Shared Beliefs

I add this page because I want to emphasize some of the major beliefs that I share with the entire Church despite no longer sharing one core belief of the majority Church, Jesus' divinity. Satan's purpose is always to divide, but God and Jesus want us to be united. Consider what Jesus said in his high priestly prayer in John 17:20-23, 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." May Jesus' prayer come true in our lifetimes! Further, Ephesians 4:3 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Everyone who believes in the gospel (see my explanation of "the gospel" on the gospel tab) and so has put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior has the Holy Spirit and is a Christian. Every Christian has much in common regardless of whether Jesus is God, the Holy Spirit is God and Mother, and universal salvation is true, for example. While these are very important topics to think about discuss, and strive to agree on with God's Word as our guide, I believe the Church can still be united in many ways given the beliefs we share in common. So, in the spirit of making "every effort" to keep the unity of the Spirit, I highlight on this page the many, many truths Christians, including me, all share in common.

1. Shared Mission

All Christians desire to see God's kingdom of love fully come on earth, for God to be glorified, and for evil of every kind to be completely destroyed. All Christians resonate with Amos 5:24, "Let justice roll down like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!" Christians desire justice and righteousness to reign on this earth. All Christians believe in Jesus' Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey Jesus' commandments (Matthew 28:19-20).

2. Shared Commandment

Matthew 23:36-50 says, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

All Christians believe that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others, and all Christians strive to orient their lives around obeying this greatest commandment that Jesus gave us.

3. God's Word

All Christians believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word to us and is true. While Christians do differ on the biblical canon, all at least agree that all the books in the Protestant canon are true and divinely inspired. Christians believe the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

4. The Truths of the Apostle's Creed

Christians share the beliefs set forth by the Apostle's Creed, which is a much older creed than the Nicene Creed of the 4th century that added Jesus' divinity to this creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

5. The Gospel

All Christians believe in the gospel, which literally means “good news”, and is the biblical message that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Jewish Messiah. Jesus came to bring eternal life and reconciliation with God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” While God created the world with no brokenness, pain, or death, all people, starting with Adam, the first human, have disobeyed God. This is called “sin”, and is fundamentally the failure to love God and neighbor. Romans 5:12, 17, 18 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned… For if, because of one man’s [Adam’s] trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” God sent Jesus, called the “last Adam” in the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:45) to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) - by being the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Without Jesus, humanity would suffer both physical death and spiritual death apart from God forever. Jesus lived a sinless life and died to bring humanity back to God. He overcame sin, became perfect, and defeated death on the cross. While people still die now, anyone who puts their faith in Jesus will experience eternal life and live eternally with God. Romans 10:9-10 says, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

God promises eternal life for all who put their faith in Jesus, who died on a cross and rose again from the dead 3 days later. God promises that all who put their faith in Jesus, while they may physically die, will rise again like Jesus and live forever with God in a perfect place with no sin, death, or suffering: a new heaven and a new earth.

This is described in the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21-22. What is more, whoever puts their faith in Jesus and what he did for humanity on the cross, believing that God raised him from the dead and that Jesus is the son of God, becomes a child of God. Galatians 3:26 says, “for in Christ Jesus you are children of God, through faith.” Christians are saved from death and judgment by Jesus and are given eternal life with God, fully forgiven by God and given the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with God. Upon becoming a Christian, Christians receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, who lives in them and transforms them to become exactly like Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:13, Romans 8:29).

Christianity is not just about being saved from death but about becoming a new person, one who loves God and those around them (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ died to create a new humanity, one characterized by love of God and others, not sin and rebellion against God. The promises of the gospel include God’s promise to all Christians that they will one day share the divine nature with God (2 Peter 1:4) and be fully conformed to Christ’s image (Romans 8:29). This process of becoming like Christ is called sanctification. In Philippian 1:6 Paul says, “...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” All Christians can find great comfort from this verse, knowing that God will one day fully sanctify us and make us like Christ fully.

Conclusion

Everything listed and explained above are core Christian beliefs that majorly impact the way Christians think and live. I think we should be careful not to add to Scripture. Namely, there are no Scriptures that say you must believe Jesus is God to be saved, so people who do not believe Jesus is God, like me, should not be considered to be non-Christian. Instead, belief in the gospel of Jesus and the evidence of true faith that follows (love of God and neighbor) are the Bible's measure of who is a true Christian. So, while the topics I write about on this blog are very significant, particularly if Jesus is God or not (as if Jesus is not God, treating him as such is idolatry, though unintentional), and impact Christian life and practice, the topics I write about do not impact our status before God as His children. He counts us as His children based on our belief in the gospel, which even children can understand and put their faith in. I was one of them and put my faith in Jesus at 5 years old (see the "My Testimony" page for the full story).