- God is almighty, eternal, and self-existent. He is Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, three persons but one God, who created out of nothing all there is in
the universe (Genesis 1, Psalm 8:1-3; 147:4,5), and who is sovereign over all
of it. He is not an impersonal "force" or "fate".
- God has revealed Himself to us by His creation (Romans 1:19-20; Acts
14:17), by His Word (Psalm 119:18; John 17:14,17) and by His son Jesus Christ
(John 1:1; Hebrews 1:2-3).
- The canonical Scriptures (that is, the Bible containing the sixty-six
books of the Old and New Testaments) are inspired by God Himself and therefore
are true and without error (Psalm 119:37-138; 119:160). They are also relevant
for all times (Psalm 119:89-91; Matthew 24:35). There is no situation for
which God's Word has no answer (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because the Scriptures are
God's Word they are unlike any other literature in that they are active and
life-changing (Jeremiah 23:29; Hebrews 4:12). This is true no matter how
people might try to distort them - they are still His Word and He is in
control of them. One cannot abuse God's Word with impunity.
- God created human beings who had a perfect relationship with Him (Genesis
2), but the first man and woman broke that relationship by disobeying God
(Genesis 3, Romans 5:12f), thus bringing about the Fall of mankind into sin.
All human beings are born with a sinful nature which gives us a tendency to
choose evil rather than good and which separates us from God. There is nothing
we ourselves can do to change ourselves or to restore that relationship with
God (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23).
- The Fall of mankind also resulted in God's perfect creation, over which
mankind had been given dominion, coming under the curse of sin (Romans 8:20).
Thus the world we live in is full of things that go wrong. At the end of time
God will do away with the old creation and create a new one (Revelation 21:1)
- God loves us so much that He has provided a way to restore our
relationship with Him (Matthew 1:21; John 3:16; Romans 3:20-26).
- Jesus Christ who is God Himself became a man (that is, a male human
being), born of a woman named Mary who was a virgin and who conceived by the
Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:30-37; John 1:14). He lived for some thirty
years among the people of what was then the Roman province of Judea (in the
days of Caesar Augustus and Caesar Tiberius), was killed by being nailed to a
cross by order of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and three days after his
death He rose bodily from death.
- Jesus Christ, in His death, took upon Himself the entire penalty for the
sins of mankind and because of His death and resurrection, and through His
blood poured out for us, delivers from slavery to sin and death all who
believe and put their trust in Him. To those who come to Him He gives eternal
life and the power to live righteously (Romans 10:11-13; John 1:12-13; 15:5).
Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift from God -- we can do nothing to earn
it (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-7).
- When we are saved we are given a new nature ("born again") (John 3:5-7;
13-18; 2 Corinthians 5:17) and we are baptised in the Holy Spirit who
henceforth dwells in us. Baptism in water is the external sign of this change
in our nature: the dying to sin (being crucified with Christ - Romans 6:6;
Galatians 2:20) and being born again to eternal life in Christ (Colossians
2:12).
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit results in sanctification, an increasing
transformation of the believer's life and character into Christlikeness. The
evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the fruits of the Spirit,
especially unconditional love for others (Romans 12; Galatians 5:22-23; 1
Corinthians 13:4-8). I believe the Holy Spirit gives His gifts to the church
today, but only according to His own purposes and to the glory of Jesus
Christ, and always without confusion or disorder (1 Corinthians 14;
Hebrews 2:4).
- Jesus Christ will return physically to earth at the end of time. When this
will happen no one knows except God the Father (Matthew 24:36; 25:13; Luke
12:40), but Jesus did give indications of events pointing to the nearness of
His return (Matthew 24:1-30). That most of these things are happening in our
day suggests His return is not far off. However, He did also say that the
Gospel would be preached to all nations before the end would come.
- The Church, the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12f), is made up of all
those people around the world who have been saved from slavery to sin and
death by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully
human, and who believe that He rose physically from death.
These are the basics of what I believe. I realise there are many details that
I have not gone into, but if I were to do that I would have to produce a book,
or more likely, a whole library! However, if you would like to know more, you
can send me an email on sonataatdurdinfullstopnet, or check out some of the
links on my Links
page. Even better - read the Bible for yourself.
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