Who Am I?

I believe in one God, Creator of all things, who brought the universe into existence out of nothing and sustains it by His power. He eternally exists in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one in essence and three in personhood—holy, infinitely perfect, and alone worthy of worship.

I believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary—fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life and offered Himself as our substitutionary atonement on the cross, bearing the full wrath of God against our sins. He rose bodily from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will return personally and visibly in power and glory. There is salvation in no one else; Jesus Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

I believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God—the sole and sufficient authority for faith and practice. I receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the complete, closed Word of God—nothing added, nothing removed. The apocryphal and deuterocanonical writings contain historical value but are not Scripture and carry no binding authority for faith and practice. I interpret Scripture according to its context, taking historical narratives as literal where the text presents them as such (e.g., Adam and Eve, Jonah and the great fish), while recognizing figurative or symbolic language where the context clearly requires it. The Bible is sufficient for knowing God, the gospel of salvation, and the life of faithful obedience.

Salvation is by grace alone, through repentant faith in Jesus Christ alone—not by works, baptism, sacraments, or human effort. There is no other path to reconciliation with God. True believers are secure in Christ. The New Testament both assures believers of God’s preserving grace and warns against empty profession. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances commanded by Christ for His followers, but they confer no saving merit.

I believe that the moment I was justified, God also committed Himself to finishing what He started. Sanctification is His ongoing work in me—conforming me to the image of Christ through the Word, prayer, community, suffering, and obedience. It is not my effort added to His grace but His grace producing my effort. I will not be complete in this life, but I will be complete—glorification, the full realization of what salvation began, awaits every true believer at Christ’s return.

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, indwells every true believer at the moment of salvation. I hold a continuationist position: the gifts of the Spirit remain active and available today for the edification and mission of the church. At the same time, I exercise careful biblical discernment toward modern charismatic expressions, guarding against spiritual abuse, manipulation, false prophecy, or any teaching contrary to God’s revealed character and Word.

Prayer is genuine communion with the living God—not a religious formality but a real conversation with a Father who hears, cares, and acts. God answers prayer according to His wisdom and will, and a life of prayer is inseparable from a life of faith.

God created humanity—male and female—in His image, giving every person inherent dignity and worth. Through Adam’s sin, humanity is fallen and unable to save itself apart from God’s grace—guilty before God, enslaved to sin, and justly condemned apart from Christ. This reality is affirmed across historic Christian theology. There will be a bodily resurrection of all people: the saved to eternal life in God’s presence, and the unsaved to final judgment and everlasting, conscious punishment in hell.

At death, the souls of believers pass immediately into the conscious presence of Christ—absent from the body, present with the Lord. The souls of the unbelieving dead remain in conscious existence under judgment, awaiting the resurrection and final sentencing. Soul sleep is not taught in Scripture. Death is not an ending but a doorway—for the believer, into the joy of Christ’s presence; for the unrepentant, into a reckoning the resurrection will only confirm and complete.

God created humanity male and female—distinct, complementary, and both bearing His image. Marriage is the covenant union of one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy is reserved exclusively for marriage. These convictions arise from God’s creational design revealed in Scripture and reaffirmed by Christ.

God created an innumerable company of spiritual beings known as angels. One of these, Satan, sinned through pride and became the originator of evil and the adversary of God and man. He led humanity into the Fall and continues to operate as the “god of this world,” leading a host of fallen angels in a campaign of deception and destruction. Satan is a real and dangerous foe—but a defeated one. Christ disarmed the powers and authorities at the cross, and Satan’s final destiny is eternal judgment in the lake of fire. Spiritual warfare is not a theatrical display but a life of vigilance: putting on the armor of God and standing firm in the finished work of Christ.

The New Testament pattern calls for a plurality of elders to shepherd each local body. I prefer this shared leadership model over structures centered on a single “senior pastor” or celebrity-driven ministry. Every believer is a priest before God, and ministry is the mutual responsibility of the whole body. I affirm simple, organic gatherings—often in homes—as consistent with the simplicity and relational life of the New Testament church.

Men and women are both created in the image of God—equal in dignity, worth, and spiritual standing before Him. All believers are gifted by the Spirit for the work of ministry. Following the New Testament pattern, I hold that the office of elder is reserved for qualified men, reflecting God’s design for headship within the local church. The role of deacon is one of service rather than governing authority. Women can and should serve in diaconal roles and other vital ministries outside the unique teaching and oversight authority assigned to elders.

Our primary allegiance is to Christ and His kingdom; our ultimate hope rests not in political systems but in the return of the King. God has ordained civil government for the order and good of society. We are called to pray for, honor, and submit to governing authorities—obeying all laws that do not require us to violate the commands of God. As citizens of a heavenly kingdom living in earthly ones, we serve as salt and light: seeking to influence our culture for the glory of God while holding all political structures loosely.

Every believer is commissioned to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching obedience to Christ. Financial support for ministry should be cheerful, generous, and Spirit-led. While tithing may serve as a helpful framework for some, it is not commanded for New Testament believers; giving flows from grace, not law.

I believe in the blessed hope: Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to judge the living and the dead and to consummate His kingdom. The certainty of His return is non-negotiable. The precise timing and sequence of end-times events are secondary, and I will not divide fellowship over them.

I believe God’s covenant promises to Israel are real and enduring. How those promises ultimately find fulfillment—whether through a distinct future for ethnic Israel or entirely through Christ and His body—is a matter I hold with humility. I will not divide fellowship over differing views on this question.

While I hold these convictions firmly, I will not divide fellowship over Calvinist/Arminian differences, the mechanics of election, eschatological sequencing, or interpretations of Israel’s future. Unity in the essential gospel of Jesus Christ is supreme—where the Gospel is present and Christ is honored, I extend the hand of brotherhood.