What I believe

(image by Lori at All You Have To Give)

If you stumbled upon a homemaker's blog you may or may not be expecting to come upon a woman who talks a lot about Jesus and the Bible. Maybe you were hoping more for frugal tips, canning recipes, and gardening suggestions. I'd love to learn ALL of those things, so if you know someone...let me know. But that's not primarily what I talk about here. My life as a homemaker is just the place I currently walk out my faith, my belief, in Christ. And since that is the service I commit my life too- living by faith in Christ as a homemaker and in everything I do- I think it is fitting that I should tell you what it is I believe very clearly.

I believe this life is eternally effected by a fact that is more real than gravity- that God so loved the world that He sent His ONLY Son that whoever would believe (put all their confidence in the fact of Him being the only Savior) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! (The beautiful 3:16 passage)

Now you may say it's narrow...you'd be right. The One in whom I believe said that too, "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it...Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:13-14, 21)

You may say it's ridiculous, that's ok, but PLEASE don't say, "That's a nice opinion...whatever makes your clock tick!" Please!!! And if you must say, "Nice opinion Sheila!" Then at least consider that my "opinion" is that the following is not an opinion, but a fact! And if you would give me at least that consideration then you most likely will have to come to the conclusion that I'm a fool, and that's ok too, because I'd rather cling to the foolishness of God (1 Cor.1:25, 1 Cor.1:18) and I'll gladly be a fool for His Son who laid down His life for me to be His own.

Here it goes, What I believe:

• *I believe there is only ONE God (Isaiah 45:5, John 17:3) and MANY other passages speak this- I'd be glad to send them to you if you'd like). This God is not made by human hands or found only in church buildings (2 Samuel 7:5, 2 Chron.6:18. This God is spirit and He is life (John 4:24, 1 John 5:12). He is beyond explaining in words but He defined Himself in the life of one Man (Colossians 1:15), Jesus- a man who lived in Israel 2000 plus years ago. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. I believe in the triunity of the One Living God. God is One Father, One Son and One Holy Spirit (Matt.28:19)- none are of them selves, each are of the other and together make up the One Living God.
  
  *I believe the Man Jesus is the Christ, the "Annointed One", the Holy One, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah of Israel and for the whole world, the Only Savior (Matt.16:13-20, John 4:25-26, Proverbs 9:10 , Luke 1:35). I believe He is not one of many ways to enter the gate of "salvation" but rather He is THE gate, THE way, and HE IS salvation!

Jesus said of Himself, "I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep," he said. "All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:7-11)

• I believe man is by nature depraved and sinful (Romans 3:23) . We aren't just sinful because we sin (that is we do things that are against God's word) but we sin because we are naturally sinners (Romans 5:12). I believe all flesh, all mankind, will perish apart from being born a second time, not of flesh but of spirit (John 3:3) . The flesh is born after humankind (after the line of Adam, the first man) but the spirit is born after God through faith (total confidence and trust) in the saving work of Jesus the Christ (1 Peter 1:23).


• I believe that there is a very real (more real than what we see with our eyes) spiritual realm in which a war takes place against the souls of men (Ephesians 6:12). I believe the victory of the souls of every one who has and will believe in Christ by faith was secured at the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). I believe there is a devil who seeks to steal, kill and destroy people and the name of God (John 10:10). He is already defeated by the work of the Savior but he is going down fighting and destroying. I believe he is only allowed to do what Almighty God permits Him too until the day when the fullness of all who will believe are complete (Job 1:6-12).


• I believe there is a time of judgement that begins with the house or the family of God- those who are His (1 Peter 4:17-19). For those that are His this judgement is a time of chastising and trial through which the new creature that person is through faith in Christ is proven true and purified. I also believe that judgement continues for those who refuse the salvation of the Lord. For them their standing before God is not as children, but as condemned flesh- flesh that died in Christ at the cross. Because they have refused to believe that God saves them through His own death and resurrection but try to stand on their own goodness and good intentions, they stand before a perfect God trying to justify their lives by their own works and they cannot stand (Psalm 140:3-4, Romans 4:4-6, Isaiah 64:6)!


• I believe the Bible (in it's original language) is the perfect Word of the Living God. I believe it was written by men inspired by God and that it is completely fulfilled in Christ (Psalm 19:7-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21) .


• I believe that God created the entire universe be simply speaking His words and He did so in 6 days and then spent an entire 7th day resting- no longer creating (Genesis 1). I believe that He created man and woman in His own image and that mankind is a treasured creation bearing a spirit and the Godhead's own likeness (Genesis 1:26-28).


• I also believe all that life or death is long, not short. I believe all souls will eternally live either with God as His sons and daughters and enjoy the glory they were created to enjoy (Ephesians 1:3-14) OR die eternally apart from God in a very real places that Jesus called hell, "...where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'" (Mark 9:44)

As I said before I do not believe the God I serve desires any soul to perish. He's made a way for all to come! No one has to justify themselves or hope God accepts them. No one has to find a new religion or conform to an already existing one. No one has to or can do ANYTHING to gain favor in the sight of the God who created them...JESUS ALREADY DID IT! He is the only ONE who can make us acceptable in God's eyes.

I think of it this way...it's a love story. God doesn't want us to come to Him on a basis of meeting a certain mark or staying within a certain limit. He wants us to come to Him in response to His great love. That's why there's not any way-that-makes-your-clock-tick ways to God...they're all just attempts to meet a certain mark or be a certain way to be "good" and acceptable to God. He wants you to love Him...and you can't even do that unless He loves you first. He wants you to, without seeing it, just believe (put all your eggs in His basket) that He loves you enough to die for you and live a life in response to that mighty, selfless, redemptive love.

Saying that, "Oh, surely a merciful God would understand that anyone who does good, no matter who they believe is their savior, is deserving of His acceptance," is like refusing to give a man who saved a people group from destruction by standing in the way of the death that was coming their way and dying in the process, recognition. Would you refuse Abraham Lincoln a name and title of honor for his work to free the slaves in America? Could "Private Ryan" refuse to give the respect of acknowledging that it was his superior who died to be sure to rescue him and give him a long life? Can you refuse to give Jesus the name and honor only He deserves since He experienced all a human experiences and the weight and pain of this fallen place along with all the terror of sin, rejection, judgement and death just to save you from the damnation that was sure to come to all fallen creation?

"There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." - Acts 4:12

"Though he was God, he did
not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."- Philippians 2:6-11

If you read this and you haven't bowed your knee...your life, to Jesus and agreed with God that He is Lord, won't you do it now?! If you have, or desire to, I'd love to hear from you and I'm praying for you even now!

Also, a note to all you fellow Christian bloggers, have you posted a post on what you believe- I mean just layin' it out there real clear in your own words? If not, I'd encourage you to. Doing this has been great for me, just to think it through and try to put into my own words the truths that keep me for eternity. It's something God's word instructs us to do, to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks. If someone comes to your blog, they're sort of asking. So what do you believe? Also, I feel like this has prepared me a bit for when someone may ask me face to face. I've thought it through and written it down and that always makes putting things in speech a lot easier for me.

Prayerfully

~Sheila~