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I BELIEVE

1.  In one triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary, i believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be both God and man.

2.  That Jesus Christ identified himself in written form in the Holy Bible as God and that one can only believe that  by choice - faith. The Bible cannot be clearly understood unless that choice is made. (1 Cor. 2:14)

3.  i believe that the only gospel to be preached for man's salvation today is the Gospel of Grace which is:


I Corinthians 15:3-4  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.



Ephesians 2:8-9   For by  grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works; lest any man should boast.


4.  That once that choice to believe is made, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and places him/her into the church which is HIS BODY (Eph. 1:22,23) and seals them unto the redemption of their physical bodies to the receipt of their glorified bodies with which they will live (and serve) eternally in heaven. This is called the doctrine of eternal security.  (Eph. 1:13; 1 Corinthians 15:49-53)

5.  i believe what the Bible teaches about religion; that God instituted only one religion - the religion of Israel - and is no longer dealing with mankind on the basis of that religion because Israel was unwilling to recognize her Messiah King, incurring God's wrath (to come) upon her during the Great Tribulation, prophesied and still to come.  God has put that program aside (Rom. 11:25) and is dealing with man on the basis of a mystery plan He conceived and kept hidden in himself (before the foundation of the world) until the right time, called "due time."  (1 Tim. 2:6)

6.  i believe, therefore, that God has given us the Apostle Paul's epistles for our doctrine, to live by until he calls His Body out of the earth.  I believe that the Bible clearly teaches a catching up or a rapture of the church (the true church) and that God's only religion (of the Jewish nation) will THEN be restored.  That "kingdom come, on earth" will then be the program God will use to deal with mankind on the earth.

7.  i believe in the inerrancy of the entire  Bible and in God's ability to keep his promise to preserve his words (Ps. 12:6,7)
 
8.  That while the whole Bible is written FOR us, only the Apostle Paul's epistles are written TO us - for our learning and obedience. I understand and believe that i need to study the whole of God's word in order to understand the distinctiveness of God's program and dealings with mankind, therefore knowing where to get our doctrine for today; where to find out and become a part of what God is doing today.

9.  That the "commission" for the Body of Christ is to be Ambassadors of the Mystery Message of the Grace of God "reconciling us" to God, as given to the Apostle Pauland recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.  I have compared, studied, learned and understand that this commission is not the same as the commission given to the twelve apostles when Christ was on the earth and that we are to be obedient to "the faith" of the message given to the Gentiles by the RISEN LORD Jesus Christ from Heaven.  (Romans 15:26)

His Messenger

ALL true and accurate IMO.

aw

Its nice to meet you brother, sister?

God, out of His great love for us, has provided complete redemption through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in our place. He offers to justify anyone freely by His grace through faith in Christ as one's all-sufficient Savior. (Romans 3:21-26)

Faith in Christ is the issue of trusting exclusively in His redemptive work on the cross for one's acceptance with God and not in any of one's own works of any kind. This act of faith is the decision of one's own will in response to the gospel of Christ.

The purpose of God in election declares that it is the plan of God to provide salvation for all men, but in accordance with men's own free will, to save those that believe.

His Messenger

    Many people think they are saved because they have been told they were saved when baptized as a baby.  Then they are told it becomes sure for them as adults (at about 12 years old) when they are confirmed.  Some are told they were lucky to be born into the family they came into because it is then automatic. Others believe they are saved because they "prayed the sinner's prayer," and still others because they walked an aisle at somebody's church or crusade and gave their life to Jesus.  Have you noticed that in each of these examples it was doing something that someone told one to do in order to become saved?
   But what does God say?  Wouldn't it be best to be sure  of your salvation unto eternal life by knowing what God requires?  Well, man has always wanted to do things his own way because, after all, God gave man a free will.  He even has free will to use his free will in his own way.  But man needs to use his free will to choose to BELIEVE the Gospel because, "it is the power of God unto salvation."  
   In my "I BELIEVE," above, you can find which is the gospel for you  to believe today.  It is very, very important that you believe the right gospel.  And yes, there is more than one gospel in the Bible.  And there is only one gospel for the Body of Christ.  Have you believed it ?  Will you spend eternity with God?  You will  spend it somewhere.  Will it be in heaven?

His Messenger

St. Paul pointed out a basic Scriptural and logical fact, when he said: "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Rom. 2:13).

Many people suppose that God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us to be good. The fact is, however, that He gave them to show us that we are bad. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:19 and a hundred other Bible passages teach this clearly. How can the Law be of any advantage to a law-breaker? How can it justify us unless we keep it-perfectly?

Do you recall the woman caught in adultery, in John 8? She was a Jewess. She was better off than the Gentiles, for she had the law of Moses to show her right from wrong, but this didn't justify her; it condemned her. So her "advantage" turned out to be a serious disadvantage, for "not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

James 1:23,24 says that one who knows the Law but doesn't obey it, is like a man looking into a mirror, seeing his dirty face, and then walking away without doing anything about it. This is why Rom. 2:14,15 declares that the consciences of the heathen confirm what the Law says, "their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another."

Those in heathen lands know that it is wrong to lie and steal and commit adultery, yet they know nothing about the law of God, or the Ten Commandments. How, then, do they know that these things are wrong? God made them with this knowledge; He gave to them, and to us all, conscience, a sense of blameworthiness in doing wrong.

How good to know the One who has paid the penalty for our sins so that our hearts may be cleansed from "an evil conscience" (Heb. 10:22)! "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

His Messenger

I believe what the Bible teaches about religion; that God instituted only one religion - the religion of Israel - and is no longer dealing with mankind on the basis of that religion because Israel was unwilling to recognize her Messiah King, incurring God's wrath (to come) upon her during the Great Tribulation, prophesied and still to come.  God has put that program aside (Rom. 11:25) and is dealing with man on the basis of a mystery plan He conceived and kept hidden in himself (before the foundation of the world) until the right time, called "due time."  (1 Tim. 2:6)


His Messenger

Jesus said; "The work of God is this; to believe in the one He sent." That is salvation, period. All we have to do is KNOW CHRIST'S WORDS AND BELIEVE THEM. Everything else comes from that. We will then feel loved which breeds thankfulness, joy, peace, hope, patience, self control and genuine love for others. As Jesus said; "All the Law and the Prophets hang on the greatest commandment of love which comes from His Grace. Amen.

Jesus said; "The work of God is this; to believe in the one He sent." That is salvation, period. All we have to do is KNOW CHRIST'S WORDS AND BELIEVE THEM.

Truth, thanks

His Messenger

There are five fundamentals of the faith which are essential for Christianity:

1. The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Heb. 1:8-9), the Creator God Himself (Col. 1:16; compare Gen. 1:1); Who "laid the foundation of the earth" (Heb. 1:10-12; compare Psalms 102:24-27).

2. The Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14; Mt. 1:23; Luke 1:27).

3. The Blood Atonement (Acts 20:28; Ro. 3:25; Ro. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12-14)
(Please note: this refers to a belief in salvation by grace alone, through faith in the Blood of Christ alone - Ro. 3:25 states that God has set forth Jesus to be a propitiation through faith in His Blood; Ro. 5:9 states that we are justified by Christ's Blood; and Eph. 1:7 states that we have redemption through His blood - see also Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:12-14).

4. The Bodily Resurrection (Luke 24:36-46; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:14-15).

5. The inerrancy of the scriptures themselves (Psalms 12:6-7; Ro. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20).
Please note: this is NOT a reference to the "King James Only" debate; rather, this is a reference to people who claim to have revelations apart from the scriptures.

And those who disagree with any of the above doctrines are not Christians at all.

His Messenger

I am a member of The Heaven based, Invisible, Living, Spiritual Body of Christ. And there is no other. i.e. No other earthly, visible man-made, organized, religious body--recognized by God that is. God, is only building "ONE BODY". And it's "ONE FAITH". Satan, is building all other "different bodies" and their many"different faiths". Is Yours included?

His Messenger.

I just thought I would share this with you, I pray that it will help some of you.

"What is Faith?"

"Faith", a word so often spoken, but so seldom understood. A word repeated by the politicians to gain votes, but so rarely used in its proper meaning for fear of being politically incorrect. A word haled by the religious in hopes of satisfying the "itchy ears", but so rarely preached according to scripture for fundamentalism doesn't fill the pews and offering plates. For those who seek the true meaning of spiritual terms such as faith, fundamentalism however is essential. Thus, we turn to the Holy word of God in confidence of being instructed for we know that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness." (II Timothy 3:16)
"Faith", without it there is no pleasing God. (Hebrews 11:6) God in his divine patience and wisdom has long made known his desire for faithful saints. Since the dawn of time we humans have been quite persistent in eluding God's instructions for being faithful. From Cain's futile effort of providing a sacrifice by his own design to those among the Corinthians who taught against the resurrection of the dead. Thankfully, there are many men and women of the scriptures that are appropriate examples of true faithfulness. Such examples would include Noah who was obedient of God's command to construct the ark. Abraham's obedience of God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac serves well as a pattern of faith. (Hebrews 11) These are called faithful because of their belief of what God told them. The Apostle Paul was faithful in his ministry for he wrote by inspiration of God "we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;". (II Corinthians 4:13) True faith is a belief so strong and confident that a response will be produced in accordance to the will of God.
True faith will be fully persuaded that God's word is truth. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) In order to have faith we must first hear the word of God. In other words, we can't believe something unless we know what to believe and what we believe is God's word. God hasn't left us to aimlessly believe in something that we do not know to be true by the scriptures. Faith cannot exist without the existence of God's word. We cannot have faith in anything else. Why? Romans 3:4 reads "let God be true, but every man a liar;" The only object that is worthy of our faith is God, because God is faithful in all He does. True faith is simply placing deep belief in the word of God, relying totally upon what the scriptures say as being infallible.
We cannot look to dreams, visions, feelings or circumstances to direct our faith. In Colossians 1:25 the Apostle Paul writes "Where of I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:" The complete revelation of the mystery program to the Apostle Paul fulfilled God's word. God will not speak to you today in any way other than through the scriptures. In times past, before this current dispensation God did reveal Himself to men through visions, dreams and audible voices because He hadn't completed his written word. However, God tells us that his word is now fulfilled. We have the COMPLETE word of God!
In Romans four the Apostle Paul writes regarding the faith of Abraham. Verse 18 reads, "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be." Genesis records the promise that God made to Abraham, which was that God would give Abraham and Sara a child. At that time Abraham and Sara had no children and where beyond the age at which they could produce children. Romans four recounts the faithfulness of Abraham and Sara to believe that God would fulfill his promise of a seed to the elderly couple. Romans 4:19 reads, "And being not weak in faith, he (Abraham) considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, he was able also to perform."
God spoke a promise to Abraham and he believed it. That's true faith. Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith". He believed that God would fulfill his spoken promise. We too have God's word as Abraham did. Even though we do not hear the audible voice of God we do have access to the written word of God. Rightly dividing the scriptures we too know a message that deserves our total faith. We have the message of grace in which God reveals his purpose for the body of Christ. The message in which we place our faith is that we are sinners and that Christ died on the Cross for our sins, was buried and resurrected on the third day. We have a message that says we can be saved by God's grace apart from works (Ephesians 2:8,9). True faith will believe that message and rely totally upon the sacrifice that was made at the Cross for our sins. To place your faith upon any "works" for your salvation is a show of faith lacking. Romans 4:5 reads, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Many feel their evil deeds will prevent them from being saved. Perhaps one has a history of drugs, alcohol or adultery and feels their actions cannot be forgiven. Some even feel that smoking a cigarette will lock the doors of heaven to them. Thankfully, God's forgiveness is blind to human works. Thankfully, his righteousness can be received by anyone that chooses to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:3 and 4 read, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Romans 3:22 and 23 read, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
This is the message of grace, which we can believe. We can have full assurance that the gospel is true. Do you believe the message? Your faith will be shown by your desire to rely totally on God's saving grace. Works will not show your faith, no matter how good. Are good works important? Most certainly, but don't confuse the matter. Good works has nothing to do with salvation. Your good works will be a product of understanding and appreciating all that God has done for you by his grace. If you've been told that you have to show your faith by submitting yourself to a ritual ceremony whatever the ceremony may, you've been told an error. If you've been told you'll lose your salvation if you do something bad, you've been told an error. Why would God give you a gift that has nothing to do with your good works and then take it away because of your bad works? He wouldn't. He offers us salvation as a free gift. Just believe it and rely on nothing else. That's faith! Rely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. As the song says…
JESUS PAID IT ALL; ALL TO HIM I OWE.
SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN;
HE WASHED IT WHITE AS SNOW.

What a wonderful message of God's grace! What a God we serve!

Author: Jonathan Goley

Refreshing :)

Welcome aboard His Messenger
  Your friend and Brother

       Brother Love :)
          <:)))><

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, AS SILVER AND GOLD, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

"But with THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (IPet.1:18,19).

Does the body have a physical presence?

yes, each member