Eleven Basic Premises Of My Christian Faith In Jesus
Christian Faith
Christian faith is based on who we believe more than what we believe. True Christian beliefs should always point to the person of Jesus. In reality, we can have faith based on deeply held beliefs in something other than Jesus.
Even atheism is a premise of faith by believing that there is no God. Atheism defined is disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. While the definition shows a lack of believing, we surely can see that atheism is rooted in a belief system.
Faith defined is complete trust in someone or something. So while the atheist doesn’t put their complete trust in someone, namely Jesus, they put their trust in their belief that God doesn’t exist. This is beyond unfathomable to me and always has been. Even before I trusted in Jesus, every baby born, the beauty and majesty of creation, and a deep knowing within me always testified to the existence of God. Romans 1:20 addresses this very thing.
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse,”
Romans 1:20
So first and foremost, my faith is in the person of Christ and the eleven basic premises that I am about to share points to Jesus as the cornerstone of my Christian faith.
Eleven Basic Premises Of Faith In Jesus
1) Jesus Christ is the Word of God.
Rarely have I taught a Bible study or spoken to a group where I didn’t bring up the fact that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. For me there is no more foundational element of what I believe and why I do what I do.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
For a more detailed account of my beliefs about Jesus, read my past blog: Son of God: The True Identity And Divinity Of Jesus.
2) Jesus Christ is unchanging.
We live in a world that changes on a dime. People’s beliefs and standards change based on feelings and experiences. I love the fact that nothing changes God. He always was; He is, and forever will be the same.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
The state of our world and anything that happens to us in the midst of this world, or hereafter, does not change Jesus. Personally, I find a lot of peace, hope, and even confidence in my daily life because of that fact.
3) The Word of God is absolute truth.
This statement motivates everything I do in ministry. I believe the Bible is God’s word given to us in tangible form as a way to know Him. Knowing His word has set me free from a multitude of junk in the past and still works in me today.
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
John 17:17
Not only is this a basic premise of my Christian faith, but I have experienced the truth of God’s Word in a way that I cannot keep it to myself. In my past blog post The Authority Of God’s Word Is The Reason For The Hope That Is In Me, explains this point in greater detail.
4) Salvation comes through Jesus alone.
It’s interesting how this point often hits us as the issue to contest because we want there to be another way. However, God Himself provided the avenue for our salvation by shedding His own Son’s blood. Jesus being God took our punishment for our sin upon Himself. No human can be made right apart from the shedding of blood. And Jesus shed His blood for anyone and everyone who would ever believe in Him for salvation.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
Why is it that we would ever want any other way than God providing for us salvation?
5) There is no one righteous apart from Jesus.
With so much talk over the past few years about self-worth and self-esteem, we can see the American church binged themselves on a “good enough theology diet.” The problem is we are not good enough apart from Jesus. When we tell someone they are good enough apart from the justifying work of Jesus, we really dull their senses to God drawing their attention to Himself.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
A person with no sense of their own inadequacies, weaknesses, and yes, sinfulness, has no reason to look to Jesus. That person mistakenly believes that what they have within themselves is enough. That may be the lie Laodiceans believed in Revelation 3:14-22.
6) There is a cost for sin.
Dear Sister, no matter what, we NEED Jesus! Because, as we saw in Romans 3:23, we all sin. Sin separates us from our holy God who loved us and died for us even while we were still sinners.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
If you happen to be a major sinner like I was when I first came to Jesus, you might tend to focus on “the wages of sin is death.” On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you live legalistically following rules, you too may focus on the first part of Romans 3:23. I encourage you to rest in God’s gift, whether major sinner or legalistic rule follower. Embracing God’s gift and trusting in Jesus relieves the weight and pressure off ourselves and our actions.
7) Jesus paid the price for sin.
It’s just that simple. True Christian faith believes the gospel.
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3b-4
8) Jesus died for all and now lives.
So far, we repeatedly addressed Jesus’ death. However, the fact that He lives also makes a huge difference for us today. I hear the old hymn faintly playing in the background of my mind. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone.” This song speaks of the treasures our Christian faith affords us when we look to the fact that Jesus lives.
“For the death that He died He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”
Romans 6:10
Hebrews 7:25 tells us that He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Rejoice in the fact that the one true living God intercedes for you in your day to day life, here and now.
9) Jesus came to give abundant life.
Everything about Jesus’ purpose statement in John 10:10, I have experienced.
"I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
If you are a believer in Jesus, but haven’t experienced the abundant life He came to give us, do you have limited expectations regarding Jesus and what He offers? Check out my blog post, What Do You Hope For? Do You Have Limited Expectations?
Today, I will finish with these last two basic premises of my Christian faith. In next week’s blog post I will detail these two final points.
10) Through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
“That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus,
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Galatians 3:14
11) The Holy Spirit’s dwelling in the heart of believers is the power to fulfill God’s call.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
