statement of faith…
Disappointed by the shortness of this? Read on.
As I see it, there are two basic tenets of Christian faith that need to be followed. The first is that one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of one’s sins, through his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead. It is as the Scriptures say, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:8, 9, ESV).
The second point of significance is that one believes in what the Bible calls sin. Again, the Scriptures say, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21, ESV; see also 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Other than these two tenants, as I see it, the rest are open to interpretation. Whether one believes infants should be baptized, communion should be once a year or once a month, women can be ministers, certain spiritual gifts are still active, whether one is a Calvinist or an Arminian or something else, whatever the case in these third-level matters, certainty cannot be determined. It is as the Apostle Paul said, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19, ESV). Or, as the Lord Jesus Christ said to the Father, “that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:11, ESV).
- Daniel Litton