Statement of Faith

So that you don't need to examine these lengthy and extensive writings, herein is a statement of faith, or a doctrinal statement where I sum up the fundamental beliefs of Scripture.  I realize that some people, apart from that, do not want to delve into any sort of Bible study unless they first know what author believes in.  The following are the fundamental beliefs which believers should have.  If I or a Baptist or a Lutheran believe in these tenets of faith, then there should be nothing which would hinder us from fellowshiping with one another, from learning from one another or from working together.  Similarly, I would hold that those who believe differently, fall outside of the faith originally delivered to us by the saints.

1.    I believe in the Triune God, Who is One is Essence, and three in person (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit).  These three are co-equal and co-eternal.  God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.
2.    I believe that Jesus Christ was fully man—born without an old sin nature—and fully God.  This is known as the hypostatic union.  There are times when He spoke from His humanity, times when He spoke from His deity, and times that He spoke from His hypostatic union.  Man’s confusion often comes to play when we expect each and every sentence which He uttered to give us a complete revelation of His character.
3.    I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins, taking the penalty which I deserve upon Himself.
4.    I believe that we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ or by placing our trust and our faith for our deliverance in Him.  There are absolutely no works, no promises and no commitments on our part when it comes to obtaining salvation.  Jesus Christ did it all on our behalf.  I can no more add some of my puny works to his salvation than I can get out of a plane and help push it through the air.
5.    I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, completely flawless in the autographs (perfect copies of the original manuscripts).  Although we do not possess any autographs, the science of texual criticism has made it possible for us to know, for the most part, what the original text was.  There are very few real textual problems which affect any major or minor doctrine.  God’s Word was meant to be understood.
6.    I believe that Jesus Christ has sent His Holy Spirit to live in us, to give us the power to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.  Jesus Christ test-drove this power in His humanity.  That is, His humanity functioned under the power of the Holy Spirit rather than under the power of His own deity, and He fulfilled the plan of God for His humanity without resorting to the power of His own deity.
7.    I believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to God giving us the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, which is the same time that we receive our spiritual gift or gifts.
8.    I believe that we are fallen creatures and that we sin subsequent to salvation, and, at that point, no longer walk in the light but walk in darkness.  Our fellowship in Him is restored by naming our known sins directly to God.