MY DOCTRINAL BELIEFS

I am a minister of the Church of Christ which subscribes to the Restoration Movement beliefs begun in the 1830s by Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone and other Restoration movement leaders of that period.

This is what I believe about

God’s plan of Salvation 

God wants everyone be to be saved.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I believe the requirements for a person’s salvation are:

   Faith in God.  Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

   Repentance of sins.

2nd Peter 3:9 ” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

   Confession of Christ as Lord.

Matthew 10:32, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

   Baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of Holy Ghost.

Eternal Security of the believer

When you become a believer no one can take your salvation away from you.  John 10:27,28,29:

27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father which gave them to me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

However, I believe you can throw away your salvation if you come to the decision, you no longer want to be saved.  I believe that this would be a very foolish decision and not what God would want you to do.  There is an extended passage of Scripture that explains why I believe this.  It is in Hebrews 10:14-39.  Please read and think about these verses from God’s word.

The rapture.  1st Thessalonians 4:13-17:

    13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

    14.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

    15.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.

    16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 17. Then we which are alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

I believe the rapture when the church will be taken up to heaven will occur after the tribulation at the second coming of Christ and not before his second coming. The popular teaching by several prominent pastors today is that the rapture will happen before Jesus second coming.  I believe this is contrary to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:27-31 

     27 “For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

     28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

     29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

     30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

     31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect  from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

                    See 1st Corinthians 15:51-52)

    51 Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

    52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The Bible

The return of Christ

The Church of Christ

Heaven and and Hell