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STATEMENT OF FAITH
What We Believe
We at Living By The Word Ministries believe it is vital that those who claim to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, not only know what they believe but also know why they believe it; and also that they are able to support those beliefs by Scripture, properly interpreted.
As a ministry, Living By The Word stands for and believes all of the Essential Doctrines and Cardinal of the Christian faith. While there is some small debate in Christendom as to which beliefs are and which are not essential for one to be born again, there is no question that the following five doctrines are, singularly and collectively, an absolute must if one is to be considered a true Christian (or saint, believer, child of God, etc.). You are encouraged to check out each Scripture reference provided, in its proper context.
Essential Christian Doctrines
I. The Deity of Jesus Christ.
You must believe that Jesus is the one and only Being that was fully God and fully man.
Ref: John 1:1-14; Exodus 3:13-14 cf. (cross-reference) John 8:58
II. Christ's Bodily Resurrection from the Dead
You must believe that Jesus rose from the dead physically.
Ref: John 2:19-21 cf. Luke 24:36-39
III The Trinity
You must believe there is one God who subsists of three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
Ref: Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29, cf. with the following:
1. 1 Peter 1:2 - God, the Father
2. John 1:1-14 - God, the Son (Jesus Christ)
3. Acts 5:3-4 -- God, the Holy Spirit
IV. Christ's Vicarious Atonement for Man's Sin
You must believe that Christ paid the penalty for your sin when He shed His innocent blood on the Cross.
Ref: John 1:29 cf. Romans 8:3 cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21 cf. Revelations 5:96
V. Salvation By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone
You must believe that salvation is a gift from God to all who have faith in Him, and that it is not a reward for good works. Salvation is a work of a loving and merciful God, not a work of sinful man.
Ref.: Ephesians 2:1-10 and 2 Timothy 1:9
Living By The Word Ministries strongly contends that if any person, ministry or organization will NOT affirm each and all of these Essential Christian Doctrines, then they CANNOT be considered part of the true Christian Church. Even if they believe and proclaim all but one of the Essentials, regardless of their popularity or perceived effectiveness in ministry, they are not believers.
Cardinal Christian Doctrines
Besides the Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith there are other very important doctrines in which those who claim to be part of this faith should believe. Three of these, what we'll refer to as Cardinal Doctrines, are the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Inerrancy of Scripture, and the Second Coming of Christ and are considered essentials by some. While it can be debated whether one's salvation is actually contingent on believing in these, it is on the other hand difficult to reconcile how one could not affirm these doctrines and still proclaim to be a believer in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. While salvation may not hinge on belief in these Cardinal Doctrines, the true believer's proper adherence to living by the Word, the full counsel of God, does require such belief.
I. The Virgin Birth
If one does not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, then they have the difficult task of proving biblically that He wasn't and also be able to intelligently argue how He could be God and still be born of the union of a man and a woman.
Ref: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; and Galatians 4:4-5
II. Inerrancy of Scripture
If one does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, they must be able to argue how they've come to believe what they believe, objectively as opposed to subjectively. In other words, on what basis do they believe in even the Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith.
Ref: 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 4:2-4; 2 Peter 1:19-21
III. The Second Coming of Christ
How can one be a believer in Jesus Christ and not believe in the promise and the words of the Master Himself as it related to His eminent return?
Ref: John 14:1-3; Revelation 22:7,12,20For a more thorough and complete review of the Essentials of the Christian Faith, please click on our link to our friends at
www.apologeticsinfo.org.
Living By The Word Ministries affirms and agrees with the Augustine Maxim:
"In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials [peripherals], liberty; but in all things, charity [love]."
We believe that true love and unity in the Body of Christ must be centered around the essentials of our faith. Loving God with all of our hearts, souls and minds as well as loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37) compels us to take a strong stance for the truth of His Word and to contend with all and any who attempt to pervert it (Galatians 1:6-7; Jude 3).
While we may vigorously debate with fellow believers regarding the peripherals, we will not disobey Holy Scripture by dividing ourselves from any true believers (1 Corinthians 3:3; 12:24-27), regardless of our disagreements. However, we believe that we have a biblical mandate to strongly admonish other members of the Body who have turned from the truth of sound doctrine and have embraced doctrines that are based on fables contrived by men of corrupt minds who are destitute of the truth (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). Of course, we ourselves will always steer our brethren from these false teachings with Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) that has been properly interpreted (2 Timothy 2:15).
Finally, Living By The Word as a ministry does not identify itself with any of the contemporary labels given to and among Christians or Christian organizations. We do not ourselves nor will we allow anyone else to label us as charasmatics or cessasionists, dispensationlists or non-dispensationalists, arminianists or calvinists, etc. While some individuals who are a part of or associated with our ministry identify with these various schools of thought, as a unified ministry organization we do not. However, we do together wear the label of "biblicists," which simply means that we measure any and all of our beliefs--as well as those proclaimed by others--by the Bible as the inspired Word of God. We are a united front of believers working harmoniously together, defending and contending for the Faith, as we humbly attempt to "live by the Word".
Living By The Word Ministries
