dimanche 12 octobre 2003
The Apostles' Creed
This hangs on my wall as a reminder of the historical biblical Christian faith that I have, and after going on a field trip for my Cults class, I feel it is necessary to post what I do believe in.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
* The word "catholic" does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This means that I believe in the Trinity, that there is ONE God in three persons (not three gods, not two gods, not one god in only one person or one god in two persons or one god in three phases or whatever else is out there) in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus Christ is God and that He was God incarnate. He was man AND God, therefore I do not believe in docetism (God only) or ebionitism (man only). I believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within believers of Christ. Jesus Christ is LORD and SAVIOUR - meaning not only do I have hope that I will be with Him in heaven, I have also committed my life completely to Him. I believe in sola Scriptura, but I know that my faith is also shaped by the church fathers throughout history. I am thankful for the canon and the creeds and the Church - the body of Jesus Christ. I think that about sums it up, if I can think of anymore I'll be sure to post it! Oh and what denomination am I? I think denomination refers more to the style of worship that each Christian prefers and should not be a divisive matter at all. I think it is vibrant and enriching when people have the freedom to pick which style suits them best, whether Baptist or Pentecostal. Personally, I prefer to worship God in an evangelical church (this is what it means, if you've never heard of it before):
1. In accordance with the Christian gospel, especially the four gospel books of the New Testament.
2. Being a Protestant church that founds its teaching on the gospel.
3. Being a Christian church believing in the sole authority and inerrancy of the Bible, in salvation only through regeneration, and in a spiritually transformed personal life. It stresses personal conversion and salvation by faith and is characterized by ardent or crusading enthusiasm.
4. Emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual.
- from Merriam-Webster and dictionary.com
