Matt's Notes — Preaching the Gospel, Defending the Faith, Edifying the Body
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"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord . . . . " 2 Corinthians 4:5

My Beliefs

What follows is the Statement of Faith I wrote for my former church, adopted for this page, as it also constitutes my personal statement of faith.

The Bible as My Statement of Faith

I consider the entirety of Scripture to be my statement of faith. Rather than limiting my beliefs to a doctrinal statement, I hold that every word of the Bible is the authoritative foundation for all that I believe and practice.

I believe that Scripture includes the traditional Protestant canon: 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, totaling 66 books, known today as the Bible.

I believe that:

Because not everyone shares the same understanding of Scripture, what follows serves as a summary of some key biblical truths that I generally hold to. This is not intended to be a doctrinal statement that sets me apart; instead, it is simply an affirmation that I believe what the Bible says about the Gospel and Jesus Christ. It is also intended to let anyone who visits this site know what I understand Scripture to teach regarding certain important matters. These beliefs are drawn directly from the Bible and are explained in light of my understanding of essential vs. non-essential doctrines.

Essential vs. Non-Essential Doctrines

I believe that unity in the Church should be based on shared faith in the essentials of the Gospel, not on uniformity regarding secondary doctrines.

While I hold strong convictions on various doctrinal matters, I don’t believe in forcing personal interpretations of non-essential doctrines upon others. I believe in Christian liberty in these areas, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead each believer into truth. My aim is to encourage growth in Christ rather than trying to force doctrinal conformity beyond what Scripture requires. For a more detailed explanation of my stance on essential vs. non-essential doctrines, see my Statement on Unity page.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Promised Redeemer

I believe the Gospel is, in short, that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the Promise of God made through the prophets in the Old Testament Scriptures (Mark 1:15, Luke 24:44). This promise included, in sum:

Who Jesus Is & What He Has Done

I believe:

The Centrality of the Finished Work of Christ

I believe:

While Scripture contains many essential truths, I believe the Gospel is the only essential truth that must be believed for salvation. As well, even though the Gospel contains more than a few facts about Jesus, I believe that one can be born again by responding in faith to whatever measure of Gospel truth has been revealed to them (Mark 10:15, John 3:16, Acts 16:31). However, believers must continue in the faith and hold fast to the true Gospel to be received by Christ at His return (Colossians 1:23).

The Nature of God

I believe that:

I believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct from one another yet constitute one God. I do not believe that a person must fully understand the nature of God to be saved, as this is a truth beyond full human comprehension (Romans 11:33-34, Isaiah 55:8-9, 1 Timothy 3:16, Mark 10:15).

Non-Essential Distinctives

What follows are viewpoints I generally hold. While I don’t believe that understanding or agreeing with every aspect of these doctrines is essential for salvation (or to be a welcomed brother or sister in Christ!), I do regard them as important matters that greatly affect the effectiveness and fruitfulness of individual believers and the Church as a whole.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

I believe that all true disciples of Jesus have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, have become a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, have been born again into Jesus’ Kingdom, and thus have new, resurrection life “in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 3:5-6, Romans 8:9). I also believe that, even after this has occurred, it is God’s desire to fill believers with the Holy Spirit so that they may be witnesses of the Gospel not only in word, but also in power (Acts 4:8,31, 9:17, 13:9, 13:52, Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 4:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 1:5). Therefore, I believe it is appropriate for believers who have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit to continually ask God to fill them with the Holy Spirit so that they may speak the Gospel with boldness and in demonstration of the Spirit and power (Acts 4:24-31, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5). At the same time, I believe the normative way the Holy Spirit draws people to Christ is through conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). I also believe that seeking after signs for their own sake is unwise and unbiblical (1 Corinthians 1:21-23).

Spiritual Gifts

I believe that all the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are still available to believers today (1 Corinthians 13:10,12). I do not believe that any of the gifts – as a matter of biblical doctrine – became extinct with the apostles or the early Church or upon the completion of the canon of Scripture. I acknowledge that – as a matter of present reality – certain spiritual gifts are not in operation in the Church to the same degree that they were in the early Church. I do not believe, however, that anything in the Bible teaches that any of the spiritual gifts will, at some point prior to the Return of Christ (1 Corinthians 13:10,12), cease to be available to believers who earnestly desire them for the edification of the Church and the advancement of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 14:1,5,12,18,39).

When it comes to the use of spiritual gifts, I take a conservative and biblical approach, emphasizing order, discernment, and testing in accordance with Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:26-33; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). I do not endorse practices such as barking, uncontrollable laughter, falling into trances, prophesying new doctrinal revelation, or prophesying the timing of end-times events, as these go beyond biblical teaching (1 Corinthians 14:40).

The Nature of Grace and Faith

I believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:4-5). However, I do not believe that grace is irresistible or that regeneration precedes faith (Luke 13:34, Acts 7:51, Ephesians 1:13).

I affirm that:

Last Things

I believe:

I also believe that all of the following eschatological viewpoints fall within historic Christian orthodoxy, and as such, are non-essential (but not unimportant) matters over which the Church should not divide.

Finally, I believe that Scripture teaches that no one can know the timing of Jesus’ return—not the day, the hour, or even the general timeframe (Matthew 24:35-36, Acts 1:7). As such, I do not attempt to predict or speculate about when these events will take place. While I joyfully look forward to Christ’s return, I do not believe that making such predictions is an edifying message for the Church or an effective way to minister the Gospel to the world.