Throughout the course of my life, I have come to accept the Bible as God’s true and faithful Word to all mankind. The claims found in the Bible, both Old and New Testament, are my truth. God's Word has shaped my understanding about the nature of revelation, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, creation, angels, humanity, sin, salvation, the church, the future hope of resurrection, and much more. The following declares my theological beliefs on these matters. As God continues to reveal Himself to me, by way of the Holy Spirit, I welcome His refinement and transforming power.
Nature of Revelation
As described and alluded to in the biblical text, revelation is God’s way of communicating about Himself and His divine will to mankind. This has been done in the past through direct verbal communication (i.e. Moses in Ex. 33:11, the prophet Isaiah in Isa. 6:8, the apostle Paul in Acts 9:4-6). God has also communicated to mankind in general or natural ways via His creation (Rom. 1:19-20), the inner conscience of man (made in the “Image of God”—Gen. 1:27), and the unfolding events of history (Acts 14:15-17). In addition, God has revealed his divine will through prophets and apostles as special revelation--God's Word in the form of the Bible. God spoke His will to both prophets and apostles. The Holy Spirit, third person of the triune Godhead, “breathed” into his chosen servants a message that is both 100% human and 100% divine (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Both the human written words of prophets and those of the apostles in a message, which was orchestrated by God through divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:15), have been collected in a canon of sixty-six books (including both Old and New Testament). These texts have been accurately preserved for millennia. The Bible has been communicated with precision of purpose and stands without error in its truthfulness and historical authority as God's Word to mankind, even though it may exhibit some minor and insignificant scribal errors. None-the-less, the Bible is God’s special revelation of Himself to mankind for the purpose of final redemption, making right His relationship with all creation (Rev. 22:3-5).
God
There is only one God (Deut. 6:4), existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The word “trinity” does not appear anywhere in the Bible; however, it had been deduced by church fathers in their study of Scriptures and set forth in church creeds that God is three separate and distinct persons yet one in nature, character, and will. As one reads the Bible as Holy Scripture, it becomes apparent that each person of the Godhead is addressed independently at times (i.e. as Father in Jn. 20:17, Son in Phil. 2:5:8, and Spirit in Jn. 15:26) as well as corporately (Matt. 28:19-20; Gal. 6:4; 1 Pet. 1:2). God the Father, as the first person of this mysterious trinity, spoke creation into existence (Gen. 1:1) and now sustains all He has made (Acts 17:24-28). He has no beginning and no end, infinite and unchangeable. He is the Supreme Being, reigning sovereign over every part of life (Ps. 99:1-5; Isa. 6:1-3). God knows all, sees all, and controls all, being present everywhere (Ps. 33:13-15; 139:7-12). God the Father has shown Himself to His chosen people Israel, and later the Church, as a merciful and compassionate God, “abundant in loving-kindness” (Ps. 86: 5,15). However, He also is the righteous judge, demanding holy behavior from everyone because He cannot tolerate wrong-doing (Lev. 11:44; Ps. 7:11). Still, He loves His creation and desires to be in right relationship with it (Jn. 3:16). The Father is Almighty God with divine right and self-imposed obligation to judge disobedience, while existing in tension with His purpose to give mankind freedom to reciprocate with a loving, obedient response. God jealously requires right behavior from us while longing for us to be in right relationship with Him (Ex. 34:14). He intends to correct and restore creation in the end.
Jesus Christ
As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ is not only the Jewish long awaited Messiah, but He is the divine Savior of the entire world (Jn. 3:16). He is both 100% God, with all like attributes and status as such, and 100% man, having a human form that is subject to pain and ultimately death (Phil. 2:5-8). As the perceived son of Joseph, He was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit, thus legitimizing his earthly claim to King David’s throne, while maintaining His heavenly right as God Himself (Matt. 1:1-25). Jesus is rightly considered the Son of God, and as such He possesses the exact same attributes as the Father, being “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15-17). He is metaphorically equated to God the Father as the “Word of God,” which became flesh (Jn. 1:1, 14), and He “existed in the form of God” (Phil. 2:6). As a man, Jesus Christ came to bear witness to God’s divine plan of world redemption. He conquered Satan and the grave through his death, burial, and resurrection, thus making a way for sinners (all who do wrong) to be reconciled in relationship with God. Jesus now sits at the Father’s side and mediates between righteous God and sinful man as the only true priest, prophet, and king (Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 2:5). It is only through belief in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrected body and confession of his superior name that sinners can now be saved and made right with God (Rom. 10:9-10).
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, equal in nature and substance to the Father and Son. He is the intangible and eternal presence of God that functions in time past, present, and future. He is the “life-breathe” of inspiration, being responsible for both the Old and New Testament Scriptures (Jn. 14:26; Acts 4:25, 28:25; 2 Tim 3:15). He is God’s anointing Spirit, which descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, indwelling Him and signaling His divine purpose (Lk. 3:22). Following the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit was given to His disciples as a Helper in order to aid in memory and to empower in the proclamation of the gospel (Lk. 12:12; Jn. 14:26). At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was outpoured visibly on a community of believers as a sign that God was at work in a new dynamic way—the Church Age (Acts 2:1-4). Currently, the Spirit of God comforts, indwells, and fills believers as a sign and seal of God’s salvific work in one's life (Eph. 1:13). It is only by the power of the Spirit that a believer can claim Jesus as “Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3). It is God’s Spirit that prompts belief, illuminates the truth concerning Jesus in one’s heart, and comes to reside permanently therein. Also, the Spirit both gives to all believers and empowers each with spiritual gifts in order to fulfill God’s tasks (1 Cor. 12:4-7; Eph. 2:10). In addition, the Holy Spirit shapes a believer’s life in order for he or she to exhibit certain characteristics or “fruit:” love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and more (Gal. 5:22-23).
Creation
Though the book of Genesis speaks of Creation in poetic language, there is no reason to think that the Genesis account is merely mythical folklore or an oversimplification of evolutionary process. It is equally true that the biblical account may not be historically accurate from a modern scientific point of view. Instead, God in His infinite wisdom has revealed and preserved for mankind a narrative, which reflects universal truths about His character and man’s state of being. It is a choice, then, to accept God’s Word and His revealed understanding of how everything came about as portrayed in the book of Genesis. Therefore, God spoke all of creation into existence at a designated point in history (Gen. 1:3). In seven days, God separated light (day) from darkness (night); separated waters above (sky) from waters below (sea); shaped land and all plant life; fixed sun, moon, and stars in the heavens; made creatures of flight (birds) and those that swim in the sea (fish); created land animals and people (both male and female); and finally rested. God saw these distinct acts of creation as “good” (Gen.1:4, 9, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). In a perfect state of being, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden giving him the responsibility to care for His creation. Man was called to cultivate the soil, keep or preserve it, and name every beast and bird (Gen. 2:15-19). God also provided companionship for Adam by creating a female partner, Eve, of the same likeness in order to become one flesh and propagate the world. All mankind lived in open communication and in right relationship with their Maker, living in perfect obedience.
Angels
As created beings, angels are God’s ministering spirits in this world both to mankind (Heb. 1:14) and to God Himself (Isa. 6:1-3; Matt. 4:11). Though they may take human form (Gen. 18), they were created without physical boundaries (Job 1:6-7). Each is given responsibility to serve God and His creation. Cherubim and seraphim are six-winged angelic beings whose major function is to voice the glory and holiness of God in His presence (Isa. 6:3). Other angelic beings, taking on human likeness, are and have been sent to godly men to reveal God’s divine plan (i.e. Gabriel of Luke 1:26). Still others fight spiritual battles in a realm beyond human sight (i.e. Michael the archangel of Dan. 10:13-21). It is uncertain as to the number of existing angels; however, their total numbering has been fixed—no multiplying. During the days of creation, Lucifer (Satan or the devil), the prince of angels, had a fall out with God caused by his pride and vanity (Ez. 28:17?). In his wake, other angels fell, constituting a demonic force whose allegiance is now to Satan himself. This has caused a clash and a supernatural struggle where angels and demons vie for the heart’s of each man, woman, and child (Eph. 6:12). All of these angelic beings (including demons) stand subordinate to God and His final judgment, waiting with anticipation to see the unfolding of His plan (Eph. 3:9-10).
Humanity
Man was created last, on the sixth day, and was shaped “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). This image gives all humans a special place in God’s created order. All human beings, both men and women alike, were created to be in relationship with God, unlike anything else in creation. The biblical account stresses the important place given to humanity by God. God took time to shape and mold man and to breathe His own “breath of life” into him (Gen. 1:7). He provided a place for man to live--the Garden of Eden. Taking the rib from Adam, God took care again to form a “suitable partner” for him in order to provide needed companionship and an avenue to be “fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 2:20-25). Humanity was given the task of stewardship over all of God’s creation (Gen. 1:28). God had a special relationship with humanity while in the garden, which entailed transparency and face to face communication (Gen. 3:8-10). After an act of disobedience, humanity forfeited this special place, breaking communication and relationship with God Himself. Now humanity stands in direct opposition to God, wanting to be God and creating its own gods, even claiming that there is no such Supreme Being (Ps. 14:1; Rom. 3:10-18). However, mankind still intrinsically knows God and His expectations, yet suppresses the truth in order to avoid accountability (Rom. 1:18-20). Humanity lives in a state of perpetual sinfulness, except for the intervening power of God.
Sin
Mankind in its original state was created in right relationship with God and without sin (Ecc. 7:29). Adam, as the father of mankind, disobeyed God’s command while living in the Garden, thereby falling out of relationship with his Maker. This act of willful disobedience produced a tainted human nature. Each successive generation since Adam has been affected, so that “all men” have now inherited a nature predisposed to sin—“doing what is right in their own eyes” (Ps. 51:5). Mankind now freely chooses to alienate itself in separation from God (Rom. 3:23). Toilsome work, difficulty in childbirth, and ultimately death are direct consequences of sin (Gen. 3; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). Sin separates mankind from God, because God as a righteous and holy judge cannot tolerate sin. It has left permanent marks and consequences so that mankind, by way of Adam, is incapable on its own merit of righting the relationship with God. Man’s heart is “desperately wicked” and does not seek after God (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:10-12). Laws, commands, and instructions have been given to mankind, yet strict obedience simply brings awareness of sin not salvation from sin (Rom. 3:20). Instead, the only remedy for mankind’s sinful nature is humble repentance, heart changing belief, and a committed declaration and acceptance that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). God Himself, in the form of Jesus the Messiah, made the once and for all effective atonement for sin by sacrificially dying on the cross (1 Cor. 15:21-22).
Salvation
Salvation is necessary, due to man’s eternally condemned state. Man is pronounced dead because of sin (Eph. 2:1). The only possible solution is for God to make man “alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5); thus renewing his relationship to God and restoring his perfectly created image of God. God answered man’s sin dilemma by sacrificing His own Son, Jesus Christ, in order to pay the penalty that sin required (Heb. 9:22). Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection secured forgiveness and salvation for the entire world (1 Jn. 2:2). It was through this gracious act that God chose to redeem rather than abandon man; however, man still has a choice to accept or reject. Both God’s sovereignty and man’s freewill interplay in a predetermined way, so that man does not earn salvation and God does not force His gracious salvation. Instead, the Spirit of God prompts salvation, causing a person to admit that he or she is a sinner and out of relationship with God, repent of sin, and accept/believe Jesus as Savior by confessing Him as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). Each stage of grace (the gift given, the heart-cry to accept, and then the actual reception) is all a work of the triune God in the life of a spiritually dead person. Besides the acceptance of grace by faith (i.e. redemption, 1 Cor. 6:20), salvation has many more benefits. Once saved, a believer also receives a new life in Christ (i.e. regeneration, Titus 3:5), is declared “righteous” before God (i.e. justification, Rom. 4:3-4), becomes set apart to live a holy life (i.e. sanctification, Heb. 10:10), acquires all the rights and privileges as part of God’s family (i.e. adoption, Rom. 8:15), and finally experiences the inseparable love of God (i.e. secure, Rom. 8:16). Rather than living with sin’s consequences of everlasting damnation and separation from God, salvation leads to everlasting life with Jesus Christ.
Church
The church, known as the “body” or “bride” of Christ, is built on the covenantal relationship, which was set forth in Hebrew Torah (Eph. 2:11-22). God extended His covenant to include both Jew and Gentile alike in a newly formed structure, which has been built on the foundational revelation of Jesus Christ as attested to by prophets and apostles. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, leveled the barrier in order to offer God’s redemptive plan to the whole world; so that all who believe in Jesus Christ as the anointed Savior will be saved and included in the church. Belief in Jesus as Lord is prerequisite. The church originated in Jerusalem at Pentecost and was initiated by the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2). Since its inception, believers have gathered together for the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer, amongst other things. As a community of believers, the church is called to manifest God’s will in the world, which is observed by the heavenly realm (Eph. 3:1-13). God has endowed each believer with unique spiritual gifts in order to bear witness of Christ to the world and/or serve fellow believers. These gifts include: words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, effecting of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and more (1 Cor. 12:7-11). Believers are admonished to serve each other for the purpose of growth and building up in love (Eph. 4:16). God ultimately desires unity, accomplished through peace, for His Church “universal.” Jesus Christ is the head of this living and spiritual organism. Christ Himself by example instituted both baptism and the Lord’s Supper for the church. Baptism, as commanded by Christ, is an identifying with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-6). It is full immersion, following a faith confession (Acts 2:41). The Lord’s Supper or Communion is an act of remembering Christ’s atoning work on the cross (1 Cor. 11:23-32). The bread represents His body and the wine His blood. Church leadership consists of pastors (bishops and elders) and deacons (1 Tim. 3:7). Pastors represent a shepherding and teaching role, while deacons are involved in practical care and service (Titus 1). All believers are necessary in the proper function and commission of the church in order to bear witness of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20).
Resurrection
God plans to culminate history in final redemption. Since God’s created order was disrupted by Adam’s disobedience, creation still waits to be righted. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death provided salvation for humanity, and yet creation groans (Rom. 8:22). In God’s final plan, He will bring judgment on the earth and unrepentant humanity. In these end times, Israel will be the sight of God’s final plan. At this time, prophets will appear in Jerusalem to point out what is to come. The Antichrist will set himself up as supreme ruler of the world. The trumpet of the Lord will sound when we least expect it, ushering in the seven-year period of Tribulation. The church will be caught up with Jesus Christ, first those believers who have died followed by the believers who are still alive (1 Thess. 4:13-18). During this time, God will unleash His wrath via the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments (Rev. 5-16). At some point, the battle of Armageddon will be fought (Rev. 16:13-16). Christ will descend from above, coming down on the Mount of Olives to reign as King (Zech. 14:2-8). This will be a time for believers to rejoice with God at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-16). Satan with all his demonic forces will be judged and condemned to eternal punishment. All will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account at the Great White Throne of Judgment (Rev. 20:11). Non-believers, those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life, will be sentenced to a second death, which is eternal separation from God and torment (Rev. 20:10-15). Those who believe in Jesus Christ will find their names in the Book and live forever in a newly created universe and in renewed relationship with God (Rev. 21, 22). Believers in Jesus Christ will receive glorified bodies and experience a new life without tears, death, pain, and suffering (Rev. 21:4). All things will be at Peace!
