Through my study of the Bible and through my relationship with God I have come to believe more and more in the original tenets of the Christian faith, which has its roots in Judaism and its source in the Creator of the universe.
I believe that unless it is nonsense, the literal sense is the way to interpret scripture. So, I'm of the opinion that the stories in the Old Testament are historically true, that the miracles were real, that the stories Jesus told, unless He used a figure of speech (like for example, the Kingdom of God is LIKE) are true. Things like the story of the rich man and Lazarus really happened.
So, for the record, this is my statement of faith :
The Bible
- not only contains the word of God, it IS the word of God, in its entirety AND as intended by the original writers in ancient Hebrew and in ancient Greek
- God spoke through the writers, moved them to write as they did, with the sole intention that people could have a definitive way to come into a relationship with Him and have a guide for living life
- is true from cover to cover, and is complete with no need for any new written revelation
- interprets itself when taken in its entirety and in the historical context of the period during which it was written
- is the main standard by which we can measure our experience and discover if we are in error in doctrine, faith, and practice
- accomplishes what God wants. It is alive, powerful, can discern between soul and spirit, and pierces to the heart.
God
- is first, foremost, and forever, LOVE. All other characteristics of God are filtered through this pure, passionate and permeating love
- is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere at the same time
- is eternal, unchanging, and unfathomable
- is perfect! as such, He is the only Person who is qualified to judge anyone and His judgments are always right. His primary mode of justice is in making things right, not in punishing
- is One deity, manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a mystery best mirrored in human beings, who are soul, body, and spirit
- IS. Anything that is needed in eternal existence, anything that is lacking, God is that: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control - these are attributes of His character and He makes a way for us to partake in that through intimate relationship with Him
- is jealously zealous (passionate) for the human race and for each individual in particular
- hates sin with that same passion, for it separates individuals from having a relationship with Him. Sin is defined as anything which falls short of embracing relationship with Him
- does not send anyone to Hell. The choices people make in corporeal life determine their destination and God has given them the right to choose.
Jesus
- is God the Son; that is, God in human form. He claimed to be so and so He is! He is the Savior of the world, and the only way to enter a relationship with God is by Him (John 14:6)
- was conceived by the Spirit of God in a virgin, born and lived His whole earthly life without ever committing one sin. As such, He is the perfect expression of God, and God's hinge-pin of proof of His love for us
- came to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to redeem human beings from spending eternity in Hell (more about that later)
- lived a perfect life, died on the cross to rescue us from the blindness and the self-imposed penalty of sin, and was raised bodily on the third day, victorious over death so that we could be also.
The Holy Spirit
- is the Spirit of God / the Spirit of Christ, the promised Comforter/Counselor
- is the third Person of the triune God - whose function it is to point people to Jesus and to give divine power to believers so that they can live a full life in victory as His children
- enters a believer's life at the moment of conversion and never leaves, transforming that individual to be more and more like Jesus
- reveals the mind and the will of God to the believer through the Bible, through prayer, through worship, and through meditation on God and the scriptures
- as God, can experience emotion, including sadness and grief. When a believer lives consistently in disobedience to His promptings, He is grieved and the believer experiences profound unhappiness and misery, and a lack of fulfillment in ever-increasing intensity
- is able, when in full control of the believer, to empower the believer not only to live for God but also to be His hand extended to others who need His love.
Heaven
- is a real place. It is the abode of God, the birthright of all people. Those people who have chosen to reject Jesus are spiritually blind and cannot enjoy this wonderful place (see section on Hell)
- contains nothing that hurts, defiles, or lies
- is a place of ultimate love, joy, and peace in direct communion with God, beyond our capability to imagine
- is eternal, just as God is. The reward of the redeemed, it is simply no less than God's best (God's presence) at all times and in a tangible way
- is mysterious. We don't know all that Heaven will be; all we know is that when we see Jesus there, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him as He is
- is the reason why Jesus came in the first place - to show us how much He wants us to experience spiritual vision and enter our birthright.
Hell
- is a real place. It is the place prepared by God originally intended for the eternal punishment of the devil and his demon-hordes
- became the chosen destination of humankind because of the Fall of mankind in the garden of Eden; humans need a spiritual rebirth (see below) in order to have their spiritual eyes opened
- is a place of separation from God, a place of hopelessness, despair, and torment
- is eternal. Eternal means everlasting but also includes a component of the intensity of the experience.
Human beings
Currently:
- are eternal spirits, created in the image of God with the capacity for fellowship with Him
- exist in Time in a corporeal body which only dies once - after this, the spirit within is released into the realm of the eternal
- through choice and by birth (because of Adam's sin - yes, Adam was a real person), are separated through shame from God and in need of healing from spiritual blindness to embrace God's love
- must be "born from above" in order to escape the torment of that eternal blindness. Jesus talked about this in John 3 - a second birth is necessary. This is called "regeneration" when the spirit of man comes to experience life (or really living) by the breath (spirit) of God. Regenerated people are called believers because they believe on (rest their total trust on) Jesus
In the future:
- (if they are believers) will one day be snatched away from the confines of this world - if still in corporeal form - changed into spiritual bodies that are similar to the kind of body that Jesus had after He was raised from the dead; we will not need food or drink, but will be ABLE to have these, and we will have the power to go where we want to go with just a thought. If our corporeal bodies have already died, they will be transformed into spiritual bodies and be reunited with their spirits who are already in Paradise / Heaven (and this will happen moments before the living believers are snatched or "raptured".
- shortly before, or right after believers are "raptured", humans who remain on the earth will go through a period of up to 7 years when there will be a one-world government, run by a charismatic figure that the Bible calls "the beast" - who will require everyone to be registered in order to buy and sell, to track their movements, etc. This registration will take the form of a 'mark' - either on the forehead or on the hand. Some have speculated that this might be like a microchip. The devil will have free reign and those who come to believe in Jesus will be martyred because they will refuse to accept this 'mark'. After this 7-year period, Jesus will return bodily to the earth in triumph, leading believers in a take-over of the forces of darkness and beginning a 1,000-year reign on Earth with His throne in Jerusalem. At the end of this 1,000 years, the devil will lead a world-wide uprising against King Jesus, and the rebellion will be ended finally, in a giant battle on the plains of Har-MaGeddon (Armageddon.) Then there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth and God will make all things right.
I believe that unless it is nonsense, the literal sense is the way to interpret scripture. So, I'm of the opinion that the stories in the Old Testament are historically true, that the miracles were real, that the stories Jesus told, unless He used a figure of speech (like for example, the Kingdom of God is LIKE) are true. Things like the story of the rich man and Lazarus really happened.
So, for the record, this is my statement of faith :
The Bible
- God spoke through the writers, moved them to write as they did, with the sole intention that people could have a definitive way to come into a relationship with Him and have a guide for living life
- is true from cover to cover, and is complete with no need for any new written revelation
- interprets itself when taken in its entirety and in the historical context of the period during which it was written
- is the main standard by which we can measure our experience and discover if we are in error in doctrine, faith, and practice
- accomplishes what God wants. It is alive, powerful, can discern between soul and spirit, and pierces to the heart.
God
- is first, foremost, and forever, LOVE. All other characteristics of God are filtered through this pure, passionate and permeating love
- is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere at the same time
- is eternal, unchanging, and unfathomable
- is perfect! as such, He is the only Person who is qualified to judge anyone and His judgments are always right. His primary mode of justice is in making things right, not in punishing
- is One deity, manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a mystery best mirrored in human beings, who are soul, body, and spirit
- IS. Anything that is needed in eternal existence, anything that is lacking, God is that: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control - these are attributes of His character and He makes a way for us to partake in that through intimate relationship with Him
- is jealously zealous (passionate) for the human race and for each individual in particular
- hates sin with that same passion, for it separates individuals from having a relationship with Him. Sin is defined as anything which falls short of embracing relationship with Him
- does not send anyone to Hell. The choices people make in corporeal life determine their destination and God has given them the right to choose.
Jesus
- is God the Son; that is, God in human form. He claimed to be so and so He is! He is the Savior of the world, and the only way to enter a relationship with God is by Him (John 14:6)
- was conceived by the Spirit of God in a virgin, born and lived His whole earthly life without ever committing one sin. As such, He is the perfect expression of God, and God's hinge-pin of proof of His love for us
- came to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to redeem human beings from spending eternity in Hell (more about that later)
- lived a perfect life, died on the cross to rescue us from the blindness and the self-imposed penalty of sin, and was raised bodily on the third day, victorious over death so that we could be also.
The Holy Spirit
- is the Spirit of God / the Spirit of Christ, the promised Comforter/Counselor
- is the third Person of the triune God - whose function it is to point people to Jesus and to give divine power to believers so that they can live a full life in victory as His children
- enters a believer's life at the moment of conversion and never leaves, transforming that individual to be more and more like Jesus
- reveals the mind and the will of God to the believer through the Bible, through prayer, through worship, and through meditation on God and the scriptures
- as God, can experience emotion, including sadness and grief. When a believer lives consistently in disobedience to His promptings, He is grieved and the believer experiences profound unhappiness and misery, and a lack of fulfillment in ever-increasing intensity
- is able, when in full control of the believer, to empower the believer not only to live for God but also to be His hand extended to others who need His love.
Heaven
- is a real place. It is the abode of God, the birthright of all people. Those people who have chosen to reject Jesus are spiritually blind and cannot enjoy this wonderful place (see section on Hell)
- contains nothing that hurts, defiles, or lies
- is a place of ultimate love, joy, and peace in direct communion with God, beyond our capability to imagine
- is eternal, just as God is. The reward of the redeemed, it is simply no less than God's best (God's presence) at all times and in a tangible way
- is mysterious. We don't know all that Heaven will be; all we know is that when we see Jesus there, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him as He is
- is the reason why Jesus came in the first place - to show us how much He wants us to experience spiritual vision and enter our birthright.
Hell
- is a real place. It is the place prepared by God originally intended for the eternal punishment of the devil and his demon-hordes
- became the chosen destination of humankind because of the Fall of mankind in the garden of Eden; humans need a spiritual rebirth (see below) in order to have their spiritual eyes opened
- is a place of separation from God, a place of hopelessness, despair, and torment
- is eternal. Eternal means everlasting but also includes a component of the intensity of the experience.
Human beings
Currently:
- are eternal spirits, created in the image of God with the capacity for fellowship with Him
- exist in Time in a corporeal body which only dies once - after this, the spirit within is released into the realm of the eternal
- through choice and by birth (because of Adam's sin - yes, Adam was a real person), are separated through shame from God and in need of healing from spiritual blindness to embrace God's love
- must be "born from above" in order to escape the torment of that eternal blindness. Jesus talked about this in John 3 - a second birth is necessary. This is called "regeneration" when the spirit of man comes to experience life (or really living) by the breath (spirit) of God. Regenerated people are called believers because they believe on (rest their total trust on) Jesus
In the future:
- (if they are believers) will one day be snatched away from the confines of this world - if still in corporeal form - changed into spiritual bodies that are similar to the kind of body that Jesus had after He was raised from the dead; we will not need food or drink, but will be ABLE to have these, and we will have the power to go where we want to go with just a thought. If our corporeal bodies have already died, they will be transformed into spiritual bodies and be reunited with their spirits who are already in Paradise / Heaven (and this will happen moments before the living believers are snatched or "raptured".
- shortly before, or right after believers are "raptured", humans who remain on the earth will go through a period of up to 7 years when there will be a one-world government, run by a charismatic figure that the Bible calls "the beast" - who will require everyone to be registered in order to buy and sell, to track their movements, etc. This registration will take the form of a 'mark' - either on the forehead or on the hand. Some have speculated that this might be like a microchip. The devil will have free reign and those who come to believe in Jesus will be martyred because they will refuse to accept this 'mark'. After this 7-year period, Jesus will return bodily to the earth in triumph, leading believers in a take-over of the forces of darkness and beginning a 1,000-year reign on Earth with His throne in Jerusalem. At the end of this 1,000 years, the devil will lead a world-wide uprising against King Jesus, and the rebellion will be ended finally, in a giant battle on the plains of Har-MaGeddon (Armageddon.) Then there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth and God will make all things right.
