What I Believe

1. The Bible

I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is true, trustworthy, and the final authority for what we believe and how we live. Human teachers, churches, traditions, feelings, and personal experiences must all be tested by Scripture.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

2. The One True God

I believe there is only one true God. He is eternal, uncreated, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere. God did not begin as a man or become God. He has always been God, and there will never be another.

“Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me” (Isaiah 43:10).

3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

I believe the one true God has revealed Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are three distinct Persons, yet one God. They are not three gods, and none of them was created.

Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize believers “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

4. Jesus Christ

I believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is fully God and became fully human. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived without sin. Jesus was not created. Everything that was created came into being through Him.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).

5. Humanity and Sin

I believe God created human beings in His image, but sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience. Every person has sinned and stands guilty before God. No one can remove their own guilt through good works, religion, church membership, baptism, or personal effort.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

6. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

I believe Jesus willingly died on the cross in our place. He bore the punishment our sins deserved. He truly died, was buried, and physically rose from the dead on the third day. He later ascended to the Father and is now at His right hand.

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

7. Salvation

I believe salvation is God’s gift. It cannot be earned. A person must repent of sin, believe in Jesus Christ, trust Him completely, and submit to Him as Lord. Genuine faith does not merely accept facts about Jesus. It turns to Him and begins a life of following Him.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

Obedience does not earn salvation. Obedience is the result of genuine faith.

8. The Holy Spirit

I believe the Holy Spirit is God and not merely a power, influence, force, or feeling. He convicts people of sin and points them to Jesus Christ. He lives within every true believer from the time of salvation. He teaches, guides, helps believers pray, gives strength to obey, and produces godly character.

“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9).

The presence of the Holy Spirit is not proved by an emotional experience. Believers know He lives within them because God has promised it and because His work becomes evident in their lives.

9. The Christian Life

I believe those who truly belong to Jesus Christ are called to live in obedience to Him. Christians will not become perfect in this life, but they should be growing in holiness, turning away from sin, and becoming more like Christ.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

A changed life does not purchase salvation. It gives evidence that salvation is real.

10. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

I believe baptism is an act of obedience for those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ. Baptism does not save anyone. It publicly identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

I believe the Lord’s Supper was given to the Church as a remembrance of Christ’s body and blood. The bread and cup do not save us. They remind believers of the sacrifice Jesus made and proclaim His death until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:23–26).

11. The Church

I believe the Church is made up of all true believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the head of the Church. Christians should gather with other believers for biblical teaching, prayer, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, worship, encouragement, correction, and service.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

No church, pastor, priest, or religious organization stands between a believer and God. Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5).

12. The Return of Jesus Christ

I believe Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly, and bodily. His return will not be hidden from the world. He will gather those who belong to Him, defeat evil, judge the world, and reign as King.

“This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

13. Resurrection and Judgment

I believe every person will be raised from the dead. Those who belong to Christ will be raised to eternal life. Those who rejected Him will be raised for judgment.

Jesus said, “An hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29).

Every person will answer to God. There is eternal life for those who belong to Christ and eternal punishment for those who remain separated from Him.

14. Our Eternal Hope

I believe God will make all things new. Those who belong to Christ will live forever with Him in the new heaven and new earth. Sin, death, pain, sorrow, and everything produced by the curse will be gone.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).