Hello!
I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ through my own personal committment to Him. We believers were first called "Christians" at Antioch centuries ago. Some now call us all sorts of names like Infidels, Polytheists, Jesus Freaks, Religious Right, Holy Rollers, Bible Thumpers or some other intolerant undignified name. I wear the name of Christian humbled by it and grateful to be called by it. There is a religion out there that calls us "the people of the book" and, even though I like the name, they want to kill us, which is what Satan wants to do as well. Whatever others may chose to call me, I am a Christian. I am a believer.
I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ through my own personal committment to Him. We believers were first called "Christians" at Antioch centuries ago. Some now call us all sorts of names like Infidels, Polytheists, Jesus Freaks, Religious Right, Holy Rollers, Bible Thumpers or some other intolerant undignified name. I wear the name of Christian humbled by it and grateful to be called by it. There is a religion out there that calls us "the people of the book" and, even though I like the name, they want to kill us, which is what Satan wants to do as well. Whatever others may chose to call me, I am a Christian. I am a believer.
Announcement
This explanation of the beliefs of a Christian is purposely written in a shortened concise manner so that one may gain a helpful insight into what a Christian believes. Each subject covered could be a long dissertation in itself but should help the Christian examine his faith and the unbeliever see what the faith of the Christian is all about. There are some firm doctrines that others may deem intolerant according to the standards of the day, such as the deity of Jesus Christ and that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. However, they are essential to salvation and to deny Jesus Christ is to deny the one true God. Jesus said “I and the Father are One.” in
John 10: 30. True believers will not waiver in their stand for the gospel. My hope and prayer is for all to be saved by Jesus Christ alone and my desire is to start with you if you do not know Him. If you are a Christian, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13: 5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.” (That means ‘unless you don’t stand the test’)
One God
Christians believe there is but one true God in all existence, in all places, and in all time, who is the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. God is a Trinity: God our Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Creation
God is solely responsible for creating the heavens and earth according to Genesis 1: 1. Man is not a god but was created in God’s likeness to have dominion over the earth on the sixth day of creation as stated in the Bible in
Genesis 1: 26. Each Person of the Godhead was present at creation according to Genesis 1 and John 1.
Jesus Christ is God the Son
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary from the lineage of David as foretold by the prophets in the Holy Bible. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He was crucified, died, and on the third day arose bodily from the dead. He was seen by the apostles and others as proof of His resurrection. At forty days he ascended into heaven where a cloud received Him out of their sight. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and is now there as an Advocate and High Priest for believers. Just as a cloud received Him out of sight into heaven, the Christian believes that He will return in the clouds in the same manner to this earth as stated in the Bible in Acts 1: 11.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity and He is fully God. As is God the Father and God the Son, His existence is eternal. His ministry is to bear witness to Jesus. In doing so, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict men of their sins and point to Jesus as the only way of salvation through belief in His shed blood alone. He indwells the Christian believer and bears witness to the believer that he is a child of God according to the Bible in Romans 8: 16. The Holy Spirit lovingly gives gifts to each believer as stated in 1 Corinthinans 12: 7-11.
In the lives of Christian believers, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to empower the believer to bear witness to the world that Jesus is the Savior. He speaks, instructs, and shares knowledge with us that solidifies the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is active in the prayer life of Christians helping them intercede for others and pray according to the will of God as stated in Romans 8: 26-27. It is the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that gives the Christian power over all the power of the enemy, Satan. Luke 10. The Christian needs the power of the Holy Spirit to guide him in his everyday walk with the Lord and help him spread the gospel to a lost world. When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, it will become evident as we produce a Godly character that becomes more like Jesus as we grow in our walk with Him. These are called "fruits". Galatians 5: 22-23
The Bible is the Word of God
The Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is the only Divinely inspired written Word of God, without content error in the original writings and is the complete written revelation of His will for the salvation of men: showing the final fulfillment of that revelation as Jesus Christ alone. Its content is pure and may not be added to or subtracted from. It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in Christian life. 2 Tim 3: 16.
Salvation is Only Through Jesus Christ
Salvation comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone. Man was born with a sinful nature and cannot save himself. His good works cannot substitute for his sin nature and thus works will not eradicate sin in his life. Sin separates us from God eternally unless we accept the shed blood of Jesus Christ as that payment for sin. There are no exceptions. The Bible states in Romans 3: 23 that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. A person’s good works or any other religion that does not include this acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh and the only way to be saved will not lead anyone into salvation. It is clearly stated by Jesus’ own words as follows in John 14: 6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME.” This is achieved when one truly repents of his sins, acknowledges his personal faith in Jesus as Lord and as the only way of salvation, and then accepts the Lord Jesus as personal savior.
The following things below are also some vital areas that Christians discuss with others
in the course of their walk with the Lord.
Heaven
Heaven is the glorious dwelling place of God as described in Revelation 4. It is also the eternal home of every believer in Jesus Christ. Since it is the dwelling place of God, it is void of sin according to Revelation 21: 27. There is no more sorrow and pain according to Revelation 21: 4. According to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 2, heaven consists of three levels of which the Third Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Heaven is the final home for each believer in Jesus Christ who has accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Ephesians 1: 10.
Angels
Godly angels are messengers of God that operate in various capacities always at God’s command. Angels are created spiritual beings without the actual physical human body of a man although they can assume the appearance of a man as demonstrated in the story of Abraham in Genesis 18. Their proper domain is in the presence of God in heaven. Although they are in the presence of God and work on His behalf, they are not to be worshipped as stated in Colossians 2: 18. In the life of the Christian they are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” Hebrews 1: 14. Although a fallen angel (demon) will pervert the Word of God and influence man to follow suit as stated in Galatians 1: 8 and also in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15, a true and faithful angel of God will not create his own new doctrines apart from the already written and inspired Word, nor will he operate in opposition to the already revealed word in the Bible according to Galatians 1: 8. Christians are warned about listening to the voices of angels delivering messages either perverting the gospel or independent of the unchanging Word of God as a sign of the last days. 1 Timothy 4: 1.
Hell
Hell is an actual place. It is that place prepared for the devil and his angels and the eternal abode of those who refused to accept the Lord as their Savior to pay the price for their sins according to Matthew 25: 41. Hell is a real place of torment with physical-like attributes that include darkness (2 Peter 2: 4) and fire as explained in Revelation 20: 14. Hell has mental and emotional torment as well, described in Matthew 13: 50 as “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. It is eternal separation from God. It is the place of eternal punishment for the unbelieving dead who rejected Jesus. Once in hell there is no way out and a person is eternally lost for his rejection of Jesus as the only means to pay the price for sin...."For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 8:23.
Satan our Adversary
Satan means “Adversary” and is the enemy of God and man. There are other names or titles that are descriptive of his character and actions. Revelation 20: 2 calls him the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan. He is an actual created being called Lucifer who fell due to his prideful desire to be like the most High God according to Isaiah 14 and Jesus’ words in Luke 10: 18. He took a host of rebelling angels with him during this fall and they are called demons. He often tries to imitate God and can appear as “good” described by his name of “Angel of Light”. Christians are at war with the Enemy (2 Cor. 10: 3) and given power and victory over the Enemy as stated by Jesus in Luke 10: 19-20. The Adversary is directly, or indirectly through the works of natural fallen man, responsible for the evil that is in the world. He operates in communion with the desires and lusts of fallen man by offering various forms of temptation. At the end, he will ultimately challenge God in battle inspiring the beast, false prophet and the nations of this world but will lose this fight. He will be bound a thousand years, be turned loose a short time to deceive again and then be finally cast into hell forever with the beast, false prophet and unbelieving dead as a final judgement.
Marriage and Family
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Both husband and wife are created in God's image. The desired effect is to function as one unit joined in Christ. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to physically and spiritually lead his family as head of the house. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. It is the responsibility of both parents to rear up their children in the fear of the Lord and to instruct them in the way they should go. The ultimate goal is for each one to know the Lord as personal savior.
Faith and Works
Christians are not saved by works. The Christian does not believe in the concept of good works leading one to heaven. The Bible in Ephesians 2: 8-9 states “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”. The Christian believes that good works demonstrate his salvation and follow his faith in Jesus Christ alone. As stated in James 2: 18, we are to show our faith by our works. The Christian patterns conduct after the Word of God. The Bible states in 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 that all scripture is given by inspiration of God for the purpose of instruction “unto all good works”. In this world all human beings have some kind of internalized belief system. It is faith in some kind of god or faith in their idea that god does not exist. In a “religious person”, those who believe in a god of some kind, their goal is to try to be “good” so they can get to heaven by their own righteousness. They tip the scales in their favor by the good works their faith demands but they don’t know if they are really going to make it or not. This is the path that the religions of the world take because they do not have any other way to please their god. Those who do not believe in a god of any kind may still try to be good for their own personal reasons or by reason of their societal demands. The good news is that we are not saved by works but by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The saving grace of Jesus Christ is free to all who accept Him as the only One who can take away sin and believe it by receiving Him alone. It is not dependent upon our own works in any way. Works follow our faith because we love the Lord and not because our salvation depends on how many righteous deeds we do.
This explanation of the beliefs of a Christian is purposely written in a shortened concise manner so that one may gain a helpful insight into what a Christian believes. Each subject covered could be a long dissertation in itself but should help the Christian examine his faith and the unbeliever see what the faith of the Christian is all about. There are some firm doctrines that others may deem intolerant according to the standards of the day, such as the deity of Jesus Christ and that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. However, they are essential to salvation and to deny Jesus Christ is to deny the one true God. Jesus said “I and the Father are One.” in
John 10: 30. True believers will not waiver in their stand for the gospel. My hope and prayer is for all to be saved by Jesus Christ alone and my desire is to start with you if you do not know Him. If you are a Christian, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13: 5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.” (That means ‘unless you don’t stand the test’)
One God
Christians believe there is but one true God in all existence, in all places, and in all time, who is the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. God is a Trinity: God our Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Creation
God is solely responsible for creating the heavens and earth according to Genesis 1: 1. Man is not a god but was created in God’s likeness to have dominion over the earth on the sixth day of creation as stated in the Bible in
Genesis 1: 26. Each Person of the Godhead was present at creation according to Genesis 1 and John 1.
Jesus Christ is God the Son
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary from the lineage of David as foretold by the prophets in the Holy Bible. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He was crucified, died, and on the third day arose bodily from the dead. He was seen by the apostles and others as proof of His resurrection. At forty days he ascended into heaven where a cloud received Him out of their sight. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and is now there as an Advocate and High Priest for believers. Just as a cloud received Him out of sight into heaven, the Christian believes that He will return in the clouds in the same manner to this earth as stated in the Bible in Acts 1: 11.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity and He is fully God. As is God the Father and God the Son, His existence is eternal. His ministry is to bear witness to Jesus. In doing so, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict men of their sins and point to Jesus as the only way of salvation through belief in His shed blood alone. He indwells the Christian believer and bears witness to the believer that he is a child of God according to the Bible in Romans 8: 16. The Holy Spirit lovingly gives gifts to each believer as stated in 1 Corinthinans 12: 7-11.
In the lives of Christian believers, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to empower the believer to bear witness to the world that Jesus is the Savior. He speaks, instructs, and shares knowledge with us that solidifies the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is active in the prayer life of Christians helping them intercede for others and pray according to the will of God as stated in Romans 8: 26-27. It is the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that gives the Christian power over all the power of the enemy, Satan. Luke 10. The Christian needs the power of the Holy Spirit to guide him in his everyday walk with the Lord and help him spread the gospel to a lost world. When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, it will become evident as we produce a Godly character that becomes more like Jesus as we grow in our walk with Him. These are called "fruits". Galatians 5: 22-23
The Bible is the Word of God
The Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is the only Divinely inspired written Word of God, without content error in the original writings and is the complete written revelation of His will for the salvation of men: showing the final fulfillment of that revelation as Jesus Christ alone. Its content is pure and may not be added to or subtracted from. It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in Christian life. 2 Tim 3: 16.
Salvation is Only Through Jesus Christ
Salvation comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone. Man was born with a sinful nature and cannot save himself. His good works cannot substitute for his sin nature and thus works will not eradicate sin in his life. Sin separates us from God eternally unless we accept the shed blood of Jesus Christ as that payment for sin. There are no exceptions. The Bible states in Romans 3: 23 that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. A person’s good works or any other religion that does not include this acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh and the only way to be saved will not lead anyone into salvation. It is clearly stated by Jesus’ own words as follows in John 14: 6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME.” This is achieved when one truly repents of his sins, acknowledges his personal faith in Jesus as Lord and as the only way of salvation, and then accepts the Lord Jesus as personal savior.
The following things below are also some vital areas that Christians discuss with others
in the course of their walk with the Lord.
Heaven
Heaven is the glorious dwelling place of God as described in Revelation 4. It is also the eternal home of every believer in Jesus Christ. Since it is the dwelling place of God, it is void of sin according to Revelation 21: 27. There is no more sorrow and pain according to Revelation 21: 4. According to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 2, heaven consists of three levels of which the Third Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Heaven is the final home for each believer in Jesus Christ who has accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Ephesians 1: 10.
Angels
Godly angels are messengers of God that operate in various capacities always at God’s command. Angels are created spiritual beings without the actual physical human body of a man although they can assume the appearance of a man as demonstrated in the story of Abraham in Genesis 18. Their proper domain is in the presence of God in heaven. Although they are in the presence of God and work on His behalf, they are not to be worshipped as stated in Colossians 2: 18. In the life of the Christian they are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” Hebrews 1: 14. Although a fallen angel (demon) will pervert the Word of God and influence man to follow suit as stated in Galatians 1: 8 and also in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15, a true and faithful angel of God will not create his own new doctrines apart from the already written and inspired Word, nor will he operate in opposition to the already revealed word in the Bible according to Galatians 1: 8. Christians are warned about listening to the voices of angels delivering messages either perverting the gospel or independent of the unchanging Word of God as a sign of the last days. 1 Timothy 4: 1.
Hell
Hell is an actual place. It is that place prepared for the devil and his angels and the eternal abode of those who refused to accept the Lord as their Savior to pay the price for their sins according to Matthew 25: 41. Hell is a real place of torment with physical-like attributes that include darkness (2 Peter 2: 4) and fire as explained in Revelation 20: 14. Hell has mental and emotional torment as well, described in Matthew 13: 50 as “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. It is eternal separation from God. It is the place of eternal punishment for the unbelieving dead who rejected Jesus. Once in hell there is no way out and a person is eternally lost for his rejection of Jesus as the only means to pay the price for sin...."For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 8:23.
Satan our Adversary
Satan means “Adversary” and is the enemy of God and man. There are other names or titles that are descriptive of his character and actions. Revelation 20: 2 calls him the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan. He is an actual created being called Lucifer who fell due to his prideful desire to be like the most High God according to Isaiah 14 and Jesus’ words in Luke 10: 18. He took a host of rebelling angels with him during this fall and they are called demons. He often tries to imitate God and can appear as “good” described by his name of “Angel of Light”. Christians are at war with the Enemy (2 Cor. 10: 3) and given power and victory over the Enemy as stated by Jesus in Luke 10: 19-20. The Adversary is directly, or indirectly through the works of natural fallen man, responsible for the evil that is in the world. He operates in communion with the desires and lusts of fallen man by offering various forms of temptation. At the end, he will ultimately challenge God in battle inspiring the beast, false prophet and the nations of this world but will lose this fight. He will be bound a thousand years, be turned loose a short time to deceive again and then be finally cast into hell forever with the beast, false prophet and unbelieving dead as a final judgement.
Marriage and Family
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Both husband and wife are created in God's image. The desired effect is to function as one unit joined in Christ. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to physically and spiritually lead his family as head of the house. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. It is the responsibility of both parents to rear up their children in the fear of the Lord and to instruct them in the way they should go. The ultimate goal is for each one to know the Lord as personal savior.
Faith and Works
Christians are not saved by works. The Christian does not believe in the concept of good works leading one to heaven. The Bible in Ephesians 2: 8-9 states “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”. The Christian believes that good works demonstrate his salvation and follow his faith in Jesus Christ alone. As stated in James 2: 18, we are to show our faith by our works. The Christian patterns conduct after the Word of God. The Bible states in 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 that all scripture is given by inspiration of God for the purpose of instruction “unto all good works”. In this world all human beings have some kind of internalized belief system. It is faith in some kind of god or faith in their idea that god does not exist. In a “religious person”, those who believe in a god of some kind, their goal is to try to be “good” so they can get to heaven by their own righteousness. They tip the scales in their favor by the good works their faith demands but they don’t know if they are really going to make it or not. This is the path that the religions of the world take because they do not have any other way to please their god. Those who do not believe in a god of any kind may still try to be good for their own personal reasons or by reason of their societal demands. The good news is that we are not saved by works but by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The saving grace of Jesus Christ is free to all who accept Him as the only One who can take away sin and believe it by receiving Him alone. It is not dependent upon our own works in any way. Works follow our faith because we love the Lord and not because our salvation depends on how many righteous deeds we do.