Joshua's beliefs....in his own words
Over this past year I have begun for
really firm up what I believe, as such I have formed my personal doctrine…
Doctrine in the sense of the word that what I believe is formed from scripture.
Sola Scriptura… This is the lens by which I read and live out God’s word! This
of course is still a work in progress and as such I will change and edit the
phrasing of what I believe! But as I press into God’s teaching found in the
Bible I have formed what you will find below. You are welcome to question, poke,
or push me on some of these statements. I have tried hard to root these
statements on Gods Word, and not the teachings of man. I will also candidly say
that I find it hard to live these out day to day. But These form my belief
system, and I press in on the process of knowing Jesus more and more!
Joshua ( 9-01-07)
The short answer is that I am first a Christian, second Evangelical, third
Missional, and fourth Semi-Reformed. The more lengthy answer is included below.
First, I am a Christian which distinguishes me from other world religions
and cults. Therefore, I adhere to both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds.
Second, I am Evangelical
and in agreement with the doctrinal statement of the National Association of
Evangelicals:
• I believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative
Word of God.
• I believe that there is one God,
eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His
sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His
shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of
the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
• I believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by
the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
• I believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the
Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• I believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are
saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection
of damnation.
• I believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, I am Missional:
• I believe that my local church and life must be faithful to the content of
unchanging Biblical doctrine (Jude 3).
• I believe that my local church and life must be faithful to the continually
changing context of the culture(s) in which they minister (1 Corinthians
9:19-23).
• I believe that our mission as Christians is to bring people into church or
community of believers also known as “The Way” so that they can be trained to go
out into their culture as effective missionaries.
Fourth, I am semi Reformed:
• I believe that God created the heavens, the earth.
• I believe that God created man and woman in a state of sinless perfection with
particular dignity as His image bearers on the earth.
• I believe that our first parents (Adam and Eve) sinned against God and that
everyone since is a sinner by nature and choice. Sin has totally affected all of
creation including marring human image and likeness so that all of our being is
stained by sin (e.g. reasoning, desires, and emotions).
• I believe that because all people have sinned and separated themselves from
the Holy God that he is obligated to save no one from the just deserved
punishments of hell. For we deserve his hellish judgment for our sin. I also
believe that God in His unparalleled love and mercy has chosen to save some
people who choose to believe in him for salvation. This gift is both free, and
available for all people whom call on Jesus as savior and believe in him and his
earthy life, ministry, and death. And that he was sent as savior of the world.
• I believe that the salvation of the elect was predestined by God in eternity
past, but yet Jesus was the predestine elect to come and save those who believe
in him. (Eph 1)
• I believe that the salvation is accomplished by the sinless life,
substitutionary, atoning death, and literal physical resurrection of Jesus
Christ in place of His people for their sins.
• I believe that the salvation, by God's grace alone, shows forth in the ongoing
repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ that leads to good works.
• I believe that God's saving grace is resistible, unless God so directly elects
and that God does soften even the hardest heart and save the worst of sinners
according to His perfect will. But that some will resist the gift of eternal
life, and that in such they will parish in the lake of fire in their last and
final death, being wholly condemned to hell.
• I believe that the gospel should be passionately and urgently proclaimed to
all people so that all who believe may be saved through the preaching of God's
Word by the power of God's Spirit.
• I believe that true Christians
born again of God's Spirit will be kept by God throughout their life, as
evidenced by personal transformation that includes an ever-growing love of God
the Father through God the Son by God the Spirit, love of brothers and sisters
in the church, and love of lost neighbors in the culture.
• I believe that God is Lord over all of life and that there is nothing in life
that is to be separated from God.
• I believe that the worship of God is the end for which people were created and
that abiding joy is only to be found by delighting in God through all of life,
including hardship and death which is gain.
What do I not believe? (for I feel it is good to
both clarify what I do and do not associate myself with.
* I am not a liberal who embraces culture without
discernment and compromise the distinctives of the gospel, but rather Christians
who believe the truths of the Bible are eternal and therefore fitting for every
time, place, and people.
* I am not a fundamentalist who retreat from cultural involvement and
transformation, but rather missionaries faithful both to the content of
Scripture and context of ministry.
* I am not an isolationist and seek to partner with like-minded Christians from
various churches, denominations and organizations in planting church-planting
churches.
* I am not a hyper-Calvinist who get mired down in secondary matters, but rather
pray, evangelize, and do good works because we believe that the sovereign plan
of God is accomplish his work through us, His people.
*
I am not an eschatological Theonomist or Classic Dispensationalist (e.g. Scofield) and believe that divisive and dogmatic certainty surrounding particular details of Jesus Second Coming are unprofitable speculation, because the timing and exact details of His return are unclear to us.