Dear Roger,
I have often wondered what you believe about the Bible and how it influenced your life and ministry. Could you give me a short summary of just a few of the essentials of your faith? Many churches these days have stopped believing important parts of Bible doctrine. Please help me. I don’t want to go to a church who has allowed culture to compromise biblical truth.
A concerned church member.
Dear Concerned Church Member,
I am sorry you are struggling in this area. These biblical truths have guided my life since I first began my ministry. Did you know God called me to preach when I was seven? I preached my first sermon at 13. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and a great church. However, it is not enough just to associate with good Christians. Every person must seek God and study the Bible to know what God has to say. I hope that every person God placed in my life heard these truths from my pulpit.
The doctrines I list below are only a few of the basic doctrines I hold. I stake my life on them. I pray these truths are deeply communicated each and every day. In fact, that is why God led me to develop Preach It, Teach It. I will also list a few links where you can find more basic doctrines on our site.
WHAT I BELIEVE
The Bible
We place our confidence in the divinely inspired Word of God without error. It is completely reliable as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice.
1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; and 2 Peter 1:20–21
God the Father
We acknowledge the Creator-God as our heavenly Father, all-knowing, all-powerful and always present, yet intimately acquainted with each one of us.
Psalm 103:19; Matthew 28:19; and 1 Peter 1:2.
The Lord Jesus Christ
We claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He who is fully God came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, died to pay in full the penalty we owed for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and will come again someday.
John 1:1–3, 14; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:1–3; and 1 John 5:11–12
The Holy Spirit
We recognize the Holy Spirit as the third member of the Trinity who is constantly at work, convicting those who’ve sinned, comforting those who hurt and guiding those who believe in Christ.
John 14:26; Acts 1:5, 8; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; and Ephesians 1:13–14
The Depravity of Humanity
We confess that we are all sinners, by birth and by choice. Our relationship with a holy, sinless God can only be restored through Christ’s work of salvation.
Genesis 3; Jeremiah 17:9; and Romans 3:10–18, 23; 5:12
Salvation
We believe that God’s free gift of salvation is available to everyone. Those who accept it by faith, apart from works, receive the forgiveness of their sins and experience a restored relationship with God which results in permanent life-change.
John 3:16; Romans 10:9–10; 1 Corinthians 15:1–5; and Ephesians 1:4–12; 2:8–9
The Return of Christ
We anticipate our Lord’s promised return which could occur at any moment.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12; Hebrews 9:28; and Revelation 19:11–16
Eternity
We are convinced that at the end of time, believers will enter into everlasting communion with God and unbelievers will be condemned to everlasting separation from God.
John 11:23–27; 1 Corinthians 15:51–57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; and Revelation 20:4–21:5
The Body of Christ
We are grateful to be a part of the church universal, which exists to proclaim God’s truth, to stimulate spiritual growth, to facilitate healthy relationships and to bring glory to God.
Acts 2:41–47; Philippians 2:1–4
https://piti.wpengine.com/ask-roger/detail/how-can-i-be-sure-that-the-bible-is-reliable/
https://piti.wpengine.com/ask-roger/detail/you-cant-be-a-christian-without-these-5-things/
