What I Believe (Statement of faith)

I believe and declare that there is only one true God, as outlined in the Word of God, who exists in the form of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

This triune God is without beginning or end. He is the authority over everything that existed, exists, or will exist, because He is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1). I believe and declare that I – along with every human who ever lived, lives, or will live – was created in the image of God for the purpose of living a life in constant communion (relationship) with Him and to worship Him (Isaiah 43:21; Revelation 4:11).

I also affirm that Adam and Eve, the first humans made in the image of God, sinned by heeding the enemy's (Satan's) temptation to be like gods unto themselves. Because God is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and His presence, placing all humanity under the law's submission, which commanded obedience to God and His ways (Genesis 3; Exodus 20).

I believe the Scriptures that teach God demanded sacrifices for sins committed by His people. He established a system of priests to lead the people to repentance through repeated blood sacrifices offered through slain spotless animals. However, these sacrifices were insufficient, requiring repetition and failing to completely absolve the people of their sin or justify them in God's sight. Moreover, such sacrifices could not empower humanity to overcome sin. Thus, they were trapped in cycles of sin and repentance, desperately needing liberation from the bondage of sin and death (Exodus; Leviticus).

In His abundant mercy and wisdom, God sought to restore communion with His created people, as part of His original plan. This led to the revelation of a one-time sacrifice through a truly spotless Lamb, who would forever cleanse people from their sins and invite all to accept this covering and re-enter daily communion with the Father (Hebrews 10). This Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6) is Jesus, the Son of God, who is the Christ, the Messiah, the long-awaited Savior for all who believe.

Jesus, fully God and fully human, was sent to earth out of God's deep love for humanity, so that “whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus lived a sinless life (1 John 3:5) yet suffered a criminal’s crucifixion to fulfill God's plan of redemption. While on the cross, the sin of all humanity (past, present, and future) was placed on Him (1 Peter 2:24), requiring Him to be temporarily separated from the Father’s presence. He chose to do this without first requiring our belief in Him as the Messiah; He acted while we were still dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5). Jesus died on that cross, leaving His followers in despair as hope seemed lost. But on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24), declaring victory over death and the grave, and publicly shaming the devil and his minions (Colossians 2:15) – making a way for us to be resurrected with Him to new life, life in Jesus, and everlasting life with our Father in heaven (Romans 6:8-9)! The blood of Jesus seals forever the covenant promise (Hebrews 13:20) for those who believe He is the Messiah and declare Him to be Lord over their lives.

For such believers, we receive the promise of everlasting life and also of abundant life (John 10:10) on the earthly side of eternity through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus, given freely to all who believe in Him (John 14:26). This same Holy Spirit seals us as our guarantee of inheritance as redeemed children of God (Ephesians 1:13-14).

As believers in Jesus, we are called to follow Him, which means obeying all that He teaches. To know God’s ways, we look to Jesus, the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). I believe and declare that Jesus is the Word that became flesh (John 1:14), and we have been freely given this Word in the form of the infallible Scriptures (2 Peter 1:19) of the Holy Bible, an anthology of 66 books delivering divine communication from the Father. We are called to consume this Word, which the Holy Spirit plants deep within our hearts, empowering us to escape the snares of the devil (1 Peter 5:8) and to quench all his fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16).

We are commanded to be more than mere hearers of God’s Word; we must take action on our faith to demonstrate that we genuinely believe what we profess (James 2:21-27). As followers of Jesus, we are also commanded to go into all the earth and make disciples, teaching others how to follow Him (Matthew 28:19). For this command, I offer my life as my only reasonable response to His life poured out for me, a sinner redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, purchased with that incredibly precious price, chosen and set apart for good works that I will walk in by the power of His Holy Spirit dwelling within me, and the authority of God’s Word that thoroughly equips me (2 Timothy 3:17).

Until the day I am transformed to be completely like Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:52) and stand in the presence of my heavenly Father, I will continue to follow Jesus, listen to His Holy Spirit, and honor the One True God through the way I live my life. All glory, power, and dominion to God Almighty, forever and ever.