so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respect,
bearing fruit in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Colossians 1:10 NASB
What I believe.
The following statements are to provide the reader knowledge of what I believe about the scriptures, His Word. Scripture references are provided, however are not exhaustive.
The Scriptures
The Bible (all sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, infallible, inerrant and uniquely authoritative Word of God, authored by God the Holy Spirit, through the words given to men of God by inspiration. Given without error in the original manuscripts in the original languages. God promised to preserve His Word. The Bible states that nothing may be added to it or taken away from it. There is no ongoing revelation through such means as speaking in tongues, visions, or gifts of knowledge. The Bible is complete. The Bible is completely accurate and authoritative in all matters, may it be topics of history and science, or on spiritual matters. The Bible is the supreme authority for mankind. There is no man or church that can be given equal status or authority over the Word of God.
(Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:89, 105 & 130; Matthew 5:18; Luke 1:3-4; Luke 24:27 & 44; John 10:35; John 20:31; Acts 17:11; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 1 Corinthians 14:6; Galatians 1:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:2 & 13; 2 Timothy 3:14-16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 John 4:1-6; 1 John 5:13; Revelation 1:1-3; Revelation 22:18-19.)
The Triune God (The Trinity)
There is one God, but three pesons who are equal, infinite and eternal possesing the same attributes but functioning in different roles; God the Father; God the Son, (Yeshua); and God the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:18-19; John 1:1-3, 14 & 18; John 10:30; John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; Colossians 1:15; Hebrew 1:2-3.)
God the Father
The first Person in the Trinity, the creator and master over all of creation. He is the Father of all those who believe in Yeshua for salvation. God is not by any means the Father of unbelievers. (1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 3:26; John 8:42-44)
God the Son, Yeshua
The second Person of the Trinity, Yeshua which existed from all eternity, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit was born to a virgin is God manifest in the flesh on earth. The incarnate Christ is both fully God and fully man.
Yeshua lived a sinless, perfect life so He could be the final sacrifice and by His death on the cross He made full and final atonement for sin. His redeeming actions paid for our sins and set us right with God. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to the seat at the right hand of God the Father, given all power and glory to stand before God on our behalf so we could be forgiven, righteous and reconciled, and therefore preparing an eternal dwelling place with them.
(Psalm 45:7; Proverbs 30:4; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 61:1; Daniel 9:24; Matthew 1:18-21; Matthew 16:16; Matthew 28:18; Luke 1:27, 31 & 35; Luke 4:18; John 1:1-14; John 3:34-36; John 5:22 & 27; John 6:37 & 39; John 10:15-16; John 10:27-28; John 17:2; Acts 2:36; Acts 10:38; Romans 1:3-4; Romans 3:25-26; Romans 4:24-25; Romans 5:19; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Galatioans 3:13; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:11 & 14; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 2:6-7; Colossians 1:19-20; Colossians 2:3 & 9; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8-9; Hebrews 2:14-17; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:4-5; Hebrews 7:22 & 26; Hebrews 9:12-15; Hebrews 10:14; Hebrews 12:24; 1 John 2:1; 1 John 5:20)
God the Holy Spirit
The third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit exists from all eternity. The Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture of the Holy Bible, the Word of God. Through these Scripture He convicts men of their sin, tells of God's righteousness, and of coming judgment. He regenerates the heart of those who are dead in their sins so that they believe in Yeshua for salvation. There the Holy Spirit indwells each believer illuminating the believer's spiritual understanding. The Holy Spirit is the saving agent who draws people to the Lord. The Holy Spirit witnesses with the believer, He is the Comforter, the Helper. He sanctifies, enables and empowers the believer and the Church to witness the truth of Christ. The Holy Spirit’s guidance, as revealed in the Striptures is all the resource of information ever needed to know how to live fruitful and prosperous spiritual lives.
(Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30; Psalm 139:7-10; Daniel 5:11; Matthew 1:20; John 3:6; John 6:63; John 14:16-17; John 14:26-27; John 15:26; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:4-8; Acts 5:3-5; Romans 1:4; Romans 8:2; Romans 8:9-14; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 1:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:2 & 11; 2 Peter 1:21)
Satan
A creation of God, Satan was given an elevated position above God's created beings. Satan fell into sin through his pride, seeking to place himself above God. He was cast down from his position taking with him a host of angels who were his followers. Satan became the chief enemy of God, manifesting hatred toward God, His Word, and the person and work of Christ. Driven by his hatred Satan became the adversary of mankind, always seeking to afflict mankind and direct men into every kind of evil. He waged war against believers in Christ. Satan's was ultimately defeated by Christ on the cross, and in the end will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, tormented for eternity.
(Genesis 3:1-15; Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-18; Zechariah 3:1-2; Matthew 4:1-10; Matthew 4:24; Matthew 12:26; Matthew 13:25-28 & 39; Matthew 25:41; Luke 11:18; Luke 22:3; John 8:44; John 12:31; John 13:27; John 16:11; John 17:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:15; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:11; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 9:11; Revelation 12:3-9; Revelation 20:1-3 & 7-10)
Creation and the Fall
God created the universe from nothing by His spoken word in six contiguous days. Man was created in the image of God, without sin, but with a free will. Adam and Eve chose to heed the deception of Satan and disobeyed God. Their action of defiance plunged the universe into sin and chaos, Adam and Eve and their descendants into physical and spiritual death, and the relationship of mankind is now enmity with God. All their descendants inherit a totally depraved nature, all being sinners both by nature and by choice, dead in trespasses and sins, slaves to the sin nature, and are under God's curse, destined for eternal separation from God. But God loved man and through His grace and mercy provided salvation for those he predestined through the works of Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1:1-3:24; Exodus 20:11; Job 33:4; Psalm 8:6-8; Psalm 33:5-6; Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 30:4; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Jeremiah 10:12; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 10:28; Luke 23:43; John 1:1-3; Acts 17:24; Romans 1:20; Romans 2:14-15; Romans 6:23; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 1:16; Colossians 3:10; Hebrews 1:1-2; Hebrews 9:27; Hebrews 11:3)
God Offers Redemption
Redemption is offered to all who confess and repent of their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness. Redemption is given through the perfect life and atoning death of the God the Son, Yeshua.
God the Holy Spirit empowers those who are redeemed from their sins. The saved walk in newness of life, obeying God's command to forsake the lusts of the flesh, and to live a life in a manner that conforms to God's standard of holiness. (The Worthy Walk)
(Acts 3:19-21; Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14; Hebrew 9:11-12)
Salvation
The Gospel is God's declaration that sinners are justified by His grace alone that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Justification is the judicial act of God at the conversion of the sinner He graciously declares the sinner to be righteous, not guilty before His judgment, where the standard is perfect holiness. Having been justified by faith, the believer is saved from the wrath of God through Christ, who has made peace with God on the sinner's behalf.
Salvation, a great exchange takes place where the sins of the sinner are imputed to Christ, who has made full and final atonement for them. The sins are washed away by the blood of Christ, to be remembered against the sinner no more. The perfect all-sufficient righteousness of Christ is also imputed to the undeserving sinner. The believer now righteous before God through Christ’s righteousness does not need to add any works of his own. Any attempt to do so is to deny the sufficiency of Christ's works. It is not of any works by the sinner but faith alone, in Christ alone that is needed to save the sinner. This faith is a gift of God given to the sinner by the gracious act of the Holy Spirit. The believer's salvation is therefore absolutely secure.
(Isaiah 45:21-22; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Isaiah 55:1-6; Isaiah 61:10; Jeremiah 23:6; Ezekiel 33:11; Daniel 9:24-26; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 11:28; Mark 10:45; John 1:12; John 3:1-36; John 6:37; John6:44-45 & 65; John 10:28-29; Romans 10:13; John 3:18; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:22-28; Romans 4:1-8; Romans 5:1-20; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:28-39; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Galatians 3:1-13; Ephesians 1:1-2:10; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 1:29; Philippians 2:6-9; Philippians 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 2 Timothy 2:19; Titus 3:5-11; Hebrews 10:10-39; Revelation 19:5-8; Revelation 22:17)
The Believer's Life (The Worthy Walk)
A "faith" in Christ is not a formula of words but the result of the regenerating work of God. Genuine saving faith is given by God. It is impossible for fallen man to believe the Gospel. The sinful heart of man cannot believe by his own will, but only through the work of God.
Therefore, truly believing in Christ is God's workmanship from the start. The believer was created before the foundation of the world, which God prepared beforehand, to do good works, after the believer had been justified by faith alone.
The sinner that truly believes, then desires to live a changed life in obedience to God's commands. This changed life is the evidence of saving faith. Believers are not transformed into perfect people, but now have the desire, ambition, and motivation to obey and please God. This conversion, sanctification is brought about by the Holy Spirit who takes up residence within each believer. The sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit does not justify the believer in the sight of God. Sanctification is the result, not the cause, of the believer's salvation.
(John 17:17-19; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 7:13-25; Romans 8:13-14; Romans. 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 3:16-19; Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 1:10-11; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 2:1-10; Colossians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 2:19; Titus 3:5; James 2:17-26; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 5:1-5)
The Body of Christ
All believers, who trust in God's provision of salvation through Christ, are one body in Christ, and form His church. God has ordained the church for the spreading of the Gospel into the world and the building up of the saints (church members).
Christ instituted the ordinance of baptism and the observance of the Lord's Supper as the practice of the church until His return. Baptism and the Lord's Supper signify what Christ alone has done, and do not save or contribute to the salvation of any person.
(Matthew 26:26-28; Matthew 28:18-20; John 10:16; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 11:29-30; Romans 6:4; Romans 12:3-5; Romans 15:7-12; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:5-9; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 3:14-15; Ephesians 4:15-16; Ephesians 5:23-32; Colossians 1:13-18; Colossians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-22; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5:1-11; 1 John 1:7; 1 John 3:16-18; Revelation 7:9-10)
The Resurrection and the Return of Christ
The Scriptures teach the bodily resurrection of all, both the saved and the unsaved.
At death the souls of believers in Christ go immediately to Heaven to be with the Lord. There they wait for the day when they will be reunited with their resurrected, glorified bodies. The non-believers of Christ, their souls at death are immediately cast into Hell, remaining in darkness and torment awaiting the Judgment Day. Christ at his return, being the righteous Judge will cast bodily the non-believer from Hell to the Lake of Fire, to be punished for eternity. Those who are saved will be united with their glorified body and the Lord will welcome them into eternal glory with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth.
(Genesis 3:19; Job 19:25-27; Ecclesiastes 12:7 & 14; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 12:36; Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:42-48; Mark 13:35-37; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 12:35-40; Luke 16:23-24; Luke 23:42-43; John 5:22-30; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 3:20-21; Acts 13:36; Acts 17:31; Acts 24:15; Romans 8:17-25; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 6:3; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-11; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Hebrews 9:27-28; Hebrews 12:22-24; Jude 24-25; Revelation 20:10-22:21)