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Statement of My Beliefs

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by
Thoughtful Monk
, July 18th 2012 at 06:54 PM (651 Views)
Essentials
These are non-negotiable and I will accept someone as a Christian who accepts these.
1) I believe in God, eternal and existing outside of time, perfect, holy, and in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
2) I believe Christ Jesus is the Son and:
a) Christ Jesus is God Incarnate as a man in the hypostatic union
b) Christ Jesus was born of a Virgin
c) Christ Jesus lived a Sinless Life and is the example of how I should live my life
d) Christ Jesus Worked Miracles
e) Christ Jesus’ Death Provides the Only means of Atonement for the Sins of Humanity. In other words, Christ Jesus is the only way to God.
f) Christ Jesus Physically Rose from the Dead and Was Seen Alive by Many
g) Christ Jesus Ascended Bodily to the Father
h) Christ Jesus is Coming Again
3) Salvation is a gift of God and not earned by any action of man.
4) The Bible is the only reliable revelation of God to man. In the original manuscripts, it is inerrant, inspiried, and perfect. Despite all the copies that have been made since it was written, no error that changes a major doctrine has occurred. It contains all the principles I need to live life faithful to God’s will. Other books may contain elements of truth but they are not reliable because of the falsehoods they contain.

Highly Important
These are items that I believe the Bible takes a clear stand on. I must be a faithful witness to these positions. I believe, however, that people may hold positions contrary to these without losing their salvation.
1) The Bible establishes marriage as between a man and a woman for life.
2) The Bible only supports the pro-life position.
3) God is more interested in my spiritual health than my physical health or worldly prosperity. Having the latter two is not necessarily an indication of God’s relation with that person.
4) The ordination of women is not endorsed – however it is not explicitly forbidden.

Non-Essentials
These are items that I accept that people of good conscious disagree on. I do not believe that a person’s position on these will affect their salvation.
1) The presence or lack thereof of Christ Jesus in the Lord’s Supper.
2) The denomination (or non-denomination) and church that a person is a member of.
3) Eschatology – my current position is undecided. I do believe Jesus is physically returning to rule the earth.
4) Creation / Intelligent Design / Evolution position. I can accept any position from Young Earth Creationist to Theistic Evolution as long as we agree that God is in control of the process.
5) Bible Translation. I accept that because of the difficulties in translation and translation style, differences in translation will occur. I am willing to discuss the reliability of a given translation. I do not hold that one translation is God’s only choice.
6) The Bible does not support any one economic theory. I personally am not convinced that God created the concept of wealth or the resulting economic theories.

Updated July 27th 2012 at 10:44 PM by Thoughtful Monk (Spelling and clarification based on RBerman's comment)

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  1. RBerman's Avatar
    1) A "principal" runs a school. A "principle" is a rule or concept.
    2) Your list is a good start, but it's skimpy on soteriology. You mention that Jesus ascended bodily. Was he raised bodily? (I'd think so for consistency, but you don't say.) What is the nature of Jesus' atonement-- a propitiation of God's wrath over sin, or an example to make people see that God loves them, or both, or neither? What is sin, anyway? Do all people sin? Is specific faith in Christ required for salvation? What is the eternal fate of those who don't believe? What is the eternal fate of those who do? Given that God gives salvation, does he ever take it away? Is the Bible verbally inspired with regard to specific details, or just generally? Is it inerrant in the historical details it presents? Does God have exhaustive and definitive knowledge of the future? Does God endow specific people with specific miraculous powers (healing, clairvoyance, predictive powers) today which they can reliably exercise?
  2. Thoughtful Monk's Avatar
    Thanks for the feedback.

    English (especially spelling) was never my strong point. You correction is duly notes.

    When I get more time, I'll update the rest - except for a discussion on sin which will be a post unto itself.
  3. RBerman's Avatar
    OK. I wasn't trying to be harsh. It's very difficult to write a concise, accurate statement of faith that hits the things that matter historically and currently. Hopefully you're finding it a worthy exercise, though.
  4. Thoughtful Monk's Avatar
    Quote Originally posted by RBerman
    OK. I wasn't trying to be harsh. It's very difficult to write a concise, accurate statement of faith that hits the things that matter historically and currently. Hopefully you're finding it a worthy exercise, though.
    It is an interest exercise. All feedback given is appreciated even if my response is a little harsh. (I've got stop posting when I am tired. )

    Trying to keep it concise is proving to be the issue. I guess so many issues have gotten so nuanced that you can't say it simply anymore. For example you now have to say "Jesus was bodily, physically, literally Resurrected from the dead" and not "Jesus was Resurrected from the dead" to be clear on your position.
  5. DominickG's Avatar
    Hello Thoughtful Monk.

    I am responding with a little trepidation. I consider myself a Christian but by your definition I am certainly not.

    I can't help what I believe. My beliefs have developed over many years.
    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe that we should love the Lord and love our neighbors as stated in Mark's Gospel:

    [I]One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
    “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”[/I]

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe that Jesus described himself as the [I]Son of Man[/I] because he is not just for Catholics or Baptists or Pentecostals or Methodists. He is for all people
    irrespective of their creed or religion or colour or belief.

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe it is right and proper to show people respect and to demonstrate commitment to people whoever they are.

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    For me Christianity is inclusive. For you it seems to be exclusive.

    If this is the case, I suggest that what you worship is not a Christian God at all.

    Regards

    DominickG
  6. Thoughtful Monk's Avatar
    Quote Originally posted by DominickG
    Hello Thoughtful Monk.

    I am responding with a little trepidation. I consider myself a Christian but by your definition I am certainly not.

    I can't help what I believe. My beliefs have developed over many years.
    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe that we should love the Lord and love our neighbors as stated in Mark's Gospel:

    One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
    “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe that Jesus described himself as the Son of Man because he is not just for Catholics or Baptists or Pentecostals or Methodists. He is for all people
    irrespective of their creed or religion or colour or belief.

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    I believe it is right and proper to show people respect and to demonstrate commitment to people whoever they are.

    Yet I don't believe in many things that you regard essential to be a Christian.

    How do you think I should I respond?

    For me Christianity is inclusive. For you it seems to be exclusive.

    If this is the case, I suggest that what you worship is not a Christian God at all.

    Regards

    DominickG
    DominickG,

    After going through your post about three times, I'm not sure what you believe. I see your quote of Mark but I suggest nothing I hold essential condradicts that. You're focused on the action (love) while I'm focused on the object of the action (the Lord). And I do not believe that God is simply love amplified to infinity.

    As I've read Scripture, I see God has many attributes: love, holiness, just, jealousy, anger, compassion, mercy, etc. While I'm not sure that God has a primary attribute, if He does my vote is on holiness. Certainly God does not love at the expense of holiness, is angry at the expense of mercy, etc.

    And yes, my God is at the end exclusive. Right now all can come to Him. But at the end, those that do not chose to accept God, the loving God will cast them (however reluncantly) into Hell.

    So how should you respond? How about with what you believe are the essentials? Nothing you list in your post describe anything about God.