What I Believe
“Know why you believe, understand what you believe, and possess a reason for the faith that is in you.”
I appreciate having a good idea what the core beliefs are of the people I allow to speak into my life. It's not because I think they need to have the same beliefs as me for us to be friends, not at all, but I do think it's wise to be aware of the filter someone is using when considering the influence I'll allow that person to have on me. It occurred to me, recently, that you, dear readers, might appreciate the same thing from me. @@Until now, I haven't had a statement of belief on this blog. I've fixed that!@@ Here's what I believe....
I believe in one eternal God displayed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. It is true, authoritative, and is relevant to our everyday lives.
I believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for us.
I believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is the only way to reconciliation with God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross in our place, rose again to life, and ascended to heaven.
I believe that salvation is through grace alone, through faith in Jesus, bringing the forgiveness of my sins and reconciliation to God.
I believe God created all people in His image and exists eternally. Whether we spend eternity with God or separated from Him is determined by our response to the grace and salvation of Jesus.
I believe that Jesus established and is building His church, which is made up of all believers.
I believe the Holy Spirit is available to all believers and that the Christian life is impossible without His empowering presence.
I believe God acts sovereignly in saving sinners.
I believe all believers are sent on Jesus' mission to make disciples.
I believe the human soul is meant to function with God at the center.
I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ should be central to my motivations and the way I live my everyday life.
I believe that Jesus will come back for the Church.
I believe that God loves all of us, very much and that he has a plan and purpose for our lives.
I hope that this helpful for you, in case you were wondering where I'm coming from when I write here. This also helped me clarify my own thinking, so it was a worthwhile exercise to undertake, if only for that purpose. I encourage any of you to consider taking some time to do the same for yourself by writing down your own core beliefs.
