Statement of Faith

I.
a. I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. God of God and Light of Light.
b. I believe in Jesus Christ, the savior redeemer of the world’s sin; who is co-equal with the father and of one substance with the father. Yet he is also a divine paradox, being fully man and fully God. Not of two natures or a mix of the two, but two completely diametrical wholes held in tension. He lived to establish the Kingdom of God, his teachings are a call to live by God’s power and not by man’s. The Sermon on the Mount is his manifesto, his cross is the in breaking of the Kingdom of God. Jesus death was a complete refusal to obey the world’s orientation, and in this act atoned for the sins of the world. He died and remained dead for three days until he literally, physically, and historically rose from the dead, defeating death and vindicating his teachings. He died to give us freedom from sin and freedom in the spirit. He will one day come again to establish a New Heaven and a New Earth.
c. I believe in the Holy Spirit who is co-equal and of the same substance with God; Father and Son. The life of the spirit is the fruit of the Kingdom of God, and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to stir us to repentance, to death and to new life daily. It is our advocate, our comforter and the power that moves in us to perform great works.

I trust that God is a merciful God. I trust that my sins are forgiven and that one day I will be among those Resurrected into the New Earth. I trust that God sees not only actions but the condition of ones heart. I trust that God is with me and that I have the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.
My security comes from the understanding that I have already died with Christ. I do not have to fear death because death has no grip on me when I remain in Christ Jesus. My security is that in doing God’s work I may suffer, but in that suffering I find solace in the suffering servant, and vindication in his resurrection. I am secure because God has given me eternal life here and now.
This gives my life meaning, because I am no longer running away from the impending doom of death, but free to be the creative and productive being God created me to be. I no longer seek power just to feel secure, but use the blessings given to me to help those in need. I find meaning in God’s affirming value of me, and the Spirit’s ability to work in and through my life.
I Hope in the fullness of the Kingdom of God; that one day I will walk with God as Adam walked with him in the Garden. It is faith in these things that give me strength and peace and desire. A desire to help others see and take part in my hope, and to take part in the wonderful redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My faith shapes the way I live my life by giving me a reason to live. To live to establish God’s eternal Kingdom here and now, welcoming others into the folds of God’s redeeming grace.