jesus spoke of in Matthew
24. I also believe that, while Jesus gave
us signs to mark the impending end of this
present world, he clearly stated “no one
knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father”, and “it is not for you to know the
times or dates the Father has set by his
own authority.” However, we are commanded
to keep watch because Jesus will return at
an hour we do not expect him.
My “Official” Statement: I consider myself a “modified” dispensationalist.
I do not believe that there is any other
plan for redemption or anyway for a person
to be saved outside of confessing Jesus Christ
as Lord, not even Israel. I believe that
the Old Covenant and the Law, along with
their requirements for satisfying God’s holiness,
righteousness, and justice were completed
and fulfilled in the death of Christ on the
cross.
I believe that the new covenant, instituted
by Jesus at the Lord’s Supper, is for all
believers, whether they be Jews or Gentiles,
and that those who believe in Jesus the Christ
are children of Abraham. For Scripture tells
us that it is not the natural children who
are God's children, but it is the children
of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's
offspring. Accordingly, I do not believe
that there is a special plan or dispensation
for the salvation of the nation of Israel
or Jewish people in general. This does not
mean, however, that I do not think that it
is possible for God to have a special place
in his heart because of His love of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to give their physical
descendants, along with the rest of the world,
another chance to see the truth of Jesus
the Christ. Such grace would be in line with
a literal interpretation of Scripture and
would not violate the new covenant established
by Jesus.
Regarding Premillennialism, Postmillennialism,
and Amillennialism – I am a panmillenialist. I believe that it will all “pan” out in
the end. This is a light-hearted way of saying
that I do not have a “carved in stone” position
regarding which view of the end times is
correct. I have heard great theological arguments
for almost all sides, and the only thing
that I can see for certain is that at the
end of the day debates over millennialism
engender division in the Body of Christ.
Jesus said that no one knows the times, dates,
or hours set by God, not even the Son of God.
I am willing to conjecture, but not to fight.
I also do not believe that any particular
view of end-times should drive one’s obedience
to Jesus, who commanded us to make disciples,
train and equip them, and baptize them in
the name of the Father, the Son, and The
Holy Spirit. I know what I hope for, but will teach the gospel of Jesus
Christ and make disciples in the areas that
I know for certain. Those areas are simple, a) love God with all your heart, mind, soul
and strength, b) love your neighbor as yourself. Doing these
things with faithfulness, humility, and in
Christ’s love will keep us busy and growing
in spiritual maturity until He returns!
Eschatology & Second Coming of Christ
- Supporting Scriptures: Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 7-18-23; 13:24-30;
16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46;
26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48;
16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 13:13;
14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 9:8;
14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 6:9-10; 15:24-28,35-58;
2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 3:7; Philippians
3:20-21; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18;
5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; 2; 2 Timothy 4:1,8;
Titus 2:13; Hebrews 8; 9:11-28; James 5:8;
2 Peter 3; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Revelation 1:18;
3:11; 20:1‑22:13
