Statement of Beliefs
A "Statement of Beliefs" can be very deceptive. I've read similar statements on other websites that said the exact the same things that I believe, yet the rest of the content of the site didn't live up to that, and were filled with false teachings, and so forth. However, I thought it would be appropriate for me to do one as well, as a general summary of my core beliefs. Hopefully from this statement, you will be able to see where I stand on the major issues of Christian faith.
I believe that the Scriptures are the Word of God, given by inspiration of God through men whom he inspired to write it down. I believe the Bible to be true and accurate and without error (in the original Hebrew and Greek). I believe that the inspired scriptures consist only of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. No other documents are to be considered scripture or authoritative. I believe that various modern English translations of the Bible are useful and reasonably accurate translations, including the King James Version (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV), and others as well. A serious believer should consult more than one translation in order to fully understand the Word of God.
I believe that there is only one God, and He is the God described in the Bible (as the God of Israel, and God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ). There is no other God. Other religions might claim to worship the same God, but in different ways. However, in truth, they all worship other gods, false gods.
I believe that Jesus (a.k.a. Yeshua) of Nazareth was born of a virgin named Mary, that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, and that he was the Son of God. He lived a sinless life, under the Law of Moses, and came as Messiah of Israel, and Savior of the entire world. He died for the sins of everyone. Anyone who believes in Him will be saved. Jesus is the only means of salvation. You can not be saved by any other means, but through him.
Salvation is by Faith alone via God's Grace. You can not earn your way into Heaven by good works, or by keeping the 10 commandments (or any other commandments). You are saved only by faith. What is faith? Faith is believing in whom God sent (Jesus Christ). By "believing" I mean believing intellectually, and spiritually, and emotionally that Jesus was who he said, and that he died, was buried, and rose again, and by putting your trust in him. That is "believing", and that is "faith". God's Grace is that this is a free gift, all we have to do is accept it. Repenting of your sins should precede or follow your accepting the gospel of salvation.
I believe the doctrine referred to as the Trinity, showing the triune nature of God. This is a hard subject to understand, and I don't think salvation hinges on understanding it, but it is important to know. There is only one God, but he exists as three different persons, equal, and coexistent. The scriptures reveal that there is God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Careful examination of the scriptures show that all three are shown to be equal, and yet distinct.
All believers receive the indwelling Holy Spirit the moment of salvation. He acts as a comforter, or counselor to lead us into all truth, and to help us understand God's Will. This is a free gift, and not something that needs to be earned.. The scriptures show that the Holy Spirit is God, so in effect, God is dwelling with us in a marvelous way. You can be "filled" with the Holy Spirit often, though the "baptism" of the Spirit is a one time event, at the moment of salvation.
I believe in the Sufficiency of Scripture and that there is no need for additional revelation. In other words, God is no longer giving "new" revelation to believers today. If he were, then each revelation would need to be added to the scripture for the benefit of all believers. However, the scripture is closed, and is sufficient. I believe that God still reveals things to individual believers today, however, it will not be anything new that isn't already covered in the Bible. It will be of some personal significance to the one it is revealed to, perhaps as an answer to a specific prayer or need for understanding of scripture. But it will never be any new doctrine, or new prophecy. I believe that God may still be giving prophecies to believers, but they will not be things not already revealed in scripture. Any modern day prophecies will most likely be of a personal nature, pertaining only to one or two believers, or a small group. This kind of prophecy goes on everyday.
There are other items that could be included in this "Statement of Beliefs", but the above are the most important, and the most crucial towards understanding the core of my beliefs.
In summary, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone. Glory to God. (See Gospel Page for more on salvation)