I Believe Jesus is Lord
I believe that Jesus was with God in the beginning; that he gave up his place in heaven and came to earth in human form, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; that he lived a sinless life; that he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, forsaken by his disciples, rejected by the religious establishment, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate; that he was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended back to heaven; that he will come again to judge the living and the dead; that he is at the right hand of God, interceding for believers and reigning over his kingdom which will never end.
I Believe God is Sovereign
I believe that God is all-powerful; that he is God, and there is no other—that he does what he pleases, and what he has planned he will do (Is 46:8–11); that humans hatch their own plans, but it is the Lord’s plan that will prevail (Prv 19:21); that “all things happen just as he decided long ago” (Eph 1:11); that he is “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15); that he rules over the nations (Ps 22:28); that he “brings down rulers and turns them into nothing” (Is 40:23);
If with fallible human reasoning I ever doubt the sovereignty of God, it will carry no weight, for he will remain infallibly sovereign. He is God and is not shackled by my limited understanding. He has infinite knowledge, unlimited power, and operates on his own clock and calendar, not mine. He, only he, is in control.
“Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? . . . For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen” (Rom 11:33–36).
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:47).
I Believe Life is a Gift
I believe that life is a gift from God (Jb 10:12; 12:10; Acts 17:25); that there is a God-designed reason I was born; that God gives me the freedom to live this life as I choose, but that my status is stewardship, not ownership; that my talents and abilities are gifts from him, and that I am responsible for their cultivation and use; that I only get one earthly life, therefore only one chance to thank him for this incredible gift by using it to serve and glorify him; that he wants me to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Mi 6:8); that I start breathing at one end of life and stop at the other, and that what I do in between measures how I value the gift.
I Believe Eternal Life is Real
I believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and that those who believe in him, even though they die, will live again (Jn 11:25).
In Daniel Silva’s novel, The Other Woman, Alistair Hughes, an American falsely accused of spying for Russia, is murdered. At the graveside, his colleague Arthur Seymour approaches Milinda Hughes, Alistair’s widow, to offer his condolence. She requests a word in private, and as they walk among the headstones she asks, “Are you a believer?”
“I am not,” admits Seymour.
“Nor am I,” she says. “But at this moment, I wish I were. Is this how it ends? Is there really nothing more?”
There is more, Milinda, for believers much more—an eternal life where there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain (Rv 21:4).