Statement of Faith

This page is still under construction.  If you see something which is poorly stated, which can be interpreted in alternate ways I obviously did not intend, or which is factually incorrect, please let me know.  Feel free to suggest questions which I have not yet addressed. I will attempt to clearly state the doctrines which I personally hold to be true. My intent is to be Biblically consistent and orthodox. This page may become rather long. 

κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading His remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk.


SOME OF THE DOCTRINES WHICH I BELIEVE ARE TAUGHT IN THE HOLY BIBLE:


1. The Bible is divinely inspired, infallible and inerrant in its assertions, and authoritative and binding for Christians. The multiple human writers involved were led by the Holy Spirit but the texts were not dictated word for word by God as in the "automatic writing" of the Spiritualists. The writing styles and personalities of each writer are clearly preserved. This is to be expected because God respects the individual. His Son died for us as individuals.

2. There is only one God. God has existed since before the Creation as a community of three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these Persons is truly a distinct Person and each is also fully God. This doctrine of the Trinity, while not explicitly stated in the Bible, can be seen to have existed from the first page of the Bible. The doctrine is not an invention of man but is a deeper understanding of a truth which was gradually understood by the Church.

3. Jesus of Nazareth was a fully Human carpenter in the town of Nazareth (modern an-Nasira, Israel), with all that being fully Human means. He was born of a virgin mother, Mary, who subsequently was the mother of sons and daughters by her husband, Joseph. Jesus was, and is, fully God at all times; pre-existent, omniscient, omnipotent. He lived the only sinless Human life in history and died voluntarily as an innocent sacrifice to vicariously atone for the sins of each individual. His death and bodily resurrection are the defining moment of all history. At the end of history, He will return. We are specifically told that we do not know that date. Attempts to determine or to hasten the date of Jesus' return are misguided.

4. The Old Testament blood sacrifices of perfect animals were effective for the remission of the people's sins, but, because they were sacrifices of animals, they were imperfect and temporary and had to be repeatedly performed. Like the sacrificial animals, Jesus was perfect and utterly sinless; unlike the animals, He was human and was able to take upon Himself the just punishment for all our sins. The Blood is the Life, so when we are covered by the sacrificial Blood of the Lamb, God sees us as Holy.

5. Doctrine must be based on the Bible only, and not on traditions, the declarations of self-appointed "prophets" or mystics, and not on the decisions of scholars or councils. Doctrine must not be declared based on individual verses taken out of the context in which they appear. Doctrine should be interpreted by its consistency with the totality of scripture. Knowledge of biblical languages, history, culture, science, religious traditions, and other religions are all extremely useful but must never, by themselves, determine doctrine.

6. Salvation is by grace through faith in, and a personal relationship with, Jesus Christ, and not by any works or holiness on the part of the individual. Our holiness is imputed to us by our relationship with Christ. Birth into a particular faith group confers no special status on an individual and infant baptism is of no value whatsoever. Only a fully functional, autonomous person can make a decision to follow Christ. God is a just God and knows those individuals, by name, who, because of age or mental infirmity, are incapable of making an informed decision about whether or not to accept His Lordship.  God's offer of personal salvation is universal but the doctrine of universal salvation is heretical.

7. The Holy Spirit, who is fully God, indwells every believer. It is the responsibility of every believer to carefully maintain their personal health to the best of their ability because their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The totality of all those led by the Holy Spirit constitute The Church, the Bride of Christ.  The members of The Church come from all nations, races, genders, ethnicities, ages, and Christian religious denominations.

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