This topic is a place for you to post a faith statement. Please do not debate each other's faith statement. You can submit your faith statement in response. However, your faith statement must be somewhat complete. It does NOT need to be as in depth as the one I am posting, but it does need to be complete... Okay... here goes... I believe in God almighty, creator of all things seen and unseen. I believe in the one true God who has revealed Himself as existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; distinguishable but indivisible (Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:21-22). He breathed life into man, and made man in His own image (Genesis). God is sovereign, and transcends His creation. God chooses to be immanent because of His love for us, He does not need us, we need Him. God is triune in nature. God is, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are one in spirit and body, yet they have separate natures. God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior to earth to die for our sins. The Holy Spirit conceived Christ in Mary, and He was born of a virgin birth in fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). God walked on earth as man, He was perfectly human, and perfectly God. He came to save the world. We crucified Him on the cross by our sins. He took our sins, and gave redemption through His blood. We are now justified to receive salvation and enter into Heaven by His sacrifice for us. Christ lived a perfect life here on earth, yet He was tempted in His fleshly nature. He gave us the perfect example of what we are responsible to do as Christ followers. We are to love others. When people ask what it means to be “like Christ.” The answer is, “to live for others.” We as Christians are to strive to be like Christ and to live solely for others in everything we say and do. We are called do be disciples of Christ (Matthew 10:3-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:12-13). Discipleship begins with being “added to the church” ( Acts 2:47), and continues on to be a daily learning and growing in Christ, and then spreading what we know, and reflecting who we serve to all those we meet. It is not just a haphazard thing that we do when we want to be religious, it is a lifestyle, and a commitment that we take on when we profess to live for Christ. Being a disciple is a ministry that we are all called to do, not just some, but all. In the Bible many times becoming a disciple involved radical life changes, such as selling everything they owned, and giving up all material possessions. We need to sacrifice, and feel a little uncomfortable in order to fully grasp what it means to live for Christ, and to live for others. Christ was crucified, died, and was buried. After three days, He Arose! Jesus Christ is now alive and sits at the right hand of God the Father and intercedes for you and me. We worship The One True Living God! The Holy Spirit is here on earth. He gives gifts according to His will. He is able to give any gift to anyone, in accordance to Scripture (Hebrews 2:4) all spiritual gifts are available, and no spiritual gift has ceased to exist. The Holy Spirit is here for us to communicate with, and to have a close personal relationship with, on a daily basis. I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father for the empowering of the Christian and its accompanying gifts and fruits. (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 8:14-17, Acts 10:44-46, Galatians 3:14) The Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible. He inspired each and every word, and there is no word written that is not of Him. The Bible is the Word of God, and as such is inerrant and infallible. The Bible is the true authority, and anything which goes against its teaching is not of God, and is a false teaching. The Bible is perfect, and complete. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21) Salvation is a gift from God which can not be earned by any works. Salvation is only available to us by God’s awesome grace, through our faith. Salvation is available to all mankind, and is not based upon election or predestination. Whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:16-17). We are all predestined to be saved. We can either choose to accept or reject that salvation. Salvation is available to us by the blood of Christ. In offering Himself as the eternal sacrifice, we are justified to enter into salvation. None are worthy of His gift. We must place our faith in Him, and accept the atoning sacrifice, and welcome Christ as our personal Lord, and Savior. We are only justified to be saved, we can never deserve salvation. No man is worthy of salvation. We are only saved by grace, through faith. Death is total separation from God, and is a result of sin (Romans 6:23). Eternal death is eternal separation from God. Eternal death is lived out in Hell. Hell is a real place, as described in scripture (Mark 9:43-48). Hell is eternal burning, pain, and suffering (Matthew 25:41). Eternal damnation is something that we choose for ourselves if we reject Christ, and salvation. Lucifer reigns over Hell, and there is no escape from his reign once you enter his realm of eternal suffering. Evil exist because man fell from the grace of God. Evil is anything that happens outside of God. God does not create or make evil things happen. God must allow evil to exist because of certain laws He established at the beginning of time. Evil did not have to be on earth unless man sinned against God, thus opening the door for evil to exist. Now that evil is in the world, we must live with it on a daily basis. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam (Romans 5:12) God protects us from evil according to our relationship with Him. Satan is the author of evil, and can do nothing which God does not allow him to do (The Book of Job). In essence, evil exist because man chose to be evil. No matter what Satan may use to try and destroy man, God is faithful and just, and will keep all promises He has made. God will use all evil events to produce something good, and glorious to His name. So we should give thanks in all things. Baptism is an act of obedience, and also a public commitment to live our lives for Christ. Baptism is an outward expression of our faith. At the point of baptism there is a spiritual cleansing that takes place. This cleansing is not caused by the water, but by our obedient action in faith. Baptism was always done by total submersion in Biblical accounts. Communion is done in remembrance of Christ, and His sacrifice for us. On the night that Christ was betrayed He broke bread and said, “take and eat,…in remembrance of me.” Communion is very sacred and to desecrate communion is dangerous, and sinful. Communion should be a time of reflection, and to truly remember what Christ did for us. His stripes, His pain and agony, His torn flesh, and the blood He shed for me on the cross, and ultimately His temporary separation from God the Father. The atonement is the reason we can all enter eternal life with Christ. We are not worthy, but by His blood we are justified. This is what we reflect on during communion. This is what we remember at His table. I believe in the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment, and life everlasting (John 3:16, John 5:24-27, Mark 9:43-48, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 20:11-15). Christ is coming back! He will return for His Church. He will judge the quick and the dead. I pray that He finds His Church in good order, and well taken care of. I pray we all become better stewards of His bride. There you have it MyPraizers! I would challenge everyone to at some point in their walk, sit down and write out what you believe. This is not a final statement. I have "edited" my faith statement at least 4 times in the last year... some things are minor... others, not so minor... Keep the Son in your eyes! -Matt Gaiser