Tenets of Faith -- Just for the Record

I affirm these essential doctrinal truths and principles of the Christian Faith:

We believe:

1. that both the Old and New Testaments constitute the divinely inspired word of God, inerrant
in the originals.

2. in one God existing eternally in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, in order
that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.

4. that the Holy Spirit came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, of
righteousness and of judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, comfort and seal those who
believe in Jesus Christ.

5. that man is totally depraved in that of himself he is utterly unable to remedy his lost
condition.

6. that salvation is the gift of God who brought to man by grace and received by personal faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose atoning blood was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of
sins.

7. in the water baptism of believers, symbolizing the believers union in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ; in the observance of the Lord's Supper commemorating the
sacrifice of our Savior for all mankind.

8. We believe the life of the believer is to be separated from the world by consistent conduct
before God and man, and is to be in the world as a life-giving light.

9. We believe in the personal and visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I agree with and uphold these essential truths with the fellowship of which I am a part, and by whom I am ordained into Gospel ministry. SEE: www.ecainternational.org

Should this statement leave any questions unanswered or tenets unclear, I also affirm the statement of faith of the National Association of Evangelicals, which is found at www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=nae.statement_of_faith

My theological philosophy is generally "Reformation Arminian," (as opposed to Calvinist) and I tend to be "baptistic" (as opposed to other denominations) on many issues. Honestly, though, I think many of those "lines" and differences are manufactured by "made-with-hands" human organizations or Satan himself to keep The Church divided.

As some have read in earlier posts, my understanding of the organization of the "church" defies neat, nutshell descriptions.... I affirm "That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head."

Now at least you know where I'm coming from Theologically :-D