What I Believe:
GOD: Holy Trinity: God is Three Persons in One Being: God.
The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.
There are Three Persons in One God. God is Self-Existing (Aseity.)
CREATION: God created the universe in six 24-hour days about 6,000 years ago.
SIN: Humanity fell into sin by disobeying God in the Garden of Eden.
ANGELIC BEINGS: There is a real person, Satan, who tried to usurp God’s authority and became evil, taking many angels with him. Angels are usually invisible.
There are many good angels that did not fall into evil and rebellion against God.
God chose individuals throughout history to represent Him: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and others.
FLOOD: God destroyed most life on earth in a global Flood, saving only Noah and his family to restart humanity.
LAW: God instituted the Law under Moses, which was a system of rewards and punishments. Also, God instituted animal sacrifices to cover the sins of His Old Testament people in advance of the efficacious sacrifice of Christ Jesus Himself on the Cross.
FAITH: Abraham was “the father of faith,” believing God through very difficult circumstances.
SCRIPTURE: The Bible, 66 books, was written by men who were inspired by God over many years. The Bible is inspired, inerrant and infallible, and is preserved by God.
ISRAEL: Jacob’s children, the children of Israel, were God’s Covenant people in the Old Testament. This was the people which contained the human ancestors of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
SALVATION: Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Out of love, God sent Jesus to rescue mankind from its awful hellish destiny apart from Him.
Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of all sins, His burial, and His resurrection, are the Gospel: 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior even for a moment, has forgiveness and eternal life (justification), and is irrevocably destined for Heaven at death (eternal security).
SANCTIFICATION: By faith in Christ who is our perfect goodness (Sanctification), believers are made holy in practical life (growing in Grace).
END TIMES AND ETERNITY: Jesus Christ will return to Earth to judge humanity, resurrecting everyone from the dead, sending believers to Heaven and unbelieving sinners to Hell to be justly punished forever in eternal and everlasting conscious punishment, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for their unforgiven sins.
Believers will live forever with Jesus in Heaven and on the remade new Earth, Jesus and believers, and Heaven and Earth, united together.
–Curtis Smale
