What Are My Essential Christian Beliefs?
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THEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS
ABOUT GOD
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
ABOUT MAN
Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates man from God.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
ABOUT ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1;1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin´s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
ABOUT ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God gives humans eternal life through faith Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in His salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.
John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14; I Peter 1:3-5
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God´s word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
ABOUT MAN
Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates man from God.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
ABOUT ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1;1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin´s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
ABOUT ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God gives humans eternal life through faith Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in His salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.
John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14; I Peter 1:3-5
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God´s word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
PHILOSOPHY OF HOLISTIC MINISTRY
I have a holistic approach to ministry which takes into account people's spiritual, social, economic and physical needs. I believe Jesus exemplified a holistic concern for people in His ministry and teachings. He declared in the following mission statement:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor"
(Luke 4:18-19)
PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEXTUALIZED MINISTRY
I think the Bible has a high regard for cultures and assumes that God created the diversity of people with their own unique customs, language, expressions and worldviews. This does not mean that key moral truths are unique and relative, rather they are universal and binding upon all humans, especially when it relates to the essential matters of faith, ethics and the Gospel.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor"
(Luke 4:18-19)
PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEXTUALIZED MINISTRY
I think the Bible has a high regard for cultures and assumes that God created the diversity of people with their own unique customs, language, expressions and worldviews. This does not mean that key moral truths are unique and relative, rather they are universal and binding upon all humans, especially when it relates to the essential matters of faith, ethics and the Gospel.
But sometimes those primary truths of right living can and are expressed differently in each culture. The way a Latino expresses "honor" for their parent may differ then the way an American or Asian person does. Yet both cultures believe that "honoring" their parents is virtues and proper due to God's written law upon their hearts Exodus 20:11-13 Romans 2:13-15.
I think when God deals with human beings, He always contextualizes the revelation of Himself, so that we as human beings can understand Him. The incarnation of Christ ultimately demonstrates this reality. Paul the Apostle had great respect for the cultures he ministered to and even adapted his "methodology" so that the means of communication and trust could be more effective 1 Corinthians 9:19-21 Acts 17.
I think the church historically has struggled with this issue of contextualization and has at times transported a colonial type of Christianity to people of differing cultures, customs and languages. This failure can be seen in the American churches inability to reach the next generation of youth, as the statistics show a decline of church participation in mainline traditional churches. This low level of respect for various cultures and sub-cultures, multiplied by our human tendency to be "ethnocentric" or "racist" has compounded the problem of disregard for the Gospel of Christ. The church as an institution has created unnecessary walls between her presence and the culture at large that is so high and irrelevant that people are hardly convinced that Jesus is still ALIVE, and living in His people.
I think when God deals with human beings, He always contextualizes the revelation of Himself, so that we as human beings can understand Him. The incarnation of Christ ultimately demonstrates this reality. Paul the Apostle had great respect for the cultures he ministered to and even adapted his "methodology" so that the means of communication and trust could be more effective 1 Corinthians 9:19-21 Acts 17.
I think the church historically has struggled with this issue of contextualization and has at times transported a colonial type of Christianity to people of differing cultures, customs and languages. This failure can be seen in the American churches inability to reach the next generation of youth, as the statistics show a decline of church participation in mainline traditional churches. This low level of respect for various cultures and sub-cultures, multiplied by our human tendency to be "ethnocentric" or "racist" has compounded the problem of disregard for the Gospel of Christ. The church as an institution has created unnecessary walls between her presence and the culture at large that is so high and irrelevant that people are hardly convinced that Jesus is still ALIVE, and living in His people.
Yes, the churches goal is not to be "politically correct", like the false prophets of the Old Testament Matthew 5:11-13. But, in love we should aim to build bridges of trust and communication, so as not to create walls and make the Gospel unpalatable. The Gospel is good news for a sinner searching for God and truth.
The church today, like the apostles of the 1st century needs to take seriously the issue of "Christ in Culture" , "Logos becoming flesh", and how he exemplified and taught Kingdom Principles relating to 1) Missions 2) Discipleship 3) Church Oversight 4) Social Justice 5) Humanitarian Help 6) Community & Contextualization 7) Biblical Interpretation 8) Spiritual Power & Provision 9) Proper Worship 10) Prophetic Social Confrontation & Engagement.
Please read my article on reaching the Hip Hop Generation as I deal with such issues as "contextualization" and "ethnocentrism" more thoroughly.This I believe is an issue of orthodoxy and ORTHOPRAXY for our times! Hip Hoppas are not pop fad teenagers, but a real unreached demographic of youth and adults who identify with a particular culture that mainstream American Christianity has rejected for the reasons mentioned above. READ ARTICLE
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