What I Believe About...
Jesus Christ
What we believe about who Jesus is will determine a person’s eternal destiny. These are non-negotiable Biblical essentials!
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Jesus existed before He was made incarnate in the New Testament. In John 1:1, the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In John 1:14, the Bible explains that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus says that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” According to Hebrews 1:8, He has authority over all eternity, and it’s always been that way. Colossians 1:17 explains that He existed before all things, and all things exist because of Him. Just because we don’t see the name “Jesus” until the New Testament doesn’t mean He didn’t exist before then. We must simply learn to recognize His Old Testament appearances and understand that He is eternally self-existing and self-sustaining, just like God the Father.
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For Jesus to be eternal, He must be God. He did not become God. He has always been God, the “second member” of the Trinity. To affirm His deity, Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).
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The New Testament presentation of Jesus describes His incarnation. He is God, yet He took on the form of flesh and blood. He entered humanity through the Virgin Birth (Matthew 1:23), which protected His deity as He became human, since corrupted human DNA was not used in His conception.
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Why did Jesus, as God, become a human? The Bible teaches in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.” To represent fallen humanity and pay the consequences of sin on behalf of the world, He had to become a man. Jesus experienced everything in life that we do: pain, suffering, thirst, hunger, sorrow, anger, and so on; yet He was without sin, making His atoning death a perfect and suitable sacrifice (Hebrews 4:15).
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When Jesus died, He died as both a human and as God, uniquely qualifying Him to use physical death to achieve spiritual results on behalf of those who believe. Jesus died in our place and paid our penalty, and because He is God, He had the power and authority to do so. The death of Jesus on the cross laid the foundation on which a righteous God could pardon guilty and sinful people without compromising His righteousness in any way, shape, or form.
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To prove that He is God and to provide evidence of eternal life, Jesus rose from the dead as prophesied. His resurrection assures us of our future resurrection. Because of His victory over sin, death, and hell, we have victory as well. Without the resurrection, there would be no “Good News” Gospel message. His resurrection has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt (Matthew 28:5-8, Luke 24:39, John 20:27-28). The empty tomb, the shape of His linen wrappings, and His public appearances to many after His crucifixion were among the credible evidence of His bodily resurrection.
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After Jesus’ resurrection, He visibly and publicly departed from His disciples into heaven (Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9). His ascension and exaltation were necessary to complete when He rose from the dead to fulfill the scriptures and provide more evidence of His deity and authority as the Messiah of Israel – God in the flesh (Mark 16:19, Philippians 2:9, Ephesians 1:20-21, Hebrews 1:3).
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Although Jesus has been seated at the right hand of the Father for 2,000 years, He will return to this earth and receive His church, the body of Christ, to Himself, as promised (John 14:1-4, Acts 1:11, Revelation 1:7).
The Second Coming
The Biblical explanation of Jesus’ Second Coming has long been a subject of dispute, causing great confusion about what it is, when it will happen, and what Jesus will accomplish when He returns. The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus Christ will return to this world in bodily form as He promised. He will return in righteousness and judgment to execute the Father’s will upon a world that has rejected Him, through which He will glorify Himself by fulfilling this promise.
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This doctrine is referenced in nearly all of the books of the Bible. When Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming, not to be confused with the Rapture of the church, the Bible says that every eye will see him coming in glory, accompanied by His holy angels and His church, known as the bride of Christ.
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What will Jesus do when He returns? He will put an end to the epic battle of Armageddon, mankind’s most feared and dreaded war, in which the armies of the world attempt to fight God by destroying His chosen people – the nation of Israel. After the Second Coming, Jesus Christ Himself will destroy the enemies who rise up against His people, swiftly ending that conflict. He will then take His rightful seat upon the throne of David, which will be established in Jerusalem, as the prophets of the Bible have written. This explains why, though tiny, Jerusalem remains the most important city in the world at this time. The Second Coming is spoken of as an awesome event that will be extremely fearful for those in the world at that time – believer and non-believer alike.
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The Bible also says, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31). Unlike the Rapture of the church, the Second Coming will disrupt the heavens and the earth, causing them to shake at His coming!
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With amazing drama, His return will be witnessed by all peoples worldwide, and it will be a day of God’s vengeance. Once the Second Coming has occurred, Jesus will begin to personally judge Israel, the nations, and the individuals who survived the terrifying events of the seven-year tribulation period. Once He assumes His throne, Jesus will separate the survivors, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a display of the power and authority Jesus has always possessed as the KING of kings and LORD of lords.
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It is best to trust in this testimony of Jesus Christ today, rather than meeting Him in the fury of His righteous judgments to come. Repent. The Kingdom of heaven is at hand…
The Bible
The Bible was written over 1,500 years by more than 40 authors in three languages across three continents, making it the most unique book on Planet Earth! Rather than contradicting one another, the writers maintained 100 percent historical, moral, prophetic, and theological accuracy, writing with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. The preservation of its existence and integrity makes the Bible one of God’s greatest miracles ever given to the human race!
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Though the hands of men were used to pen the Bible (2 Peter 1:20-21), God was the source of wisdom and power that moved those hands to inscribe the words He desired, making the contents of the Holy Scriptures God’s own words (2 Timothy 3:16).
The Bible is the life source for the Christian, making Bible study an absolute must! The Bible instructs believers to “Study to show thyself approved unto God…” (2 Timothy 2:15). True Christians should read, hear, consider, and obey all of the contents of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. We are not to skim over the verses we prefer. We need to immerse ourselves daily in God’s Word, as the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).
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Why is the Bible so important? God’s Word is the testimony of God, from God, about God, His purposes and promises. Without it, we can’t know God, what He is about, and what He is going to do. The Bible is also our instruction on how God expects us to live in light of who He is. In it, we find hope, encouragement, comfort, strength, wisdom, and the true meaning of life, goodness, and truth.
The Church
A lot of folks have opinions about “church” these days! What does the Bible say about what the “church” actually is?
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In the New Testament, the words "temple" and "synagogue" were the only terms used to describe a building as a place of worship. Today’s “church” is not a building, but an assembly of people who make up the body of Christ (Romans 16:5, Colossians 1:24). The universal church consists of genuine Christian believers of all ages, both on earth and in heaven. There won’t be any denominations in heaven – only believers, which also debunks the idea that “all people are children of God.”
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Although all believers are members of the universal church, the body of Christ, it’s very important for a Christian to identify with a local body of believers in a local church. Hebrews 10:24-25 plainly says, “Consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”
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God designed us to need one another to develop fully as Christians (1 Corinthians 12:4-27). We are also disciples who are commanded to make more disciples (Matthew 28:19). To do so, we must spend time with other believers, as iron sharpens iron.
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What is our purpose when we come together? Our purpose is no different from that of the early church, which means we need to rely on the same tools as that first-generation church to be as effective as they were. It’s the Spirit of God working through the Word of God in the hearts of His people. Jesus told His disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Only a Spirit-filled church can be effective, understanding how to execute the spiritually and eternally-centered purposes of God in any given circumstances.
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When filled with the Spirit, the purpose of the church is clear. First, we exalt God. He called us to live “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12). Second, the church is to edify and build up other Christians. Paul exhorted the church to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28). Third, the church is to evangelize the world. Jesus told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The church must depend on the Holy Spirit to adhere to these basic and fundamental things that defined the church from the Book of Acts.
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The mark of a healthy church that is focused on this purpose is described in Acts 2:42.
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“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
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The church is called to be a body of believers who worship God by learning His character, purposes, and promises through the Word, loving one another in the common bond of the Gospel, and praying for one another and for the glory of God through the successful work of holy service. Since Jesus is clearly identified as the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, 5:23), these issues are non-negotiable. We don’t get to change these things, and since Jesus is God, these principles are never outdated or irrelevant.
Worship
Worship is the act of showing reverence to God. It’s an active, adoring response in which we declare His worth – supreme over all other things in life. To worship means to bow down and pay homage to God. When the word “worship” is first used in Scripture, it describes Abraham’s testimony, in which he denied his personal affections for the son he loved, laid down his ambitions for his life, and obeyed God’s commands by faith, trusting that the goodness of God would exceed the difficulty of that obedience. Abraham’s worship was grounded in his belief in the supremacy and purity of God’s integrity.
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Jesus said, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). The human race is not worthy of worship, and neither are the things we make to exalt the work of human hands (idols). God alone is deserving of worship. The life of a true believer is marked by the pursuit of that understanding and the unwavering attempt to live according to that understanding.
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We are called to worship the LORD in response to His attributes and the perfection of His wonderful works. The LORD has loved us, saved us from sin, death, and hell, and continually cares for us. The worship of God is broad in scope. It manifests itself through appropriate motivation or activity that seeks to present a heart of gratitude and humility before our Almighty KING and Creator.
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In John 4:24, the Bible says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Worshipping in the spirit means giving God the homage of an enlightened mind and an affectionate heart. We worship Him sincerely from our souls with everything we’ve got! Worshipping in truth means worshipping God according to the truth He has revealed in His Word, the Bible.
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As Abraham’s testimony in Genesis Chapter 22 shows, worship is a sacrifice. The Apostle Paul instructed believers, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to. God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). We can make every day a worship experience when we yield ourselves and our personal ambitions and affections to the LORD. God has created each of us with a mind, heart, and spirit, and wants us to use them for His glory – not our own. True worship is not insincere lip service but life service. It should be as much a part of our lives as breathing and eating. Worship should be demonstrated in every area of our lives, every day of our lives.
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We express our worship as we read the Bible (Psalm 119), pray, give tithes and offerings, and offer praise through music. Yet the greatest demonstration of worship is an obedient, submissive life committed to the eternal and spiritual purposes of Jesus Christ. True worship always magnifies God and shapes our outlook toward Him. As God is magnified, everything else becomes insignificant. We begin to see beyond our circumstances and limitations. Our fears diminish. Our souls are refreshed. We are satisfied with accomplishing our purpose in life.
Water Baptism
Water baptism is not a personal choice but a command for believers, a public demonstration and illustration of inward faith that symbolizes the inner change the Holy Spirit has already produced in the believer’s life when he or she is “born again” through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus established water baptism as an ordinance when He gave the Great Commission. Therefore, we should obey. (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16)
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All born-again believers in Jesus Christ and only believers should be baptized. (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 8:12, 16:31-33)
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The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and by God’s mercy (Titus 3:5). Neither of these elements addresses the issue of baptism, which means that our salvation doesn’t require baptism, but is a result of our salvation as evidence of the inward change the Holy Spirit is producing.
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The thief on the cross next to Jesus had no time to be baptized; yet Jesus promised that he would be with Him in Paradise that day (Luke 23:43).
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The Bible contains no record of Jesus baptizing anyone, making it difficult to reconcile baptism as an essential element of salvation if Jesus didn’t provide that example.
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In 1 Corinthians 1:17, the Apostle Paul declared, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel…”
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Here, Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly indicated that salvation is a response of faith to the Gospel. The act of baptism is not mentioned as an addition or prerequisite. Therefore, water baptism does not play a role in our salvation; it is an act of obedience after we are saved by faith in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
When Jesus sent His disciples to continue His work after His ascension, He taught that they would need God’s power to do so. In Acts 1:8, the Bible says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”
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As a result, the baptism of the Holy Spirit must be for all true believers if they are to properly carry out the commands that Jesus gave. (Acts 2:38-39)
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The issue of “baptism of the Holy Spirit” has become confusing in modern times, to the point that the phrase often provokes panic and fear among many who see it as a gateway to sensationalism and false teaching. What does it mean to be baptized by the Holy Spirit?
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The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs when the Spirit of God comes upon a believer. The Holy Spirit fills the believer’s mind with a genuine understanding of truth, which matures over time through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit takes possession of the believer’s priorities, worldview, and abilities and imparts spiritually rooted gifts that equip the believer to serve the spiritual and eternal purposes of God in the body of Christ.
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The Holy Spirit also speaks to the hearts of non-believers, revealing their need for salvation (John 16:7-11). When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and LORD, the Holy Spirit dwells within them (John 14:15-17), conforming them to the image of Christ, both spiritually and practically. After being born again, believers need the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5-8) to function with the right eternal and spiritual perspective and to serve God’s spiritual and eternal purposes.
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Why do we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
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The Holy Spirit empowers believers to serve, to witness, and to be equipped for spiritual warfare with boldness and humility (Acts 4:19-20, 29-31; 1 Corinthians 2:4).
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Jesus commanded His disciples NOT to begin the work to which He called them UNTIL they were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:48-49, Acts 1:4-8). When the apostles met believers in Christ, they at once asked whether the believers had received the Holy Spirit. If not, they ensured the believers received Him (Acts 8:14-16; 19:1-5). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity in every Christian’s life for the service to which God has called us. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a work of God, NOT of men or women!
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So, how do we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
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In Luke 11:13, Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” God fulfills His promise in various ways, and no two human beings are alike in how they receive spiritual gifts. There is no formula we can emulate or reproduce. The Holy Spirit is a gift of God. He determines the terms of how and when it is received when we ask.
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The New Testament tells us that some believers received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion, such as Cornelius and his family in Acts 10. Others, such as the believers in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5), received it later. We should never limit God by our own expectations or try to do God’s job by assuming we have His authority to grant the Spirit by our own declaration. He is sovereign and will work in whatever ways He chooses.
Communion
Jesus Christ instituted communion on the eve of His death when He shared the Passover meal with His disciples, as recorded in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, and Luke 22:14-20, and later explained in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25.
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Bread and wine were once served at the LORD’s Supper. The bread symbolizes Jesus’ body, which was beaten and broken for us as He died for the sins of the world. The cup of wine symbolizes His blood, which was shed for us as He paid for our sins.
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Anyone who participates in communion must first be a believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded His disciples to observe communion, meaning that a person must have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and sought to live by faith as His disciple before taking communion.
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In addition to being believers, we must prepare our hearts to participate in the LORD’s Supper. This is not a time for a snack! In 1 Corinthians 11:27, the Apostle Paul instructed believers not to “eat this bread or drink this cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner...”
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This requires us to examine our lives for any unconfessed sin. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, Paul reminded us, “Let a man examine himself” to avoid bringing judgment on ourselves and to take the work of faith that Jesus instructed as if it were some common or ordinary thing.
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There is past, present, and future significance in the practice of communion that we should consider whenever we partake. Communion is a time to reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross. His death was more than an atoning sacrifice. It was a substitutionary sacrifice. He took our place so that we can live! He took our sins upon Himself so that we could receive His righteousness, saving us from the eternal consequences of sin, death, and hell.
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Communion is also a time to look within as we participate. We should consider our lives in light of our faith. As we enter into communion with the LORD, we are to thank Him for our salvation and the privilege of being His children. It is an opportunity to symbolically dine in fellowship with the Creator of the Universe, who took on flesh to die for our sins, thereby enabling a relationship with Him that would otherwise be impossible. Our gratitude at the time of communion should be heartfelt and expressed with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind!
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Lastly, communion is a time to look ahead to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul said, “Proclaim the LORD’s death till He comes.” Communion foreshadows the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb, as described in Revelation 19. As we take communion in our churches in these Last Days, we stand between the two most important events in human history: the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When we observe the LORD’s Supper as Christians, we should be mentally and spiritually connected to both.