Titus One One

What I believe:

1. The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments comprising the established canon of 66 books, are verbally inspired by God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. [2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21]
2. The One True God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity). [Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22]
3. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, both 100% human and 100% divine. The Scriptures declare His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His substitutionary work on the cross, His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His exaltation to the right hand of God the Father. [Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; Acts 2:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Acts 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3]
4. Mankind was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” However, man by voluntary rebellion sinned against God and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. [Genesis 1:26,27; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12-19]
5. Mankind’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life. The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness. [Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12]
6. The two ordinances established by Jesus Christ: 1) The ordinance of water baptism is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. 2) The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements –bread and the fruit of the vine– is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, a memorial of his suffering and death, a prophecy of His second coming, and is enjoined on all believers “till He come!” [Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47,48; Romans 6:4; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Corinthians 11:26]
7. The promised infilling of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life for the purpose of being God’s “witnesses…to the end of the earth.” Usually accompanied by spiritual gifts, ministries, and manifestations distributed by the Holy Spirit, this working equips believers with God’s dunamis (power) to be bold witnesses for Christ. This infilling should be sought after by every believer, as commanded by the Lord Jesus, and should become a continual working as the believer yields himself to the control of the Lord Jesus. [Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Acts 8:12-17; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:14-16; Acts 15:7-9; Romans 6:13; Romans 8:13; Romans 12:6-8; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:11-12; Philippians 2:12,13]
8. The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive in Christ and remain unto the coming of the Lord. [1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52]
9. The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years. [Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27; Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11-14; Revelation 20:1-6]
10. There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to the everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. [Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:8]
11. “We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” [2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21; Revelation 22]